Many of
you may have already seen the letter that follows. My friend ‘THE KANSAS KID’ sent it to
me a-way back on January 2nd and I’ve been meaning to post it. And now that I
am stalling for time while I work on a 3-part blog bit about “that” Book – “that” Book about circumcision, fantastic
fables, drunken fishermen, and a “Santa Claus god”; “that” Book which atheists, most liberals and other gutter
dogs detest – while I work on a 3-part blog bit about “that” Book, I figure NOW is a good time to post this letter:
.
.
A Letter from Hobby Lobby Stores
CEO
By David
Green,
the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
.
When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God's word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
.
We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do.
.
We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance.
.
Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.
.
If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.
.
Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that's raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not right.
.
I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's the same for everybody. But that's not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
.
So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don't like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.
.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that's a choice no American and no American business should have to make.
.
The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.
.
Sincerely,
David Green,
CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
.
I applaud Mr. Green for what he wrote and I am in total agreement with it. That letter almost makes me want to apply for a job at a Hobby Lobby store . . . if they don’t all take their arts and crafts and go home first.
.
When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God's word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
.
We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do.
.
We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance.
.
Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.
.
If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.
.
Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that's raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not right.
.
I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's the same for everybody. But that's not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
.
So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don't like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.
.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that's a choice no American and no American business should have to make.
.
The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.
.
Sincerely,
David Green,
CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
.
I applaud Mr. Green for what he wrote and I am in total agreement with it. That letter almost makes me want to apply for a job at a Hobby Lobby store . . . if they don’t all take their arts and crafts and go home first.
.
The only
thing I’d question though is this: How many products offered for sale in Hobby
Lobby stores were produced in China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
United Arab Emirates and/or other places with a record of awful human rights
abuses?
.
I’m not
sure if I’ve ever even been in a Hobby Lobby, but I do know that most arts
and crafts shops are full of products from the above mentioned countries and
more. What’s sadder still is that most Christian bookstores are also
loaded with Indonesian, East Indian, and Communist Chinese goods for sale. In
an American Christian bookstore you can purchase a ceramic statue of Jesus
manufactured in a prison-factory by a Chinese Christian who is being “reeducated”
via forced labor. What was that word Jesus used so often that started with an
“h”?
.
None of
us lives up to the standard that Jesus called us to, myself certainly
included. But when one’s transgressions against that standard also earns them a monetary profit? Well . . .
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.
YE OLDE
COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem
attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read:
"posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com,
so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.
