Obamacare Price Hike Cheered By Ian's Pizza

[pipewrench]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/papa-johns-obamacare-ians-pizza_n_2133050.html

" Martin, a part owner of Ian’s Pizza, a pizza shop with four locations in Wisconsin, said his business has offered full heath care coverage to its 50 full-time employees for years, making it all the more difficult to compete with national chains like Papa John's that pay workers low wages without health benefits.

"This may level the playing field for us,” Martin said of the Papa John's price hike. “If they have to pay for benefits, and that pushes their prices up closer to ours, it will justify what we’ve been paying for and what we’ve been fighting to do the past few years.” "

What? Small business can now compete against multinational chains...the horror!

[Chiquitita]

1. This is great to hear!

[lalalu]

2. And so the change begins.

[Angry Dragon]

3. Weren't they the ones that supplied pizzas to the protesters in the Wisconsin capital??

[pipewrench]

4. yes

[NYC Liberal]

5. Yep.

[calimary]

44. The very same. Many of us DUers placed orders!

That was such a tasty (literally!) little sidebar story to the larger one about the upheaval and screw-job the state republi-CONS and scott walker tried to perpetrate on public employees unions. They had a macaroni and cheese pizza that was the talk of the internet! They were the ones who kept a running blackboard "tote board" of all the states from which people were phoning pizza orders to be delivered to the protesters in the state capitol. Soon it had expanded to 50 states and several territories AND some 60 countries!

Ian's Pizza ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

[femrap]

48. Now I want to

visit Wisconsin just for an Ian's pizza! It's a beautiful state....been a long time since I was there.

[Jackpine Radical]

51. Remember this?

[calimary]

53. Yep, that's the one!

It was such fun to watch that list expand week by week! Actually, day by day!

[BainsBane]

6. Yet another reason to patronize local businesses

and actually get decent pizza, which is exactly what I did last night.

[bluestate10]

18. I do. I am somewhat price insensitive. I care more about quality. I can't see any one that calls

themselves a Liberal not being willing to pay a little more to accomplish an important social goal. And I am a Moderate, aka bluedog.

[argiel1234]

32. i found your comment interesting

in what ways do you consider yourself a "moderate"?

[femrap]

49. You must

consider yourself quite lucky to be 'price insensitive.' Others simply don't have that choice. Even a Moderate Bluedog should realize that, right?

And, I agree with the other poster...what defines you as a Bluedog? Social issues? Financial assistance to the poor?

[rhett o rick]

7. i hope someone is keeping track of the good businesses and the bad (repuke) businesses. nm

[Puzzledtraveller]

8. That we are referring to obamacare as a price hike is a no win

and that this is an unintended cosequence is a no win either, we can feel secure that it is the law of the land but what does it say about us? Why we still call it and tolerate it being called Obamacare for exmaple, and that it's okay in this situation to be called a price hike, wtf people?

[leftstreet]

9. 4 yrs ago we were talking about single payer, public option, etc

Now the debate is cost and pizza dude shiny bubbles

We're fucked

[femrap]

50. "pizza dude

shiny bubbles." Yea, I remember 4 years ago. And I remember watching Obama on TV saying, "Since I've arrived in Washington, I have changed my mind on the public option." I was

I have no idea how these State Health Exchanges are going to work.

I had my first encounter w/ Medicare this year. My mother fractured her pelvic bone. She is 85 and has never had any health problems before. So going through the hospital stay and then her being literally pushed into a the most ghastly nursing home was eye-opening, scary and extremely frustrating. And then I saw the bills that Medicare paid.

That nursing home in NO WAY deserved all that money given the service they provided.

It's true....the US pays the most for health care and gets the WORST return.

If I have to go to a nursing home to die, I'll kill myself first. The people at this nursing gave me that advice. We give better treatment to our pets when it comes to the end.

So I guess you're right. We're fucked.

[Bandit]

17. Keep in mind Obamacare is a Republican written Bill.

Of course it is going to impact the common person while Big Business keeps on going and if anything appears to affect their bottom line they will just pass it along to the public...

[ieoeja]

24. Back during the healthcare fight, polls had over 70% of Americans willing to pay more taxes.

That would have been substantially higher taxes for single payer. And you're worried we are going to freak out over a 5% increase on the price of pizza?

And I believe that Obama now calls it "Obamacare". I believe he loves the idea that his name may forever be associated with universal healthcare.

Republicans kept drumming the beat that "free healthcare isn't free" as if we thought it would be free rather than being paid for by an increase in taxes or prices on other things. Were they right? Did you actually believe this was going to be without cost?


In 2011 Illinois increased personal income taxes by 2/3rd from 3% to 5%. Everybody screamed. A few weeks ago I reminded some of the screamers. Their response? "Oh, yeah, I had forgotten about that. Do you know when that goes into effect?"

It went into effect two years ago. The screamers didn't even notice. And you're afraid of these morons?

[plethoro]

10. Excellent!..........nft

dddddddddd

[libdem4life]

11. I'd like to see signs in retail windows "Welcome, We Proudly Provide Health Care for Our Employees.

thus they are healthy, motivated and will serve you well."

[pipewrench]

12. Wait until the first commercial

That will start a huge wave of support and a complete collapse of the poor-multinational prosecution complex.

[libdem4life]

23. I can wait. Barely.

[Liberalynn]

13. Fantastic

[valerief]

14. Good for Ian's Pizza to do the right thing from the get-go! nt

[pacalo]

47. +1. That's how I look at it.

[Populist_Prole]

15. Mega chains think a lousy 15 cent price advantage is their ace in the hole?

"Mom & Pop" pizza can compete just fine with mega chains: They don't peddle bland vapid garbage as food; and if someone is willing to eat such stuff because of a lousy 15 cent price reduction, then they're either conservative tools or so destitute that they shouldn't be eating any of that stuff anyway.

[AlbertCat]

16. When the hell did "Obamacare"...

.... suddenly become all about pizza????

[pipewrench]

19. eating pizza once a week over many years will force a visit to the doctor.

[ck4829]

29. Hey, if it's a symbol that's exposing the Republicans for the pompous plutocrats that they are...

Then pizza for all.

[bora13]

35. don't be 9-9-9'ng me.... : )

[calimary]

45. Welcome to DU, bora13! Good one!

Glad you're here! The corporate mindset certainly does make a laughingstock out of itself, 'eh?

Besides, local pizza joints are SO far superior to the big chains!

[Myrina]

20. I <3 Ian's!! They make me wish I lived in WI again ...

Oh, a relocation is so tempting ...

[Locrian]

21. makes me wonder about Papa Johns

Makes me wonder if they dick with you over 3-5 cents for healthcare how much do they cut corners on pizza ingredients and stuff.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

38. That's a good point.

[wryter2000]

22. I remember Ian's

I ordered a pizza for the protestors from Ian's. WTG, Ian's!

[olegramps]

25. We have always patronized our local pizza restaurant.

It beats the franchise crap that we have eaten at other people's homes. They hire almost exclusively high school kids with the owner and his son overseeing.

[liberal N proud]

26. Bu... but... BUT: Obamacare will kill small business

Another fucking republican myth laid to rest!

[MadBadger]

27. This just makes me hungry for some Mac n' cheese Pizza

yummmm

[bluesbassman]

28. I expect to see this prominantly run on Faux News.

That is if those pesky flying pigs quit knocking down my satellite dish.

[Name Unpronounceable]

30. Papa John's sucks

In my neighborhood, a Papa John's opened up next to a mom and pop pizza shop that had been open for forty years and just a couple of years ago it closed down. Maybe the guy just retired or maybe he couldn't compete. But how could an authentic pizza shop not mop the floors with the garbage that Papa John's sells? You can sit down and shoot the breeze with the owner and order anything from a pizza to a calzone to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with a poster of the 2006 Italian soccer team looking down at you from across the counter. Every time I see a commercial of that Papa John sfaccima with his "better ingredients, better pizza" I just give him a hearty va fan culo.

[pipewrench]

39. +1

great story, thanks for sharing.

[Divine Discontent]

40. ha! thanks for sharing! :)

[calimary]

46. Welcome to DU, Name Unpronounceable!

Great story! Thank you for posting! Glad you're here! Good to hear about the customer loyalty! I would much rather go to one of the locals in my neighborhood. Besides, their employees have been there for ages and they've all watched our kids, and all the other kids in the neighborhood, grow up. Kinda like an extended family. It would be shitty to see one of those driven out of business by some big faceless chain. BUY LOCAL!!!!

[freshwest]

31. Who's good for Small Businesses? Say it again!

[shenmue]

33. Good for them

I hope they have shops near me.

[City Lights]

34. Three cheers for Ian's!

[patrice]

36. KICK!!!

[Fantastic Anarchist]

37. That's what it's all about! Good job, boys!

[LynneSin]

41. I bet the pizza tastes a hell of alot better too

Just saying!

[Loudestlib]

42. Why?

Why do we allow businesses to put their cost on us?

Those people who work for Papa John, when they get hurt they go to the ER and we pay for it!

[defacto7]

43. K&R

[arthritisR_US]

52. Now that is the meme that needs to be heard virally!