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Eden Foods has come under attack by liberals who, for some reason, thought that the term “organic” only applied to the far left. The highly successful natural foods company recently filed a lawsuit in protest of the birth control mandates in the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Eden Foods’ Facebook page has gone viral and features a rapidly growing number of comments from folks subscribing to both political party persuasions.
The company was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a co-op during the late 1960s. Eden Foods has been a staunch supporter of reducing the environmental impact by employing only earth-friendly business practices. Eden Foods CEO Michael Potter incurred the ire of the left when he voiced opposition to Obamacare and federal government overreach in general. Although liberals posting frequently on social media outlets want readers to believe Eden Foods is anti-woman and seeks to ban birth control, nothing could be further from the truth.
As Michael Potter aptly noted during an interview with the far-left venue, Salon, contraception is an issue which neither his company nor the federal government has any business poking their noses into. Like many companies who have objected to Obamacare on religious grounds, Eden Food simply does not want to have to pay for birth control procedures and medications which may be in opposition with the guiding principles of the organization.
Michael Potter had this to say about the backlash over the Obamacare lawsuit during an interview with Salon:
“I’ve got more interest in good quality long underwear than I have in birth control pills. Because I’m a man, number one and it’s really none of my business what women do. Because I don’t care if the federal government is telling me to buy my employees Jack Daniel’s or birth control. What gives them the right to tell me that I have to do that? That’s my issue, that’s what I object to, and that’s the beginning and end of the story. I’m not trying to get birth control out of Rite Aid or Walmart, but don’t tell me I gotta pay for it. I’m not the pope. I’m in the food business. I’m qualified to have opinions about that and not issues that are purely women’s issues. I am qualified to have an opinion about what health insurance I pay for.”
The Eden Foods controversy highlights the baffling belief that only liberals support environmental causes and natural food choices. Many Americans who identify themselves as Republicans, Libertarians, independents, or conservatives, also care about Mother Nature and what is in the food which winds up on our dinner plates. Although there are a growing number of community and rooftop gardens in urban areas, the vast majority of crops are still grown in rural regions across the country.
There are those of us who choose to live in the nearly crime-free countryside, own guns, can cite Bible verses, and place great stock in protecting nature and consuming non-GMO unprocessed produce. It is pure hubris that Democrats, progressives, and liberals feel that only they are frequent customers of companies like Eden Foods and Whole Foods. Sure, Michael Potter’s company did anger a sizeable portion of its consumer base when railing against the government overreach which is Obamacare, but not all the folks who place Eden Foods products in their shopping carts voted for the president.
There is a way to effectively opt-out of the coming health care nightmare…
The liberal elite who walk busy city streets to reach their offices only take occasional weekend visits to marvel at the natural bounty which comprises America. Rural residents live in such areas year around, and hold the preservation of the environment, the dwindling bee colonies, and family farms very dear to our hearts.
Protests against the Monsanto Protection Act have brought voters from both ends of the political spectrum together for a common cause—proof that the safety of the food supply is an issue important to all Americans. If Eden Foods customers from the far left decide Michael Potters’ battle against Obamacare insults their sensibilities and big government desires, so be it. Those customers can tell Potter they disagree with his stance and stop buying their products—but they do not need to slam those who agree or engage in childish and cruel name-calling tactics.
A multitude of the comments on Eden Foods’ Facebook page have referred to the company (and by extension those who agree with Potter) “misogynistic, judgmental, and unfair.” When a poster bashing another person for expressing their opinion tosses out the term “judgmental,” it is most definitely a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Liberals often pat themselves on the back for their supposedly diverse mindset and open-mindedness. But, those laudable attributes quickly vanish when faced with an opposing position. As a Libertarian, I do not personally agree with some of the social issues which are (or should be) legal, but I fully support an adult’s right to make whatever lifestyle choices they want, as long as they are not harming anyone else. That mindset is not only in line with the principles established by our Founding Fathers, but is a true example of the accepting demeanor liberals claim to possess. Eden Foods CEO Michael Potter appears to merely being trying to convey the same sentiments.
Potter readily acknowledges that the social media and far-left frenzy over his fight against Obamacare is hitting Eden Foods in the pocketbook, but he has no intentions of backing down. The Eden Foods CEO is standing firmly behind his decision to fight the federal government’s overreach on the health care matter. The organic food company executive rightly feels that Obamacare is an infringement upon constitutional freedoms and is forging ahead with the Affordable Care Act lawsuit.
We now live in a country where proof of citizenship is not required to get a driver’s license, but proof of insurance is now mandated. Liberals get angry at the thought of the government invading their wombs during abortion debates, become equally infuriated when the state laws come into their bedrooms in regards to gay marriage, yet welcome government intervention with open arms when it comes to taxpayer-subsidized healthcare and free birth control pills.
The irrational and illogical platform of the Democrat Party diminishes their credibility with intellectual independents. Birth control is a wonderful thing, but everyone needs to pay for their own. Planned Parenthood operates on a sliding scale with a payment plan. Generic birth control pills are just $17 per month at my local Walmart. If a woman cannot afford such a nominal amount, there is another alternative—abstinence. Just saying no to naughty pleasures until the possible consequences are fiscally feasible is a responsible choice, and one which would not push the financial burden on to others who have their own bills to pay. 
