Obamacare Mandates May Cause Hobby Lobby to Close Its Doors!

”Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”-—-Thomas Merton (1915-1968), poet, essayist, novelist and Catholic priest

Hobby Lobby, a retail chain of more than 500 arts and crafts stores, founded in 1972 by CEO David Green and  based in Oklahoma City,  is under attack by our federal government and leftist groups for its adherence to strong Christian principles!  But Hobby Lobby is not just rolling over and taking it. This company is taking on the federal government against all odds.

Quoting Wikipedia: “In September 2012, Hobby Lobby sued the United States over new regulations requiring health insurance provided by employers to cover emergency contraceptives, stating that, “The Green family’s religious beliefs forbid them from participating in, providing access to, paying for, training others to engage in, or otherwise supporting abortion-causing drugs and devices.” The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the company’s application for an injunction, prompting it to sue the federal government. On July 19, 2013, the company was granted a temporary exemption from the contraceptive-providing mandate by US District Judge Joe Heaton.”

Shortly before filing the lawsuit against the federal government, CEO Green wrote an article that was published in USA Today titled “Christian Companies Can’t Bow to Sinful Mandate”. It is reproduced below….

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 also 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.

Please refer to Snopes for a detailed account of the legal maneuverings that have taken place and are under way.

Bottom line is that the federal appeals court ruling this summer said that Hobby Lobby is entitled to pursue its claims.  But…knowing how the current administration works, the government will not submit easily to any challenges to its Obamacare mandates. So the “jury is still out” as to how this will be resolved.

Meanwhile, please support Hobby Lobby in fulfilling your arts and craft needs! The only Hobby Lobby store in the Charleston area is located in Mount Pleasant at 2165 Tea Planter Lane, on the east side of Highway 17 North.  My wife and I shop there often and I know you will enjoy your experience!

The post Obamacare Mandates May Cause Hobby Lobby to Close Its Doors! appeared first on Charleston Tea Party.

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