Papa John says he'll pass along Obamacare costs to consumers

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/417589/august-08-2012/obamacare-s-effect-on-pizza-costs

I'm not locked into anything and the shareholder value vs stakeholder value debate is something that I'm pretty well aware of.... it not being anythingt new. I'm simply saying that I think you're completely wrong, and taking comments completely out of context when you suggest that Mr. Schnatter is making calculated political statements i.e. firing warning shots across the Obamacare bow. If that were actually his intent, why would he take pains to describe Obamacare costs as negligible compared to fuel, etc and why would he so clearly suggest PJ is well positioned to weather Obamacare?

I just think he was answering an analyst's question just like he's done hundreds of times since his company went public. The chattering classes are the ones cherry picking (and misrepresenting) his comments to make them overtly political.

Although I agree with you to an extent that Schnatter's comments are fairly mild, there's no way that they would not make news -- in "political" journalism or otherwise -- if he hadn't very visibly hosted an otherwise-private Romney fundraiser that the candidate attended in his own home. Certainly that's the catalyst for where the extraordinary interest in his comments comes from.

Well Joel you have a point given that American politics is a non-stop ****-slingiing contest and that if you involve yourself on any side you will most likely end up with some **** sticking to your fur.

That being said I still think his comments are being cherry picked and misrepresented. But there you go, once you enter the arena it's hard to avoid the splatter.

Wonder if he plans to hold a news conference blaming Wisconsin cows when his cheese prices go up? Oh wait that cheese comes from Monsanto not cows...

Wait.. you people eat Papa John's Pizza?!?!?!

Ew. I mean. Ew.

Before I'm misconstrued, let me say that this is America and I have no problem with Schnatter being for Romney. I'm also fine with the answer he gave to the question asked.

What has already been inacted so far that has helped your son? I'm not saying nothing has been, but I am unaware of changes that have already happened that are helping you.

This is part of the problem. What people dub "Obamacare" is actually The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. People see the name "Obama" and attack it on that basis alone without knowing the details. Your point seems to address timing more than details so... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-574 ... eme-court/ There are plenty of other news stories on the same topic.

Romney had a similar plan in Massachusetts though he contends that it should be a state by state decision. The individual mandate (where the government makes you buy insurance or you pay a penalty) was actually a Republican idea for decades. Of course, they framed it in a different context to combat people who show up uninsured to hospitals. In fact, Obama compromised quite a bit in an effort to get Republican support despite the newly elected Democratic majority being enough for him to pass unilaterally.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say John, and his fellow board members, have a better grasp of business economics, particularly with regards to managing input costs, then [sic] everyone on this forum combined.

Objection! Unsubstantiated...

Wait.. you people eat Papa John's Pizza?!?!?!

Ew. I mean. Ew.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN "YOU PEOPLE"???

Why shouldn't American workers have healthcare? 11 cents more for a pizza? Not bad. Too many people without alot of the American dream while he lives in a castle in Anchorage (KY):-) Why do people who have so much get so upset about people wanting the bare minimum? Of course, there are alot of people who do a lot with their money....
But with this and the Chick fil a thing, they both came out and made political/social statments. they have a right to say it. We have a right to disagree. We have a right to boycott their businesses. Very simple. Ellen

Before I'm misconstrued, let me say that this is America and I have no problem with Schnatter being for Romney. I'm also fine with the answer he gave to the question asked.

What has already been inacted so far that has helped your son? I'm not saying nothing has been, but I am unaware of changes that have already happened that are helping you.

This is part of the problem. What people dub "Obamacare" is actually The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. People see the name "Obama" and attack it on that basis alone without knowing the details. Your point seems to address timing more than details so... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-574 ... eme-court/ There are plenty of other news stories on the same topic.

Romney had a similar plan in Massachusetts though he contends that it should be a state by state decision. The individual mandate (where the government makes you buy insurance or you pay a penalty) was actually a Republican idea for decades. Of course, they framed it in a different context to combat people who show up uninsured to hospitals. In fact, Obama compromised quite a bit in an effort to get Republican support despite the newly elected Democratic majority being enough for him to pass unilaterally.

I didn't get to reply as fully as I wanted to earlier, but yeah- this is a huge part of my point. I won't speak to where D-H Dylan is coming from, but I can tell you this- at least half the time the opposition is based in racism, particularly with the older generation, it's easier to argue about how "horrible" this plan is for the country (even though if you explain what the mandate actually does piece by piece people are almost unilaterally for it) or something else he's done as way for them to not have to hate him because he's black and they just can't come to terms with their ingrained racism. I know how some of my older extended family feels even though they would never explicitly state it, so they talk about how "naive" or "young" he is so they don't have to admit it. Another large part are conservatives who are just disagreeing because it's a liberal's (and a fairly right of center liberal) plan to begin with, and then there are those who are just heartless and don't care about a plan that will actually do some real good for our country.

Wait.. you people eat Papa John's Pizza?!?!?!

Ew. I mean. Ew.

Only when we run out of drowned racoon a$$. (see Colbert video)

My purely personal point of view is that Obamacare will HELP small businesses. As a very small business, the mandate to provide insurance to employees does not affect me; however, it should ensure that I and my one or two employees will be able to purchase health insurance at a reasonable cost.

I am currently uninsured. As a healthy person, I was quoted over $1500/month for decent insurance, and I have lost employees who went to larger companies at lower wages so that they could get good group coverage.

As to Papa John's, yeah I am willing to pay a few cents more for a pizza so that their (mostly) minimum wage workers have health insurance. They are the bottom feeders of large employers if they aren't doing it now.

Most bankruptcys are health care related. Those costs go into health care costs. Does anyone really think that we aren't currently paying for uninsured people to get health care?

Sorry Ellen I'm not picking on you, but I do want to address some of your questions as I think you have echoed some of the thoughts of others on this forum...

Why shouldn't American workers have healthcare?

First, Papa hasn't spoken out against Obama care that I'm aware of. Did you read the transcript of the investors call in question posted in this thread?

Regardless, I don't think it's fair to imply that because someone is against Obabacare that they don't want Americans to have healthcare. This is a lazy, thoughtless tactic employed by the left. Steve H. has spent many words on this forum addressing this very issue apparently to no avail. So I won't say much more about it other than isn't it at least possible to acknowledge that those of us that oppose it do so not because we enjoy watching children suffer, but because we think there are better ways to reform healthcare?

11 cents more for a pizza? Not bad.

Again, I think if you go back and read the transcript you will see that was exactly John's point. But following what I think you were getting at...why are you so sure that because you are paying more of your money to Washington that healthcare quality will improve? What is that faith based on? Is it possible that someone is peeing on your leg and telling you it's raining? Don't I at least have the right to ask these questions without being called small minded, greedy, dumb, asshole, fascist...what were some of Jeremy's adjectives?, etc? (This is not directed at you Ellen).

This notion that throwing your money at the governement will necessarily solve problems is absolutely insane and the line of thought that those of us that dare question it are "spewing hate" is downright dangerous.

Would I feel the same way if the republicans were pushing this plan through? You're damn right I would. Why? Because THEY (Congress) are all on the same team! We are all so busy arguing about where we are going to buy our stooopid chicken sandwiches, where Obama was born and what tax loopholes Romney may have found that we don't even notice the high crimes commited in broad daylight by our elected "leaders". They've turned us against each other and forced us onto "teams". Meanwhile, as soon as the cameras are off, these guys are across the street at the bar slapping each other on the back and taking us all to the cleaners. Is it really so controversial (hateful) that I would question sending money into this political machine?

Too many people without alot of the American dream while he lives in a castle in Anchorage (KY):-)

Are you suggesting that someone that has achieved and given what he has shouldn't live in a nice house? How many 100K plus jobs has this guy created in Louisville alone? How many millionaires across the country? How many people do you know that paid their way through college delivering his pies (better money than you'd think)?

Why do people who have so much get so upset about people wanting the bare minimum?

I don't know of anyone (including Papa) who is upset about people wanting the bare minimum. BUT, I know a lot of people who have a real problem with people who want more than the bare minimum. You know, so they can buy lavish dinners and tip fancy "mixologists" at our locally owned restaurants and whatnot. Does anyone else smell the irony?

Of course, there are alot of people who do a lot with their money....

A quick Google search will reveal that John is one of them. Don't you think it's just a little bit unfair to make the implication that he isn't generous just because he lives in a big house? Or is it because he disagrees with you politically? Or both? You don't have to be a socialite in this community to know that John is generous with his money both publicly and privately.

But with this and the Chick fil a thing, they both came out and made political/social statments. they have a right to say it. We have a right to disagree. We have a right to boycott their businesses. Very simple. Ellen

Are you really going to boycott Papa's over something he never said?

Having looked at this for a while before commenting, I do think that taken by themselves and in the narrow context of the interview, Schnatter's comments were entirely prudent and are what the stockholders would expect. In fact, they were pretty obvious and mostly innocuous. When the cost of doing business goes up, that cost nearly always gets passed on. That's fundamental.

In the larger context, I'm sure Schnatter was not unaware that he would be providing fodder for both sides of this argument. The GOP says “See it will drive up costs!” The Dems say “Look it only costs 14 cents!” People can get on either side of the argument. I actually think it was a pretty savvy statement – intentional or not.

Greg, you say that you would be against mandated healthcare if it were a GOP supported issue. Well, it actually was a GOP supported issue not so long ago and more recently a certain Republican governor passed a similar state sized program himself. Apparently it's working pretty well and the National system is based on it. It's sad that Romney would want to distance himself from one of the things he should be able to brag about.

You say that throwing money at the government won't get the obviously broken healthcare system fixed but what is the alternative? It damn sure isn't fixing itself. Fixing It had to start somewhere and the President had the balls to get it started even though he knew it would be used against him. Maybe we'll figure out after this plan has been given a chance to work that it has many major flaws that need to be fixed but at least we will be moving towards an end.

Ellen is right. Those of us with healthcare insurance are paying for the millions of people without insurance when they inevitably need healthcare and show up at the hospital. We are footing that bill now. Really who would want to live in a country that would not? So we could repeal mandatory healthcare insurance and limp along as we did before. We could refuse care to those without insurance and abandon them to their demise. We could adopt national socialized healthcare. Turn healthcare over to the government. It does work but there is a very high price to pay. My British friends say they are taxed at nearly 65% of income to pay for theirs. Or we could try to make this thing work.

I absolutely don't blame you for wanting to question how our dysfunctional government is working. It won't fix itself either. It has been bought by the giant oil and insurance companies with their trillion dollar annual earnings. Really, why would those companies want things to change. When the bottom line of the income statement is the only important thing everything else will be left to suffer. The only way to shrug off the corporate influence is to get the big money out of the political system.

Colbert and Stewart in 2016!

"Greg, you say that you would be against mandated healthcare if it were a GOP supported issue. Well, it actually was a GOP supported issue not so long ago and more recently a certain Republican governor passed a similar state sized program himself. Apparently it's working pretty well and the National system is based on it. It's sad that Romney would want to distance himself from one of the things he should be able to brag about."

Actually, the first national healthcare plan was a Republican idea, written by Richard Nixon, but never introduced as he - shall we say - "left office" the week before it was to have been introduced. Then, years later, when a Democratic administration started looking at healthcare the conservative Heritage Foundation - fearing a Democratic bill - came up with a model plan that would meet all conservative objections. That is the bill Romney passed in Massachusetts, and that later became "Obamacare." Even Romney admitted it (remember in one debate where - after Gingrich slammed him for Mass's bill - he responded "well, you wrote it Newt" to which Gingrich said, "I wasn't at the Heritage Foundation the whole time, it's really more their's").

What is REALLY funny to me was when Ren Paul was addressing a rally of unemployed coal miners. He shouted that his first "duty" in Washington would be to try to stop Obamacare, and the former miners gave him a long standing ovation. I'm sitting here thinking that these people were fired when they tried to unionize just to get health insurance (miners from Benham and Lynch - when miners tried to unionize the owners closed the mine and reopened the same vein at the other side of the mountain in WV), and with the threat of black lung none of them could get private insurance. I'm thinking that I'm not totally wild about the bill, but these are the exact people who would be helped most by it, and they are against it. Was it Henry Mencken who said no one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the masses?