Obamacare

Sunday's New York Times featured an article about a place we know and love all too well:  Home.  The story by Monica Davey put the spotlight on the increasing chasm between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin - especially in regards to politics and the economy.

Before you go crazy and start writing letters and call me on the air about putting more porn on the internet, read on and see if this isn't a good idea. How is it the Porn industry could help the United States Government and Obamacare. No, it's not free porn for congress.

Now that the election is over, the fight between Barack Obama and the Catholic Church is over - right?  Not so fast.

As details slowly become available about the ramifications of Obamacare on the health costs of humans, another angle is being exposed;  The health act will also raise the costs of your pet's healthcare.

(Photo by Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images)With the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act - or Obamacare - everyone will be mandated to buy health insurance or pay a tax to the Internal Revenue Service.

Observers close to the food and restaurant industry are watching their bottom line shrink, with profits expected to be lost due to new taxes that went into effect on January 1st.  With Obamacare putting a halt to hiring and forcing some managers to cut staff and hours, the industry was already forecasting a pale 2013.  But now with the reversal of the payroll tax holiday that eats an additional 2%

Apparently they weren't empty threats.  When The Obama administration pushed for the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, some of the nations largest employers said that the costs associated with the new mandate would force them into reducing hours, a cut-back on hiring, or worse...

Revamped menus and marketing didn't help Florida-based Darden Restaurants boost their sales in the most-recent quarter.  The parent company of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Longhorn Steakhouse posted numbers that were even lower than analysts had forecasted.

Call it the Affordable Care Act.  Call It Obamacare.  Most folks are going to call it costly.  As the roll-out of Obamacare starts, taxpayers and insurance customers are going to notice that they're paying additional fees that weren't effectively presented up front.

Red Lobster.  Olive Garden.  Longhorn Steakhouse.  White Castle.  As restaurant owners approach the full roll out of the Affordable Care Act (AKA - Obamacare) and the costs associated with it, they are making changes to maintain the profitability of their company.  Primarily those changes mean a reduction of hours and full-time status for their employees.

During a conference call with investors,  John Schnatter - founder and CEO of Papa John's Pizza - announced that unless Obamacare is repealed, the company will be forced to pass along a price increase to customers. At this time, the forecast is for prices to rise up to 20-cents per pizza - in order to pay for the additional costs the company will incur with Obamacare...

Now that the Supreme Court has weighed in on the legality of the Affordable Care Act, food service executives are beginning to weigh in on what the ramifications will be for their industry. The news is not good. Dawn Sweeney, the President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association had this to say: Based on the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the law, employers with 50 or more full-time equiv