This morning, NPR’s Yuki Noguchi wanted to know how an ordinary small business owner feels now that the Obama health care law has been upheld. So she turned to this guy:
The law will give some small businesses tax incentives to pay for employee health care. Starting in 2014, those with 50 or more employees will be required to provide it.
That requirement is bad news for businesses like Perfect Printing in Moorestown, N.J. The company’s president and CEO, Joe Olivo, says he now has 48 employees, for whom he pays some health care coverage.
But he’s intensely aware of crossing that 50-person threshold and will think very hard before hiring more people so he can avoid hitting government requirements that he says will raise his health care costs.
Last night, Anne Thompson of NBC News wanted to know the same thing. So she turned to … the same guy:
ANNE THOMPSON: For small business owners like Joe Olivo, it is the unknown cost of the law that could impact his printing business….
Olivo offers health care to his 48 workers. If he goes to 50, he says the law would require him to provide more comprehensive and expensive care or pay a penalty. He says the penalty makes more sense.
JOE OLIVO: The penalty is far below my premiums. It’ll be cheaper for me to allow the employees to go and purchase insurance on the exchange by themselves.
Wow — two news organizations covering the same story scoured the nation for a random small business owner to comment on that story — and they both found the same one! How’d that happen? What are the odds?
Well, as it turns out, Joe Olivo of Perfect Printing turns up quite a bit in public discussions of this and other issues. Here he is testifying against the health care law before House and Senate committees in January 2011. Here he is on the Fox Business Network around the same time, discussing the same subject. Here he is a few days ago, also on Fox Business, talking to John Stossel about the law. Here he is discussing the same subject on a New Jersey Fox affiliate.
And here he is in July 2010 discussing small business hiring with Neil Cavuto on Fox News. Here he is opposing an increase in the minimum wage in an MSNBC debate a couple of weeks ago.
Go to many of these links and you find out something about Joe Olivo that NPR and NBC didn’t tell you: he’s a member of the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB’s site and YouTube page promote many of Olivo’s public appearances. He was the subject of an NFIB “My Voice in Washington” online video in 2011.
NFIB, you will not be surprised to learn, is linked to the ALEC and Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, and to the usual rogues’ gallery of right-wing zillionaires.
So Joe Olivo isn’t just some random business owner — he’s dispatched by NFIB whenever there’s a need for someone to play a random small business owner on TV.
Thanks, NPR and NBC — you asked us to smell the grass, and you didn’t even notice it was Astroturf. Or you noticed, but you didn’t want us to.
(X-posted at No More Mister Nice Blog.)
Odie Hugh Manatee
They needed a new “Joe the …” so now they have the new, improved, “Joe the Perfect Printer!”
At least this Joe owns a business. They’re getting smarter!
Ben Cisco
Imma go with SLIM and NONE.
Ferengi are Ferengi, after all.
Reklam
Media is lazy; News at 11 (if the pre-cut b-roll arrives via messenger).
ruemara
What a slime ball.
amk
Excellent expose’, dude.
scav
Stock Photos, Stock Interviews, Stock Phrases to feed the Livestock / Cattle. You don’t actually expect reporters to anything other than report on what crosses their desk do you? That takes TIME and the important thing to to be first, as amply demonstrated yesterday.
ETA: Mr Paperclip sees you’re writing an article on XXX issue. Mr. Paperclip suggests the following Interviews on Speed Dial. Connect?
liberal
You don’t need to link NFIB to anything to make them look bad. When repealing the estate tax came up more than a decade ago, I remember them banging on the “death tax” drum on their website. (As if a large percentage of small business owners pay estate taxes.)
kc
Those fucking hacks. We need better journalists. Or just, you know, any actual journalists.
Rafer Janders
Look, if Joe Olivo’s clients want more work done by Perfect Printing, and if his 48 employees can’t handle the increased workload, then he’s damn well going to hire a few more employees, 50 person threshold or not, or risk losing out on that business to other printing companies. It’s not Obamacare that’s actually stopping him from hiring more: it’s lack of demand.
David Fud
Might want to tag this with “Media Corpse” and other such things.
Culture of Truth
Okay then.
Brian R.
Wow, well done.
Q.Q. Moar
“he says will raise his health care costs” and “he says the law would require him to provide more comprehensive and expensive care” I don’t suppose either story explained how the law actually worked?
beltane
No one can be this stupid and survive to adulthood so I’m going with the assumption that NPR and NBC are complicit in the NFIB’s astroturfing effort.
Mark S.
Wow. Unbelievable.
Which of course means it’s very believable.
Culture of Truth
It sounds like his career as a GOP poster boy is going great.
slim's tuna provider
@Ben Cisco: why do people bust on ferengi? ferengi are funny, and have their own sense of honor, however warped. unlike republicans, they abhor violence. and then there’s rom and ishka, who are are just awesome. also, without quark, where would people get decen booze on DS9?
NCSteve
Just for yuks, does anyone know how to report this to the NPR ombudsman? The inevitable resultant cloud of equivocation and rationalization squid ink ought to be good for a laugh.
geg6
Completely OT (sorry, Freddie!), but how much do I love this guy?
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/gov-omalley-gop-likes-mandates-when-theyre-transvaginal-probes-for-women.php?ref=fpblg
I had a friend who worked for him as mayor. He loved that job because, apparently, O’Malley is a great boss. Met him once when visiting my friend. We all had a beer together. Gotta love that.
Odie Hugh Manatee
S.E. Cupp is on MSNBC and her voice could peel paint off of a battleship. Please, stuff a corndog in her mouth already.
What, too soon?
The Red Pen
@slim’s tuna provider: Don’t forget Quark and Rom’s mom, who was awesome.
Valdivia
this is a great piece of journalism as it should be done, instead of the village version which is to let republican operatives dictate their script.
feebog
What does “offers healthcare” even mean? And exactly how much move comprehensive and more expensive are the plans he would be required to offer his employees after 2014. One would think that these would be basic questions that any journalist would ask. But I guess it is just too much to ask of these hacks.
Spaghetti Lee
Ha ha, wow. Just a simple, humble businessman from ALEC. What a gig.
jwb
And I’m sure in every one of these news reports, the reporters tell us that random business guy is a de facto spokesperson for the NFIB. But seriously, it mostly shows just how lazy (and ideological) our press is. Need quote from random business guy to fill out predetermined story; let’s reach for the easiest thing at hand rather than doing some actual work of finding our own random business guy. And if it is hard (or easy) finding such a person—well, that tells you something that should be reflected in the reporting.
Q.Q. Moar
Here‘s the link to the NPR ombudsman’s blog. There’s a contact form on the page, too.
NonyNony
@NCSteve:
Actually this is where the a “swarm the media” approach would be good for the Left side of the aisle. The Right loves to get their folks calling into stations demanding retractions or whatnot – it would be good to come down with a hammer on stuff like this from the Left side as well when the evidence is in your favor.
And damn – the evidence is pretty damn clear here that they’ve been presenting a shill for a right-wing political group with ties to Karl Rove on as an “average small business owner” without explaining who he represents. That’s worthy of screaming about.
celticdragonchick
@slim’s tuna provider:
There is that little problem about stealing stuff and selling it…including people (especially women…See Enterprise episode #19 “Aquisition”. They intended to sell all the women into slavery).
slim's tuna provider
@The Red Pen: i thought that was ishka? my nerdfu is growing weaker. but yes, she is awesome because she told every to f$%^ off, because she was going to wear clothes and admit that her husband had no lobes for business.
Dave
Great catch, Steve.
Moorestown, NJ is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country, by the way, not surprising some dude there has connections.
SatanicPanic
Great work SteveM
xjmueller
I believe npr stated his affiliation. They id’d the org by name. I know they compared him to a guy in Wisconsin who was ecstatic about the decision because it might eventually help him expand his ice cream stand business. A mom and pop small business. It allowed him to be insured snd removed uncertainty.
rollotomasi
News organizations would do a service if they investigated how many small businesses have 45-49 employees and have similar concerns.
I’ll bet there aren’t very many.
Bob2
Uh…I work in the same office park as Perfect Printing. It’s less than a mile away.
El Tiburon
Time to get this dudes home address and stalk and harass the shit out of him, amirite or amirite?
PWL
Shorter version: “Round up the usual suspects!”
dedc79
@xjmueller: They ID’d a different guy as being part of the organization. Then they made it sound like this olivio guy was just some random business owner they spoke to. See for yourself: http://www.npr.org/2012/06/29/155939281/business-owners-mixed-on-health-care-ruling
eric
@geg6: I met him here in Chicago because he is raising money for the Dream Act in Maryland. He will be on the 2016 or 2020 ticket…book it. Most humane speech I have seen on immigration I have seen from a state wide elected official. Put me down as a fan.
gbear
I’m a member of MN Public Radio because they have a really good music station. They’re just finishing up with a pledge drive that came up short and I got a phone call from MPR last night asking me to up my pledge. I wish I would have thought to tell him that I’d increase my pledge if they dropped All Things Considered and Morning Edition from their news programming, but it didn’t come to mind until after I’d already told him I wouldn’t give more.
sdstarr
The small business owner says that he’s going to keep his business under 50 in order to avoid extra costs for providing health insurance to his employees. Of course, if we had a single payer system he could hire as many people as he wanted to without worrying about the costs.
I am a partner at a small business. Buying private health care for employees sucks. Every year the costs go up and coverage gets crappier, and people blame me when their co-pays go through the roof. I would love a single payer system, and I can’t understand any small business owner who actually enjoys buying health insurance.
Alex S.
Excellent post!
kamalokitty
Let the misinformation begin. They will all talk about the burden but not the benefit. Like that dipshit insurance trade group representative on NPR this morning, whose M.O. was apparently to say “tax” in every sentence, without talking about the tax exemptions — the incentives that the Act gives to the businesses who bring their employees into the pool.
Now I remember why I don’t listen to NPR anymore. Or any news. Bunch of lazy asshats. They are part of the problem.
Bullsmith
Not only is he a (paid?) spokesman, but isn’t he saying that if he hires two more people the government is going to force him to do what he’s only doing, except he’ll have to either a) provide health coverage with some actual, you know, coverage included or b) pay a fine he dismisses as trivial compared to the cost of providing said actual minimal coverage.
So he’s a heartless prick who wants to go on TV and complain about his right to choose to screw his employees by simply paying a fine for the privilege. Quality, attractive astroturf they’re growing these days.
Quincy
Agree on reporting this to ombudsman. Reporters need a quote so they call NFIB to set them up with a source because it is easy. The only way to stop it and force them to do actual reporting is to call them out. I’d focus on the laziness, though, as opposed to attacking on partisan grounds. If you claim that they’re spreading right-wing viewpoints, they’ll fall back on “we reported both sides” and dismiss your criticisms as politically motivated. It’s more important to point out that their lazy reporters are willingly being fed information by lobbying groups, rather than doing their jobs.
Tim I
@beltane:
There is no question about NPR’s and NBC’s complicity in this story. For twenty years I ran America’s largest home heating oil cooperative. We got quite a bit of local and national coverage.
Inevitably, after taping an interview with me, a reporter would ask if I new of a homeowner they could speak to about whatever energy issue was in the news that day. I would find one of our members to speak with them – someone I trusted to deliver our group’s message.
I’m sure the media is finding Mr. Olivo through referrals from the NFIB. The NFIB used the same spokesman too many times and got busted. The press is lazy, and easily manipulated. It is not entirely the reporters’ fault. They are frequently assigned to cover topics that they know nothing about, so they do a Lexus-Nexus search to find people who have been quoted before on this topic.
If you get quoted enough, you will always get a steady stream of calls from the press. The better reporters call to get some background about the topic. The lazier ones are more than happy to let you produce the story for them. I had no evil intent, but I would try to manage the stories so as to get the best coverage for my organization.
BoK
NFIB is not just any right-wing organization, it was the lead plaintiff in the case. The case is officially “NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ET AL. v. SEBELIUS, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, ET AL.”
danielx
This sumbitch will be held up as a perfect Congressional candidate within days.
Ruckus
@liberal:
Decades ago I belonged to the NFIB. I very naively thought they actually lobbied for small business, of which I was one(6-14 employees plus dad and myself). I quit after a while when I realized they ware about taking money from small businesses like mine and enhancing what the government believed to be small businesses. Those with up to 500 employees. The chamber of commerce is the same. Maybe some small town chambers are not but that has not been my experience. No one gives a shit about real small business. Till now. ACA puts real small business on a more equal footing to the larger ones. Over 50 for example.
One point from the printer. How does he know how much the ACA era policy will cost? That hiring 2 more employees will break him? As we all know he is full of shit.
Napoleon
I just don’t have the time today but I sure hope some or most of you lodge complaints with NPR and ABC – the more the better
bemused
@sdstarr:
Yup, been there. We had a small business for about 19 years and health insurance coverage for us and employees was one gigantic headache which increased every year.
What I don’t get with ACA opponents with health insurance is what makes them think what they have now will stay that way without ACA. History should give them a clue that all the problems with health insurance coverage now or pre-ACA will just get worse and worse.
Afferent Input
In the US, insurance is provided by our employers, the benevolent Job Creators. But more and more, the Galtian overlords have shirked their responsibility to be good stewards over their fiefdoms. Take this Oliva guy, for example. He lords over the lives of 48 American citizens and their families. But apparently he feels like he should only grant “some” of his hard-working employees with health insurance. And he says he’ll do anything, including slow the growth of his business, just so he won’t be required to insure all of his employees from catastrophic health failure. These people are psychotic.
And, yes, a very nice find. I’m contacting the NPR ombudsman right away. A blog swarm is called for here.
Culture of Truth
Obamacare caused the recession now shut up
kay
@Bullsmith:
If the cut-off were 60 he’d say 58. If the cut-off were 100 he’d say 98.
It’s the kind of thing media and conservatives love, because then they can bemoan the cruelty of regulation.
Where does he want the cut-off btwn small and
large business to be? I’m betting “nowhere”. He doesn’t want to be regulated AT ALL.
Did they even verify anything he’s saying or are we just accepting the lobbyist’s assertion as fact?
shortstop
@eric: I agree. 2016, I think.
Hoodie
@sdstarr: Second that. Small businesses generally get crappy rates under the current system, hopefully ACA will improve that. It seems like all the things that they’re bitching about are things that were put in to get the insurance industry and big corporations to sign on to the ACA. You know, Republican ideas.
Ghost of Joe Liebling's Dog
Yuki is probably just angling for a regular gig on MSNBC or Faux … the phony man in the street ploy worked out great for Mika Brzezinski,
didn’t it? Surely one or the other has room in the payroll for another four letter word …
Argive
But I thought the government was trying to force you to buy healthcare because all them Washington bureaucrats are soshulists and in league with the UN which is totally gonna take over the US and repeal the 2nd Amendment and then we’ll all be in FEMA internment camps and oh yeah the president is near.
Oh wait. It turns out that the ACA is actually a pretty good deal for someone like Joe the Small Businessman. Boy, whoda thunk it?
And yeah, this guy is gonna hire when demand goes up. John Galt is a fantasy. I’ve yet to meet a successful businessman who willingly turned down the chance to make a profit.
marianne19
I administer health benefits for small businesses and am looking forward to seeing what impact the exchanges may have on pricing. Certainly, I expect there will be more choices for us. Business owners who say they are going to cut employees or not grow their business because of ACA haven’t thought things through and IMO, that’s because they’re letting ideology get in the way of the facts.
These are the kind of guys who go to rotary and all think they’re –not John Galt–the guy with the steel mill.
Anyway, it’s amazing reporters can’t find people like me, who really want to cover their employees and were hoping that ACA would stand, to talk to.
Sophist(from droid)
Someone should email this to Colbert and/or the Maddow show. I could easily see either show doing a short segment on this.
Tom Betz
@NCSteve:
Surprisingly, http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/
liberal
@Ruckus:
Yeah, I know—I love how that’s a “small business.”
mouse tolliver
Christ. Even the liberal MSNBC coverage ends on such a sour note, pimping a partisan hack as a neutral third party and making it sound like health care reform means the end of the world, dogs and cats living together…
Where are the ecstatic parents who don’t have to worry about their college graduate children (who are now living at home again because they can’t find a job) losing health coverage?
Female on the Beach
@Odie Hugh Manatee: all RW female commentators sound as if they’re getting ready to stab somebody and the male commentators sound like hysterical fishwives.
JoyfulA
@Q.Q. Moar: Thanks for the ombudsman link. I complained, citing this actual journalism.
Patricia Kayden
@mouse tolliver: Exactly!!
No interviews of the supporters outside of the Supreme Court who were ecstatic that the ACA was upheld? Yesterday morning, a caller broke down in tears on the Stephanie Miller show. She was overjoyed that the ACA was upheld and wanted to let President Obama know that despite all the haters, there are millions of Americans who love him. The so-called liberal media can never find any of the millions of Obama supporters to talk about how happy we are that the ACA was upheld — just the paid naysayers.
cckids
@kamalokitty:
This. I was up late last night & flipped to CNN around 2 am West Coast time. The show had 3 women (no idea of names) sitting around talking about ACA as though all the info was COMPLETELY NEW to them. One actually said “now that its the law we can all learn about it”, also “is there anywhere we can go to learn what is in the law”. Instead of pointing them to the ACA’s website, the one playing the “expert” pointed to CNN’s site.
They also, deliberately or not, mixed up the penalty amounts for not buying insurance with the premiums to be charged, & were bemoaning how, if you couldn’t pay for insurance, you could be expected to come up with the $200 or whatever the fine was. It was truly pathetic.
ChrisNYC
NFIB also happens to be …. a plaintiff in the healthcare lawsuit. One of the cases decided yesterday was NFIB v. Sebelius. They’re the ones who hired Randy Barnett as their lawyer.
http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/11-393.htm
Creepy Jury Trials Permanently Penned Mr. Devon for Silvering Ordinary Camshafts
What’s interesting is that according to his company’s profile (apparently updated on June 10, 2012), his company has between 50 and 99 employees (manta.com). So he apparently he was lying. Color me shocked.
JGabriel, Statist Minded Ideologue of the Left
__
__
Joe Olivo:
Does this guy realize he just advocated for a larger a penalty?
Jackass.
.
Mark B
So, he’s been stuck at 48 employees for going on 3 years now, at least? He’s not very good at growing his business, is he?
Both Sides Do It
This is an awesome, awesome catch. Kudos.
But I learned from Aaron Sorkin that blogs don’t do real journalism, so, not very big kudos.
Also it’s even more stupid and anger-inducing because the NFIB was the fucking plaintiff in the health care litigation. This is like getting a man-on-the-street perspective of the Illinois Nazi right to assemble case from someone in the anti-defamation league.
PG
OLIVO, JOE
CHERRY HILL, NJ 08034
PERFECT PRINTING
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS/ SAVE AMERICAS FREE ENTERPRISE TRUST
11/07/2003 275.00 24990904097
12/19/2005 400.00 26930104936
11/01/2010 250.00 10931897859
OLIVO, JOE MR.
CHERRY HILL, NJ 08034
PERFECT PRINTING/PRESIDENT
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS/ SAVE AMERICAS FREE ENTERPRISE TRUST
06/22/2002 250.00 22991453792
OLIVO, JOSEPH
MOORESTOWN, NJ 08057
PERFECT PRINTING INC.
PRINTING INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA
08/08/2005 250.00 25971014006
05/19/2006 250.00 26930182944
07/22/2007 1000.00 27931119710
OLIVO, JOSEPH
MOORESTOWN, NJ 08057
PERFECT PRINTING, INC.
PRINTING INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA
06/23/2008 500.00 28932273321
03/13/2012 1000.00 12951525614
OLIVO, JOSEPH MR.
MOORESTOWN, NJ 08057
PERFECT PRINTING
PRINTING INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA
02/13/2004 300.00 24961355150
pseudonymous in nc
The Hulu ad rotation just added something from Concerned Women of America (aka Ladies Against Women) featuring a Sad Woman Doctor who apparently wants Real Health Reform, though what that means isn’t actually specified.
Anyway, Mr NFIB is effectively making that case that small-biz Jarrrb Crrtors shouldn’t even be in the business of arranging health insurance and blackmailing their employees. Guaranteed issue and community rating should provide sufficient risk-pooling that employee group plans aren’t an issue, and the exchanges are meant to replace the existing morass of small print gotchas with coherent packages.
El Cid
Thankfully our news media works much, much harder in getting a broader variety of more independent opinion, information, and expertise on foreign policy and war.
Often times you’ll see on or off the record comments by up to 2 different White House departments and 3 different military branches — and how much more variety in sourcing could you desire than that?
DanF
I sent my letter to the NPR Ombudsman! Hacktacular.
DanF
Also too, why does Steve Inskeep’s voice make me want to punch him in the face? I cant be the only one who has this visceral reaction. Is it the “I’m too cute by half” quality of his voice? Fuck … I can feel my testosterone rising just thinking about it.
Both Sides Do It
@DanF:
Sent mine too.
Steve Inskeep has that kind of anchor affectation where he’s trying to exert authority and garner more expertise/trust than he deserves. Also known as Brian Williams Disease.
But for my money the smug know-it-all hipster too-cool-for-school tone of Kai Ryssdal on Marketplace is the absolute worst.
elaine benes
@sdstarr:
This.
Aside from the premiums, health care administration and the associated costs are a huge, huge drain on a business.
Also too: it only takes one or two employees (or their dependents) to rack up *huge* medical expenses in excess of the total premiums collected. It’s called medical loss ratio. Naturally, the insurance company tries to compensate by jacking the premiums for *all* employees through the roof the next year.
It sucks big time and is just one more reason the pain needs to be a) taken off the back of the employer and b) spread out in a larger pool.
trollhattan
This is fracking great–first we had Joe the (non) plumber now it’s Joe the
retardedvictimized printer.I’ll bet I know who his biggest client is. Does he also print giant foam #1 hands?
feebog
So Joe, give your employees a raise equal to the amount you are paying for health insurance and send them to the exchanges. I am willing to bet they will find better insurance at a lower cost than what you are currently offering. I am a retired federal employee who has access to the same plans our esteemed politicians have. And there are some pretty good plans out there. And they will be available through the exchanges.
The Red Pen
@DanF:
You are not alone.
mk3872
Someone who’s business is growing but decides to NOT hire anyone else to grow the business is both an a-hole AND a horrible business man.
dww44
@Both Sides Do It: For years, I used to listen to “Marketplace” on early evening drives home from an out-of-town worklocation. The “too-cool” take of Ryssdal actually colors everything the show does. Even it’s online newsletters/website. Everything is superficial and I suspect they use the whole cutsey demeanor to cover up their lack of in-depth analysis. Now, mentally compare him and everyone on that show with Ira Glass.
walizonia
I have a small business with about 20 employees. My health care plan has gone up double digits every year since 2003 for less and less coverage. The last 2 years under ACA I have gotten a sizable tax credit for providing insurance to my employees.
In addition I have primarily female employees so I am hoping our rates will be less when the anti-discrimination law kicks in. Also the KC market really has only given us one choice, BCBS. While it is good coverage, it is expensive. I am hoping the insurance exchanges will give us more options.
People who complain about ACA either have not looked into its details or are not really running a small business. Insurance for me was rapidly becoming unaffordable. I am hopeful we are at least moving in the right direction.
walizonia
Also I think small businesses who do not provide insurance to their employees need to re-think their business plan. I would feel like a piss-poor employer if I did not provide this essential benefit.
The Red Pen
@slim’s tuna provider:
I thought Ishka was the female Ferengi who pretended to be a man until she fell in love with Quark.
TooManyJens
@The Red Pen: No, that was Pel (thank you, Memory Alpha). Ishka is Rom and Quark’s mom.
SFAW
Yeah, it’s the same “thought process” as the Galtians (such as Tigerhork, he-who-is-perhaps-the-most-productive-man-the-world-has-EVAH-known) exhibit vis-a-vis increasing the marginal tax rate. Such as: “Those liberals are taxing me out of existence, so I’m just gonna work until I make one dollar less than the threshold, and THEN STOP WORKING!! That’ll learn them!”
I keep praying for Dumbfuckistan to secede, so that all these morons can go there.
SFAW
And their father was Bibble, no doubt.
Angela Natoli
@Rafer Janders:
Interesting that on his website it shows him with all his 37 employees!
HyperIon
FPer wrote:
And it had dogshit on it.
zenster
Wow. Moorestown? (It’s a wasp nest)
MsInformed
@beltane: I concurr.
bajacalla
but he had no problem with the New Jersey law that requires him to have Workers Comp insurance for all his employees… gee. no one interviewed him about that?
Freddie deBoer
What a great and important post. Thanks for it.
Quoll
Mostly a lurker, surfacing to say I contacted the ombudsman too. Thanks for this story.
RaflW
Oh good g*d. I feel sort of vindicated for withholding my annual donation to MPR, the Minnesota juggernaut.
This sort of lazy ‘journalism’ is to be expected from Fox or really ant of the TeeVee networks, but I just can’t stand what a fucked up mess NPR is becoming.
Scout Driscoll
Wow, I’m a small business owner, talk to me. Twitter: @designscoutchi
themann1086
@Rafer Janders: It might be relevant to know that the printing industry in the mid-Atlantic/New England region has been gutted over the past 2 decades as venture capitalists have bought and shipped companies down South. Also, Joe is likely relying on “temp workers” who are, of course, mostly immigrants of questionable status who are being exploited by the owners to undercut their full-time labor force, assuming his company is anything like my dad’s.
Ruby Ryder
@Mark B:
Why should he grow his business? He’s undoubtedly being paid as a spokeperson for the clowns. He doesn’t need to make more money with his business.
tejanarusa
@BoK:
Thank you! I was reading thru to see if anyone had noticed this yet! Can’t believe it took this many comments to get there!
And THAT is the real reason to be furious at the reporter; she should have not only known that, but made it explicit in the report. Unbelievable.
PhoebeK10
Good catch.
GWmDeClare
It is time for people to stop being polite about the fascist takeover of the USA. These people are evil.
Go to the streets. Go to the wall.
Get rid of these parasites once and for all.
Michiganmitch
Let me see, a $2,000 fine per employee, foregoing a tax credit per employee for providing coverage and not being able to deduct the cost of current insurance provided plus the cost of the fine, the costs all combined would have allowed me to provide a pretty decent plan. Instead, being a RW d1ck was more important. Wonder if Olivo has actually forego profit and not hire to make a point?
biggerbox
NPR has always been biased against the health care law, for reasons I’m not exactly clear on, and since the court decision they’ve really cranked their spin up to 11. Since they are, after all Nice Polite Republican radio, they aren’t frothing at the mouth, but their phrasing, the people they choose to play on air and the questions they ask consistently show they are against the law. And they are quite desperate, because normally they put a bit more work into pretending to be neutral.
Scott Supak
Hey, Steve, you got a mention from Dean Baker!
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/will-the-aca-hurt-employers-morning-edition-says-it-depends-on-how-they-feel
enquiiee
Somebody better track down HOW NPR’s Yuki Noguchi got hooked up with this astroturf operation. Is Noguchi the shill? Or is it somebody else at NPR who is bent?
Gary Denton
Nice Polite Republican radio does this sort of stuff all the time.. They are a reliably socially moderate, economically conservative media network. Why do you think they are cited for two to one guest bias, conservative to liberal and Republican to Democratic, bias in every single study for many years? FAIR has an extensive archive on this. NPR depends greatly for its support on local businesses and doesn’t get them too upset on economic matters.
Sally York
The reporters need to know before their take someone like this guy at this word just where his head is. It is obvious that this guy is either enjoying the limelight like Plumber Joe who was not or working for the Fox network.
Industrious Reporter
And, the lefties never do this. Right. And, as a professional journalist for the past 21 years, I’m not surprised that lazy reporters turn to the same person for commentary. If these reporters were more industrious, they could find sources on their own without copying who their colleagues talked to.
Peter Deutsch
@NCSteve: Reply to comment #18: “Just for yuks, does anyone know how to report this to the NPR ombudsman? The inevitable resultant cloud of equivocation and rationalization squid ink ought to be good for a laugh.”
Yes. It’s not hard to contact the ombudsman. You follow the instructions at NPR and you will get some sort of reaction.I have done so about a half dozen times. The only difficulty in following the instructions is suppressing frank discussion/expression. They don’t appreciate swear words.
SteveM
@Scott Supak: Thanks for pointing that out!