From the Right Corner: Starbucks (“Fourbucks”) Controversy?

I’ve been to the little shop in the Pike Place Market, still in operation today, where now-corporate monster Starbucks (hereinafter, “Fourbucks,”) began.

Few companies… VERY few companies… can claim such a fantastic outcome driven from such humble beginnings.

I, personally, rarely use Fourbucks (or any other latte’ stand for that matter, given the 600 calorie sugar hit each drink contains) for my caffeine fix. But clearly, millions around the world do and on a daily basis.

Fourbucks, or course, started from humble beginnings to become one of the top multi-nationals. For that, as a “mostly” Republican and defender of the capitalist system, they have my respect and admiration.

Lately, however, their leftist, typical-of-King-County leanings are becoming increasingly visible.

There is a certain irony attached when business leaders such as those running Fourbucks or Costco financially support those of the political party that would like nothing better than to completely redistribute their collective wealth. It’s an issue… a concept… that I have never been able to understand.

But now, Fourbucks feels compelled to spread their leftist leanings by virtue of printing propaganda on each and every cup. Jewels such as: "America's national debt is now $7.5-trillion, and it's skyrocketing, even as America's population ages," the cup read. "There will never be a better time to start paying off this crippling debt than today."

This little gem was provided by “environmentalist” Denis Hayes (Sorry… hard for me to connect the National Debt with any environmentalist cause) and faithfully reprinted those sentiments on a few million cups.

The sentiment is debatable. Freedom of speech trumps, and I have no problem with printing this on every cup Fourbucks sells.

The problem I have with all this is that of those responsible for the trite little sayings on these cups, (a total, apparently, of 31 “contributors”) a grand total of ONE is conservative. The rest? Well, they include such balanced political personalities as Al Franken, Melissa Etheridge, Quincy Jones, Chuck D and Roger Ebert.

Balance is the thing. Equal time. Would it have killed Fourbucks to add a few conservatives to the mix?

Of course not. But then, diversity of thought… Diversity of opinion… Well, those have never been the hallmark of the Left.

As stated, for those of us calorically challenged, there’s reason enough to stay away from espresso stands. Unfortunately for Fourbucks, they’ve just presented me and few million others with reason to make sure that, on those rare occasions when we DO give in to the temptation, we indulge at some other place, with someone else’s product.

Sources: St. Petersburg Times

Starbucks "The Way I See It" site.