Letters

From the March 2006 issue

(Page 3 of 3)

--Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, November 3

"A recent issue of Reason magazine features a spirited debate between John Mackey, the founder of the Whole Foods grocery chain, who lays out the business case for CSR, and two critics--economist Milton Friedman and [T. J. Rodgers], founder of Cypress Semiconductor, who argue that businesses do the most for society just by maximizing shareholder profits. Liberal advocacy groups, meanwhile, dismiss CSR as toothless self-regulation designed to gussy up the tattered image of investor capitalism."

--Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post, October 5

" 'The business model that Whole Foods has embraced,' [Mackey] argues, 'could represent a new form of capitalism, one that more consciously works for the common good instead of depending solely on the "invisible hand" to generate positive results for society. The "brand" of capitalism is in terrible shape throughout the world, and corporations are widely seen as selfish, greedy and uncaring. This is both unfortunate and unnecessary...'

"Oh, come on. The 'brand' of capitalism is in better shape today than probably at any time in history when compared with its discredited competitors. And where did Mackey get the idea he's the first capitalist committed to delighting customers while treating employees and the community with respect?"

--Vincent Carroll, Rocky Mountain News, September 30

Reason News

Congratulations to Hit & Run, Reason's staff weblog, for winning the Best Group Blog prize in the 2005 Weblog Awards. To sample Hit & Run for yourself, go to reason.com/hitandrun.