RUSH: Now, before I tell you what the story is, let me remind you of something that I have predicted. I have predicted, and I don’t know when it will happen, but it won’t be very long, and it will be led by liberals, the Democrat Party, and it will be part of Obamacare.
Somebody in a position of power and influence is going to pipe up and start criticizing the idea that there is profit in medicine. Why should doctors earn so much money? Why should there be such profit in making people well? Why should it cost so much so that doctors can get so rich simply healing people? We are entitled to good health. We’re entitled to lawyers. We’re entitled to health care. Why should being healthy or being healed make people rich? I can just see that coming. You know it’s coming. There are already people who think it, and you know who they are. So with that prediction in mind, listen to this story. 
“More than 100 people filled a Baptist church hall Monday night, angry, frustrated and insulted that Kroger will soon pull its two grocery stores out of Southeast Raleigh, stranding many elderly residents who walk to shop. They criticized the Ohio-based chain for shuttering the groceries on Martin Luther King Boulevard and New Bern Avenue without notice.” I’m told they did have two months notice, but the story in the newspaper says there was no notice. “‘ItÂ’s a slap in the face at Southeast Raleigh,’ said City Councilman Eugene Weeks, speaking at Martin Street Baptist Church. ‘ItÂ’s a slap in the face of our community.'”
Now, why is Kroger closing the two stores? Anybody want to hazard a guess? Mr. Snerdley, the official program observer, why do you think Kroger’s is closing these two stores? Okay, Snerdley says, “Probably lack of revenue,” which would mean no profit. Or maybe even they be losing money, and maybe it’s a crime area. I don’t know about that, but I would certainly say that they’re closing these two stores because there’s no profit in it, that there’s no financial reason to keep them open. Well, can you just hear the next question, “Why should there be profit in people who sell food?” We all have to eat. We cannot live without eating. Why should people make money off of people who have no choice but than to eat? Why should food cost anything? And if that’s too extreme, why should food cost any more than what it costs to produce it?
There is an ever increasing percentage of our population that is being conditioned to think this way. They are being taught to think this. Because profit is under assault at every level of our education system, and especially in higher education, such as universities and academe. Profit is under assault. Profit is evil. Profit is exploitation. Profit is taking advantage of people. Profit is obscene. I give you Big Oil. For how many decades of your life has Big Oil been under attack because of the profit that they earn?
And of course there’s no corresponding economic education to explain the purpose of profit. But there are people, low-information people in this country, who think that this grocery store ought to stay open if it doesn’t make any money. People have to eat, and my neighborhood ought to have a store. It’s not fair. And why should it have to make a profit? Why can’t they sell this stuff at what it costs?
Well, why would anybody provide anything if that’s the ground rule? Of course, that’s never taught. Why would a farmer even bother farming the stuff if he doesn’t get paid to do it? “He should do it because people need to eat, Mr. Limbaugh, and it’s the compassionate thing to do.”
“Okay, so the farmer gives away what he grows?”
“Well, no, Mr. Limbaugh, he should charge what it costs him to produce it. So if he has to buy a tractor or whatever, amortize that cost, but certainly no profit.”
“Okay, so the farmer goes and buys a tractor, calculates what it costs him to take his oranges or whatever to the market, and then just charge that amount?”
“That’s right, it’s the essence of fairness.”
“Okay, then the guy who drives the truck to bring the food to the store, he should only charge whatever it costs him to do that?”
“That’s right.”
“Where is anybody gonna get any money to live?”
“Well, the government will take care of that, Mr. Limbaugh. We have health care provided. We have food stamps and unemployment compensation. The government will pay people.”
“Oh. So everybody offers everything they serve or produce for exactly what it costs them and then they live off what the government gives them?”
“That’s right, Mr. Limbaugh. It’s the essence of fairness, and it’s the essence of compassion.” This is the voice of Mr. New Castrati, by the way.
“Okay. So, the Kroger company is supposed to figure out what it costs to sell a can of Van Camp’s pork and beans and sell it for exactly what it cost them to get it into the store.”
“That’s right. Now you get it, Mr. Limbaugh. It’s the essence of fairness because people have to eat and that’s how they can afford it. Nothing would cost nearly as much as it does.”
“Well, why would Van Camp’s,” Mr. New Castrati, “go into business and make pork and beans if there’s no…”
“Because people have to eat and because they love pork and beans. Haven’t I heard you, Mr. Limbaugh, say people do it because they love it? Well, where is that in America today?”
“Okay, so the pork and beans guys, can pork and beans because they love pork and beans and they love canning it.”
“That’s right, Mr. Limbaugh, and then Kroger wouldn’t have to close any stores.”
My friends, do not doubt me. We have people being taught exactly the routine I just went through. Your kids more than likely, in certain places, are being taught exactly that. Now, let’s take these people, though, in southeast Raleigh whose Kroger store is being ripped out from under them. Snerdley has sent me a little prof note here. He says, “Well, this is an opportunity for some small grocer to open up.” You don’t get it. Snerdley is thinking that that’s the normal entrepreneurial American way of looking at this. That’s not how these people are looking at this. An opportunity to open up a store, that takes money, that’s risk, that’s work. No.
I can almost understand these people’s frustration. I’ll bet I can explain it to you. Our president, Barack Obama, sets an example of continually increasing benefits to people that they don’t have to pay for. There are the now famous Obamaphones. There is never-ending unemployment benefits. They are constantly extended, up to 99 weeks and then some. There are food stamps. Wherever you look, there’s stuff offered to you that you don’t have to pay for. Well, after enough time goes by with this kind of reality, couldn’t you look at a grocery store the same way Obama has you looking at phones? And why should it cost you anything? Why shouldn’t that store be open to provide you what you need because you want it? You’re an American, you have to eat, and you’re entitled. We’ve got a guy who’s run for president twice on the notion that he’s going to make that reality take place.
Kroger, government, what’s the difference? They both got all kinds of money. You have to know that these people think Kroger, big corporation, plenty of money. They’re only shutting these stores because they want to keep the money for themselves. Don’t smirk. Do not smirk. You don’t think these people, some of them, look at it that way? That Kroger’s selfish, they want to keep the money for themselves? There might even be a little racism involved here if you pick at it long enough. Could well be. Are people not being conditioned by the highest leaders of our country to think that way? They are.
It damn well is an opportunity for some entrepreneur to roll in there and open a smaller mom-and-pop store. If Kroger can’t be profitable there, why is that? That’s never examined. Why isn’t Kroger profitable? Now, the markup in grocery stores, as you well know, on the food items is next to nothing. They make their money selling Jujubes and the stuff at the checkout counter. They really mark up stuff that’s nonfood items. Food items, because people have to eat, food items, what’s the markup, 1%, 2% in a grocery store? On food items.