The founder of the Subway restaurant chain said that his business wouldn’t exist if he tried to start it today. Fred DeLuca, who at 17 started Subway with a $1,000 loan from friend and later business partner Dr. Peter Buck, cited federal regulations — particularly the ObamaCare socialized healthcare law — as destructive to the entrepreneurial spirit in today’s business climate.
Appearing February 27 on CNBC’s Squawk Street, DeLuca said that federal interference has “continuously gotten worse” with its onerous regulations, so that “it’s tough for people to get into business — especially a small business.”
“I’ll tell you, if I started Subway today, Subway would not exist,” declared DeLuca, “because I had an easy time of it in the ’60s when I started and I just see a continuous increase in regulations.”
DeLuca said that the imposing ObamaCare law is “the biggest concern of our franchisees. They don’t know what to expect. It’s causing a lot of concern.” He added that the costs “will be passed on to the consumer.”
Subway ranks as the world’s largest restaurant chain with more than 38,000 restaurants in 100 countries.
The 40-plus lawsuits that have been filed against the ObamaCare contraception mandate reflect the intense opposition that is building against the government healthcare scheme. Scores of non-profits, private colleges, religious hospitals and foundations, and private businesses have risen up to reject the mandate, which requires employers to provide free contraception — including abortion-causing drugs — to its workers.
The owners of Hobby Lobby, one high-profile company that has sued to stop the mandate, said that their refusal to comply with the morally reprehensible mandate could cost them up to $1.3 million in federal fines per day. “The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law,” said Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green as his company filed a lawsuit against the mandate. “I say that’s a choice no American and no American business should have to make.”
Thus far, federal courts have ruled in favor of several companies and organizations in their suits, temporarily blocking implementation of the mandate as their lawsuits move forward.
Photo: AP Images
