Just a Humble Tradesman, Trapped in a World He Never Made

[tishaLA]

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:

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:

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. <...> Balloon Juice

the rest of the article has the backjground: the guy is actually allied with both ALEC and Crossroads GPS, but turns up in the media as an "aw-shucks" everyman who just can't bear the terrible Affordable Care Act.

[rurallib]

1. I hope somebody has written NPR about this

I would love to hear their explanation.
was that on the miserable business show of theirs - can't think of the name. Kai Risdahl is the host.

[Scootaloo]

5. I kinda doubt that "Now Pulling Right" cares much at this point

[sinkingfeeling]

2. To quote the late Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise, surprise."

[Inuca]

3. SIckening & amazing...

I just saw this article, linked from a re-tweet of Chris Hayes and was coming here to post

[tishaLA]

4. I found it because of Chris, too

....great minds and all that.