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A Special Letter from Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz




02
Sep

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Date: 02 Sep 2011
Business,Economy,Politics
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September 2011

Dear Starbucks Friend and Fellow Citizen:

I love our country. And I am a beneficiary of the promise of America. But today, I am very concerned that at times I do not recognize the America that I love.

Like so many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the pervasive failure of leadership in Washington. And also like you, I am frustrated by our political leaders’ steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty. Americans can’t find jobs. Small businesses can’t get credit. And the fracturing of consumer confidence continues.

We are better than this.

Three weeks ago, I asked fellow business leaders to join me in urging the President and the Congress to put an end to partisan gridlock and, in its place, to set in motion an upward spiral of confidence. More than 100 business leaders representing American companies – large and small – joined me in signing a two-part pledge:

First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring.

In the weeks since then, I have been overwhelmed by the heartfelt stories of Americans from across the country, sharing their anguish over losing hope in the strongest and most galvanizing force of all – the American Dream. Some feel they have no voice. Others feel they no longer matter. And many feel they have been left behind.

We cannot let this stand.

Please join other concerned Americans and me on a national call-in conversation on Tuesday September 6th hosted by “No Labels,” a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering cooperative and more effective government. To learn more about the forum and the pledges, visit www.upwardspiral2011.org

America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history. We must restore hope in the American Dream. We must celebrate all that America stands for around the world. And while our Founding Fathers recognized the constructive value of political debate, we must send the message to today’s elected officials in a civil, respectful voice they hear and understand, that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now.

Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.

With great respect,

starbucks-ceo-letter-to-customers-washington-politics

Chief Executive Officer, Starbucks Coffee Company

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Comment for A Special Letter from Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz


Peter Marx

I sent this email to Starbucks in reply to Schyltz’s e-mail:

Dear Howard Schultz – Please don’t waste my time sending out “political” emails. I love your coffee but strongly disagree with your politics. I believe the ONLY thing keeping this country out of a total meltdown is the gridlock and partisanship in Washington. Democrats idea of bi-partisanship is to always get things their way and to spend, spend, spend money we don’t have.

Why you would want to take a stand on this that alienates half of your customer base is totally beyond me… or maybe you think that Republicans and conservatives don’t drink coffee,

Brgds,

Peter Marx
———————————————————————————————————–

I had this reply from Katherine at Starbucks this morning:

Hello Peter,

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We really do value your feedback and as someone with whom we have built a relationship, we want to make sure you hear about initiatives Starbucks is supporting – especially regarding community service and civic responsibility. Our policy is to ensure that anything we share with our customers is consistent with our guiding principles. In talking with our customers, we have heard that a vast majority of My Starbucks Rewards members want to hear about community involvement initiatives from Starbucks. As such we wanted to share this message with you and apologize if it offended you in any way.

Warm Regards,

Katherine
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company
800 STARBUC (782-7282)
Monday through Friday, 5AM to 8PM (PST)

———————————————————————————————————–

I sent this response a few minutes ago:

Hi Katherine -

Thank you for your (unexpected) reply. I appears I not only disagree with Mr. Schultz but apparently the “vast majority of My Starbucks Rewards members”. So be it. Being a small business person it still seems a bad business practice to be so “in your face” to your customer base with partisan political views.

I have no problem with Mr. Schultz having political and social opinions contrary to mine. I have no problem with him supporting politicians and issues with which I disagree. However, if Starbucks persists in sending me messages that belittle my contrary opinions and imply that they are somehow un-American I will have to look for another vendor to take my money in exchange for a good cup of coffee.

Brgds,

Peter Marx
BookMarx Bookstore




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