Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, considered a "maverick" in the industry by many, keeps his executive salary at $1 per year (a la Steve Jobs), caps other executive's compensation, and despises labor unions for their abuses and market-altering negotiation tactics. He is also a self-described free market libertarian.

On his blog recently, he shared an unedited version of a Wall Street Journal article that captured his feelings on the health care reform buzz, which has stricken this country over the past couple of months.

I fully realize that there are many opinions on the healthcare debate, including inside my own company. As we, as a nation, continue to discuss this, I am hopeful that both sides can do so in a civil manner that will lead to positive change for all concerned. You are welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

On his first point, he tries to make his own customers understand that he, too, is someone with his own opinions about important issues, and as a leader in the business community is asked to write for publications like the Wall Street Journal. While it's important to understand that business leaders need to reflect a fair attitude about things so as to keep up public appearances as a compassionate member of a community, Mackey did a good job trying to head off the mob by indicating he feels we have a long way to go before we simply push the button on "free health care", hence the heated debates. So why did this create such an uproar among his "fans"? Could it be he used that dirty word, socialism, and also pointed out the major flaw in all this - that despite rising income and sales taxes across the nation, our country is still broke and Medicare & Social Security Benefits - health care benefits, mind you - would be borrowed from in order to help fund this, the biggest irony of all?

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”-Margaret Thatcher.

With a projected $1.8 trillion deficit for 2009, several trillions more in deficits projected over the next decade, and with both Medicare and Social Security entitlement spending about to ratchet up several notches over the next 15 years as Baby Boomers become eligible for both, we are rapidly running out of other people’s money. These deficits are simply not sustainable and they are either going to result in unprecedented new taxes and inflation or they will bankrupt us.

While we clearly need health care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and moves us much closer to a complete governmental takeover of our health care system. Instead, we should be trying to achieve reforms by moving in the exact opposite direction-toward less governmental control and more individual empowerment. Here are eight reforms that would greatly lower the cost of health care for everyone:

All of what Mr. Mackey says is true: we're already knee-deep in an economic mess, and since money isn't free, someone has to fund this. Why rush this through, especially as public opinion is ever so slowly swaying toward a more reasonable solution? Also consider that we can't fund health care at the moment, even while President Obama risks his "man of the people" reputation by having to increase taxes.

The fact is, people like big symbols instead of reality, and so supporting "free health care" and a bill no one has even read outside of maybe a few people in Congress takes precedence over reasoned discussion on important topics. Some of the reader comments on Mackey's blog are laughable, where customers promise to never shop at Whole Foods again and even call for Mackey's dismissal by the Whole Foods Board of Directors. These comments are likely all from people who have never even read a Congressional proposal in their lives and have no idea what "free health care" means for the quality of their future medical care, the cost out of pocket to most of us, and how hospitals and procedures might change for better or worse as a result.

In attempting to strip away the layers of social reality and expose solid facts, Mr. Mackey only angered the liberal greenists who like their symbols big and loud. When anything gets in the way, especially reality, they look at the Whole Foods logo with hate and disgust, because they want those logos and the people behind them to do all the work, forgetting that they are a part of society who can help make a difference. "If I just shop at Whole Foods", the logic goes, "I'm doing my part to help make the world better - I'm shelling out my hard earned cash [conveniently, another symbol], so how could I be wrong by doing nothing but directing that money toward a Green business like Whole Foods?" Mackey showed them how, and they didn't like what they saw.