Why Companies Speak Up, and Why Consumers Don't Care  Recently,
Starbucks has gotten more press for its political moves than for
its coffee. Last month, CEO Howard Schultz told gun owners not
to come into the stores with openly carried firearms. Then last
week, the company began offering customers the chance to sign a
petition calling for an end to the government shutdown.  That
second movement culminated yesterday in the delivery of 1.5
million signatures to political leaders on both sides of the
aisle, calling for them to "come together to reopen the
government, pay our debts on time and pass a bi-partisan and
comprehensive long-term budget deal by the end of the year." 
These issues are just some of the big political gambits that
companies -- and fast-food businesses especially -- have taken
up this year. On the surface, the combination of food and
politics seems unlikely, but it's not as odd as you might think.
Here's why we can't seem to get a burger without a message these
days.  Broad appeal In fiscal