(Update)Doug Hoffer has pointed out in a comment below that part of local Vermont Chamber membership dues go to the US Chamber.
Here is a link with a bit titled U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The Right Wing’s Right Hand in D.C. about the national chairman Tom Donahue http://www.alternet.org/story/…
The US Chamber of Commerce is rated the top spending lobbying group in the country according to watchdog group Open Secrets. Almost double the spending of the second place AMA.Their website ‘take action’ page urges opposition to proposed Congressional climate change policies, a Financial Protection Agency a shareholder bill of rights and the Employment Free choice Act (EFCA).
Chamber out of the past?
The chambers ‘about us’ web-page may lagging or just feeling nostalgic for friendlier days when they state
“Over the past year, the chamber hosted more than 2,500 programs, meetings, seminars, and forums with various participants, including President George W. Bush and his Cabinet, members of Congress, and dozens of international leaders.” [emphasis added]
All is not unity for the members with the position on climate change.
Rep. Markey of Massachusetts says of the chamber’s attitude “Unfortunately, while the chamber says they are for everything the Waxman-Markey bill addresses, they are just not for the bill itself; the chamber should listen to the companies who would rather leave the group than wait for it to back up their talk with action.” [emphasis added]
Five major companies have left the organization over its opposition to aspects of climate change efforts: Excelon corp., PNM Resources Inc., PG&E Corp., Apple Inc., and Nike Inc. One business observer noted that the divide did not fall along traditional players versus technology players but was across the board, suggesting a deeper rift. US Energy Secretary Chu and Greenpeace have praised the companies that took the leap from the chamber. This is on the heels of an earlier call by one chamber official for a new “Scopes Monkey Trial” to examine the EPA’s role and look at whether human activities are actually causing global warming and the damage attributed to them.
Recently Obama has restated his desire to move on climate legislation after he and Sen. Majority Leader Reid warned that it would most likely not happen until next year and certainly not before the Copenhagen conference. Some shakeup of the membership in the chamber crowd may help save this legislation from the delay that health care has suffered from but it is only a glimmer in a long battle.
“Whoever owns the shoe”
October 14 the chamber will launch the Campaign for Free Enterprise, a $100 million dollar effort in what is being called a war on Democrats. When Chairman Thomas Donahue was asked about this, he said “First of all, it’s not a declaration of war against anyone. The issue is very, very clear. This is going to be very positive program.”
Shortly after accentuating the positive this telling exchange took place:
Q) Much of it does seem to focused on wanting to limit regulation, limit government, limit taxation at a time when there is obviously a lot of discussion in Washington about whether more reforms or regulations are needed to prevent many of the excesses we’ve seen in the last year.
“Well, if the shoe fits, whoever owns the shoe ought to wear it.” [emphasis added]
http://www.uschamber.com/about…
http://www.businessweek.com/bw…
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2…
Lake Champlain Chamber is a member of the U.S. Chamber
that means a portion of all the local members’ dues go to these wackos at the national organization
perhaps we should ask some of our local businesses if they support the work being done in their name and with their money
I’m not as worried about the C of C lobbying government as I am about their lobbying the American people.
The dominant media are all for profit, just as all C of C members are, so all content, shows and advertising, is for profit, and short term profit at that.
Christian media are thinly disguised for profit enterprises, too, which keeps them back in the “God wants you to be nasty to your neighbor” era.
Public TV thinks people should reach to it. That is, public TV lacks the evangelistic fervor of the for profit media, and is content to be a marginal player.
So, the dominant voice is strongly against most Americans’ best interests, and favors profit’s short term interests.
That’s why America has been shafting itself.
In the long run, the only solution is to get back to basic values: Peace is good, war is bad. Democracy is good, monarchy is bad. People rule, money serves.
Simple truths repeated often, 15 to 30 seconds at a time, making the connections between monarchy, money, and war until profit has to explain.
Minnesota Public Radio reports that some Minnesota businesses are opposing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce position on climate change legislation.
I wonder where the socially responsible Vermont businesses are on this ?