http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/chamberofcommerce/ en-us Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:02:50 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2113986/posts Ten days to election, and they are pouring millions into ads, canvassing neighborhoods, making calls, getting out the vote, enraging Democrats -- all in an effort to turn around a dire political situation. The Republican National Committee? No. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The business community is back in politics. After years of contented political gridlock, American companies are now officially horrified at what an all-Democratic Washington intends to inflict on the U.S. economy. The Chamber is throwing its extensive resources at denying the left a filibuster-proof Senate. In doing so, it has stuck its finger in the Democratic leadership's... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2113986/posts#comment Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081696/posts Well, the Bandwagon to Denver made it to Denver yesterday, where it was met by U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue, who held a press conference at the Denver Chamber of Commerce. Speaking with reporters at a briefing Tuesday morning in downtown Denver, near the arena hosting the Democratic National Convention, U.S. Chamber chief executive Tom Donohue said, “We are here because we want to work with the leaders of both parties, regardless of the outcome of the election, on a number of very, very critical issues in this country.” (CQ Politics) Donohue touted his appearance in the Mile... http://www.chamberpost.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081696/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:38:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2064478/posts Glenn Spencer, director of research at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spoke to conservative bloggers at the Heritage Foundation about the left’s top legislative plan to pass “card-check.” Union numbers have been down in past years, and the passage of card check would mean violating a worker’s privacy at the voting booth when choosing whether or not to join a union. As of now, A worker’s vote is private, which means that the worker knows that neither a paid union official nor a supervisor will ever know how he voted. However, an Obama administration could very well change not only... Eyeblast.tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2064478/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046715/posts I'm a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America. I served on Bob Dole's presidential campaign team and was chief economist for Jack Kemp's Empower America. This November, I'm voting for Barack Obama. When I first made this decision, many colleagues were shocked. How could I support a candidate with a domestic policy platform that's antithetical to almost everything I believe in? The answer is simple: Unjustified war and unconstitutional... NY Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046715/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:45:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035181/posts Civil lawsuits seek to compensate victims of negligence or wrongdoing, like the unlucky passer-by hit by a falling piano. But how much of a penalty should such suits exact, above and beyond compensation, in order to deter wrongdoing? What about someone traumatized by the sight of the accident, or maybe a whole class of potential victims? And whom can these people sue — the movers, the piano’s maker, its owner? New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035181/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:33:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030178/posts Vice President Cheney yesterday called for a substantial increase in domestic drilling for oil and other natural resources, including in environmentally sensitive areas, saying that only increased production -- and not new technology -- will satisfy the nation's demand for energy. "We are an economy that runs on petroleum. Some 20 million barrels of it a day. That can and will change over time, but it will be a very long time," said Cheney, former head of U.S. oil company Halliburton. "We'd be doing the whole country a favor if more of that oil were produced here at home." Cheney... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030178/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:53:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007417/posts As Bush administration officials prepared Friday to finalize rules cracking down on employers of illegal immigrants, business and civil rights advocates continued to hammer the plan, calling it an expensive and ill-conceived attack on legitimate workers and their employers. The Department of Homeland Security closed a 30-day window Friday for public comments on a new version of its "no match" rule. Agency officials hope the new language will persuade a San Francisco federal judge to lift an injunction imposed in October and allow the regulations to go into effect. The no match rule would give employers 90 days to resolve... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007417/posts#comment Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:13:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000661/posts Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says he feels the pain of employers pinched by the federal government's intensified efforts to control illegal immigration. But until Congress enacts broad immigration reforms, businesses shouldn't expect any changes in enforcement. In an interview with The Associated Press, Chertoff said this week the rising complaints from businesses offer some evidence the Bush administration's approach is working. "This is harsh but accurate proof positive that for the first time in decades, we've succeeded in changing the dynamic and (are) actually beginning to reduce illegal immigration," Chertoff said. "Unfortunately, unless you counterbalance that with a robust... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000661/posts#comment Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:59:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990161/posts Berkeley mayor, chamber on good terms By Doug Oakley STAFF WRITER Article Launched: 03/19/2008 03:00:38 AM PDT The love is back between Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and the city's Chamber of Commerce. Just a month after the chamber released a letter saying that Bates and the City Council hurt business by telling the Marine Corps and its recruiting center to get out of town, the mayor is back in the group's good graces. During a lunch Tuesday billed as "A Conversation with Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates," chamber board member Mark McLeod introduced Bates as "our mayor and our friend." Afterward, chamber... Contra Costa Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990161/posts#comment Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:57:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982937/posts One of the annoying attributes of global-warming scolds is their inability to practice what they preach. The US Chamber of Commerce produced a very amusing video last month explaining how much in carbon emissions the UN generated by insisting on conducting endless conferences on the issue. Today, the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the travel practices of Arnold Schwarzenegger, another booster of energy-production limits, and notices the stench of hypocrisy: Like many of the Californians he represents, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now spends more than three hours commuting because he lives so far from the office. But his ride... HOT AIR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982937/posts#comment Sun, 9 Mar 2008 18:11:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965462/posts Some Berkeley business owners say they have received such a negative response from the recent City Council resolutions against the Marine Corps recruiting center in Downtown Berkeley that they may withhold city taxes in protest. Last week the council declared that the center was "unwelcome" in Berkeley and sought to aide Code Pink, a group that organizes regular protests outside the center, by reserving a parking space for the group in front of the center, among other actions. Since then, the resolutions have elicited a nationwide response. Last Thursday, United States Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he would attempt to... The Daily Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965462/posts#comment Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:18:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1950585/posts For all the shots that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has taken at Wall Street and soaring executive pay on the campaign trail, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce seems unfazed about the prospect of a Huckabee White House. “My own view is we ought to listen carefully to what the governor is saying — he touches on notes that are worthy of attention,” said the Chamber’s president and chief executive, Tom Donohue, responding to reporters’ questions about Huckabee’s chances. But that’s as far as Donohue would go. He added that populist promises — such as the anti-trade positions Huckabee... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1950585/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jan 2008 01:23:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949703/posts Unreasonable company anti-gun policies continue to cause major problems for working men and women. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is trying to defend the indefensible ("Armed, dangerous to common sense." @issue Jan. 3). The Chamber believes that corporate interests trump civil rights. The National Rifle Association doesn't. Let me state our position for the record. The NRA believes individual, constitutional rights are guaranteed by our Bill of Rights. We strongly believe in private property rights. We also strongly believe that the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens should not be trampled by corporations on their publicly accessible parking lots. And we... Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949703/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jan 2008 17:58:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939928/posts A broad coalition of Virginia business interests, including some of the most powerful trade groups in the state, has created an organization to oppose laws that would punish employers with undocumented workers on their payrolls. Virginia Employers for Sensible Immigration Policy was formed in anticipation of another flurry of legislation in the General Assembly seeking to crack down on undocumented residents and employers that hire them, business leaders said... The coalition's formation comes just after a bruising state and local election season during which public anxiety over illegal immigration figured prominently in many campaigns.... One proposal that failed last session... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939928/posts#comment Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:40:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924672/posts Nov. 12, 2007 (SmartPros) -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expressed its disappointment over the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007, passed by the House on Friday. The nearly $80 billion bill includes provisions that provide alternative minimum tax relief, and extends a number of tax provisions set to expire this year. The bill is not "tax relief" as advertised in its title, the Chamber said, but a tax shift from individual taxpayers to businesses, putting American jobs and the economy at a disadvantage compared with our growing global competitors. "While the Chamber supports an extension of alternative minimum tax... SmartPros http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924672/posts#comment Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:06:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858383/posts Those of us in the conservative movement have always been friendly to the business community. We believe in low taxes, a light touch on regulation, and we're stalwart champions of the free market. When liberals start talking about limiting CEO pay, harassing Wal-Mart, beating up on oil companies, or generally trying to place new burdens on the businesses, it's always movement conservatives who rise to their defense, even though it's sometimes not in our best political interests. Yes, we probably do fight a little harder because we view businessmen as political allies, but we genuinely, in our hearts and souls,... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858383/posts#comment Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:43:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858103/posts Those of us in the conservative movement have always been friendly to the business community. We believe in low taxes, a light touch on regulation, and we're stalwart champions of the free market. When liberals start talking about limiting CEO pay, harassing Wal-Mart, beating up on oil companies, or generally trying to place new burdens on the businesses, it's always movement conservatives who rise to their defense, even though it's sometimes not in our best political interests. Yes, we probably do fight a little harder because we view businessmen as political allies, but we genuinely, in our hearts and souls,... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1858103/posts#comment Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:25:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1706953/posts The California Chamber of Commerce and other establishment business groups are actively opposing Prop. 90, which would ban the abuse of eminent domain for economic development and require governments to pay compensation when they use downzoning and other regulations to take property. So the Chamber has sided with the big-government and leftist groups that believe that it's OK if average citizens must give up their homes and businesses to aid big developers, many of which are no doubt Chamber members. Here we see the reemergence of the long-simmering split between conservatives and the business establishment. Whenever the business guys face... Orange County Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1706953/posts#comment Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:46:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1707668/posts They used to call it the Mayor's Breakfast. "They" is the Chamber of Commerce. It was their breakfast they were hosting. But when the council removed Mayor Alex Bias from all council committee appointments and said it also wanted Mayor Bias removed from the Mayor's Breakfast, the Chamber of Commerce said "OK." Let's be clear about this. It was never the council's decision to make that the Mayor would no longer host the traditional breakfast meeting of the town. But the Chamber decided to take sides and has now made it official. Mayor Bias will not be speaking at the... FODHS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1707668/posts#comment Mon, 25 Sep 2006 05:06:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1684080/posts SAN DIEGO ---- Americans need to think of illegal immigrants as economic contributors and not law breakers, said five advocates for immigration reform Monday. The five advocates, including a farming advocate and a U.S. Chamber of Commerce director, spoke during a press conference in response to a hearing held by the U.S. House Government Reform Committee. The Republican-led committee met Monday in San Diego to discuss the costs of illegal immigration to San Diego County's educational, health and legal systems. Viewed in an economic sense, the advocates said, the loss of a labor force made up largely of illegal immigrants... North County Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1684080/posts#comment Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:22:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1640797/posts Despite the endless blathering and squirming to the contrary on the part of Wired Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Cato Institute and other institutions that normally proclaim the truth of free-market economics, the Law of Supply and Demand applies to labor as much as to any other thing that is bought and sold. That is to say, if one increases the supply of labor relative to demand, its price will fall. That price is your salary, friend. And mass immigration is inexorably driving it down. Well, maybe not your salary personally, if you are lucky enough to work in... Front Page Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1640797/posts#comment Tue, 30 May 2006 21:40:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1638877/posts SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Mexican President Vicente Fox told business leaders Friday that his country's re-engineered financial markets and competitive labor costs create a powerful investment opportunity. Speaking to a breakfast meeting of the California Chamber of Commerce, Fox said U.S. companies should use reduced trade barriers between North American nations to "bring one foot in Mexico, one foot in Canada, one foot in United States." "Maybe you raise capital in the United States; now you can raise capital at the same cost in Mexico," he said. The goal of a united North America, Fox said, should be "to regain competitiveness... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1638877/posts#comment Fri, 26 May 2006 18:50:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631686/posts May 13, 2006--Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [Thursday] that the instant-gratification generation thinks "work is a four-letter word," " Clinton grumbled that today's youths "think they're entitled to go right to the top with $50,000 or $75,000 jobs when they have not done anything to earn their way up." She made no mention of her daughter, Chelsea, 26, who snagged a six-figure consulting spot in the New York office of London-based McKinsey & Company after receiving her master's degree from Oxford in 2003. The comments by the Democrats' 2008 White House front-runner is surprising-considering how... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631686/posts#comment Sat, 13 May 2006 16:50:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631813/posts America's borders -- land, sea and air -- are our primary ports of entry for billions of dollars in goods and services, along with millions of tourists, business visitors, workers, and other foreign nationals who contribute to our national economy. The events of September 11 also indicate that some have used our borders as an entryway for these evil and malicious attacks. As a result, many have called for increased checks and "tightening" of our borders. While such proposals are understandable, and improvements are clearly needed, difficult questions remain about the potential severe impact to our economy of any improperly... US Chamber of Commerce Americans for Better Borders Coalition http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631813/posts#comment Sat, 13 May 2006 23:58:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625358/posts Bee-Picayune staff - The Bee County Chamber of Commerce released a statement Thursday against the proposed gas boycott. The chamber of commerce board of directors voted unanimously not to support a resolution urging citizens of Bee County to boycott ExxonMobil. The decision was made after a thorough discussion, according to Chamber Executive Director Pam Stuart. Chamber board members did recognize the hardship placed on everyone as a result of soaring gas prices. The board cited reasons as: • it is the mission of the chamber to support businesses and this would be detrimental to a local business, • the resolution... Bee-Picayune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625358/posts#comment Tue, 2 May 2006 16:26:05 GMT