US Chamber of Commerce Vow to Take on Tea Party a Stupid, Divisive Move

Townhall ^ | 01/02/2014 | Matt Towery

[buckalfa]

"I think their only issue is the unlimited flow of cheap (illegal) labor."

That is a big part of it for sure, but take it a step further: socialize the cost of business while privatizing the profits. A fascist's dream.

[Piranha]

Have you seen their logo and how much it resembles Obama’s? I wonder when they changed it.

https://www.lascruces.org/content/images_previous_site/government_affairs/USChamber.jpg

[Piranha]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Obama_logomark.svg/220px-Obama_logomark.svg.png

[loveliberty2]

One might point out that leadership of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce presided over the great exodus from America of manufacturers and producers of prosperity over recent decades.

Had they been listening to some business leaders during the 80's and 90's, the Chamber's leaders might have effectively stemmed the tide which has produced our current dilemma.

Back in the 80's, there were business leaders who understood what was happening and tried to warn of the impending danger to American prosperity and freedom.

In Texas, there was Eddie Chiles, of The Western Company and owner of the Texas Rangers. An advocate for less federal government intrusion, Chiles was also known for his 1970's radio commentaries. His trade-mark was, "I'm Eddie Chiles, and I'm mad as hell."

In North Carolina, there was W. David Stedman, also urging his fellow business leaders, employees and public against the growth of government spending and debt and pleading for a return to the ideas of the American Declaration and Constitution. The cartoon below contains the ideas of both, for, with permission, another famous Chiles remark was incorporated into the Stedman cartoon. The Stedman ad series culminated in a 1987 292-page book on America's founding principles ("Our Ageless Constitution") and is now available here

How sad that these great Americans were not heeded, for their message is as true today as it was in the 1980's.

On the other hand, Evans, in his book, "America's Choice: Twilight's Last Gleaming or Dawn's Early Light," suggested 7 simple principles which every citizen could benefit from considering as they watch the so-called "progressives" attempt to enslave them through legislation and Executive Orders.

"1. Does this legislation or idea increase, or decrease, individual freedom and creativity?

"2. Does this legislation or idea increase, or decrease, the power of some citizens over other citizens?

"3. Does this legislation or idea recognize that the persons who will exercise the power are themselves imperfect human beings?

"4. Does this legislation or idea recognize that government is incapable of creating wealth?

"5. Does this legislation or idea authorize taking from some what belongs to them, and giving it to others to whom it does not belong?
If 'thou shalt not steal' is a valid commandment, can we assume that it is meant to apply only to individuals and not to government (which is made up of individuals), even if those persons in power pass laws which sanction such redistribution of the wealth of others?'

"6. Does this legislation or idea encourage, or discourage, the very highest level of morality and responsibility from the individual?
. . .when government makes actions 'legal' by some citizens at the expense of other citizens, the result may be behavior which would not be considered possible by individuals acting alone.

"7. Does this legislation or idea propose that the 'government' do something which the individual cannot do without committing a crime?"**

**7 principles drawn from James R. Evans book, "America's Choice," and reprinted in a Stedman Corporation (Asheboro, NC) booklet entitled "I'm Only One, What Can I Do?"

"...nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people. When the people give way, their deceivers, betrayers, and destroyers press upon them so fast, that there is no resisting afterwards. The nature of the encroachment upon the American constitution is such, as to grow every day more and more encroaching. Like a cancer, it eats faster and faster every hour. The revenue creates pensioners, and the pensioners urge for more revenue. The people grow less steady, spirited, and virtuous, the seekers more numerous and more corrupt, and every day increases the circles of their dependents and expectants, until virtue, integrity, public spirit, simplicity, and frugality, become the objects of ridicule and scorn, and vanity, luxury, foppery, selfishness, meanness, and downright venality swallow up the whole society." - John Adams

"...there have always been those who wish to enlarge the powers of the General Government. There is but one safe rule...confine (it) within the sphere of its appropriate duties. It has no power to raise a revenue or impose taxes except for the purposes enumerated in the Constitution....Every attempt to exercise power beyond these limits should be promptly and firmly opposed." - Andrew Jackson's Valedictory

"...experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government), those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate...the minds of the people...to give them knowledge of those facts, which history exhibiteth. History, by apprizing them of the past, will enable them to judge of the future...it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views...." - Jefferson's Bill for the more general diffusion of knowledge for Virginia

"Although all men are born free, slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant--they have been cheated; asleep--they have been surprised; divided--the yoke has been forced upon them. But what is the lesson?...the people ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government they should watch over it....It is universally admitted that a well-instructed people alone can be permanently free." - James Madison

[skeeter]

I've grown to despise corporate republicans almost as much as Marxist democrats.

[KeyLargo]

Justices get campaign money, decide pension issue
AP , Associated Press
Jan. 2, 2014 11:46 AM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A published report says groups with ties to the pension-reform law adopted last month have contributed close to $3 million to Illinois Supreme Court justices who might decide its fate.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports (http://bit.ly/1aqJQ5n ) that six of seven justices have taken money in the past 13 years from labor unions, business groups and a political committee controlled by Chicago Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Retired teachers have sued to stop the pension-reform plan that cuts retiree benefits to reduce a $100 billion debt.

Most of the pension-related money went to former Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride. He accepted $2.5 million from both Madigan and business groups in a 2010 retention battle.

Current Chief Justice Rita Garman says court decisions are based on constitutional standards, not politics.

___

Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/index

[skeeter]

I agree with the article and the comments here but REALLY why do some of these Republicans make such self-inflicting statements? Do they not believe these type of comments will not be used against them? Do they not understand the left’s game against them? Honestly!

Perhaps the only way to avoid making self inflicting statements is to say exactly what the democrats say.

Maybe a better way to cope would be for conservatives to explain what they believe and stand by it.

And it would help a great deal if the GOP weren't so COWARDLY as to not back up their candidates.

[vmivol00]

Why don’t people understand this?

The Chamber of Commerce (and the GOP) believe in corporatism. Sometimes that overlaps with conservatism. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Continuing to believe the CoC or the GOP are conservatives first is foolish.

Acknowledge the reality of the situation and figure out a new plan.

[Nextrush]

I have decided to support authentic conservatives whatever label stands next to their name, be that Republican or some other third party label.

Fear of the Democrats and the Left are not good motivators to me.

In fact, I have found that fear leads me to make bad decisions like supporting all the RINO’s I have over 30 plus years of voting.

They all lead us in the same direction and as you can see by the recent budget deal involving Ryan (R) and Murray (D) the RINO’s and Dem’s are joining together to cut a little spending and raise taxes just like Uniparty governments involving the “Left” and “Right” major parties have been doing in places like Italy and Greece in recent years.

The differences between the parties are exaggerated at election time to win votes by the party machines, subsidiary groups (National Right To Life (R), Planned Parenthood (D)) and media sympathetic to them.

The truth is that the big parties are meeting in the backrooms and negotiating “compromise” and “bipartisanship” that will not take this nation in a positive direction.

Only by electing real conservatives, not just someone with an R next to their name, will things in this country really change and move in a better direction.

[JoeFromSidney]

The US Chamber of Commerce now represents fascism, not free enterprise. That is how corrupted our system has become.

Just remember that fascism has been the endemic disease of the American economy ever since the days of Andrew Hamilton. Henry Clay's "American System" of high tariffs and "internal improvements" (i.e, pork) was the 1830s version of crony capitalism. Lincoln supported Clay's ideas. Herbert Hoover, as Secretary of Commerce, organized agreements among business and labor leaders to fix prices and wages and divide up markets. Franklin Roosevelt's National Recovery Act borrowed heavily from Benito Mussolini.

Fighting against domestic fascism has been a problem throughout the history of this country.

[ex-snook]

"Both are sleazy low down opportunist organizations out for a buck at any cost."

The Pope couldn't have said it better.

[tanuki]

Absolutely agree!

[Ron H.]

The CoC are one the nation/world’s largest and most powerful supporters of Amnesty and the dissolution on sovereign nations borders. The only thing they care about is currency and the citizens can just be damned if they don’t like it.

[SC_Pete]

They fund the campaigns of RINOs and RATs: their agenda is much, much broader than AMNESTY. For instance, they want to regulate and tax their competition out of existence. That’s one of the reasons why the US Tax Code is the most complicated in the world. And it took 30 years for an American car maker to score #1 in the JD Powers Initial Quality Survey.

[SC_Pete]

Agreed.