We already know that regulations cost us mightily in terms of job creation, whether it’s the red tape of getting major energy projects approved or overeager states heavily regulating the employment relationship.
Today, the Chamber’s Randy Johnson and Bill Kovacs hosted an event called, “Restorin
Further to Bill Kovacs’ and Kevin Ganster’s posts below, at today’s event to roll out the study of the economic impact of red tape delays on energy projects, there was a good press turnout, with a number of reporters in the room and over 50 reporters on the phone. Bill Kovacs set the table, givi
“Which Side Are You On?” goes the old union song. As if we didn’t know already, the NLRB has answered that question again in a most interesting way. The Board – an ostensibly impartial, non-partisan and quasi-judicial body which decides disputes between labor and management – has taken the unusual
from ICW
Great event this morning here at the Chamber, featuring Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. The occasion was the roll-out of a groundbreaking study by the Workforce Freedom Initiative (WFI) entitled, “The Impact of State Employment Policies on Job Growth: A 50-State Review.” Gov. Barbour was invit
The not-so-big news for the Purple People over at the SEIU this week was, according to BNA, that "Workers in 39 of 44 bargaining units at 15 hospitals and long-term care facilities in Ohio operated by Catholic Healthcare Partners (representing some 7,000 employees in all) voted against union repr
If you want a sneak peak at today's State of American Business address by Chamber President Tom Donohue, you can find it here in the form of an op-ed in The Daily Caller. Entitled, "A Plan for Economic Renewal," it focuses on four areas that will be business' priorities in 2011:
First, we must r
Interesting piece in the National Journal by Ron Brownstein about how some cities are finding renewal through exports. "Access to international markets," says Brownstein, "is already central to the prosperity of many places where protectionism is often a winning political argument." Elaborating, he
For years, as we’ve debated the various burdens on US business vis a vis our trading partners (i.e., "competitors"), we have pointed out that we have the highest legal costs (by a mile), some of the greatest regulatory and compliance costs, and the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, ju
In an ironic twist, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), long-time supporter of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), is calling for secret ballot elections -- for Senate Committee Chairs. As you know, EFCA swims against the tide of democracy by allowing coercion to rule over a secret ballot in a wo
by Pat ClearySenator Mark Warner (D-VA) has a great op-ed by that title in today's WaPo. Echoing a theme we've talked about often, i.e., the soaring cost of government regulation and its paralyzing effect on growth in the economy. Sen. Warner, who has worked in the business and investment world, wel
by Pat ClearyYesterday, the Business Roundtable (BRT) issued its "Roadmap for Growth", a self-described "Plan to Drive Economic Prosperity in America." The plan focuses on 5 key "pillars":
Fiscal Policy and Competitive Taxation: Redesign the corporate tax system to promote investment and strengthen
by Pat ClearyAs Tami Overby noted below, the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement is being applauded from all sides - including from unlikely corners like the UAW, heretofore not all that supportive of free trade agreements. It’s great that they are acknowledging that trade agreements open markets to US-ma
Today the House failed to head off the looming tax increase on small business. As we've written in this space many times before, the pending tax increases will fall disproportionately on small business. Today, the House went through the trouble of making sure that those small businesses that make l
by Pat ClearyIf all goes according to plan, the US Senate will vote tomorrow on S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. This bill has been called the most sweeping change in food safety laws in over seven decades. If sensibly implemented by the FDA, this bill will improve America's abilit
Isn't it rich that some in Washington are accusing the Chamber of being self-serving for opposing the largest tax increase in history? To some degree, however, they are right, as some 95% of our members are small businesses and this tax increase will fall disproportionately on them. As we've note
by Pat ClearyThere's an op-ed by that title in today's WaPo by Morris Panner, a software company entrepreneur, a self-described, "Democrat whose politics are undeniably liberal on social issues." In it, he laments the explosion in government spending at all levels and "the Obama Administration's
by Pat ClearyOne of the points made in Tom Donohue's speech yesterday was about the interconnectivity of large and small business:
"At the same time, we must recognize the strong interdependence between small and large companies. Many small businesses have as their largest customers the big compani
Great speech by Tom Donohue to the Chamber Board this morning. Lots to chew on there, but some high points:
In answer to the question on everyone's mind, i.e., after a bruising election that often found them at odds, what will be the Chamber's relationship with the Obama Administration? Said Donoh
In a letter to Congress today, the Chamber’s EVP, Bruce Josten, urged them to “end the tax uncertainty plaguing the business community by extending the expiring 2001 and 2003 tax rates and the business tax provisions that expired at the end of 2009.” Quoting from the letter:
A long term extension,
by Pat ClearyA favorite parlor game here in Washington among the anti-business crowd is trying to drive a wedge between large and small business. Our foes try to do it with us, and with other associations and businesses. But this game ignores a fact that we know quite well - and now confirmed by a n
by Pat ClearyThe move by Deficit Commission Co-Chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson to issue their own report in advance of the full commission's December 1 deadline has kicked up a lot of dust and hyperbole around town. You can see what the report says here. The federal debt and its connection to
by Pat ClearyOn Veterans Day, all over Washington - and all over the country - there are events honoring those who served their country. As is fitting for this day, most of these events look back to honor those who served in the great wars of our time. But yesterday, we held an event that honored ou
by Pat ClearyChamber CEO Tom Donohue is in South Korea in advance of the G-20 meeting to continue to lobby for the Korean-US free trade agreement, better known as KORUS. After a Congress unfriendly to free trade agreements, there is hope that the new leadership will bring new support for them. After
by Pat Cleary It seems like the stars are aligning on the issue of trade these days. First the President made these comments in advance of his trip to India:
The primary purpose [of the trip] is to take a bunch of U.S. companies and open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fast
Good op-ed in today’s WaPo by David Smick with the above title, making the point that we’ve been making all along, i.e., that businesses large and small are looking for certainty from Washington. Here are the relevant paragraphs:
"Recovery will be a long, hard slog, and our national mood could mak
by Pat Cleary Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gave a much-anticipated address today at the Heritage Foundation headquarters on Capitol Hill to talk about the elections - and the road forward. Here was his read on what the election meant.
This isn’t a reason for Republicans to gloat;
Imagine waking up today as a union leader, having just burned $90 million of your members’ money, and having to tell them that you came up empty-handed. Oops!
Well, that’s the situation in which unions find themselves today. Figure AFSCME spent about $90 million of their members’ hard-earned dues t
Here in the fray, we kinda get used to political broadsides, as they are lobbed against us with regularity. For us, it comes with the territory of being the voice of free enterprise. These days the allegations seem to be coming fast and furious from the anti-business crowd. In fact, The Politico re
In The Washington Post today, Katrina vanden Heuvel launches a broadside attack on the U.S. Chamber that's riddled with inaccuracies and overloaded with partisan rhetoric.
We classify it as a broadside because Ms vanden Heuvel made no attempt to reach out to the Chamber for a comment or discussi
We've written about regulations as the "heavy hand of government" in this space before, and Tom Donohue has hammered away on the issue as part of our "This Way to Jobs" effort. Last week, a new independent study on the topic confirmed what we knew all along, namely that the burden of regulation on
For those of you who weren’t otherwise distracted on Saturday, the WaPo had a great op-ed by Democratic pollsters Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell entitled, "Our divisive president, redux," subtitled, "President Obama's post-partisan America has disappeared, replaced by the politics of polarization, res
In a piece in the New York Times titled "Job Losses Outweigh Administration’s Successes," David Leonhardt chronicles the job loss and economic uneasiness that seems to be motivating voters these days:
From November of last year...to May, the economy added almost one million jobs, thanks partly to
Sometimes it happens in the blog world that the comments you receive are so good that they deserve to be elevated into a blog post of their own. This is one of those times. We received this comment from a reader in response to our post below titled "And the Biggest Campaign Spender is...," about A
Here's a story that's generating a fair amount of buzz, entitled, "How to Restore the American Dream." It's from Fareed Zakaria and it's in this weeks' Time magazine (anybody remember Time magazine...?) It's an interesting take on the global forces at work in the US. He makes some interesting
AFCSME!
Yes, after all the mud that’s been slung at us these past weeks for vigorously representing the views of business, the Wall Street Journal banner headline today is, "Campaign's Big Spender: Public-Employees Union Now Leads All Groups in Independent Election Outlays." Turns out the American
There have been so many distraction these days on the campaign trail that sometimes it’s hard for pundits to even keep track of what the real issues are. But we have never been in doubt and, as the new "All-America economic survey" from CNBC shows, voters are not terribly optimistic. The results po
Great editorial by that title in today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required), about the ballot initiatives in four states -- Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah -- that will guarantee the right to a secret ballot in union organizing elections. What a concept. Along the way, it me
The final speaker at the National Chamber Foundation’s event yesterday, "A Balancing Act: Federal Debt, Deficit, and Economic Recovery" was David Walker, former Comptroller General of the US and an avid deficit hawk. Here was his opening, also an attention-getter: "If we do not take steps to keep o
A great -- if unsettling -- event sponsored by the National Chamber Foundation today, entitled, "A Balancing Act: Federal Debt, Deficit, and Economic Recovery." You can see the lineup of speakers and panelists here. It was a thoughtful discussion, with views from both left and right represented. B
Somehow we managed to be hit with a stray bullet in a WaPo piece by Dana Milbank aimed at helping his party limit their losses on Election Day. In a rant that appears to tie the Tea Party movement to powerful people or companies (not really sure), he opens by criticizing the US Chamber for its lar
Interesting exchange on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as part of their panel discussing Marc Thiessen's op-ed in the Washington Post on where Democrats are fundraising for midterm ads.
Joe Scarborough is talking To Pat Buchanan. Scarborough says,
This is the stupidest part of this strategy by the White Ho
As Election Day draws nigh, it seems that news coverage has long since left the issues of jobs, the economy and federal spending -- issues on which voters are focused. In fact, this story last week about the federal deficit reaching a whopping $1.3 trillion received scant attention.
Instead, the pr
Sorry, but we just have to call out RedState here for leaking a secret video of one of our very secret meetings. We expect this kind of stuff from the left, but from RedState?? Come on guys, isn’t this a little beyond the pale? See for yourself. This was supposed to be SECRET meeting! Don’t you kn
by Pat ClearyTwo bits of bad news for the crowd on the left who started this whole smear campaign against the Chamber. First, as Kevin Ganster pointed out below, it backfired. And second, their obvious goal of getting the Chamber to back down in the final few weeks of the election season isn't work
by Pat ClearyLooks like the WaPo decided to celebrate Columbus Day by claiming to discover a new world of its own. Only problem is, the world had already been discovered, exhaustively trod - and dismissed. This is the faux-story which grew from a bald & unfounded allegation on a lefty blog to a Pre
Further to yesterday's post on the Chamber's many defenders against the most recent scurrilous attack comes a full-throated defense from an unlikely source - The New York Times. Yes, the same New York Times who ran a heavily edited version of our letter correcting their errant editorial. Maybe they
by Pat Cleary It didn't take to long for just about everyone (except the far left) to see the latest smear against the Chamber for what it was, a partisan attack aimed at silencing the voice of free enterprise. First one out of the box was the Center for Competitive Politics with its thorough dism
Much has been written about the tax burden on US corporations, the second-highest of any country in the world. The Chamber has worked hard to keep this issue front and center, and to support candidates and legislators who understand the economic benefits of keeping taxes low. But more troubling - a
It's bad enough that someone can post an unfounded piece on a blog, but hey, that's the way the internets roll. What's worse is when it gets picked up by others who are as unconcerned with the facts as the original poster. But this is the political season after all. And so a group with a political
by Pat ClearyIt's interesting to see how a partisan group on the left can spin a yarn without a germ of truth to it and see it sweep otherwise-responsible sites in the span of a few hours. We saw that today with the latest broadside from John Podesta's left-leaning Center for American Progress that,
by Pat ClearyFile this under, "Yeah, we knew that," but there's a great piece by the estimable Bob Samuelson in today's WaPo by the above title. Of course, as the Champions of Free Enterprise, we well recognize the great economic power of entrepreneurs. We see it every day. But it's always good to g
by Pat Cleary Interesting opinion piece and accompanying article in The Economist about the running debate playing out in Washington these days, i.e., the relative friendliness or unfriendliness of the Administration toward business.
The article begins by noting that, "Winston Churchill once moaned
The current battle over raising taxes on small business is proof positive of the adage that truth is the first casualty of war. For starters, only in Washington could a dramatic rise in existing rates earn the “tax cut” moniker. In a rational world (one we apparently left long ago) existing tax rat
by Pat Cleary Great event yesterday with the esteemed Marty Regalia laying the groundwork for Campaign for Free Enterprise honcho Stan Anderson. Marty is better than anyone at making complicated stuff understandable. He was comparing the last few recessions to this one. With the '74-'75 recession, i
Today, the President will travel to Cleveland in the industrial heartland to announce a series of tax and other incentives – most targeted at business – ostensibly aimed at stimulating the anemic economy. But like all things too good to be true, this doesn’t quite live up to the White House hype.
It is by now an article of faith that the AFL-CIO and their gloomy allies at the Economic Policy Institute will inevitably greet Labor Day with a grim assessment of the state of the American worker. Yet like a broken clock that is accurate twice a day, this year they may have inadvertently stumbled
That is essentially the crux of this WaPo editorial entitled, "Troubled Marriage," subtitled, "Feeling scorned by the president, big business is turning to the GOP How fair is that?"
How fair, indeed.
The piece opens with a mention of this piece by hedge fund founder Daniel Loeb - former Obama clas
Just returned from the Chamber’s annual Labor Day event with Marty Regalia and Randy Johnson. They expertly double-teamed the themes of the day – economics and the workplace. We’ll post more on this throughout the weekend, but wanted to quickly hit the high points: Marty Regalia:
“The important f
It's Labor Day, when one's thoughts turn to...job creation. And so it is that tomorrow at 10:30, the Chamber will hold its annual pre-Labor Day press conference with Chief Economist and all-around wise man Marty Regalia and long-time workplace policy guru Randy Johnson. There's not a duo in this to
