Chamber of Commerce caught in lies again
'Job killers' that aren't
Since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce has published an annual hit list of bills it labels job killers. The list has included state legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment, and to raise revenue to fund public services or support middle- and working-class families.
By Donald Cohen
May 19, 2011
Los Angeles Times
Since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce has published an annual hit list of bills it labels job killers. The list has included state legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment, and to raise revenue to fund public services or support middle- and working-class families.
No politician — Democrat or Republican — wants to be known as someone who kills jobs, so many of them will avoid supporting any bill so labeled. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used the list as a to-do list for his veto pen. His Democratic predecessor, Gray Davis, vetoed some of its top targets.
The chamber's argument is always the same: If "job-killer proposal X" passes, companies will go bankrupt, shrink or move out of California. Excessive taxes, regulations and paperwork, especially on small businesses, will crush private sector investment.
If all this sounds familiar, it's because business lobbies have made these claims every time California has increased the minimum wage; every time businesses have had to disclose or limit toxic material in workplaces, consumer products and communities; every time California's wealthiest or most profitable corporations have been asked to pay their fair share of taxes; and every time legislators and voters have taken action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
The chamber and its business allies rigorously carry out the central principle of modern advertising — repetition, repetition, repetition — hoping that their job-killer claims become each bill's default sound bite.
(Continued here. LP NOTE: The national Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — and no doubt many other state Chambers — echo the same mantra: "If you pass this bill the sky will fall job-wise" — which, as in California, more often than not proves to be untrue. Whereas once the honorable Chamber of Commerce was a nonpartisan supporter of all businesses, large and small, it has become a quite partisan supporter of one narrow aspect of business thinking. The Chamber of Commerce extols the virtues of competition in business, yet ironically it has no real competition in the field of business advocacy. Sure, there is a fledgling group of businesses for social advocacy, but they hardly match the power of the Chamber of Commerce. What is needed in this country is a competitor to the Chamber of Commerce that espouses nonpartisan, well thought out positions that reflect the majority of its members.)
Since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce has published an annual hit list of bills it labels job killers. The list has included state legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment, and to raise revenue to fund public services or support middle- and working-class families.
By Donald Cohen
May 19, 2011
Los Angeles Times
Since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce has published an annual hit list of bills it labels job killers. The list has included state legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment, and to raise revenue to fund public services or support middle- and working-class families.
No politician — Democrat or Republican — wants to be known as someone who kills jobs, so many of them will avoid supporting any bill so labeled. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used the list as a to-do list for his veto pen. His Democratic predecessor, Gray Davis, vetoed some of its top targets.
The chamber's argument is always the same: If "job-killer proposal X" passes, companies will go bankrupt, shrink or move out of California. Excessive taxes, regulations and paperwork, especially on small businesses, will crush private sector investment.
If all this sounds familiar, it's because business lobbies have made these claims every time California has increased the minimum wage; every time businesses have had to disclose or limit toxic material in workplaces, consumer products and communities; every time California's wealthiest or most profitable corporations have been asked to pay their fair share of taxes; and every time legislators and voters have taken action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
The chamber and its business allies rigorously carry out the central principle of modern advertising — repetition, repetition, repetition — hoping that their job-killer claims become each bill's default sound bite.
(Continued here. LP NOTE: The national Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — and no doubt many other state Chambers — echo the same mantra: "If you pass this bill the sky will fall job-wise" — which, as in California, more often than not proves to be untrue. Whereas once the honorable Chamber of Commerce was a nonpartisan supporter of all businesses, large and small, it has become a quite partisan supporter of one narrow aspect of business thinking. The Chamber of Commerce extols the virtues of competition in business, yet ironically it has no real competition in the field of business advocacy. Sure, there is a fledgling group of businesses for social advocacy, but they hardly match the power of the Chamber of Commerce. What is needed in this country is a competitor to the Chamber of Commerce that espouses nonpartisan, well thought out positions that reflect the majority of its members.)
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