
Today, with the onset of crony capitalism and its ties to big government, the free enterprise system is really no longer free. The big players have decided that their ranks are full and they cobble together with government as a means to keep the status quo in place, no matter how inefficient or how corrupt. Because of this, it is sometimes impossible to distinguish between government and private sector programs, and the performance and funding is usually intermingled. The result is often the elimination of risk, a normal condition in a healthy business community, with the taxpayer picking up the tab. Taken to its fullest extreme, it could result in a fascist society where business is privately owned but under the full control of government directed procedures and guidelines.
In days past, the Chamber of Commerce was a viable enterprise actively supporting both large and small business and devising programs and systems to help them succeed in a competitive world. Today the national group, headed by Tom Donahue, has become nothing more than a big business lobby, pressuring Congress to do their bidding through campaign funding while also kowtowing with the government . They want cheap labor as the top priority and their prime source is amnesty. They have even joined together with La Raza to push this with maximum effort, joining with both Obama and Congressional leaders in both parties to give priority to legalization of illegals in order to get cheap labor. They could care less about American workers, particularly those at the lower end of the spectrum who so desperately need work.
Now I know that there are a lot of people at local Chamber of Commerce facilities who have the best interests of their home communities, but I think everyone should know that the nationwide organization is primarily a lobbyist for the big corporations who more often than not really don't care about the small guy on Main Street. In such situations, where individual ethics and morals frequently succumb to the lure of huge payoffs and personal riches, the organization loses its way, and amnesty is the most egregious example. To put illegal aliens ahead of American workers for job opportunities in a country that was founded upon a fellowship of patriotic Americans under God is quite frankly a travesty of the highest order.
If you are a small business member, you are often used as a pawn for the goals of the large members and often you reap none of the benefits. I know, I was such a member of a local chamber for many years. Fortunately, however, your membership has not tainted your outlook to reach the same conclusion as the huge corporate conglomerates who have lost touch with America. I would recommend that you seriously consider cancelling your membership and find other ways of reaching new opportunities and associates; their are many other organizations available in each community but each must be left to his/her own course of action. Saying no to the large Chamber, however, is one good way of voicing your opposition.
So I would say to the national organization, come back to your senses and support your own country, the place that allowed you to grow and prosper in the first place. When you forsake your country for international standing or political rhetoric of the day which is contrary to the American spirit, you really lose a unique quality, that which is only found in an American. And while you may not like what I say, if you open your heart and look into it deeply, I think you'll know that this is the truth.
God bless America and God bless the American worker. May he always be a hallmark of the Land of the Free.