Joe Abraham

Chambers – Time to awake from your self-induced coma!

// December 15th, 2009 // Next Gen. Chamber of Commerce, The Next Generation...

It seems like every time I write about chambers of commerce, I’m bringing out a whipping stick. I don’t want it to be that way, but I just care so much about what chambers were about. More importantly, I care about what chambers could be in the future.

I just know for a fact that if chambers sit in their current apathetic state, they will cease to exist.

Case and point, the emboldened secular progressive movement and their desire to control and eventually choke out free enterprise – replacing it with a quasi-governmental, unionized workforce with 70+% tax rates.

Health care “reform” is going to tax small business in a huge way.
Cap-and-trade will put most small businesses OUT of business.
The federal ownership and control of banks will lead to violations of small business freedoms and privacy.
Small business confidence is at an all-time low.

Why are chamber Presidents all across the country not in an uproar?
Why are they not rallying their members to get vocal and fight against this attack on freedom?
Why are they sitting by the wayside planning the next “Tuesday-night-mixer-during-happy-hour”?

Could it be that they are afraid?

Afraid to be shunned for speaking up…
Afraid to ruffle the feathers of progressives in their membership…
Afraid to lose their economic development funding…
Afraid to be fired?

I don’t know, and frankly it doesn’t matter what the reason is. Even the US chamber of commerce (that primarily caters to big businesses) is speaking out. Kudos to them.

But where is the “main street” chamber of commerce?

Hiding. Or as I would like to put it…In a COMA!

Well, wake up Mr. or Mrs. chamber President. It is time for you to take some risks (like every one of your members do every day) and do what is right to serve your members.

Sure, you are going to get some grief for it.
You may absolutely get some nasty emails and phone calls.
There is the possibility you may actually lose your job. (Call me if you do and we’ll make a public mockery of them).

But if you don’t say or do anything, you probably won’t have a job anyway.

See, the secular progressive movement does not want small business to succeed. Why? Because small business is about free enterprise, low taxes, less government intervention, tort reform and anti big labor.

So if the secular progressive movement wins, entrepreneurship and small business will get squeezed to the point where we are the minority in America. Your current members will either be out of business or so riddled in taxes and regulation that being part of your chamber will be the last thing on their mind.

So you make the choice. Stay in a coma and plan the next “social media secrets revealed” workshop or begin to advocate for your members and start a grass roots campaign to protect free enterprise and the American way of life.

If you need help getting fired up, start by joining Entrepreneurs for Conservative Values. Many of your members will probably be part of this group before you know it.

If you have already started down this path, tell me about it. If not, tell me why and maybe we can work together to figure out a solution. Use the comment area below.