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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1346
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:52 am Post subject: 'Why Are Companies Fleeing The Chamber Of Commerce?' |
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Some good background on why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce continues it meltdown commitment while major corporate members protest and resign... at The New Republic, via Green, Inc. in the AW Blog Center:
Why Are Companies Fleeing The Chamber Of Commerce?
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/different-theory-about-the-chamber-commerce
| Bradford Plumer wrote: | In recent months, we've seen a host of companies protest the Chamber of Commerce's stance on global warming by either speaking out or resigning: Apple, Nike, GE, Johnson & Johnson, three electric utilities... The Chamber, in turn, has pointed out that the vast majority of its three million members haven't defected. Fair enough, but that raises a question: How did the Chamber's climate policy get decided in the first place? Was it a transparent, open process, and Apple and Nike are just sore losers? Nope. As Mother Jones's Josh Harkinson wrote today, the Chamber appears to have hashed out its climate stance behind closed doors:
"Several Chamber members representing USCAP (a pro-cap-and-trade group) recently met with president Tom Donohue to request that he alter the group's climate stance, according to the spokesman. 'They were totally rebuffed," he says. Donohue "said that they should continue the dialogue, but offered no methods or avenues for changing the Chamber's position.'"
In an interview with Greenwire published yesterday, Nike backed other board members who say they never voted to approve the Chamber's climate policies... |
The piece continues, with some of the most interesting background perspective and analysis lower down, including some history of Tom Donohue, Chamber CEO...
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/different-theory-about-the-chamber-commerce |
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Ed Ziomek
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 701
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:47 pm Post subject: Interesting for a number of reasons |
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Kev... This article is interesting, but it is missing some key elements, such as: Exactly what IS the Chamber of Commerce's position on Global Warming that they endorsed, and how do the opinions of Nike and Apple differ from them?
Key companies are fleeing their participation in the CofC, but for what reason?
Bradford Plumer is apparently the author, and I believe he had an even more interesting article about how the US Government is subsidizing and now questioning the ethanol blending in gasolene industry.
GAO Takes Aim At Corn Ethanol
\http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/the-gao-takes-corn-ethanol
In other word, you and I are subsidizing gasolene companies, for them to use very questionable first generation biofuels such as corn ethanol (I was an early misguided supporter, by the way). Of course, we have recently learned of the nasty consequences such as deforestation, skyrocketing corn-for-food prices, and diversion of clean water resources: 80 cents of production costs, PLUS clean water, to make a dollars worth of fuel.
There are other ethanol sources that are much more efficient than corn-sourced, and I think our government is realizing this, at the same time questioning the 45+ cents per gallon subsidizing.
PS... On this same baffling political-economic insanity, I saw an amazing movie last night, Michael Moore'a CAPITALISM, a Love Story... frightening!
Sensationalized a bit, dramatized a bit, carbon-copied from previous formats, but sadly too true.
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Ed Ziomek |
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