A Special Message From U.S. Chamber Chief Operating Officer David Chavern

Dont be blinded, the health debate is not about health but taking away from the American Public your hard earned money.

If you want to lower cost let health insurance be sold across state lines. I own two small busineses and I do not want the govt. taking anymore of my hard earned profits! yes profits by taxing me further.

This country runs best by not interfering with the very businesses that create over 90% of the jobs. Go ahead and pass the health plan and watch unemployment go higher.

My business sales are down by 40% since the housing scandle. We are taxed almost 60% when you add local, state and federal. Add another tax to me I will have to add more to the unemployed rolls with out a substanial increase in sales.

Karen is correct, the govt cant run a toaster. THE GOVT IS DESTROYING OPPORTUNITY.

(Bay St. Louis, Ms)

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The chamber's hard line rhetoric is not serving its cause. It comes across as Mr. Donohue's personal agenda. As a medium size business owner, I have a significant stake in the issues. But the healthcare crisis is real and so is climate change. The chamber needs to appear as a collaborative voice, not an oppositional one. (Reading, PA)

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The US Chamber is not speaking for the small Businessman when urging against the public option
and worrying about crowding private competitors out of the marketplace. These private competitors
are the BIG Health Care Companies that have helped create the sad Healthcare situation that we have now. There's plenty of room for them to rein in
their own spending before they would ever go out of Business. The US Chamber seems to be firmly entrenched behind Big Business - not Small Business like mine. Apparently Big Business money
is calling the shots. My membership will not be renewed - (BARNEVELD, NY)

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I have worked with the Chamber for many years, and have never seen the organization so negative. We must adjust to different times, especially one of fiscal and environmental crises as at the present. (Lake Geneva, WI)

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The national Chamber is not speaking for me. My employees have health insurance, but we need a public option. These people make money by not approving claims. Are the people of France so much better at management that they can provide health care for all citizens at less that half of the U.S. cost? (Cleveland, TN)

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I have found the Chamber to be one of the most consistent messenger for our system. The only special interests are for the benefit of business in general. I am concerned we are treading into new ground that has unknown consequences. The only actions I see in Washington are for special interests. I am for the following... no exclusion, portability and mandatory issue perhaps with medicaid hardship. I do not trust what I have seen in the shell game in Washington and it has become ugly. To the Chamber-do all you can in my name! no one else is. (Lawton, Oklahoma)

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The United States Constitution exists for a broad and free experience for every living and future American thanks to the free thinking fore fathers and those who have lived and died before us. Opportunities are abundant and you must make of it what you can. Being regulated on nearly every task that may face you as a small business owner is only making it more difficult to prosper. Take a look at California, the state has been regulated into debt. California is a very geographically diversified state that could have almost everything that the rest of the United States has to produce. On top of that the Federal Government has made a terrorist attack on the water supply. No Farms, No Food. We are not Americans because we want to work for the government, we want to work for ourselves and depend on ourselves. We obviously need a centralized government but it should not exist to control everything that an American does. The Obama Administration says that they can cut waste and fraud in Medicare and save billions for a new healthcare plan. They must think highly of their government run system. Now they want to create an even bigger one. Marijuana and Beer Socials are accepted by the Obama administration however eating salt or transfat or drinking a carbonated sugar beverage is not. Taking over the auto industry, the financial industry, the health care industry and so on is Socialism. Remember when our President would not put his hand on his heart during the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States? I do! The environmentalsists are killing our forests, putting our ranchers and farmers out of business and don't like windmills. Give them more power and let them run us out of food, renewable resources and energy while creating subdivisions out of the last ranches and farms that exist. Radicals! Remember the lessons that the Romans left for us. We cannot have our government officials surrounded by narrow minded radicals. We are being ridiculed and belittled by our own government for exercising our constitutional rights as Free Americans. I will remain a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce because I am "We The People" and I am still a free American and I am still in business. The US Chamber of Commerce represents Free Americans. I don't agree with everything they do but I am allowed to voice my opinion in opposition. Thank you. (Dubois, WY)

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I have only been a member of the Chamber one year, and I will not be renewing. The national chamber in particular is reactionary and fear-based, rather than rational and clear-headed. There are important roles that government must play in order to ensure that capitalism and the free market work for everyone and that the playing field is as level as possible. This is not a government takeover, it's not the end of all our freedoms! People, relax!! Obama is far smarter, and far more fair-minded and level-headed than the ranters on these emails. What's killing America is not "special interests" or "big government" - it's right-wing rants and disinformation. "Special INtersts?" THE CHAMBER ITSELF IS A SPECIAL INTEREST! The role of a Democratic government is to balance all special interests And "Big Government?" In fact it's Republican administrations that have ballooned government spending - on the military, mostly - and saddled future generations with insurmountable debt. The only president to balance the budget in my lifetime was a Democrat: Clinton. So with that - good bye! I will be wasting no more of my time with this organization. (Missoula, Montana)

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It is hard to believe Americans are so blind. Our ancestors would never believe American would stand by and watch all their rights be taken away from them. That is exactly what is happening. The government wants to control every aspect of our life.

Thomas Jefferson said "When the government tell us when to sow and when to reap, we will all be looking for bread".

We need to stand up for our rights, before, they all taken away from us. (Covington, LA)

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I think the U.S. Chamber of Commerce AND our Government, whether they are Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc. all should be put out of their jobs and let us small business people show them how to run this country. We know how to stay within a budget, stay productive, and treat our employees & customers with respect. I LOVE MY COUNTRY, But I am tired of supporting a government who only takes care of special interest groups. (Cocoa, Florida)

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The US Chamber is just another government run program. They are backwards thinkers, as are all government agencies, and don't even have a clue what it takes to survive in this economic climate. (Fredericksburg, VA)

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I will continue to support the U S chamber,those of you that beleive they are backwards thinking must not understand what is going on accross the country. The debit that are our children have incured for the next 100 years is beyond comprehension. As a small business owner the card check issues has a huge impact as to how we will be doing business, and I for one do not want to end up in the same mess that the auto industry is in and now being run by a very incompetent government. NO MORE BIG GOVERNMENT!!!! (Colorardo Springs, Colorado)

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Don't let the media sway your opinion of the Chamber. Cap and Trade will eliminate thousands of jobs and create huge taxes and penalities on our struggling businesses. The current bills for Healthcare reform will increase the deficit, millions of people will not have coverage, and many small businesses will be penalized and businesses that do provide nice insurance plans for their workers, will now be creating a tax for their workers because the plan is "so" good (Cadillac Tax). These bills are "No wins" for anyone.

Yes, Healthcare needs to be reformed. But to do that, we have to look at what is driving up the costs. If not, just giving more coverage to people who don't have it will not decrease the costs. Yes, we need technology, tort reform, elminate the fraud and inefficiencies in medicare, etc. There are so many avenues we need to explore before we start anymore handouts. Please educate yourself on these issues before you follow along with the media. They are puppets repeating what the administration, organized labor, and other special interest groups are telling them. If there was good ole fashioned investigative reporting going on, you would have the true facts. (Montgomeryville, PA)

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The US Chamber has lost its credibility with the left because it will not suck up to the stupid bankrupt ideas that the left is pushing. The same ideas that have been failing the world for more than a century, with millions murdered as a byproduct. They have lost credibility with the right because they still insist on sounding conciliatory towards some government involvement in healthcare as well as carbon. Conservatives know that government involvement in anything will lead to its demise, with the exception of corruption and ineptitude. We trust neither big government or big business. Power corrupts and so on. Fear not however for your future. Just stay friendly with the administration while showing some loyal opposition and they may let you stay on when they merge you with the unions. (Dallas, TX)

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You have truly left the playing field and joined the ranks of the ranters of the extreme right wing. Like it or not, you cannot turn back the clock. And, if you truly had the interests of American business at heart, you would be searching for survival in a new world rather than holding on with hubris to outdated "rules" that have proved by science and society to be less than useful in today's world. (Park City , Utah)

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I have become very disenchanted with the U.S. Chamber and am considering withdrawing my membership. No one has contacted me, and I remain strongly supportive of my local Chamber. You are backward and unhelpful on Climate Change and Health Care Reform. These are real problem areas and you have acted like a wing of the right wing Republican party with no answers and no alternatives, just NO. The Federal government cannot and should not do everything, but it has a role and can and should work constructively with business to address NATIONWIDE and GLOBAL problems. You need to get into the 21st century, and stop just saying no. (Lewes, Delaware)

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Unfortunately, the censorship actions the administration is taking against the U.S. Chamber and other organizations is anti-American. As for the healthcare debacle, what ever happened to the pledge of transparency? The actual transparency has now become obvious....we should have seen through the self-serving campaign promises. Vote out the incumbents in the next two election cycles to regain some sense of governance. (Prescott, AZ)

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I'm tired of MY Chamber of Commerce dictating to me how I should support the very group(s) that got us into this health care mess in the first place. The real problem is that you don't have viable solution to the uninsured. I am also considering withdrawning my support to the Chamber if it continues along the same path. (Spearfish, South Dakota)

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You are OUR voice in Washington. The current campaign against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by some Obama administration officials like Valerie Jarrett is just more evidence that commerce and capitalism is contrary to the current administration goals of socialism and subjugation. (Oakland, California)

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We run 14 small businesses in California & Nevada. We always support our local Chamber of Commerce. We do not support the US Chamber of Commerce which seems to be a very backward looking institution, completely oblivious to some pressing global concerns. I wish I could find out out how to unsubscribe from your weekly email. (Camarillo, California)

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a myopic dinosaur and deserves the same fate as those maladaptive creatures. USCOC operates under the same antiquated philosophy that caused our current economic troubles: focusing only on the short term gain with no thought for long term viability. I have chosen not to renew my Chamber membership and I advise others to do the same. If anyone still sees value in the Chamber then you should at least ditch Tom Donohue and the rest of the Gordon Gekko clones who fill the board. (Dixon, Illinois)

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If you believe that our government can run a public option health coverage, I have a bridge for sale in Arizona. I agree that we need some changes but lets not jump from the frying pan into the fire. I also pay 100% for my employees as well as contributing to their HSA accounts but I do not want my government mixed up in my health care. PERIOD! Bunch of idiots up there can't runa toaster...Republican or Democrat...what a mess we are in and it is our government regulations that created it. Enough big government...lets get back to free enterprise and let it work as we all know it can. (Lubbock, TX)

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I have serious reservations about continuing to support the US Chamber. It seems to only be self-serving instead of looking for the good of the nation as a whole. As a business owner, I support a public option, not because I need it for my employees (I pay 100% employee PLUS family health coverage for all). But the US needs a public option. Insurance is now dictating coverage, we might as well have an option for the government to dictate as well. (Jefferson, Iowa)

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