Chamber of Commerce, on Business and the Economy

August 25, 2011

The New York Times

Thomas Collamore

To the Editor:

“Surely They Can Read a Spreadsheet” (editorial, Aug. 21) suggests that business leaders are part of the problem, not the solution, in addressing the nation’s economic and financial challenges. We couldn’t disagree more strongly.

Since the onset of the financial crisis, the United States Chamber of Commerce and its members have had only one priority: creating jobs. To create jobs, we need pro-growth policies and the certainty necessary to invest and hire. Today, we have neither.

The chamber has been extraordinarily aggressive in advocating for common-sense policies to grow our economy, create millions of jobs and restore financial responsibility.

We’ve supported increased infrastructure investment, greater American energy production, a doubling of United States exports in five years through free-trade agreements, sensible changes to our regulatory system and comprehensive tax reform that broadens the tax base, simplifies the code and increases government revenues without raising rates.

We are voicing our support for comprehensive entitlement reform as well — not to gut the programs, but to save them from certain insolvency.

The chamber and the business community are hardly being irresponsible.

THOMAS J. COLLAMORE
Senior V.P., Communications and Strategy,
United States Chamber of Commerce
Washington, Aug. 22, 2011

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