In his acclaimed novella "A Christmas Carol," English author Charles Dickens wrote that Ebenezer Scrooge was "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" Over the past couple of weeks, thousands of people voted in agreement that this Scrooge description fits the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to a t and today, Jobs with Justice announced the corporate front group as the winner of the 2009 Scrooge of the Year.
The Chamber had some serious competition--including Bank of America, Citibank and Sallie Mae--but managed to rise to the top above other contenders for the greediest, most cold-hearted company of the year.
From JwJ's blog on the Chamber's victory:
Voters chose the Chamber of Commerce as their winner this year, as it's become increasingly clear that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has developed into a front group for a few narrow interests, not a membership association that represents the voice of mainstream American businesses. The Chamber has spent millions of dollars lobbying against legislation that would benefit workers and families like the Employee Free Choice Act, health insurance reform, paid sick days, and environmental regulations. Their extreme positions have led some companies and local chapters of the Chamber to disaffiliate from the national group.
"There was plenty of competition for the award this year," said Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta, "but the similarities between Scrooge and the Chamber of Commerce were hard to beat. The ghost of years past would show that the policies they've promoted including deregulation and maximizing profits at the expense of workers are directly connected to the destruction of America's middle class."
[...] "We fully expect the Chamber of Commerce to come out in opposition to our demand for good paying and family sustaining jobs," said Gupta, "but we will not cede this moment nor shy away from this fight."
The bottom line, says JwJ? The Chamber is the ultimate Scrooge. Not only will Tom Donohue fight hard to put a lump of coal in your stocking at taxpayer expense, but it will claim that the lump of coal represents the "voice of American business" and is good for you.
Congrats, Chamber! Your so-called "3 million members" must be so proud!
Today's health care vote is the latest in a string of losses for the Chamber lately. The Chamber has been calling on Congress to scrap their current healthcare bill and start over.
More on the Chamber's extremist agenda to derail reform of all kinds at http://www.seiu.org/uschamberofcommerce/. Helpful fact sheet also found here.
