The Chamber, Loaded Against the Free Market
You are familiar with the notion that businesses support the free market, while concerned citizens demand some sort of “regulatory oversight” by government.
It’s a canard.
Oh, some businessmen do indeed support free markets and decry subsidies — and lots of businesses oppose this regulation or that — but, on the whole, the major support for a regulatory regime, or for subsidies and tariffs, for almost any scheme of government control of business, is usually business itself.
Like individuals, businesses too often turn to government for special advantages — over other businesses, or over taxpayers.
That’s why the United States Chamber of Commerce gave Congressman Ron Paul such low marks. You could hardly find a more pro-free-market gentleman in Washington. But, as Timothy Carney notes in the Washington Examiner, 90 percent of Democrats got higher marks on the Chamber’s 2009 congressional scorecard than did Paul, who also got the lowest marks of any Republican.
Why?
Rep. Paul opposed the recent stimulus bill. And he opposed subsidizing the tourism industry as well as solar energy.
The Chamber is a typical business lobbying outfit, favoring an inefficient, mixed economy because some of its leading members hope to milk the taxpayers.
If you are a member of the Chamber but support the fair play of the free market, not the rigged play of government-business “partnerships,” you might want to speak up against your Chamber’s policies.
Or join another group.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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