Generally, people believe that a "Chamber of Commerce" is a good thing for a community. People believe that it has the best interests of a community at heart. People believe that a Chamber of Commerce is always good for the health of a community.
The following information may suggest something much different to you. You see, a "Chamber of Commerce" is an organization that is established to attract business ("commerce") to an area. As such, the goals are to cater to business--and not necessarily to the needs of the public (the consumers).
Often, the "interests" of business are far different than the "interests" of the public.
Washington, D.C. —As the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) holds its annual policy parade on how to eliminate Americans’ rights, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) details the most notorious ways the U.S. Chamber hurts and continues to hurt Americans.
A new publication called Top 10 Ways the U.S. Chamber Hurts Americans exposes the U.S. Chamber’s actions to 1) bail out Wall Street, 2) close the courthouse doors on American consumers, 3) protect polluters and 4) drown elections in corporate money. The list focuses on efforts that have had a direct, negative impact on Americans. In truth, The U.S. Chamber is a front group for corporations that want to weaken the legal rights of American workers and consumers. The U.S. Chamber’s actions put corporate profits over Americans rights and safety.
The last thing our country needs is to give corporations a free pass for their negligence and misconduct. Year after year, the U.S. Chamber tries to fool the public into believing that good American jobs and accountability are mutually exclusive, and at the same time uses the judicial system to push its own agenda. This is hypocrisy at its worst.
The irony does not end with
lawsuits. Despite its name, the U.S. Chamber has gone to bat for foreign
corporations at the expense of American businesses. You see, it leans wherever
the money comes from. Even being a U.S. corporation is not always enough
to win the U.S. Chamber’s favor.
Top Ways the U.S. Chamber Hurts Americans
- Big Business Only
- Beholden to Foreign Corporations
- Do As I Say Not As I Sue
- Drowning Elections in Corporate Money
- Tampering with Juries
- Stepping Up for the World's Worst Polluters
- Pushing the Corporate "Get Out of Jail Free" Card
- Funneling Special Interest Money into Washington
The American Association for Justice works to make sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations. Remember, inside the doors of an American courthouse, where the financial positions of the parties may not even be close (big business v victim), everyone is equal under the eyes of the judge and the law. It is imperative, for our system of American justice, that these rights never be lost.
However, the Chambers of Commerce don't feel the same. They believe that anything that makes business accountable--and therefore possibly cuts into a business's profits (like lawsuits), is bad. They want to eliminate these as much as possible, regardless of how bad their conduct may be, or, the degree of the damage they cause. They want to be different from everyone else, that is, they do not want to be held responsible for the damage they cause. The Chambers of Commerce are their lapdog for the pursuit of said injustice.
I believe that an intelligent consumer is a well-informed consumer. Next time someone suggest that the American Association for Justice is just a bunch of trial lawyers looking out for themselves — remember whose rights and interests they are really protecting. Without laws, and people to enforce those laws, we would live in a lawless society. Ever thought about that?
