It appears that the US Chamber of Commerce has morphed into something that it wasn't meant to be.

I remember as a kid that the Chamber of Commerce was a 'community organization' that sponsored local activities and local small businesses. In my home town, they sponsored a cherry pie cook-off and a recipe book. They did various fundraisers for local charities and printed maps of the areas to help visitors locate not only local businesses but local points of interest too.

They had a rather clean image as a hardworking group of local activists working for the community.

Somehow that changed, or at least the facade of being a local community group concerned with the local people and what they needed was thrown off.

Now the US Chamber of Commerce is practicing that perhaps third oldest profession (which seems close to the second) of ruthlessly lobbying for what their corporate members want above and beyond what is good for their local communities.

Take mine for example. My small company was a proud Chamber member until it got out that the local Chamber, with the full support of the national Chamber was ruthlessly lobbying for the elimination of much of the regulatory muscle of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The local Chamber was also meeting with local citizen organizations to spread the lies of their largest local corporate member concerning the poisons that corporation put in our river and streams and across our neighborhood. They spread, knowingly, dioxins and just about every other thing that they make across our backyards and school yards and there is the Chamber spreading the corporate lies about it.

They also 'tutored' our local governmental units and helped spread the corporate polluters book across the spectrum of local government and medical groups.

Now it seems that the US Chamber of Commerce is actually openly helping foreign owned corporations launder their corporate contributions to help shape (warp?) the mid-term elections.

Their mantra for their shameless fund-raising is the 'Democrats are anti-business'. I would counter that given all of the things that the US Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying for that 'Business is anti-American'.

Imagine what would happen if the Chamber got what their business patrons (both foreign and domestic) wanted.

A decrease in the minimum wage.

Removal of 'onerous' environmental regulations

The end of social security

The end of unemployment insurance

The opening of all areas for oil drilling and oil production

Across the board tort reform for all businesses

Easing of lobbying rules and what politicians have to disclose

It sounds like the conversion of America to a third world nation state where the corporations can run rampant and unchecked across the land.

Is that what we really need to 'save the jobs' in America?

Shouldn't the local Chamber of Commerce office be picketed and the veneer of the Chamber being a 'community organization' be stripped away?

I can't think of a more anti-American group at the moment that is actively working for the ruination of our country.

Can you?