Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Corporate welfare The chamber tax grab goes statewide
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 10:37 AM
Unless Gov. Mike Beebe stands in the way, the scam by which chambers of commerce are increasingly getting taxpayers to pay for their operationsmay be about to go statewide.
Says here that a legislative committee signed off on sending $250,000 in surplus money to regional economic development efforts. Tax money to people like the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and related parties, in other words. Lack of public accountability on state money, in other words. Corporate welfare, in other words. Taxpayer support for paychecks of people who lobby against working people's interests, in other words.
The $250,000 tap of the state till is the first step on a slippery slope. The next logical step is a congressional appropriation to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Makes just as much sense.
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Comments (10)
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Talk about taxation without representation. Talk about funding the worst type of self defeating corporate personhood mafioso protection and enhancement racquet. This is forcing the 99 percent to fund/further their own demise.
I would say there ought to be a law against taxes directly funding private entities like this, but that would leave the false impression laws are enforced when it comes to the 1 percents or their thugs.
You can't bitch about the Chamber of Commerce if you're still paying to be a member.
Chickenopolis is apparently the LEADER in propping up a Chamber of Welfare.
Noted in yesterday's Stephens-Hussman paper that the City's A&P Commission gives the Chamber of Welfare $60,000 to promote overnight stays and restaurant stops in Chickenopolis.
Then read that Chamber of Welfare got an additional $50K this past year on top of the
$200,000 it regularly receives.
So, for a town with little new bidness our Chamber of Welfare received $310,000 from the taxpayers to keep the elite in vacations to Florida and Los Vegas.
and
the Chamber of Welfare must stretch the limits of one's imagination to conjure up some bidness development:
http://foiaspringdale.blogspot.com/2011/12…
A Democrat should tell the legislators that there is no "surplus" money. Where is the Tea Party? I thought that this kind of waste was why they formed-not to campaign against the black man in The White House. I guess they are showing their true colors, again!!!
If the Chamber wants to be the Economic Development people, then get rid of the Arkansas Department of Industrial Development. Also, this money needs to be 100% accounted for and not used for any lobbying or sent to the national CoC board of labor hate and benefit reduction.
"A Democrat should tell the legislators..." probably won't happen since this little legislative action came from State Representative Tracy Pennartz (d) of Fort Smith.
Today's Budget Hearings Agenda included this item:
D. Letter Dated January 17, 2012 from Representative Tracy Pennartz regarding Economic Development Commission amendment for Regional Economic Development Partnership Act Grants
Email today from CoC inviting me to watch the State of Union Address calling it a political matter of interest to the CoC. If they are in the business of lobbying, and we know they are, that is another reason for governments--local and statewide--to not donote to the CoC.
The bill was written by Rep. Tracy Pennartz (D - Fort Smith) and Uvalde Lindsey (D - Fayetteville). So yeah maybe the Tea Party is your only hope.
It is amazing that the corporations that manage the chamber, favor dunning the taxpayer, to meet their own goals and receive abundant acclimation for doing good.
This serves to prove the adage that the road to hell is paved with the cobblestones of good intentions and funded by oppressive big government.
This is but one of the grave-markers of crony capitalism. Are we going to fiddle while Rome is burning or join the fire department to extinguish the flames of self aggrandizement?
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