Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" Talent Elementary students learn to tinker Effort underway to find photos of those who died in Vietnam, including 35 from Jackson County Restaurant Inspections Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency Services Former youth pastor arrested on burglary, privacy invasion Emergency services Attorney general's decision would limit federal sharing of asset forfeitures Politics and Elections Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post Education Talent Elementary students learn to tinker Local elementary and middle school students qualify for state chess championships Unfair labor complaint against Medford School District resolved Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Not as ready as they should be Environment Grant will help restore "legacy" oak habitat south of Ashland New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources State News Oregon lawmakers start drafting pot bills 12 injured in massive I-84 crash in eastern Oregon Oregon man reveled in Cuba trip Dancers: Strip club owes us wages 'Wild' author wows overflow crowd Nation - World Obituaries Harold Ray Fisher Louise K. Snow Frank Jarosz RENETTA �RENIE� MARIE JOHNSON Alveriah L. (Canamore) Dreiszus Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Patriots punch Super Bowl ticket with rout Spurs lock down Jazz Walker wins Sony Open by record nine strokes Fight and flight Oregon receiver to transfer Varsity 541 College Sports Oregon receiver to transfer OSU Ownership Raider women end four-year drought at OIT No. 4 Duke dominates No. 6 Louisville Hamblin powers No. 9 Beavers past Cougars Pro Sports Patriots punch Super Bowl ticket with rout Spurs lock down Jazz Walker wins Sony Open by record nine strokes Fight and flight Blazers drop third straight in Memphis Community Sports Business Latest Stories Business Briefs Blog: 1-800 Flowers on New York's Best Companies to Work for list; Harry & David you're on the clock Swanson to rebuild Springfield plywood mill Blog: Choose Magnificence Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Real Estate News Home loan rates continue to fall, applications soar Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Our View: Oregon students need job skills training Letters to the Editor, Jan. 18 Dana Milbank: The Chamber of Commerce's short memory Obama: Charlie who? A fair shot for all: addressing our low-wage crisis Editorials Our View: Oregon students need job skills training Other Views: Klamath water deal is best available Our View: Avoid overreacting to legal marijuana Our View: School district plan deserves a chance Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 18 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 15 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 13 Guest Opinions A fair shot for all: addressing our low-wage crisis Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: Reforms needed to build upon John Day’s success Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Lifestyle Latest stories Southern Oregon Journal: Birthdays are for Celebrating Restaurant Inspections Methow Suite Not waiting for others to change the world Power of touch: A hand up from my grandson Food Restaurant Inspections Community blog: This pureed vegetable soup has a bit of a bite How to make vegetable stock — and why you should Valley View — It's all in the family Gail Ciampa: Modern quiche meets ancient grain Home and Garden Dear Monty: Consider mediation in real estate disputes Home Help: Heighten your home’s style this year 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Health Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Dr. Murray Feingold: How reliable is the medical information we read? Health Watch: Get abs in the a.m. Community blog: The �Art of Being Alone� Community blog: HOME TOURS R US Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs Old stained-glass windows face threats Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Milestones and Achievements 50 years and counting: Bulebar Wedding: Lindsey-Maria Rios New arrivals Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Review: Biegel brings fire to Grieg Live Music in Local Clubs Cheeseburgers on the cheap A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia Theater Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Rent' Tangled up in Dylan OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Music Review: Biegel brings fire to Grieg Live Music in Local Clubs Yuval Ron Trio at Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia 'Sonida alegre' Community Events A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. Ty Barnett and Ian Harris are 'Divided' Elaine Witteveen's new exhibit 'Wings' opens at the Rogue Gallery Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Dining Cheeseburgers on the cheap Valley View — It's all in the family Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" ... Talent Elementary students learn to tinker ... Our View: Oregon students need job skills training ... Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" ... Talent Elementary students learn to tinker ... Our View: Oregon students need job skills training ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: The Chamber of Commerce's short memory Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News Tom Donohue, the longtime president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, sounded ebullient as he gave his annual report on the health of American business Wednesday. "The economy is gaining momentum," he declared at the business lobby's marble palace across Lafayette Square from the White House. "Investing, hiring and consumer spending are firming up," he said in his speech, and there are "millions of new jobs. ... We've had a few good quarters of very solid growth, surprising some of the experts. ... There's no reason to think that another recession is lurking." Donohue has reason to be upbeat: GDP and payrolls are growing by leaps and bounds, and stock markets and corporate profits have hit record highs. So I felt like a bit of a killjoy at a news conference following the speech when I asked Donohue and the Chamber's top lobbyist, Bruce Josten, about the group's previous warnings of doom. "It seems to be hard to make the case that Obamacare and Dodd-Frank and the other policies of this administration have destroyed the free-enterprise system," I pointed out. "Do you think those warnings of yours from a few years ago were overwrought?" "We projected the destruction of the free-enterprise system?" Josten replied, incredulously. "Something very much like that," I said. "You're crazy," Josten said. Added Donohue, "You find one place that we projected the destruction of the free-enterprise system and I'll buy you lunch." Game on, gentlemen. Here's Thomas Bell, chairman of the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, speaking at a Chamber event in July 2010: "For the first time in my 40 years of observation, our free-enterprise system is truly at risk." The then-chairman further accused Washington's leadership of a "general attack on our free-enterprise system" and said, "We're setting ourselves up to be the next Greece." I propose that Donohue take me to lunch just around the corner from his offices, at AFL-CIO headquarters. Union officials said we're welcome at the cafeteria, which takes cash only. The point isn't that the economy is booming because of President Obama's policies. The recovery until now had been disappointing by any standard. But if the business lobby and conservatives in Congress aren't going to give Obama any credit now that the recovery is underway, they might at least acknowledge that the sky didn't fall because of his actions, and that the socialist takeover that many on the Hill warned of has not occurred. There was no such acknowledgment at Wednesday's State of American Business speech. Entering through the stone pillars, walking past the Emerson Electric, 3M and RJR Nabisco rooms, attendees listened to Donohue in a great hall bedecked with the banners of Columbus, Ponce de Leon and other explorers. Donohue explored the limits of chutzpah. After acknowledging the rather healthy state of the economy, the Chamber president went right on with his complaints about the dire harm that would be caused by administration policies: "Employers are being saddled with another new health care mandate," and, "Some 4,000 new regulations will pour out." In his Q&A following the speech, he went on about the "unprecedented regulatory onslaught" and said that "while things are improving, the current policies of tax, spend and regulate aren't cutting it." He complained that Obama wants "to do more tax increases," and he cautioned the administration and everybody else against taking a "victory lap." Donohue's complaints about taxes and spending would have been cleaner if he hadn't just called for full government funding for aviation, water infrastructure, highways and mass transit. The highway bill, he said, should be paid for by raising the gas tax, er, "the federal fuels user fee." Donohue might have acknowledged that the Chamber is on the same page with Obama on its priorities of infrastructure spending, immigration and trade. Instead, Donohue tried to ride the current populist wave in American politics by propounding the dubious claim that corporate America is a populist movement. "This is the real economic populism," he said. "It's reflected in the more than 28 million businesses of all sizes. ...This is the populism that really works." The Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Williamson asked about Elizabeth Warren, the populist Democratic senator from Massachusetts. "There are a lot of economic populists running around," Donohue replied, adding that "if she runs for president, I don't think the American people will share her views." And what if Donohue turns out to be wrong in his belief that Americans will embrace corporate chieftains as the true populists? Maybe he'll deny that the Chamber ever said it. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501