This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 11, 2011 - National Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donahue offered up a conciliatory message today to the Regional Chamber and Growth Association, as he praised some top labor leaders, emphasized his support for some -- but not all -- new federal regulations and proposed a 20-cent increase in the nation's gasoline tax.
Donahue also attacked what he saw as a misguided anti-immigration push, saying that some critics need "to get a life'' and recognize that immigrants are necessary, along with international trade.
"Unless we're all American Indians here, we're all immigrants,'' Donahue said, referring to the packed luncheon crowd in the RCGA's meeting room downtown.
He took note of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country, and said, "We don't have to make them citizens, (but) we need to make them legal."
Donahue promised some sort of temporary guest-worker program, so that people from other countries could legally enter the United States for short stints, such as harvesting seasonal crops.
On the international trade front, Donahue observed, "Ninety-five percent of the people we want to sell something to, live somewhere else."
The hike in the gas tax, he said, was needed to help cover the infrastructure improvements and upgrades that the United States will require if it wants to move forward and compete with other rapidly developing countries.
Donahue noted that the gas tax had not been increased in almost two decades and proposed that an increase be phased in over several years. "You do 15-20 cents over three years and no one will notice it,'' he said. What would be noticeable, he continued, would be the good the extra money could do on the infrastructure front. He predicted that private money will flow in to help, if the government leads the way.
Donahue emphasized his cooperative talks with AFL-CIO national chief Richard Trumka regarding that infrastructure push, and on other fronts.
Donahue said his point was that business leaders could and should work with others -- including labor adversaries -- on issues and programs on which they agree. "The only way to get things done is to build a coalition,'' he said. Donahue added that even a vigorous disagreement "doesn't have to be personal" and decried those on all sides who he said had gone too far in rhetoric or actions.
Donahue's message contrasted with the national Chamber's image, particularly after its hefty spending in last fall's elections to air attack ads against targeted Democrats -- including Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.
Donahue made only a brief mention of the Chamber's political activities, drawing a chuckle from the RCGA crowd when he cited some discussions he had recently had with U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Ca., whom he added he'd unsuccessfully tried "to knock off'' last fall.
Donahue's broader message was that Americans should be challenged -- not discouraged -- as they look to the future.
People look at the rapid growth in China, India and Brazil, he said, and legitimately "wonder whose century is it going to be? Is it going to be theirs or ours?"
"Yes, our competitors are closing in on us from many sides. And, yes, we are still shaken by the worst recession since the Great Depression," Donahue said. "But I don't see a nation destined to gradually slide into mediocrity. I see a nation that remains resilient."
Donahue questioned whether fast-growing countries, China in particular, had the right kind of government to foster economic growth long term. "China is a dictatorship,'' he said bluntly.
But such countries have been advancing, he said, because "they've watched what we've done and they have been trying to do it."
The U.S., he continued with dismay, "We watch what the Europeans have done and we try to do that."
(Donahue later observed that Europe's growth rate was slow and many of its countries have demographic issues -- an aging native population, low birth rates and a growing immigrant population.)
Donahue said he supported government regulation in principle, saying it was necessary in many areas -- citing roads, food production, health care and the financial industry. He objected, he continued, to what he saw as overregulation threatening to swamp business and other aspects of American life.
Donahue cited the federal government's three branches -- the executive, legislative and the judiciary -- and observed, "Whoever heard of the regulatory branch?"
But he faulted Americans as well, saying they demand government help and oversight and then balk at the implications.
"Americans know how to do things," Donahue said, referring to the nation's challenges, from improving public education to embracing new energy sources and trimming national debt. "On the other hand, we're so comfortable that we find reasons not to do them."
