Campaign for Free Enterprise
November 24, 2009

Hi, I’m Gene Barr, vice president of the Pennsylvania Chamber. Welcome to this month’s Pennsylvania Chamber Minute.

The continued ability of the private sector to effectively and efficiently operate is the key to lasting economic recovery and job growth. After all, it was the entrepreneurial spirit of innovative men and women that helped build our nation; and these same principles will create the jobs needed for America to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

To help reinforce the importance of a free enterprise system to the nation’s economic success, the Pennsylvania Chamber has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in support of a special campaign entitled “American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.”

The multi-year initiative is designed to educate all Americans about the essential role that free enterprise plays in our nation’s long-term prosperity.

In this economic climate, the challenge is great and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The national economy lost more than 7 million jobs since December 2007. Economists estimate that Pennsylvania will need more than 270,000 jobs in order to bounce back and maintain a strong economy.

Nationally, 20 million additional jobs will be needed over the next decade to keep America competitive.

While the worst of the economic slide may be over, economists also predict a recovery that will be neither quick nor robust. In fact, when you subtract the impact of government intervention, the economy’s 3.5 percent third quarter growth rate was only a miniscule 0.4 percent.

Whether or not you personally agree with the federal stimulus, it was designed to be a survival strategy, not a growth strategy.

After all, if government could create lasting wealth, we could simply mandate our way to prosperity. But we know that does not work. Long-term growth cannot come from government, but from unleashing the spirit of American free enterprise that enables men and women to bring forth their very best ideas.

Free enterprise is what makes dreams possible, and the Pennsylvania Chamber stands ready and united to be part of the solutions that will provide real jobs, innovation and opportunities for the future.

You can play a vital role in the success of the campaign. I invite you to visit Free Enterprise America dot com to learn more about the initiative and help promote the benefits of a healthy free market. I also encourage you to visit Protect Pa Jobs dot com to advance this same message to federal and state policymakers. While you are at it, please ask your friends and family to join the cause.

Together, we can advance the values that will create a better, stronger America.

Thank you for your continued support. And thank you for spending a minute of your time with the Pennsylvania Chamber…The Statewide Voice of Business.