WICHITA, Kan. - I noticed a Letter to the Editor in the Wichita Eagle the other day that sparked my interest. "Boycott Chamber Businesses" spoke of John Eaton's frustration of our legislators' refusal to follow Gov. Mark Parkinson's recommendation of a temporary 1 percentage point sales-tax increase. Since I share the same frustration I felt the need to spread the word of Mr. Eaton's letter.
I am very frustrated by our legislators' refusal to follow Gov. Mark Parkinson's recommendation of a temporary 1 percentage point sales-tax increase. His plan would prevent serious harm to education and other Kansas services. I am equally frustrated by the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce's public stand against any sort of temporary tax increase.
I have written my district legislators by both e-mail and letter, with limited results. Recently, I had an idea that might help. ...
I visited the chamber's Web site. I noticed it had a great membership directory with excellent contact information for Wichita business owners and managers. I can only assume that if a local business is in the membership directory, then it supports the chamber's stand against a temporary tax.
I intend to write every business owner on the list with whom I do business, express my disappointment with its association with the chamber, and explain, in a polite way, that unless its position on the tax can be proved otherwise, my future purchases may be with a business not in the directory.
If I am the only one who writes, business owners will think that I am an eccentric and ignore my letter. What would happen, though, if a business received 50 letters? How about 100?
Don't assume that someone else will do something. Take an hour; write a few letters.
JOHN EATON
Wichita
The Wichita area Chamber of Commerce's website is wichitakansas.org which would lead one to believe they have Wichita's best interest in mind.
Really? If the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce thinks that paying one cent on the dollar is too much to keep vital programs open and sustain the quality of life we have here in Kansas they do not have our best interest in mind.
I would encourage every citizen with a child in school, every citizen who uses our highways, every citizen who depends on any state funded program to boycott the businesses who belong to the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce, and follow up by writing letters to the businesses letting them know why.
Maybe if we hit them where it hurts... their bottom line, maybe then they will listen to the average everyday citizen.
Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/09/1261564/letters-to-the-editor-on-chamber.html#ixzz0ktlcJIMM
Dr. King and Gahndi showed the value of boycotts. With corporations dominating legislative bodies, hitting corporations in the pocketbook may be even more powerful than our votes.
I believe that former Rep. Jason Watkins is a lobbyist now for the Chamber in Wichita or the City of Wichita. He said that, basically none of these government entities has shut down yet, so the funding crisis must not be that bad, or words to that effect.
On one hand the Chamber says that a tax increase would destroy business and at the same time has 50 million or so in projects it wants the state to fund which can only happen with a tax increase
Where does one find a list of chamber businesses? and how many are really boycottable?
There is a membership directory on their website at wichitakansas.org http://wichitakansas.org/membership-membership_directory.php