Dumb as a Box of Rocks

Date: Monday, January 08, 2007 2:12 PM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1619 -- 1/08/2007 >>>>>

U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue says that anyone who opposes
guest worker programs are dumb as a box of rocks. Donohue was defending
Bush's proposal to allow unlimited numbers of guest workers into the United
States to take our jobs.

As a public service I decided to share Donohue's comments with the rest of
the world. You can watch him on YouTube by clicking this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjQF7v72YMg

Donohue sure has an interesting background. Read the press release below to
find out more about the wonderful things he did at Qwest and Union Pacific
Corp. His bio is also very revealing as it shows his very close ties to the
Bush administration.

Donohues bio:
http://www.uschamber.com/about/management/donohue.htm

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/04/ldt.01.html

And on immigration, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce predicts victory on
passing a guest worker program amnesty for illegal aliens. The chamber's
president delicately putting it this way... TOM DONOHUE, U.S. CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE: You know, people that oppose guest worker programs are dumb as a
box of rocks.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1881

Feb. 21, 2005

Chamber President Tom Donohue Has Vested Interest in Campaign to Limit
Consumers Legal Rights as Steward of Two Scandal-Marred Companies

Public Citizen Report Details Donohues Questionable Performance on Two
Corporate Boards

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Tom Donohue has a vested interest in the national
campaign to limit corporate accountability because the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce president sits on the boards of two scandal-ridden corporations,
according to a Public Citizen report released today.

Though Donohue has proclaimed the importance of board members serving as
watchdogs for the corporations they manage, he sits on the boards of two
publicly traded companies -- Qwest Communications International Inc. and
Union Pacific Corp. -- whose reputations have been marred by serious
misdeeds that have prompted the type of civil lawsuits that Donohue is
trying to limit. Between them, the two companies have engaged in a
monumental deception of investors, violated federal and state regulations
on a massive scale, jeopardized public safety, and perverted the American
judicial system through alteration and destruction of evidence.

Under Donohues leadership, the Chamber has been one of the most
outspoken supporters of pro-business tort law changes. It has supported
anti-consumer class action legislation and spent millions of dollars in
state races to defeat judicial and attorney general candidates sympathetic
to consumer and investor rights. Donohue has called for a massive overhaul
of the tort system and reduced regulatory oversight by government agencies
-- the same authorities that have held Qwest and Union Pacific accountable
for a long string of corporate misdeeds.

"Using tens of millions in corporate money, Tom Donohue is systematically
trying to disarm the public institutions that hold corporate violators
accountable -- the liability system, the courts, state attorneys general
and regulatory agencies," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. "He
sits on boards of two companies that serve as vivid examples of why we need
strong law enforcement for crime in the corporate suites."

Among Public Citizens findings:

Qwest has paid $250 million to settle fraud charges brought by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for overstating earnings, has paid
$25 million to settle five lawsuits concerning alleged insider trading and
still faces billions of dollars in potential civil litigation liabilities.
Since Donohue joined Qwests board, the company has been assessed more
than $114 million in fines by 10 states and the Federal Communications
Commission for defrauding consumers and for failing to disclose secret
business dealings.
Instead of punishing Qwests corporate executives, Donohue and his fellow
board members rewarded them with higher pay packages. Qwests board of
directors has received dismal ratings from two independent research
organizations for furnishing executives with exorbitant pay packages
despite poor corporate performance. Donohue sits on the boards
compensation committee.
Since Donohue joined the Union Pacific board in 1998, the company has
repeatedly been found liable in accidents resulting from poor training or
unsatisfactory upkeep of tracks, has pressured workers not to report
accidents, and has been deemed responsible by courts for manipulating or
destroying evidence:

The Arkansas Supreme Court said in a 2004 decision involving a fatal
accident, "the record in this case reflects the development of a corporate
policy at Union Pacific that put company profits before public safety."
A federal judge in Arkansas fined Union Pacific $168,000 in 2001 for
destroying evidence in a case stemming from another railway crossing crash
that left a motorist dead.
In Washington state, a federal judge sanctioned Union Pacific in February
2002 after it was revealed that a manager secretly fixed a faulty railway
crossing after a motorist was killed there. The judge labeled the actions
"egregious" and said "severe sanctions are appropriate" since the
managers "actions were not that of a rogue underling." Union Pacific had
sought compensation from the estate of the driver in this case, claiming
the crash had left one of its locomotives damaged.
Again, Donohue and fellow board members appear to have rewarded Union
Pacific executives with ever higher pay. An independent research
organization last year recommended against retaining Donohue as a board
member because of his role on the compensation committee in boosting
executives pay.

Donohue has acknowledged the responsibility of board members to make sure
companies behave responsibly. In 2000, he was quoted as calling for board
members to perform "due diligence" and be active in understanding the
company so they can provide the best possible advice. "Save me from a bunch
of people on a board who are going to tell me what I want to hear," he
said.

"The hypocrisy hits you like a train," said Frank Clemente, director of
Public Citizens Congress Watch division. "Donohue has called for board
members to exercise proper oversight of companies, yet he has responded to
wrongdoing in companies he oversees by hiking executive pay. Donohues
crusade to limit the ability of consumers to hold companies accountable for
wrongdoing takes on a new light when you look at his activity on these
corporate boards."

Public Citizens report also draws attention to the Chamber presidents
opposition to the SECs proposed shareholder access rule, which would
allow shareholders holding a significant portion of a companys shares to
place nominees for the corporate board on the official company ballot.
Currently there is no practical way for shareholders to elect directors not
nominated by the incumbent board. Donohue has a vested interest in keeping
things as they are, since his continued tenure on Qwests board has been
challenged and some shareholders indicate they would like to challenge it
again in the near future.

To view Public Citizens complete report, Tom Donohue: U.S. Chamber of
Commerce President Oversees Renegade Corporations While Pushing for Limits
to Corporate Accountability, click here.
http://www.uschamber.com/about/management/donohue.htm

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