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style='mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-firstrow:yes'> <td width="70%" valign=top style='width:70.0%;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><a href="mailto:dwhitley@ilchamber.org?subject=President%27s%20Message%20Feedback" title=""><span style='text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'><img border=0 width=750 height=120 id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://app.icontact.com/icp/loadimage.php/mogile/56557/11d953edc2b57a5e47026350407dda3c/image/gif" title=""></span></a></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </td> </tr> <tr style='mso-yfti-irow:1;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'> <td width="70%" valign=top style='width:70.0%;padding:1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt 1.5pt'> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><a href="mailto:dwhitley@ilchamber.org?subject=President%27s%20Message%20Feedback">email Doug</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; November 11, 2009</span></b><b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> </span></b><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; display:none;mso-hide:all'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=750 style='width:562.5pt;border-collapse:collapse;border:none;mso-border-alt:outset #FFCC33 .75pt; mso-yfti-tbllook:1184;mso-padding-alt:2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt' height=28> <tr style='mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-firstrow:yes'> <td width="70%" valign=top style='width:70.0%;border:inset #FFCC33 1.0pt; mso-border-alt:inset #FFCC33 .75pt;padding:2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></strong><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><strong><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.</span></strong><strong><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> </span></strong><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></strong><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The Labor Department announced Friday a national jobless rate of just over 10%  a threshold last passed over 25 years ago. In September, half of Illinois counties, including the most populated, reported unemployment at 10% or greater. That means nearly 675,000 people claimed unemployment in our state that month.</span></strong><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><br> <strong><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>&nbsp;</span></strong><br> </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>This troubling report comes despite the government s recent statement that the economy grew at a 3.5% annual rate in the July-September quarter, indicating a rebound in the economy& but not one strong enough to turn the tide on employment.<br> &nbsp;<br> Economists predict job losses have not peaked and will climb higher next year. Greater economic growth in greater measure is needed.<br> &nbsp;<br> While health care, energy, the environment, and the war are top concerns in D.C., no challenge is more important in Illinois than creating jobs, getting our people back on their feet, and restoring prosperity to local communities.<br> &nbsp;<br> The task ahead is to establish a job growth agenda that eliminates anti-business rhetoric and nurtures private sector employment.&nbsp; According to a recent analysis of federal data, we will need to create 670,078 jobs in Illinois to make up for the jobs we have lost in the recession and find work for the population growth we expect in the years to come.<br> &nbsp;<br> The federal government has taken productive steps to prevent our economy from going over the proverbial cliff. But Washington s spending can t solve our jobs problem in the long term. There is only one way to do that the way our nation has always created prosperity and bounced back from previous tough times enabling our unique American free enterprise system to succeed.<br> &nbsp;<br> Free enterprise has created more economic benefits for more people over a more prolonged period of time than any other system in history. While many people understand the benefits that free enterprise has afforded our nation, they are less certain how the system has helped them personally.<br> &nbsp;<br> In a recent survey of Americans conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 60% of respondents said that free enterprise contributes a lot to American jobs and economic growth, and 73% said that free enterprise is what makes the American Dream possible.<br> &nbsp;<br> The survey made it clear the American people want the private sector to take the lead in the nation s number one challenge, job creation: 64% of the respondents agreed that we should rely on free enterprise rather than on the government to grow the economy and create jobs in the long run.<br> &nbsp;<br> That s why chambers of commerce across the nation, including right here in Illinois, are supporting and participating in a new effort to spread awareness of the benefits of free enterprise and the critical role it must play in putting Americans back to work.&nbsp; The U.S. Chamber s American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign provides the opportunity for every American to speak out about what free enterprise means to them and to participate in the movement to strengthen our free enterprise system. <br> &nbsp;<br> We need to remind people of the many benefits of free enterprise and how it enables anyone with a dream of starting his or her own business to do so.&nbsp; It rewards risk taking and gives all Americans a chance at success. It encourages development of innovative products and services for millions of Americans. It provides jobs, supports families, builds communities, and creates wealth for individuals and the nation. We are all free enterprise.<br> &nbsp;<br> The future of our nation rests in the hands of thousands of men and woman with innovative ideas and the drive to see them succeed, not in the hands of government workers and politicians. We need to do all we can here in Illinois to help private enterprise succeed and grow.<br> &nbsp;<br> We must turn the corner and bring jobless rates back down.&nbsp; To do this requires that we come together to promote the greatest job-producing machine in human history: American free enterprise.<br> &nbsp;</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>This message was released today to media statewide, along with a news release with more details on the US Chamber's American Free Enterprise Campaign. <strong><span style='font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'><a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=-1&amp;msgid=0&amp;act=11111&amp;c=56557&amp;admin=0&amp;destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ilchamber.org">Read the news release here</a>.</span></strong> </span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p>&nbsp;</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </td> </tr> <tr style='mso-yfti-irow:1;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'> <td valign=top style='border:inset #FFCC33 1.0pt;border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt: inset #FFCC33 .75pt;mso-border-alt:inset #FFCC33 .75pt;padding:2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Message from the President - Copyright © 2009 The Illinois Chamber of Commerce <br> <a href="mailto:Deb%20McCarver%20%3cdmccarver@ilchamber.org%3e" title="mailto:Debra%20McCarver%20&lt;dmccarver@ilchamber.org&gt;">Deb McCarver</a>, Editor</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </td> </tr> </table> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> <o:p></o:p></span><span style='mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'> <o:p></o:p> </span></p> </div> </body> </html>