U.S. Chamber's goal: 20 million jobs in 10 years.

• Author: Taylor, Mike
• Position: ECONOMY

Economic recovery will be accomplished through free enterprise, not the government, said Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And contrary to what some in Washington have led us to believe, when it comes to business, failure should be an option.

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Or as he put it, "How are small businesses going to deal with a government that doesn't want any risks?"

Donohue was in Denver in late April promoting the U.S. Chamber's "American Free Enterprise. Dream Big" campaign, an effort to spur the creation of 20 million jobs nationwide over the next decade. He emphasized the power of free enterprise as opposed to government in addressing two challenges: deficit reduction and job creation.

"When the government becomes a prime factor rather than a supporting factor, we've got a problem," he said. "If the government's feeding you, then the government's going to tell you what you can eat."

The U.S. Chamber's free-enterprise campaign has so far included stops in more than 100 cities in a grass-roots effort to engage business leaders, community officials and other citizens in a dialogue about the role of free enterprise in job creation and long-term economic prosperity. Donohue's direct audience consisted of Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce members and other business and community leaders. (More on the campaign is available at www.freeenterprise.com.)

To help the country meet the goal of 20 million jobs in 10 years, Donohue pegged Colorado's share at 200,000 jobs. While he acknowledged that there have been signs of recovery, such as a rising stock market, he...