you're back in e-commerce. e-commerce, we remember pets.com and golden age of e-commerce as dotcom first started out. but you said, no, this is the golden age of e-commerce. it's just begun. >> e-commerce is doing incredible. i would say 2011 was an absolute breakout year for e-commerce. there are been a few times in the 13 years where i ran gsi where you felt a big function up in revenue in e-commerce. i talk to multiple retailers, you know, $10, $20 billion companies that had 1,000 plus stores. on cyber monday they did more business on their website than all thousands of stores totaled. that's insane. that's never happened before in retail. e-commerce is critically important to major brick and mortar's e-commerce business and this was an enormous share for e-commerce. >> there comes an issue with american economy and taxes. some is unregulated in ways we've let the internet grow. keep your hands off, let it grow. if this is going to be a major issue, then government and regulation and some agreement on taxes

stuff, commerce. -- buying stuff, commerce. so, consumers increasingly feel like they have a mall in their pocket. consumers want what they want, when they wanted, and how they want it. the days of running down to the store and hoping they have it in stock, hoping they have my size and flavor in stock, and then finding out that they do not consumers are increasingly unwilling to put up with that, anymore than not being able to find your newspaper in the driveway. you wanted when you wanted and how you want it. and the kinds of services we are all going to receive as consumers through our devices is just beginning. now, this is also having profound implications for retailers and merchants of all sizes all over the world. and i know we have many large leading retailers today in the audience with us today. here is what i am hearing when i talk to those retailers. they are saying such things as, john, you know, we have our physical stores. we have our website. we have maybe a catalog. but that is no longe

ntia which is in the commerce department would make a recommendation. so that will continue to be an issue. now, it's not as broad as spectrum or online piracy, but it's still kind of a regulatory issue that the people in congress care about as well. >> host: and there's a lot of money involved there. >> guest: there's a lot of money on both sides, the gps and lightsquared. >> host: juliana gruenwald, where are we on privacy issues? >> guest: privacy. i think we'll continue to see some hearings on that. i would be surprised if we see any markup of legislation. in the house congresswoman mary bono mack has indicated she may hold more hearings on that. there is a bill out there dealing with data breaches and intrusions into companies' networks and private information being taken that could move forward, but that's also been -- there's been issues with that in the house. democrats don't like the bill that came out of mary bono mack's subcommittee, and they've been trying to work through some of those issues. in the senate, data breach legislation could get

chamber of commerce has an office dedicated to this legislation. we are talking about probably one of the largest lobbying efforts in the recent years in washington, and the tech industry, even though it's very large, constitutes a larger share of our economy is having to catch up jury quickly and they are far behind in terms of spending right now. >> when using the ads being put up by the companies for and against these bills they are almost apocalyptic about what could actually happen. what's the purpose of that and could something -- i mean, could our world changed that much if this legislation is passed? >> it depends on who you ask. there are engineers who have strong concerns with the legislation particularly because it would mandate that internet service providers to certain actions to keep americans. that's the only jurisdiction could affect. keep americans from accessing foreign web sites that offer online -- that offer the pirated content or counterfeits and so they have concerns with some of the things that have been put in place to prot

commerce department, small fis business administration, the u.s. trade representatives office.n this case, six is not better than one. sometimes more is better. this is not one of those cases. because it produces redundancy and inefficiency. with the authority that i'm requesting today, we could consolidate them all into one department with one website, one phone number, one mission, helping american businesses succeed. that's a big idea. [ applause ] we put a lot of thought into this. over the past year we spoke with folks across the government and across the country and most importantly we spoke with businesses including hundreds of small businesses to hear what works and what doesn't when you deal with the government. what is frustrating, what's actually value added. and, frankly, in those conversations we found some unsatisfied customers. a lot of times what we heard was, you know what, the individual who i'm working with was really helpful to me, but the process itself is too confusing. most of the complaints weren't about an unresponsive federal worker, they were about a

and the president made the point about-- why is that in the commerce department?the president said it's because president nixon didn't like the interior secretary and it should be in the interior department. the majority of the department's budget is noaa. that will all go to interior. but you-- even on that question, you even had senator beggage from alaska say, it's a really important commerce industry in alaska. i'm not sure i like this idea. it shows there weather it be the ustr, you have bipartisan opposition merging that into-- whatever the new agency is called. they still don't have a flame. or you end up having people saying even this noaa, a lot of people in both parties think, why is this in commerce, you still have folks saying well, i don't want it to get less funding. i don't want it to have a smaller impact. >> warner: so, hans, going to you, what message is the white house trying to send politically with this? >> that's a very good point because we've been talking about the substance of this. there's a very element of politics and that is, the white

the chinese chamber of commerce has a long history.e're not only famous for the parade but we have done many things. in the president of the chinese chamber is an honor. i have been waiting for this job for over 200 years. it is my first term and may be my last term. anyway, we wish everyone happy chinese new year. the year of the dragon means power, prosperity, and happiness. power can be rightfully used or wrongfully used. if wrongfully used, it can mean disaster. today i am not wasting a minute of power. i do wish him good health. thank you very much. thank you for coming. [applause] >> thank you, tony. our next speaker is mr. thomas ing of the chinese benevolent association. [applause] >> good morning. i am delighted to be here representing the chinese consolidated benevolent association on the occasion of the first issue of the commemorative stamp for the year of the dragon. according to some of my reading, this year's dragon will bring prosperity, good fortune, good health, and if you get married this year, you will have a beauti

the weird thing about noaa is that noaa is part of the commerce department.he commerce department says the mission is to help make american companies more innovative at home and more competitive abroad so they can create jobs. now i'm sure accurate forecasting of the weather may be can help with that, but it is kind of weird, right? a weird match. president obama admitted to day that it's weird. >> the interior department is in charge of salmon in fresh water but the commerce department handles them in salt water. if you're wondering what the genesis of this was, apparently had something do with president nixon being unhappy with his interior secretary for criticizing him about the viet nam war, and so he decided not to put noaa in what would have been a more sensible place. >> president obama while he was announcing not only does he want to take noaa out of commerce department, and put it somewhere more normal, like the interior department. not only does he want to move noaa, maybe wants to get rid of the commerce department altogether. he wants to take six

we do work closely with commerce, with energy, with usda. you go across our government, we now have representatives from so many different agencies in country under chief of mission authority. so we do have to help our colleagues and other parts of the government understand the role that they play in our 21st century state craft. and that's particularly true in e. because in order to practice what we do call economic statecraft, we want a team. we want the american team out there working for us. and i think that it's going to be challenging because the number of positions that commerce is able to fund, for example, in the arab spring region has dropped. and so we've been scrambling to try to help commerce keep personnel experts in north africa so they can work with us in order to be able to promote economic opportunity. you know, in a globalized world like the one we're in, the tools of foreign policy are not just within this department or even development just within usaid. so we have to be smarter about how we make a broader case. and so i

who would be against commerce?e just said we are living in a world that has been overly come modified. where everything has been turned into a commodity value. people do not have the identities. we are world full of brands and no identity. you can read your entire life -- you can do your business and go about in the world using your credit card and never really look anyone in the eye. a world in which things have been comodified, things that should never have been. you cannot put a price on love. you cannot put a price on things that make life meaningful. but this isn't a consumer culture. even though we know we cannot keep it up. if the chinese adopt our lifestyle, we are all goners, we know that. it is not the third world anymore, it is the developing world. well, they are developing and they want things, too. the 21st century will be about competing for resources. there are not enough in a consuming world when there is no limit of appetite. it is a philosophic position. it would be interesting for people to live

and even in, let me say, the commerce department. substantially, every bureau in the commerce department has a manufacturing arm of one sort or another. but they've tended to be siloed. so the core policy point here is let's work effectively to make this more productive, more efficient where skills exist in one place. they don't have to be duplicated necessarily in another. let's make them really productive, and let's take the dollars that are available and can be enhanced in the manufacturing sector and not spend those dollars fruitlessly on duplicative things from one department to the next. so that'll be a big focus. and then we have at the commerce department at nist now set up the national program. so that, it's going to be a spectacular program. and we from the outset under the leadership of pat gallagher who ph.d. physicist who career person at nist who was absolutely the right person to head nist. so this is the case of a career person who is our undersecretary. brilliant guy. and he is reaching and a team of him, and i'm spe

that was his goal and the amazing thing is six months after writing this memo to the chamber of commerce president nixon appointed him to the supreme court and he got a chance to do just that did. did nixon in your opinion no the paul was all about this kind of stuff you know let's because it causes so many things came out of this away from heritage and cato and all these think tanks and federalists. or did nixon just think he was a because he had been asked before to be on the supreme court he turned it down yeah and at the time nixon actually had two nominations that had gone south that were turned down by the senate so it isn't clear at least to me whether nixon had a plan when he put powell on the court although i've heard a theory about the first two nominations being set up so he could get powell but i i don't know about that and so i have to say he had to know lewis powell was well known he was head of the american bar association various stablished lawyer as i said on the boards of all of these companies well known in virginia and nationally as a distinguished lawyer frankly just

and they don't view it as e-commerce or retail. they view it as just buying stuff. commerce. and so, consumers increasingly feel like they have a mall in their pocket. consumers want what they want, when they want it and how they want it. the days of running down to the store and hoping they have it in stock and hoping they have my size and flavor in stock and then finding out they don't, consumers are increasingly not willing to put up with that anymore than not being able to find your newspaper in the driveway. you wanted when you wanted, how you wanted and when you wanted and the kinds of services we are all going to receive this consumers through our devices is just beginning. this is also having a profound implications for retailers and merchants of all sizes all over the world and that i know we have got many large leading retailers today in the audience with us today. here is what i am hearing when i talk to those retailers. they are saying such things as, john, you know we have our physical stores, we have our web site and we have maybe a catalog. but that is no longe

many companies, the company where i work for, the chamber of commerce, they have bicycle and scootersharing for the people to come by public transport. they can take a bicycle or a scooter to go to their place. many companies are stimulating their employees who are coming by bicycle because it is much cheaper than coming by car. it is also easier for these companies to start their business on a more "a" location instead of de "b" location. -- instead of faye "b" location. many employers work on bicycles. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much, peter. maybe i need to ask if i can vary from the script. i'm supposed to say that unfortunately we are out of time, but we are not. maybe what i will do is have you will come up here and sit around a table. if we could get some chairs? yeah, and could you turn on the lights? very good. and is there another microphone? there are two. staff will pass them around if you have questions. what we will do is, unless you want to add to some of what you said and what you have heard this morning, we had a couple hours of staff, city staff discussi

ago, but he brings nearly three decades of experience in business to the commerce department. an early innovative business leader leading in efforts around green energy and ensuring that we have -- that we are taking advantage of new economic issues and he has been a leader in trying to find the new areas of innovation in our economy. specifically in green energy. and so it's -- i can think of no one better suited to talk about american competitiveness than the person who really needs our efforts and competitiveness for the present than secateurs commerce john bryson. [applause] >> good morning and thank you very much. it is a special treat really to be able to present this report. the advisory group has played such a large role, the members 11 of the 15 are with us this morning. i just met with them. huge contributions, a relief for people. diverse backgrounds coming together around this competitiveness issue. let me also say just at the outset it is a pleasure to do this at the center for american progress john podesta we talked over dinner a couple of weeks ago, so i had to

chamber of commerce to the afl-cio. to what do you credit this broad coalition of support for this legislation, and why is the content community so much more effective at raising money and invest anything this sort of legislative outreach than, say, the technology community? >> guest: i'm not sure that the content community is more effective in raising money and doing legislative outreach. we ourselves are, actually, a very small nonprofit organization with only a handful of folks in the office. so i can't really speak to those sorts of fundraising abilities. but as for the coalition of support, i think it's important to note that, as you did, that the coalition includes big labor as well as big business interests. it includes a very broad sweep of folks who are interested in consumer safety including various, you know, fraternal orders of police and the better business bureau and various consumers' organizations. and i think the real reason is that all of us who rely on the internet, um, are very, very concerned that t

then we have at the commerce department national programs set up. it will be as spectacular program. from the outset, under the leadership of pat gallagher, a ph.d. physicist, a career person, who is absolutely the right person to head this up. this is the case of a career person who is our undersecretary of a brilliant guy, and he is reaching -- a team with him and i are reaching out to other departments working on this. this has to go way beyond policy. at some level, it becomes a waste of time, unless you're putting it into the reality of production, and that is the key thing. >> another question, same line, office of manufacturing policy. your own thinking coming out of the energy sector. how much do you think this is about the large local companies, their challenges, their supply chains, many with small or medium-sized enterprises, or other small manufacturing firms, some which may be exporting, some which may not be -- how do think about size and scale? because that does have an enormous effect on a range of policies, both delivery as well as

and then we have at the commerce department now set up the national programs. so it's going to be stuck secular program. and we found the outside under the leadership of pat gallagher who is a phd physicist career person who is that slithery person, so this is a case of a career person who is our undersecretary. brilliant guy and he is reaching a team of him and i'm spending a fair amount of time on this reaching out to all the other department. and this has got to go way beyond policy. anything impure policy at some level becomes a waste of time unless you're putting it into reality in production and that's the key thing. >> other question, same line, office of manufacturing policy. your own company at out of the factory. how much do you think this is about the large corporal companies, their challenges, their supply chains? which are small and medium enterprises, or rather small manufacturing firms, some which may be exporting. some which may not be. how do you think about size and scale? that does have an enormous effect on a whole range of policies, both de

chamber of commerce wrote a blog titled we want our money back. the chamber is demanding the district reverse a decision last year to increase income taxes for some residents. >> $240 million richer. that is what a lot of people are saying, especially after so much talk about d.c. facing hard financial times. >> and where did that money come from? >> reporter: we're told the city simply didn't spend as much as it thought it would. still, in september of last year, the council voted in favor of raising taxes on those who make more than $350,000 a year. council member jack evans lost his fight against that tax and now, he's calling for the new tax to be rolled back. >> something that i would be interested in is putting the income tax back down and that is just me speaking. >> reporter: couple chairman brown said everything is on the table and doesn't rule out revisiting the income tax issue. >> we say that $240 million came in and residents want to know what is in it for them? >> reporter: mayor gray and d.c.'s cf occasion against repeeling the tax.

he brings nearly three decades of experience in business to the commerce department.h an innovative business leader leading the effort around green energy and ensuring that we are taking advantage of the new economic issues and he has been a real leader to find this new area of innovation in our economy with specifically green energy. i can think of no one better to talk of the american competitiveness in secretary of commerce john bryson. [applause] >> good morning. thank you very much. it is of special treat to be able to present this report. the advisory group was played such a large role the members, 11 of 15 are with us and i just met with them. the backgrounds coming together around this issue. just let me say at the outset. john podesta of -- will remember i had to go through the confirmation process i have never been part of the federal government before i had no idea of what it takes to go through the confirmation reprocess. [laughter] maybe some of the things i had done over the years so it took awhile to go through the process but is an honor to be secretar

) >> reporter: the small business administration and five other agencies dealing with trade and commerce would be rolled into one, and the s.b.a. will also be elevated to a cabinet post. the consolidation would save an estimated $3 billion over ten years and lead to the elimination of as many as 2,000 jobs, through attrition rather than layoffs. no president since ronald reagan has been granted the power to consolidate agencies. republicans were skeptical, suggesting the president is fine-tuning his campaign rhetoric. >> susie: a spokesperson for senate minority leader mitch mcconnel said it's about time that the president acknowledged that the government has grown to be "out of control." >> susie: the first of the nation's major banks to report, >> susie: the first of the nation's major banks to report, j.p. morgan, says it is seeing wemamproving loan demand across the united states. the bank earned 90 cents a share in its fourth quarter. that was in line with expectations, but down 23% from the previous year. profits from trading activity were lower than expected. some analysts express

but they was drilled in the water wheel on the south west part of commerce. grandpa got a hold of him and told him get back here the do you see the. picture feel strong up about nine hundred twelve am on the pitch or feel god start again it was the wealthiest straw that they had had here they put me on a pattern job. to powder monkeys that's a guys that loads of dynamite into the drill holes. the only time i was really scared was when i would hit that stick of dynamite in the m. machine me and the guys that drilled the hole in the who turned it and sheen on and it was really lay out when they turned it on i mean you hit that dynamite emulator that machine or want to move you kind of flinch a little bit you know i started. summer night forty one i was i was sixteen i went to service. early in forty three. and my ship got hit by a kamikaze and. forty four and i was discharged and when i came back from the navy i went to work on the ground with my dad over dobson it was kind of funny because he was he was still pretty much of a holler sake if he could shovel at

but the commerce department handles them when they're in salt water.hear it gets more complicated once they're smoked. >> reporter: nevertheless, the president made that joke 12 months ago and is only now taking action. republicans may not be in a mood to work with him after he jammed through so-called recess appointments for people like consumer cop richard codray. >> when president obama comes up against a constitutional rule that gets in the way he ignores it. >> reporter: the two senate democrats have come out and criticized the plan. mark begget of alaska is worried about the fisheries and max baucus says moving the u.s. trade office to a new bureaucracy might hurt the u.s. exports. >> bret: it's friday before a holiday weekend. we're always on the look-out for document dumps from the administration in this time. sure enough, we had documents about solyndra today. >> right. because it's buried before the weekend often. the bottom line is there are interesting new memos. one memo right before the mid-term of 2010. october at that point, administrat

chamber of commerce, the chamber has had 80 hiring pairs around the country, have hired more than 7,000 veterans. they've learned so much, they're going to have 300 to 400 of these in 2012. obviously, 300 to 400 hiring fairs, one will be in a city near you you. we ask for your support in this. and i think we can count on your presence. >> thank you, brian. one thing i forgot to mention, brian is still active duty, serving -- he's still on active duty. we're very fortunate to have as our next speaker, barbara thompson. she's the director of the office of family, youth -- she's responsible for programs and policies that promote military families, well being and quality of life. she holds a va from st. louis university and a master of from troy state university. barbara's here to talk to us about the services available to support our military families. thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you for the opportunity to share some of the wonderful programs that we have to support military members and their family. and i want to give you a little bit of a context. two thirds -- eve

at the top -- taken over as department of commerce director. he brings with him a wealth of private-sector under reportorial experience and renewed energy, enthusiasm and commitment to engage with the people who make our economy and our communities work and it is already making a difference. staff is joined by roger madsen of the department of labor, bill deal with the personal insurance, brian mattes, urban transportation department of agriculture, gavin keys of the department of finance, our colleges and universities and others providing job seekers and businesses looking to grow with the tools that they need to succeed. roger in particular, already working closely with global economic development community visas all over idahos. their job is a short we are prepared to take advantage of economic opportunity and create even more with a well trained and motivated work force. targeted investments and minimal government red tape. [applause] they understand the role of government, effective government is not to create the tendency but rather facil

chamber of commerce stepped into the fight. chamber c.e.o. tom donohue called attacks on the candidate, and capitalism, unfair. darren gersh reports from washington. >> reporter: the assault on romney's record as a job creator intensified this week. supporters of newt gingrich launched an attack video called "when mitt romney came to town." >> a group of corporate raiders led by mitt romney. more ruthless than wall street. >> reporter: texas governor rick perry jumped on. >> they're vulture capitalists. >> reporter: the attacks have been so fierce, they prompted tom donohue, the head of the u.s. chamber of commerce, the nation's largest business lobby to defend romney, calling the shots at romney's private equity investments foolish. >> we're disappointed with it. we think it will slow down and think romney has had a pretty good track record. perfect? hell no. but damn good. >> reporter: donohue and the chamber are gearing up for a huge voter education campaign in this election year, defending the role of free enterprise. donohue says the ame

that's what it's about, message to our chamber of commerces, economic development people on the ground that these resources are there. >> the u.s. chamber of commerce, one of our great teammates -- the chamber has had 80 hiring curves around the country in 2011. hired more than 7,000 veteran as a result of these. we've learned a lot. learned so much. they're going to have 300 to 400 hiring fairs. one of them will be in a city near you. we ask for you support with this. help communicate it. thank you. >> thank you, and one thing i forgot to mention, brian is still active duty serving in the first lady's office but still on active duty. we're very fortunate today to have as our next speaker barbara thompson. barbara is the director of the office of family policy, children and youth in the office of the department under secretary of defense, office for military community and family policy. she's responsible for programs and policies that promote military families well-being and quality of life. she holds a b.a. in early education and spanish from st. louis university and a masters in mana