One commonly held belief about politics is that business groups oppose the growth of government. The truth is quite the opposite, however.

The Oklahoma Council of Public recently published an article by Stephen Moore, who argues that "many chambers of commerce on the state" have become "in effect, lobbyists for big government."

Want some examples? The Denver Chamber of Commerce was a leader in the charge to change Colorado's TABOR amendment, thus expanding state spending by over $5 billion over the next 5 years. New Jersey's state chamber teamed up with the teachers union to oppose a voucher program for inner-city children. Hawaii's state chamber has endorsed three tax hikes since the early 1990.

So what's the allure? Corporate welfare, for one. In many states, Moore says, "chambers have come to believe their primary function is to secure tax financing for sports stadiums, convention centers, high-tech research institutes, and transit boondoggles."

In a sidebar, OCPA staff present a list of over 75 "tax eaters" that are members of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chambers of commerce.