The U. S. Chamber of Commerce is running a public-relations campaign bemoaning the expiration of the Export-Import Bank, a nexus of crony-tastic corporate welfare that exists mainly to subsidize Boeing customers and, hence, Boeing. The Chamber is highlighting businesses that were—purportedly—poised to hire some number of people but were forced to cancel their plans when welfare handouts from Uncle Stupid were cut off. (The Chamber puts it somewhat differently.)

The Chamber does not disclose who its members are, but, judging by the composition of its board, we can assume that there are some very large entities, such as major oil companies, along with a great many smaller ones. The Chamber says it has some 3 million members. Let’s assume that ConocoPhillips is not the average Chamber member; let’s in fact be very conservative and put the average value of business (or the members of a business association) belonging to the Chamber at $5 million, about what a small successful chain of dry-cleaners might be worth.

Somebody check my English-major math, but that would suggest something like $15 trillion in capital under the control of Chamber of Commerce members. If those 3 million members were worth only $500,000 each—less than the price of a typical house in California—then that would imply $1.5 trillion in exploitable capital.

If the Chamber thinks that it is truly important to have a credit-subsidy bank to finance overseas purchases from American firms—and that operating such a concern is sure to be a profitable undertaking—then why not set up its own export-financing operation? The Chamber’s members have the money to do on their own what the Chamber demands U.S. taxpayers to do for them, and they presumably have some sector-specific expertise, too.

How about it, U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Why not put your members’ money where your lobbyists’ mouths are rather than go begging to taxpayers?