Opinion

Page 26PAGE 22

The Business Times Contributors THE BUSINESS TIMES augustJANUARY 12-25, 2021 15-28, 2015 Opinion Opinion Business BriefsA new year affords Business Peoplea new opportunity to meet local needs Almanac

A new year almost always brings an opportunity for a fresh start and renewed ambition to do things better.

In business, that usually boils down to providing customers better products and services faster and at lower cost than competitors. Part of the process must include listening to customers to determine what they actually need and then meeting that need. After all, it does little good to offer the latest and greatest if nobody actually wants what you’re selling.

Just like the businesses that belong to the group, the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce invariably starts out the new year with a reassessment of the services and resources it provides and how well they match with members needs. Jeff Franklin, the new chairman of the chamber board of directors, personifies this approach in describing what he considers his role for the coming year: listen to members, determine their needs and then meet those needs. It’s a role with which Franklin is familiar as market president of Bank of Colorado.

The process will take on a more structured approach in what the chamber plans as the resumption of a program aptly called Listening to Business. Under the program, business owners participate in in-depth interviews to identify barriers to growth and other problems they encounter.

The new year offers a good time to join the proverbial club.

As an advertiser or reader, what do you need from the Business Times?

While business journals traditionally gather and report the relevant news to readers, communication isn’t necessarily a one-way street. That’s especially true as Web sites and e-mail make the dialogue more convenient than ever.

Good publications don’t exist in a vacuum. They respond to the needs of advertisers and readers. They provide what’s needed.

So what do you need?

Is there additional news coverage that would help keep you informed about local business developments? Are there features that would be interesting or useful? Is there advice that would make your jobs a little easier?

It’s equally important to ask what you don’t need. With limited time to produce content and limited space in which to publish it, would time and space be better devoted to something else?

What’s good? What isn’t? What’s needed? What isn’t?

Let us know. Send us an e-mail. Comment online on the Business Times Web site at www.thebusinesstimes.com. You could even write an old-fashioned letter to the editor if you’d like. Your feedback, both positive and negative, is valued and will be carefully considered.

Good publications are the result of not only the efforts of their staffs, but also collaborative efforts involving advertisers and readers.

Like any other good business, we want to listen to our customers, find out what they need and then meet those needs.

It’s a new year. Please help us to do so. ✦ THE BUSINESSTIMES 609 North Ave., Suite 2, Grand Junction, CO 81501

TEL (970) 424-5133 • FAX (970) 424-5134

Publisher/Owner: Craig R. Hall Editor: Phil Castle Reach advertising at: publisher@thebusinesstimes.com Reach the editor at: phil@thebusinesstimes.com.

Subscribe or submit press releases online at www.thebusinesstimes.com

The Grand Valley Business Times, a subsidiary of Hall Media Group LLC, is published twice monthly and distributed throughout Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade. Advertising rates and deadlines are available upon request. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, editor, staff or advertisers.

Copyright © 2015 — All rights reserved.

It’s that time of year when resolutions and prognostications abound. My favorite saying applied to New Year’s resolutions is in saying they’re basically a bunch of promises to break the first week of January. And while I won’t predict a whole lot, I can pretty much accurately nail a few things that without question will make the news. You will see these are pretty, well, predictable: ■ Prediction one: There will be some sort of weather event, natural disaster or heinous occurrence where someone will be interviewed and say the following: “I’ve never seen anything like that in my lifetime.” It’s as if this person is a required attendee at every news reporting event. While I understand most people’s perspective can indeed be limited by, or contained within, their own personal experiences, it is too much to ask to consult some historical perspective before saying such a thing? Yes, this response can apply to some events. But when it comes to weather and natural disasters, I’m pretty sure this is simply history repeating itself. Same as it has for millions and millions of years. More important, the planet made it! What didn’t were certain species. How’s that for perspective? ■ Prediction two: When it comes to a crime or something that occurs between humans, the other required attendee at all news reporting events is the person who says this: “They we’re just the nicest people, and in no way did I see something like this coming.” Exactly. No one does most of the time when it comes to neighbors and acquaintances. People should be surprised at what goes on from time to time in their neighborhoods, towns and with people they know because people are good. And for the times that they shouldn’t be shocked — like with politicians, repeat offenders and terrorists — where’s the interview that says, “This doesn’t surprise me in the least.” ■ Prediction three: Something good will happen economically, and the government will take credit for it. The most recent example is gas prices, where people ask me why I won’t credit the president for low gas prices. My answer is simple: Government never makes the price of something go down and simply takes credit for good news. Gas pricing is subject to many global factors. Now there are government answers to addressing some of them to keep prices stable for Americans, but our government has none of them in place. The only things it has in place in the

Bold predictions for 2015 more like not-so-bold repeats long run always hurt consumers. Another fact is that unemployment reaches a certain level based on the economy. And while the government might brag the number is low, it’s more than likely the government did something to cause that number being low — and not in a good way. Conversely, when business picks up, it’s because the people who need to buy widgets who were not buying widgets because the economy was contracting due to natural (or unnatural, government caused) reasons, decided we better buy some widgets. The government had nothing to do with this. ■ Prediction four: In keeping with things the government does, I predict the government will manipulate the numbers to make the claim the economy is getting better because of how hard it is working to help all of us “working Americans.” Now Craig Hall you might say, “Craig, you always say this about President Obama because you don’t like him.” You’re right in a sense. I don’t know the man, but what I know of him and his thinking, I don’t like it or him one iota. Before you go off, however, I didn’t like President Bush and his bailouts, stimulus and his abandoning the free market to save the free market. And I don’t know him either. What the government does, and the only thing it can do, is hurt the economy. Unless it does nothing or put criminals in jail instead of partnering with them, nothing the government does will help. Always look at it this way, whatever the government says it is doing, whatever the name of the law it is passing, or whatever the name or goal of the bureaucracy it is presenting to the people, expect the polar opposite to occur. I guess what I’m saying is that perhaps it’s time to get out of our own perspective. There’s plenty of history books and historical research out there to begin to understand that all of this has happened before. And it will again, whether the topic is people or government. The best recommendation is to find some books or try that whole Google thing. There’s a lot of information on the Great Depression. The truth is it wasn’t even a good one until the government got involved. There’s also plenty of research on the medieval warm period when the planet was much warmer than today with a whole lot less people (and warmer well before man was here at all). And yep, people have been killing other surprised people since history was first written. Maybe some research will help stop all of these trends. Otherwise, we’ll be saying we’ve never seen anything like it in our lives. And not in a good way. Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 Copyright © 2021 — All rights reserved. F or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. ✦

At least that’s my take on the every four years spectacle we call the Olympics. Well, except the new COVID calendar has it in a five-year (and who knows what’s next) cycle this time around. I’m just glad I get the chance to take a political, social activist break from the craziness in the world to appreciate the efforts of athletes who compete for the joy of sport and competition.

NOT.

And that not applies to quite a few athletes; the coverage; the advertisers; and, yes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) itself. And also to a guy who sees bias and wokeness in darned near everything.

I don’t know why announcers can’t just call the games or sports as they play out. But ever since Howard Cosell, dead air is a no-no. It’s now made worse by the fact airtime has become social movement time for broadcasters and networks.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the vignettes about athletes that take up 10 minutes while we’re chomping at the bit to see them perform. I will admit some of them are very well done. Let me provide a couple of examples of over doing and under doing.

My first example comes from men’s tandem diving. While I appreciate Great Britain’s senior diver and his long quest for Olympic glory, (as I do all who struggle, strive and endure to chase their dreams) I’d have to say his home life is lowest on my preferred list of coverage. That’s not to say his relationship with his husband or adopted child aren’t a huge part of who he is. They are. But it’s not all he is. He’s a world-class diver. As far as the Olympics go, that’s really all that matters.

But for round after round, the announcers said time and again how “perfect” his personal life now is and that’s why he’s performing so well. Perhaps to a degree. But I’d say his hard work, dedication and choosing his dive partner were a tad more important. Why the other mattered more to NBC, I don’t know. Well, I kinda do.

In women’s volleyball, we had the backstory of a top American player who suffered health setbacks after the birth of her child and how it would have been a struggle to compete if the games were held last year. The extra year enabled her to get back into shape and earn her spot on the gold medal-winning roster. And with a beautiful baby boy to boot.

What wasn’t shown in her vignette was the missing piece to the story, also known as her husband. He’s a top-tier volleyball player and coach in his own right. The puff piece didn’t even say his

Time to reflect on what ag brings to the table name. Because volleyball is a close-knit It took an Olympic effort just to watch these games

I’ve long admired farmers, ranchers and others who work in the agriculture community, the announcers did a great job industry. of supplying his name and supplementing

I worked on a hog farm a couple of months the summer before I started the story where it lacked on the husband. college. And I occasionally accompanied my best friend and his father, a Why this mattered so little to NBC, I don’t veterinarian, on some of his house calls. Make that barn and corral calls. But know. But I kinda do. that’s about the extent of my personal exertions in the sector. Of course, I must address the Simone My grandparents were farmers, though. And the small Biles situation. But my take is a little town in Eastern Colorado in which I grew up was surrounded different. I can’t put myself in her situation, by farms, most of them growing wheat. Trucks would rumble so the mental health aspect and her doing past my house hauling grain to the elevator just down the road. what she thought was best was a decision I became more acquainted with farmers and ranchers as only she could make. Overall, it seemed to a newspaper journalist in Western Colorado and especially work out best for her and her team given Oregon. I worked for three years for a weekly publication the circumstances. covering the agriculture industry in Oregon as well as I’ll only say this, and it’s to the IOC: California, Idaho and Washington. As reporters, we used to Shame on you for targeting one athlete joke we wrote about cows and plows. But it was a lot more because she’s so damned good she literally Phil Castle complicated than that. I ended up covering water law. While I don’t know anything about rocket science or brain surgery has no competition. And spin it how you’d like, but the Olympics didn’t want Simone — or, for that matter, rocket surgery — I suspect water law comes close in its complexity. Craig Hall competing even though she’s possibly the best thing to happen to international

I’ve been fortunate during my tenure with the Business Times to continue to gymnastics in history. And that’s how we cover the agriculture industry, including the peaches and wine grapes grown in the got the “Biles Rules.” Anyone involved in Grand Valley and cattle raised in Mesa County. that decision should be removed. As for

I was reminded of the importance of agriculture in a recent interview with NBC’s take? Eh. Danielle Trotta, the new manager of the Colorado Proud program. The resulting I’ll make a brief comment on the story appears on page 5 of this issue. Trotta is no stranger to the ag industry, of ads. Sad, woke, virtue-signaling pablum. course, in training or experience. She holds two degrees from Colorado State Except for the Toyota ad about the double University and managed a cattle ranch in Eastern Colorado for nearly a decade. amputee who was adopted and will swim

Colorado Proud promotes food and other agricultural products grown, raised in the Paralympics. That was a recordand made in Colorado and makes the connections between producers and their breaking gold medal performance for me. customers. A total of more than 3,000 farmers, ranchers, retailers, restaurants and As for the rest, once blocking out the associations participate in the program. A logo makes it easier for consumers to politics (because let’s face it, the Olympics identify and purchase Colorado products. has been political since before I was born)

In one sense, there is no more important industry than agriculture in producing and wokeness, there was some great the food that sustains people. television, time zone difference aside.

In another sense, consider the Colorado agriculture industry contributes And yes, I stayed up late and got up early $47 billion annually to the Colorado economy and employs more than 195,000 to watch live. While it was fun to see the people. watch parties while the competition was

August is Colorado Proud Month and an appropriate time to reflect on all the going on, the videos from home were agriculture industry brings to the table in every meaning of that phrase. painful when shown to the winning athletes The next time you bite into a succulent Palisade peach, sip a glass of elegant Grand due to poor quality and the uncomfortableValley wine or savor a beef steak grilled to perfection, think about the people who ness of spending way too long on them. produced those products and all their work, sacrifice and risk. Then join me in my So, yes, I enjoyed almost all the admiration for farmers, ranchers and others who work in the agricuture industry. winning and competing by American athletes as well as those from other Phil Castle is editor of the Business Times. Reach him at phil@thebusinesstimes.com countries. And, quite frankly, I didn’t or 424-5133. bother watching more than a few. But those F athletes lost me well before the Olympics. Hell, some of them lost me before the last Olympics. To their credit, they not only ruined the Olympics for some, they also ruined their sports entirely. If you know me, you know who those select, special folks are. Then again, my viewership isn’t down 50 percent from last time. But I don’t change my coverage to suit an agenda, so maybe I’m onto something. “Higher, Stronger, Faster— Together” still means a lot to some of us. NBC might rethink that before 2024, or whenever the next Olympics comes along. Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.

Economics should be a learning experience for every U.S. student

School bells ring and students return to classrooms. While some elements of the curriculum made headlines during the spring and summer, there’s been no mention of the need for economic education. But who needs economic education? Right? Consider some of the numbers. According to the Experian Consumer Credit Review, consumer debt as of November 2020 topped $14.2 trillion in the United States with Americans carrying an average personal debt of $92,727. Personal debt includes credit card balances, mortgages and student loans. Part of this mounting debt can be attributed to the ready availability of credit and the ease with which people live above their means. Do you suppose, though, there’s another reason? Could it be that many young people have completed school without learning even the basic principles of economics?

Economics is about earning and spending money — allocating resources to satisfy needs and wants. Economics is also about everything from business, insurance and taxes to credit cards, interest and savings accounts. That’s not to mention concepts and policies that shape our country and the world. Concepts like choice, entrepreneurship, free markets, innovation, market competition, property rights, self-interest and supply and demand.

High school graduates face lifeshaping questions. Do I go straight to work? Do I attend a vocational school, college or university? How much does additional education cost? What’s the cost of a student loan? What’s the return of investment on the loan? Should I continue to live at home or find my own place? How do I afford a car and pay insurance? Can I balance a checkbook, open a savings account or understand interest on money? These are basic economic questions students must answer. Economic education prepares them to do so. Students are cheated if they’re allowed to graduate without an understanding of economic concepts. Understanding fundamental economic principles helps citizens make more informed choices not only with their own lives, but also as voting members of society. Citizens with a basic knowledge of economics know governments have no way of acquiring money except by taking money from citizens through taxation or printing money in the case of the federal government. Economically

Phyllis savvy citizens recognize the importance of private enterprise and understand a healthy Hunsinger economy requires all able-bodied individuals, not just a few, to work and pay taxes. Entrepreneurs of the future will come from the graduates of today. All students need economic education. John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel, once said: “There is so much at stake in getting the balance right between government regulations and marketplace freedom — and yet our educational system increasingly fails to teach our young people the fundamental workings of the free enterprise system, the system of checks and balances that restrains government from abusing its power and the crucial role of competition and capital formation to keep our economy healthy.” Who needs economic education? Everyone. Require students to demonstrate their proficiency in economics.

Phyllis Hunsinger is founder of the Freedom & Responsibility Education Enterprise Foundation in Grand Junction. The FREE Foundation provides resources to students and teachers in Western Colorado to promote the understanding of economics, financial literacy and free enterprise. For more information, visit www.free-dom.us.com. Contact her by email at phyllis@free-dom.us.com. F

Community health centers play key role in caring effort

Kay Ramachandran

National Community Health Center Week 2021 will be celebrated in person and virtually this year through Aug, 14.

Elected officials will join communities across the country in elevating the work community health centers have done while fighting on the front lines of COVID-19 to keep our communities healthy and safe. Their visits and messages will demonstrate that not only is it possible to move beyond the partisan divide over health care, but also to support and agree on a program vital to our communities.

Health centers provide preventive and primary care services to almost 30 million people and have continued to do so while facing a pandemic. Community health centers provide care to people who disproportionately suffer from chronic disease and lack access to affordable, quality care. While our approach is community based and local, collectively we are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system. Community health centers lower health care costs to the tune of $24 billion a year, reduce rates of chronic diseases and stimulate local economies.

MarillacHealth is the community health center in Mesa County. We provide a range of services onsite — primary care services, prenatal, pediatrics, adults and seniors as well as dentistry and behavioral health services. Our patients not only get the care they need under one roof, but they also are treated as individuals with dignity and respect.

Community health centers are not just healers, we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to address the factors of social determinants of health that cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, lack of nutrition and unemployment. We are a critical piece of the health care system and collaborate with hospitals; local and state governments; and social, health and business organizations to improve health outcomes for people who are medically vulnerable. We have pivoted to serving our communities through telehealth, drive through COVID-19 testing and still ensuring our patients can access basic necessities like food and housing resources.

The mission of community health centers remains crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge in parts of the United States and here in Mesa County.

We urge Congress to continue long-term funding support for CHCs to continue to serve as health care homes. Long-term and stable funding for community health centers will ensure we can keep our doors open and close the growing access gap for medically vulnerable communities. I am grateful to our Colorado representatives and senators who have shown leadership in supporting and sponsoring legislation that will protect health centers from losing a major part of our funding.

We are committed to a healthier community.

Kay Ramachandran is chief executive officer of MarillacHealth, which provides health care services for the low and middle income, uninsured and underinsured population in Mesa County. For more information, visit https://marillachealth.org. F

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

The Business Times welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns on issues affecting businesses in Western Colorado. Submissions should be emailed to phil@thebusinesstimes.com and include names and telephone numbers for verification.