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The Business Times Contributors THE BUSINESS TIMES SePtember 16-29, 2021JANUARY 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.
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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. or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com. F ✦
As many readers know, I usually have no problem writing whatever’s on my mind. I also use hackneyed humor, slathering sarcasm and honed hypocrisy in my columns. Oh, I occasionally use alliteration. And I always use sets of three in sentences. I read somewhere threes work best when using examples to make a point, stress opinions and get facts into the open.
Yet today, I’d use those at my own risk. You see, if I wrote the column I wanted to write ... n I’d write about the vacuous, hypocritical Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) wearing an insulting, tacky and expensive white gown to a $30,000 A PLATE “gala” with the vapid phrase “Tax the Rich” looking gang-tagged across her backside. Forgetting she looked like a Chick-fil-A to-go bag (lovely twist of irony there) and some bad fashion and political advice, her blindness to the real world was on display for her maskless co-mingling with the very group she claims she’s against while lusting to become an exclusive member.
AOC uses the barrel of the gun of government to not tax the rich, but rather tax the middle class and poor with her demands to tax everything under the sun or take away every product and freedom we need, desire and have a right to so she and her elite friends can control all us rubes. Tying this to COVID-19 and the budget is simply evil. n I’d discuss how government is firing staff who refuse to take an experimental vaccine. Since the federal government has no power to constitutionally “mandate” this against individual rights and yet has upheld the right to “choose” ( unconstitutionally), how does this occur? I can tell you how: extortion. Look no further for an expert than Joe “Son of a Bitch” Biden as the guy to do it. He’s always been a bully (ask Ukraine), and now he has a pulpit and uses it against the people.
What’s Joe using for his extortion? His go to: the threat of withholding federal money to those who refuse to comply — be it payroll, Medicare or Medicaid or the myriad federal subsidies from spending the trillions we don’t have. I’ve never met an actual extortionist (well, maybe one on a small scale). But I’d have to believe one who uses big business and leverages taxpayer monies against the citizenry is the lowest form. n I’d write about our little dictator in Denver for going along with the same tactic — as we all knew he would given his lust for power and control over all the
Pandemic demonstrates need for crisis planning Here’s the column I wanted to write, but just can’t ... people he feels wronged by throughout his
The pandemic has shown Coloradans the importance small businesses play in life. To be honest, that’s why most folks go our local and national economies. It was critical for entrepreneurs to change their into politics: revenge. Because getting one’s business models and pivot overnight to new ways of selling their products and way through government force is, for all too services. many, the only way they can get their way. The U.S. Small Business Administration highlights What did Pontius Polis wash his the resilience of entrepreneurs and renewal of the small hands of? Firing health care workers business economy as they build back better from the economic across the state who refuse to comply crisis brought on by the pandemic. with his “emergency” orders to take an Alhough beating the pandemic is front and center in moving experimental injection. I know plenty in our economy forward, our nation remains vulnerable to a variety Mesa County who’ve already lost their of natural disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, jobs as I type. Oh sure, they were good blizzards and drought. History has shown that up to 25 percent enough to do the governor’s dirty work in of businesses that close because of disasters never reopen. getting the numbers he needed to keep the All Colorado businesses should develop crisis preparedness emergency going. Now he’s firing them
Frances plans that take into consideration what we learned over the last 18 months from the pandemic. Here are six simple business to keep the numbers he needs to extend it. And he’s abusing the overseers of “public
Padilla strategies a business can use for future crises: health” to do it because he’s simply a n Evaluate exposure. Know your community and the coward. If COVID (or the flu or any types of disasters most likely to affect your business. Consider your proximity to flood plains, wildfire areas and other hazards. Of course, the COVID 19 pandemic Craig Hall other virus or coronavirus we’ve treated differently) didn’t sicken you, this should. remains the first exposure issue on the list. n I’d write about Mesa County. n Review insurance coverage. Consult your agent to determine whether Between the hospitals and county your coverage is sufficient. You might need separate flood insurance. Check into commissioners, I’m deeply saddened and business interruption insurance, which helps you cover operating expenses if angered by their actions and inactions. But you’re forced to temporarily close. such things happen when one’s place at the n Review your supply chain. Establish relationships with alternate vendors trough is threatened. Given how the county in case your primary supplier isn’t available. Place occasional orders with them so tracks “outbreaks” and can’t show even the they’ll regard you as an active customer. Create a contact list for important business smallest of ones in a hospital or medical contractors and vendors you plan to use in an emergency. Keep this list offsite. setting outside a couple of contained ones n Create a crisis communications plan. At the beginning of the pandemic, in senior homes, just what is the impetus many business owners didn’t have contact information for their employees and of these firings? Health care workers have vendors. Establish an email/Twitter/Facebook alert system, keeping primary and done the job and kept folks safe while secondary email addresses for your employees, vendors and customers. Provide healing them — and did so volunteering for updates to your customers and the community so they know you’re still in business extra shifts, working in dangerous settings and in the process of rebuilding following a crisis. and being declared heroes without the n Establish a written chain of command. Let your employees know the injection. But we now fire people for this? emergency chain of command should your business close. Maintain a clear leave Where are our county commissioners? and sick day policy during disasters. Have a backup payroll service should your Why haven’t they mandated there can office be destroyed. be no firings for anyone exercising their n Develop a continuity plan. The plan should state when it will be activated, inalienable rights? Are they too busy identify essential business functions and staff to carry out these functions, determine searching for another proclamation because which employees will be considered non-essential versus essential and identify they’ve run out? Where are our community records and documents that must be secured and accessible to perform key functions. “leaders” on this? Waiting for the stage and mics to be set up for the Dillard’s opening? Frances Padilla is director of the U.S. Small Business Administration Colorado Let’s face it, if you give most elected district and oversees agency programs and services across the state. For more officials, appointed bureaucrats or information, visit www.sba.gov. community leaders emergency powers, F you can be damned sure an emergency will occur. And since COVID worked, you can be further ensured we’ll be living under some emergency the rest of our lives. And if you think for one minute the Republicans (like we allegedly have here) won’t do the same once they get power back, I guess you aren’t seeing the fact Warp Speed kills. Don’t get me started on schools and their “masked” dictates that lead to only one conclusion — they own our kids. But alas, I can’t write about these kinds of things. I could lose advertising. So I’ll leave it be. Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.
Add property ownership to the lengthening list of endangered rights in U.S.
“Within a frame of transformation, the edges of the energy system begin to soften and meld into other notions of property, beyond private resource ownership and toward conceptions of shared management and control,” said Shalanda Baker, the law professor on leave from Northeastern University and nominee to become director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Think about that statement for a moment. The right to own and use private property and other resources for personal and public benefit is an essential characteristic of a market economy. Individual rights to own and use private property and make economic choices about this property are protected by the Constitution.
So what does this aspiring bureaucrat mean when she says we need to go “beyond private resource ownership and toward conceptions of shared management and control?” Is she suggesting nationalization, the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national or state government?
For the past year, the private property rights of landlords have been affected by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention edict forbidding them from evicting tenants. These orders have forced landlords to accommodate tenants who can’t pay rent with no consideration or compensation to landlords. Doesm’t this violate the notion the law protects economic choice about private property? Even after the Supreme Court ruled the moratorium on collecting rent needed congressional action before it could be implemented, the Joe Biden administration ignored the ruling and reimposed the rent moratorium in many counties in the United States.
Sean Ross of Investopedia wrote: “Private property rights are central to a capitalist economy, its execution and its legal defenses. Capitalism is built on the free exchange of goods and services between different parties, and nobody can rightfully trade property they don’t own. Conversely, property rights provide a legal framework for prosecuting aggression against non-voluntary means of acquiring resources; there is no need for capitalist trade in a society where people could simply take from others what they want by force or the threat of force. Private property promotes efficiency by giving the owner of resources an incentive to maximize its value.”
Losing the right to own property in the U.S. will be accomplished in the same insidious way Americans are gradually losing free speech and other rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Faceless bureaucrats declare some emergency du jour and trample or confiscate individual rights for the perceived good of society. Despite rhetoric about the greater good, the people who suffer most when individual rights are undermined — including the right to own property — are usually poor people, minorities and others with little political power.
When Shalanda Baker speaks of rethinking the notion of private property and the need to embrace concepts of shared management and control, does she include water? In Colorado, individuals own water. Does she include your business? Once the erosion of individual rights begins, where will it end?
Private property rights and the market economy are at risk. Citizens must wake up.
Phyllis Hunsinger
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. A former teacher, principal and superintendent, Hunsinger wrote “Down and Dirty: A ‘How To’ Math Book” Reach her through email at phyllis@free-dom.us.com. F
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