Mind reading the Herald
The Humboldt Herald is shocked! to see a blatantly false characterization of this blog in the latest Town Dandy.
In reaction to last week’s post about Headwaters Fund money spent on PR in support of the Richardson Grove highway project, Journal editor Hank Sims says the Herald “assumed that writers [of six “My Word” op-eds and letters to the editor] were paid for their services in cold, hard cash.”
Not true. For one thing, the post doesn’t even mention letters to the editor.
Secondly, The Herald correctly quoted the Quarterly Report’s revelation that “money was approved to pay for assistance in ‘submission of approximately six ‘My Word’ editorials in support of the Richardson Grove Project.’” When some readers jumped to the conclusion that money went straight to the writers, we posted a clarification:
To be clear, the report doesn’t say if the writers were paid directly. It just says “grant activities…Assisted in the submission of approximately six ‘My Word’ editorials in support of the Richardson Grove Project…
The key word is “assisted,” with the PR consultant being the likely (now confirmed) recipient of the funds.
Sims fails as a mind-reader and should perhaps focus his editorial crystal ball on his own assumptions. But then, one expects Sims’ “naturally desired spin” on the multi-million dollar Highway project which he (falsely) dismisses as a “minor tweak.”
Perhaps he’ll publish one of the Journal’s increasingly common corrections, such as the one appearing in the same Dandy column mentioned above. But don’t assume it would be a good idea to hold your breath.
Meanwhile, the McKinleyville Press sports a front page headline this week focusing on the heart of the matter: “P.R. campaign paid for by Headwaters Fund.” Apparently reporter Daniel Mintz isn’t afflicted by the same sour grapes as Sims.
Mintz notes the publically funded PR campaign includes “coaching [business owners] how to publicize their points of view through media sources and blogs” and to monitor “media and blog reports on the project.”
Mintz reports that “about $150 (representing about two hours of work) has been paid for the My Word editing work” and that “another $10,000 worth of county staff time has been committed to various aspects of lobbying.”
Leave a comment
Recent Comments
 | Anonymous on Eureka Police lose big in Mart… |
| Anonymous on A Performance Review for Phil… |
| i can T stop thinkin… on BLIND ITEM | |
| Anonymous on Hank Larrabee – Humboldt Count… |
| Anonymous on Hank Larrabee – Humboldt Count… |
 | Anum08 on Another “Golden rule… |
 | Adobe crack on Another “Golden rule… |
Top Posts & Pages
The Humboldt Herald 
I for one am a displaced timberworker and believed Headwaters was to help a lot of us get jobs improved transportation is one of our biggest competitive problems where were all you geniuses when the Orick Bypass was built and thousands of trees were cut and parkland bisected I was here and the sky has not fallen yet. Heraldo, Buttner, Cobb, Belknap, and all you others who are basically fresh to the area bring some business to the table rather try to stop everything and you will add some validity to your arguments.
You’re being coy.
How were the editorials “paid-for,” then? In what sense did they have “financial backing”? Define your terms, and try to define them in a way that wouldn’t also take in Scott Greacen’s or Pete Nichols’ op-eds, or any grassroots letter-writing campaign led by a non-profit organization.
I won’t hold my breath.
Then look at the long list of comments underneath your post, most of which assumed you were saying exactly what you seemed to be saying. I that isn’t what you intended to say, you certainly never bothered to correct that impression. Why? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if it wasn’t the impression you intended, then it was an impression you approved of.
So I took that a whole bunch of calls that week asking me if it was true that Mark Loughmiller and Bryan Plumley and etc. were on the take from Caltrans via the Headwaters Fund. And that was me cleaning up after your mess.
Look, you want to flack for Ken Miller, that’s fine. You want to print his e-mail blast verbatim and uncritically, I have no beef. Honestly. Just please do label it as such. Ken’s a decent guy, but Ken is Ken, and most everyone knows what that means, including his friends, of which I am sometimes one.
zing.
I, too, was appalled at Sims’s column and now at his response here. He is so arrogant in dismissing concerns if they differ from his own.
Yes, I did. The post above has a link to my comment pointing out that the Quarterly Report doesn’t say the writers were paid directly.
Op-eds by Pete or Scott identify them and the organizations they work for. As for letter-writing campaigns, the T-S has been explicit that they won’t publish those identical “sample” letters. In any case, public money doesn’t fund these activities.
You’re making assumptions. I offered Ann Johnson-Stromberg the space for a guest post, which she declined.
Just when are you “sometimes” Dr. Miller’s friend Hank?
Keep it up Hank. Most of us are appalled and yet admittedly amused by the lies perpetuated here. In the end moderation and truth will prevail, it just takes awhile. Perhaps it’s time to unmask the evil beasts?
“I for one am a displaced timberworker and believed Headwaters was to help a lot of us get jobs improved transportation is one of our biggest competitive problems where were all you geniuses when the Orick Bypass was built and thousands of trees were cut and parkland bisected I was here and the sky has not fallen yet. Heraldo, Buttner, Cobb, Belknap,”
And maybe you for one should consider that you seem to be sort of a jackass by not mentioning,or maybe you are too prejudiced against H to read back where H has supported the realignment project.I guess your failure to do so would be heraldo’s fault as well,correct?
That’s your definition? So a “paid-for” op-ed is one in which the organization the writer works for is not identified? But the pro-RG editorials you cited do identify the writers’ place of business.
Want to try again?
Yes, you kindly noted that the report doesn’t mention the fact that the writers were paid. See the problem?
Oh, really? Tell me, then — what sort of fact-checking did you run on Ken’s e-mail?
When we run into each other in the grocery store or restaurant or courtroom. For my part, anyway, I think he’s a rich character, a bright thread in the tapestry of Humboldt County life. He lends some Balzac flair to the place. I always enjoy seeing him.
Doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything that comes out of his big, dumb yap, of course.
Sorry to be so sappy, Ken!
If EPIC or Baykeeper starts receiving public funding to push a controversial agenda but fails to disclose that fact I will be sure to criticize it.
I suggested he remove an assumption about the motives of one of the My Word writers, which he did. I also suggested he shorten it, which he did though it was still longer than I would generally advise.
Gee guys…can’t we just all get along?
TGIF
I see, so you only malign Dr. Miller in print, not to his face.
They receive public funding by their nature. They are 501(c)(3)s, and so donations to them are subsidized by tax deductions. But this is beside the point, and we’re getting ever farther afield.
You were supposed to be defining what you meant by “paid-for,” “financially backed” op-eds, remember?
As noted above, and in the original post, Headwaters Fund money “assisted in the submission of approximately six ‘My Word’ editorials in support of the Richardson Grove Project.”
Assume=Ass out of you and me:
Hank, you ASSume that Heraldo didn’t edit Ken Miller’s guest post? Unless you really CAN read Heraldo’s mind, that is hilarious!
Maybe you should spend some time doing some investigative reporting of your own–that would be a major contribution to what is becoming a sorry news media climate. Anyone can sit around and criticize what others are doing/saying.
I’d be interested to know if it’s true that the weight limit for dairy tankers means the STAA trucks would carry the same amount of milk. That shouldn’t be too hard to track down. Or how many other STAA restricted highways there are in California. Really, a lot of people might be interested to know what is the Big Deal about having trucks that are 3 feet longer?
So when Pete or Scott write op-eds, with the assistance of their office staff and equipment and other resources, those op-eds are also “paid-for” and “financially backed.”
So when Green Wheels or Planned Parethood or a labor union holds a letter-writing clinic in association with a campaign, those letters are also “paid-for” and “financially backed.”
It’s understood that those organizations are 501(c)(3)s.
That might make some kind of sense, “Ed,” if I could somehow make certain that Ken never reads what I write.
I’m not talking about the guest post, I’m talking about the original post. Read Daniel Mintz’s story if you’re unclear.
So 501(c)(3)s, by definition, can’t “pay-for” or “financially back” op-eds, simply because of the fact that they are 501(c)(3)s.
You fail the challenge:
You’re the one that brought it back to EPIC and Planned Parenthood.
implied…its implied…
I love this war of words between Sims and Heraldo. Too bad Hank is unarmed.
I’m a dumb fuck look at me rah rah rah.
Well this is a memorable thread!
So, let’s recap.
Heraldo writes that citizens were duped by paid-for editorials that had received financial backing. After a while, he notes that the report carried no mention of the fact that the writers were paid directly — which is a far cry from saying that they weren’t paid directly, or that they weren’t paid indirectly.
When called on this point, Heraldo replies au contraire! What he meant by “paid-for” and “duped” and “financial backing” was the fact that a consultant was hired to whip passive supporters into actively supporting the project, and also (in one case) to edit an op-ed. And how dare you to suggest otherwise.
But there’s a problem. Worthy nonprofit groups and labor unions do this kind of stuff all the time. And yet you wouldn’t use the terms “paid-for” and “duped” and “financial backing” to describe the fruits of those activities, would you? So if you really didn’t intend to convey the idea that the writers were on the take — the idea that most of the commenters wound up with, in fact — how do you justify using those terms?
The answer, apparently, is that the cases are different because the protagonists are different. Worthy nonprofits and labor unions cannot “dupe” the citizens with “paid-for” op-eds because … well … they are worthy nonprofits. When government or business does it, it is duping. When nonprofits do the same thing, it is not.
Check and check.
Public money was used.
Yep, the Humboldt Herald: Bashing small business and government regulation since 2006.
Ed, are you suggesting that nonprofits don’t receive public assistance by way of tax breaks? Or are you just not aware?
too many geniuses, what I as a displaced timberworker wants to know is that not what the Headwaters was supposed to do was influence and help business up here compete and improve our competitiveness in the marketplace, will this project cause any loss of jobs or increase opportunity for more employment(other than construction money, which would also be a plus) just answer the simple questions without the rhetoric.
That’s it? I accept your apology.
No argument there, and that’s the interesting part. Read all about it in the North Coast Journal!
I didn’t apologize. Another assumption.
What Hank doesn’t seem to get (or is trying real hard not to get) is that it seems real disingenuous to regular Humboldt folks that the Headwaters Fund spent its money to stimulate Op-Ed pieces toward getting a politically-controversial project accomplished, and that important fact was omitted from the byline when the articles were published. And six is kind of a lot.
Comparing them to pieces written by identified heads of nonprofits seems to be blowing smoke, Hank.
What Hank doesn’t seem to get (or is trying real hard not to get) is that it seems real disingenuous to regular Humboldt folks that the Headwaters Fund spent its money to stimulate Op-Ed pieces toward getting a politically-controversial project accomplished, and that important fact was omitted from the byline when the articles were published.
No, I do get that. Sorry if that was unclear. What I wrote about in my column this week was how this came to pass.
Should the fact that people were urged to write op-eds result in a byline adjustment? Perhaps you could make that case, but then in all fairness you’d have to adjust all sorts of bylines on all sorts of topics. If EPIC urges people to write in support or opposition to something, should those letters carry a tag line noting that fact?
I was hand-shredding used copies of the North Coast Journal when I saw this Hank Sims article. I thought cool, this is a great advertisement for Heraldo. Hank nitpicking made it look like Heraldo nailed this issue. Hella cool.
And Hank Sims, I thought you guys were going to fix blog thing so that it didn’t look so nasty.
Hank, you are spinning so fast, the dizziness is making you irrational.
Employees and members of 501(c)3 organizations certainly ARE allowed to write op eds and letters to promote their causes. Employees of these organizations may get paid to do so, as part of their mission to educate the public. They may also encourage their members to write op eds and letters. All this is legitimate. The idea that the non profits would pay members to write letters is backwards. The members support the organization with donations, both money and time.
Non profits may NOT directly lobby to influence legislation.
The point is, everyone knows that the non profit group or labor union gets its money from its membership and exists to advance certain causes. These facts are up front and obvious.
When a government entity uses taxpayer money to conduct a PR campaign, and does not disclose the fact, it is not up front. It is not obvious to the public that WE are paying for that campaign. So I think it’s fair to say the public was duped.
Where on Earth did you get that idea?
Hank is great – keep it up.
“They receive public funding by their nature. They are 501(c)(3)s, and so donations to them are subsidized by tax deductions.”
Hank, by this accounting, everyone who receives a tax break, for whatever purpose, is receiving public funding.
So, every TPZ land owner is receiving public funding?
Give Clarity a break. Maybe they haven’t checked on this since 1989.
Hank, non profits may spend a small percentage of their budgets on lobbying (I think something like 20% or less). But lobbying can not be their main purpose.
These restrictions apparently do not apply to the Economic Development Council (a publicly funded, government entity). A substantial part of the money to promote STAA access was spent on a lobbying firm.
I agree, Clarity, you beat me to the point. The difference between receiving a tax break and receiving public funding is clear to anyone who looks at the issue without an agenda.
Hank, I’m surprised by your column and the “defense” you are placing here. Public agencies should not be paying one side to influence public opinion. Is that complicated or controversial?
And Hank, please don’t pretend you acknowledged that. You took something like one sentence in the middle of a full column to acknowledge that the public funding was the “interesting” part. But the entire remainder of the column was devoted to trivializing this issue. Again, that point will be obvious to those who look at the column without an agenda.
I can figure out how to interpret the “spin” all by myself. Kudos to Heraldo for GETTING IT OUT THERE. Transparency is always good and a must in dealing with public funds. This is nickle and dime, pennies compared to some of the shit going on around here. It’s the principal, and that’s up to our own interpretations. Thanks Heraldo
thank you hank. heraldo, your post was very misleading by design and you can’t even admit that. clarity, TPZ owners are not funded by tax deductible donations.
Sorry — catching up a bit.
The idea that the non profits would pay members to write letters is backwards.
Sure, but they’d pay a campaign coordinator. Just like was done in this case.
So, every TPZ land owner is receiving public funding?
That was the intent of TPZ, yes — a public subsidy to keep land in timber production and promote a healthier rate of harvest. But like I said, beside the point.
You took something like one sentence in the middle of a full column to acknowledge that the public funding was the “interesting” part.
What I reported after that, though, was how the Headwaters grant — which was originally funded in 2003/04 and envisioned a different program of work — came to morph through time into funding the PR campaign. And how this was probably improper and contra Headwaters Fund policy.
WILL THIS HELP JOBS OR COST JOBS THIS DISPLACED TIMBERWORKER WANTS TO KNOW AND THIS HAS TURNED INTO A I AM SMARTER THAN YOU POST!!!
So-called “taxpayer-funded lobbying” should be banned, but it is not.
Remember Proposition 90? Maybe 2006 is too long ago for people to remember. What about Proposition 99 and 98?
It should come as no surprise that our tax dollars are being used to lobby for policies which favor collecting more of our tax dollars. This is done so blatantly that a list of organizations who support any fishy-sounding measure is basically a list of taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations.
South Dakota had the one ballot initiative that I know of which would ban this practice and it was easily defeated. Looking at the list of organizations that opposed this voter initiative reveals a list of taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations.
I wonder who put this idea into people’s heads that taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations are virtually the same as non-profits… could the responsible parties possibly be taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations?
This thread is making me thirsty, anyone up for a cold, frosty PBR?
Blessed are the peacemakers.
CROCK – IF IT HELPS BUSINESSES AND THEY HAVE EMPLOYEES IT WILL HELP JOBS. MANY PEOPLE IN BUSINESS BELIEVE IT WILL HELP.
After nine rounds..the unofficial Judge’s Score Card has this bout an Even Draw.
-boy
I’m going to take a wild guess: no jobs either way.
The timber worker crisis has been taking its toll since at least 1979. My feeling is that timber workers have been lied to for the last thirty years. Most famous was the 1993 “timber summit” where timber workers were lied to about the future of their industry. The fact remains that timber jobs are being lost in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Northwest United States.
I wouldn’t peg too much hope on a highway project providing work to anyone except Caltrans employees. The situation has been dismal for years and continues to get worse.
I feel for the displaced timber workers. I wouldn’t place a shred of confidence in any government maneuver promising to help. The situation is very sad. I doubt that anything will change until the market corrects itself which is unlikely to happen.
I don’t have time to look it up right now, but just to clarify the 501c3 rules re lobbying, I believe you can spend 20 percent of some amount – I’m thinking a million, and then it’s reduced for the amounts over that. Also, an organization cannot spend more than a million lobbying.
What’s really weird in my mind is that the groups are more limited in their grassroots lobbying as opposed to “direct lobbying.” Only 25 percent of the lobbying funds can be spent on grassroots lobbying, ie. educating the public about a bill you want to support or oppose. So basically, the lawmakers would rather you buy them dinners than try to educate the public to make their jobs more difficult. Makes sense I guess.
I believe that they are prohibited from endorsing candidates.
And I believe there are no restrictions for spending money on education of a general political issue, so long as it isn’t specifically tied to a piece of legislation. The grey areas come up when the materials put out by the organization don’t specifically mention the legislation, but could have an impact on it. I would guess the issue would be determined by whether there was a spike in certain activity timed with the legislation, or whether it’s consistent with a long term pattern. I wonder if the slippery slope has led organizations to actually reduce their efforts when a specific bill comes up.
Sorry Boy, but it’s Hank by way of first round knockout.
I agree with Mr. Nice. Widening the road through the park would bring no benefits to displaced timber workers or most of Humboldt’s workforce.
But I believe Change is in the air. Change is inevitable. The direction and shape of the change are not entirely out of our control. Market forces coupled with a new political strategy that fosters change toward non-fossil transportation is pushing us in the right direction.
This reality will determine our future. Whether we benefit from that reality is up to us, and the decisions we make now.
All of this is kind of moot, because no one actually pays attention to anything they read in the T-S anyway. It has failed in its coverage of just about every significant issue that’s hit the North Coast in the more than ten years I’ve been here. It was briefly risen from the dead to fight off the Reporter, but it took no time at all to return to the sleep of the dead.
Still, I resent my tax dollars being used to instruct me on how to feel. I would resent it regardless of which way I was told to feel. This reeks of Humboldt’s “same old people,” who get a lot of grants to study ways to get a lot of grants, all in defense of biznus.
I’d say Heraldo gets the last laugh simply because Hank dedicated his column to an issue that Heraldo brought to light.
The Headwaters Fund was put into place in order to assist displaced timber workders find employment. The harbor and rail were the primariy targets with US Hwy 101 and State Hwy 299 considered as secondary assets in increasing employment. The funding for the highway projects came from different sources and the Headwaters money was not fully used. So, how using that money for improvements on US Hwy 101 is implied to be a misuse of the funds is just wrong. Some do not like the idea of actually creating jobs in Humboldt County as it would mean that this is the new Santa Rosa or wherever the hell you came from is just around the corner. Then move to Idaho or wherever and leave the real residents of Humboldt to live their lives with out telling us how it should be. If you go to Thailand, do you assume that you would know best how they should live? What the fuck is the matter with you?
where do these letters fall on the scale
http://citizenspeak.org/node/1171
Supporters of non-profits choose which groups they support, unlike the Headwaters Fund, which is money that was allocated for a purpose by elected officials and is supposed to be spent with the oversight of appointed pubic officials. To spend money to influence public opinion about a publicly-funded project that would impact public-owned land is pretty unpalatable, if not illegal.
Quite ironic that Headwaters Fund money was used to promote a project that will involving cutting and damaging roots of ancient redwoods, isn’t it?
You have a big disconnect in that statement. The elected officials are just that, elected by the people. They serve on behalf of us. One form of support is just more direct than the other.
Oldphart, the rail is not coming back, regardless how much you wish it could. It is a thing of the past.
The port will certainly develop, but not with the Redwood Dock and International cargo. That also is a thing of the past.
There are other options for developing the bay and creating jobs. By stubbornly clinging to your unrealistic fantasies of reviving a past economy, you are impeding progress. Reality rules. Change happens. Like it or not, you model will not work, so please, let’s try something else.
and is supposed to be spent with the oversight of appointed pubic officials
it was.
To spend money to influence public opinion about a publicly-funded project t…
get a grip, this happens all the time, like the health department and their you’re-gonna-be-fat-if-you-live-on-5-acres road show
4:21 @ 1:59. I’d say that the Housing for All campaign is using an inexpensive, efficient means to get people to sign a petition. It is clear to the Supes that this is a petition, put out by Housing for All, and that people submitted their signatures electronically, instead of signing a piece of paper. Everything is above board.
Not so with the behind the scenes PR campaign the government did for the Richardson Grove Highway project.
A little clarity for you, 4:21 at 4:08:
The Health Department exists, in large part, to educate the public about health issues. Again, no behind the scenes PR campaigns – just out in the open presentation of information. People are free to reject the information.
Has the Health Dept. conducted a concealed PR campaign with public money to push through a controversial project? No? Then your analogy is not valid.
YES! My message to 4:21 posted at 4:21. I’m easily amused.
hank has more integrity, journalistic talent and smarts than almost anyone i know. he doesn’t have a sinister agenda, he is out for the truth. heraldo seems to be out to instigate fights. makes for interesting reading at least…
Well the smoke has cleared between H. and Hank
I felt H.’s post was dramatic and open ended enough to allow rampant speculation. I call that poetic license. But it did the job to raise awareness that something amiss had gone down. And it turned out to be true even though not in the exact way H.’s post suggested.
I don’t believe a anonymous blog can meet journalism standards because the blogger has no ability to “fact check” without revealing its identity.
So if Hank is pissy about having to “clean up” H’.’s “mess”, he’s offbase, in my opinion Hank made an independent decision that there was a story in this beyond a blog rumor. He did the “fact checking” and found important truths that H. would never have been able to uncover and verify.
As a result, I think procedures and maybe even heads will change at the HF and county government. Perhaps they are getting just a little too cozy with eachother, another good ole’ boy network in formation.
Whether Hank gets his input from Ken Miller or H’s blog makes no difference to me. But I understand the pissing contest for bragging rights of who should be a respected and trusted recipient of preliminary suspicious information.
So Cassandra, the displaced timber workers are just flat out of luck. There will be no jobs forthcoming, despite the Headwaters fund intent. School enrollment can decline, qualified doctors will continue to leave the area because of a lack of large employers, and the 30 and 40 year olds can just leave to find employment elsewhere so that you can have Humboldt county all to yourself. How incredibly selfish.
TMI, IMHO.
funnygirl, your displeasure is displaced. I don’t think Cassandra expressed any satisfaction for timber and rail declines, only that they have happened and are irreversible. Thats mostly not because of anything people here had direct control over. Looking back, I’m sure many former mill operators would have run their businesses differently, hindsight is always perfect.
Many, many occupations that once were, are no more. How many goldminers, shoemakers, tailors, and muleskinners used to be here? Many, many timber workers have had long completed careers. But like musical chairs, there’s always somebody there at the end of things.
I’d say displaced timberworkers have a better chance now at a new career than if the headwaters forest hadn’t been established. Currently, the unemployment rate in Humboldt is way below the state average. Thats not how it used to be when the timber industry declined.
Speaking of the Headwaters Fund, a friend in federal court in Oakland says Maxxam’s lawyers’ emergency motion to stay the whistle blower trial was denied today. The fraud case against Charles Hurwitz starts in 10 days.
Too bad the only thing slower than the wheels of justice is the reforestation of Humboldt County.Oh well, maybe the taxpayers will regain some of their lost revenues.
I read it the same way Hank did; I guess I need to go back and see what you really stated.
Timber workers started the downhill slide when the Redwood Nat’l Park went in. The writing was on the wall then. But how are jobs for 30 – 50 year old folk gonna happen? Not eco-tourism, that was promised with the Redwood Nat’l Park. Hasn’t happened. Kayak manufacturing, t-shirts, bake sales? come on newbies – what part of the job sector will these jobs be created? Solutions here, not just no. Name real jobs that someone can live on. Cuz what I’m hearing is – Got mine, don’t care.
I’m glad the timberworkers stopped hanging people in effigy, as they did during the Redwood National Park furor. It was getting too spooky.
Actually ecotourism is a thriving local industry and one of the best investments we can make if the fishery is restored. Also this area is blessed with entrepreneurial spirit, electric vehicles, aquaculture, alternative energy, marijuana, produce farming, ranching, dairy are all in the mix. Let the forest return and harvest appropriately and we have an economy that is the envy of the state.
It often seems the entire “press” in Humboldt has gentlemen’s agreements with every little petty power-holder to not rock the boat. Hank included.
It’s like our own local version of the White House press corpse. Everyone instantly sucks up to those in power, knowing that they’ll lose access and social status if they don’t.
Thank g*d for Heraldo.
Has the Health Dept. conducted a concealed PR campaign with public money to push through a controversial project?
one could debate that. running around with a pr campaign disguised as a study to persuade the public they shouldn’t live in the country falls along those lines, don’t you think?
“Currently, the unemployment rate in Humboldt is way below the state average.”
Um, NO. The unemployment rate in Humboldt County is 11.4 percent, which is up 4.5 percent from last year. The state unemployment rate is 10.5 percent.
Hey now, Cristina, when NAN says something, it’s an iron-clad fact! Cause he says so!
The rest of us are dullards and ijuts in the face of NAN’s superior, (and obtuse) pontifications.
I saw that too Christina. My source is the March economic index report by HSU economics prof. Erick Eschker, quoted below.
He’s the same prof that got blasted last year by real etate agents for saying there was a housing bubble. So I trust his honesty and ability. But you can take it up with him if you disagree.
And BTW. Thanks anon 10:52, you’ve confirmed your own assumptions, but are you “dullard” or “ijut” or both?
“Total County Employment edged up 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjust level of 102.4. This index relies on the total number employed in Humboldt County. However, this index does not show the rising unemployment in Humboldt County. There has been a steady increase in unemployment since January 2007, now at a seasonally adjusted level of 9.5 percent for Humboldt and 10.5 percent for California. “
NAN = data cherry picker.
Nan’s “way below” the state average, is a gross overstatement.
If NAN were intellectually honest, which has shown himself not to be, he’d also tell the rest of the story, that Humboldt County has been in the economic doldrums, employment-wise for this decade; unemployment rates which have been at a steady high rate for years have only been surpassed briefly by the state ave due to the State and nation wide economic depression that we are in.
Simply put, Humboldt County’s employment rate (which is even shittier when you take HSU, CR & the various City and County agencies out of the equation) have been horrible for years, and there is no end in sight; it took a nation-wide, state wide ecomic tumble for the state average to dip below Humboldt’s.
When the State’s rate turns around, as it inevitibly will, Humboldt’s will still be in the toilet.
your image was the sixth down when you Google image “crystal ball.” thought I would share.
Gee, looks like today’s TS reported the same unemployment numbers I did.
One new thing the TS reported is that the Humboldt MediCal caseload increased only 1.9% over the past year, “no substantial change”. That indicates the absolute amount of local poverty hasn’t significantly increased in the last year. But its no prediction for the future.
Thank you Heraldo!!
There’s a huge difference, to me, between Bay Keepers and the HW fund. I hardly expected to see the HW fund using such tactics. When The Health Department released its support of Sketch Plan “A” for the General Plan, it was all out in the open, well researched and clearly in the public interest.
Hank Sims’ trivializing this issue was offensive because, if nothing else, we need to spend our limited public dollars carefully, where they’re needed most, in effect, in Eureka, with its record high rates of accidents and casualties for pedestrians, cyclist and drivers in California!
Anonymous 4/10 writes: “Hank (Sims) is out for the truth…talented reporter….no agenda…”.
Hank is a good writer, I feel he might get more stories right than wrong, but the rest will have to be demonstrated to me. He never called me before writing his 11/13/08 brief summary of my campaign. The inaccuracies were mind-boggling.
For your ISP location and possibly your google user.
Humboldt Sunshine and Heraldo agree = conspiracy!! Misuse of Headwaters Funds = criminals are loose!
Great to see you change your tone in the Town Dandy, Hank.
Here…have some Humboldt Pie :)
http://saverichardsongrove.blogspot.com/2009/04/town-dandy-eats-humboldt-pie.html
And kudos to you Heraldo, Dr. Ken and all involved in exposing the Headwaters corruption!(as if we already didn’t know there was corruption somewhere and somehow regarding the fund). You are all outstanding and upstanding superheroes of the community.
What happened to Hank? When did the disconnect from the community’s needs, desires and overall public opinion happen? Just where do his (special)interests lie in the lies that he spreads?
Comparing Firends of Richardson Grove to MAXXAM…come on Hank. Where are your scruples?
And kudos to you Heraldo, Dr. Ken and all involved in exposing the Headwaters corruption!(as if we already didn’t know there was corruption somewhere and somehow regarding the fund). You are all outstanding and upstanding superheroes of the community.
What happened to Hank? When did the disconnect from the community’s needs, desires and overall public opinion happen? Just where do his (special)interests lie in the lies that he spreads?
Comparing the Friends of Richardson Grove to MAXXAM…come on Hank. Where are your scruples?
Scruples don’t exist on any blog that I have seen.
What happened to Hank? He exposes bullshit no matter be it from conservatives or progressives.
Hank doesn’t think the ends justify the means like “Jeff” does. Hank exposed the hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of Heraldo with regards to the double standards she employs. Hank effectively kicked ass with the facts, and the only ones denying it are only fooling themselves.
Hank Sims sums it up nicely with his 943 am post on April 10th, to which Heraldo had no response other than to try and deflect with a couple lame zingers.
Try again, “Jeff”.
Hank steps in bullshit and says, “Look, bullshit!” He needs a bullshit detector, really.
Ok anonymous Hank #1 and #2.
Anonymous posters have little or no merit or validity, at least with myself and others who find it not necessary to hide our identities from our posts. What are your special interests in this subject/project? What are you hiding from?
Are you saying that words should not be judged on their merit and validity without a verified source? That is, we should be judging the person and not what they say? Next time I fill out an anonymous complaint, I’ll remember to attach a copy of my birth certificate.
Comments from people who are proud of disclosing their identity are sometimes invalid and lacking merit. Non-anonymous bloggers often choose their words too carefully in an attempt to protect their ego. An anonymous blogger can tell their neighbors to screw themselves because of anonymity.
The internet is a free-for-all and freedom is the point of political blogs. Blogs which foolishly attempt to verify identities are boring and lack much in the way of comments. This blog has more interesting comments than any other local blog in part because of Heraldo and whoever s/he is.
The shit that gets me is the very people you promote on your 10 comment per year blog that nobody reads thrive on being anonymous activists.
I never said that people shouldn’t blog anonymously.
I’m implying that most anonymous posters are alike in the fact that they support the project. How many of those posters are all or one in the same?
Peace and kindness be with you, Mr. Nice.
Sorry, this anonymous issue has been coming up a lot lately. I think most people are jealous of the success of Heraldo’s blog. I’ll stop talking about it until the issue comes up again.
I do not support this project on many levels. I cannot say if the anonymous posters who support the project or support taxpayer-funded lobbying organizations are all the same person or not. If you are going to challenge what they say, then challenge what they say. Who they are is not the point.
Thank you.
I’m not jealous of Heraldo’s blog. It’s inspiring to see such an array of relevant and pertinent topics. You cannot find this type of info in print, although Jack Duram makes up for Kevin Hoover’s terrible shortfalls. I also feel that it is supportive to our freedom of speech to blog anonymously. However, I also wish that people would stand up to their convictions little less virtually, and a litttle more actually.
I suppose that blogs that I post would have more comments if I spent more time in virtuality than reality. But than I would also have less merit atop my soapbox.
Mr. Nice, not everyone is completely anonymous in our fishbowl.
I’m sorry you had negative experiences with your stint in forest defense. As with any experience in life, it is not the same for everyone, it is part of our path or journey through life to learn from all experiences. If you ever want to grab a beer(again), drop me an email. I’ll buy. I feel I owe you quite a few…
So, if you are who I think you are, Mr.Nice…this one is for you, and every hardworking American that is simply trying to live a happy, comfortable, and symbiotic life:
Reduced costs in shipping will never offset the loss of sales to an influx of Big Box stores. Picking up a service contract or two from current local medium to large boxes may help alleviate business woes for retailers offering repair and maintenance service, especially considering the failure rate of cheap crap from China.
However, Mom and Pop retailers in our little “fishbowl” have little or no hope for surviving in the pool created by the sharks who intend to rip Humboldt to shreds. Big box stores “over compete” with Mom and Pop’s by offering cheaper and commonly lower quality products while offering little or no service, along with lower wages and opportunities for employees. Local businesses who offer a more personal consumer experience with local roots in the community are a part of the local “middle-class tree stand”, if you will.
As the roots of these trees are cut, chopped and severed(symbolic to the Cal-Trans project in Richardson Grove), trees begin to lose their green($) needles or leaves. All of the green($) begins to blow elsewhere, leaving the county. Trees(business owners) who dropped some green($) to the workers feeding the roots below can no longer produce leaves($) to drop to the workers below, due to the loss of nutrients(business).
Those workers(already barely above poverty level due to the current recession) are forced into an economic slavery(I feel everyone in every class is a slave to craving and money, but that is more of a philosophical discussion). As mom and pop businesses and trade shops begin to close due to the lack of nutrients(business) left in the soil, workers to bring nutrients(business) to the tree(business owner), and leaves($) to break back down into nutrients(business); the middle class tree dies, a chain reaction that reverberates across the community(or grove of middle-class trees). Larger communties have already suffered this loss. You can easily see the class seperation, especially in overdeveloped areas in Southern California, for example. I lived it. I almost died in it.
And I know someone may blog it, but I’m not calling workers worms.
Essentially and only speaking for myself, this fight is for more than the Richardson Redwoods. It is for the middle and sub-middle class in Humboldt(don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of class separation). The war on the middle-class is a term that is loosely thrown around by BOTH liberals and conservatives(one in the same?). As/If this recession deepens, does every small business owner feel that the model for rapid growth and expansion that has failed large communities across the nation, will magically work for the people of Humboldt County?
Will bigger trucks designed for Big Box stores offset the recent hike in shipping costs caused by Big Oil/Big War? Will these same trucks be carrying the same/simLIAR products up the 101 that Mom and Pop’s also offer for the lower priced Big Boxes? Will you be the one greeting customers with a “Welcome to Wal-Mart” for peanuts an hour?
The problem I feel with local small business owners that support the project is that they are blinded by greed. Note that big supporters of the project are driven by self-interests and offer a product or service that BB’s cannot compete with. For example, Sun Valley(terrible employer, remember the ICE raids?, ) local cattle ranchers(it’s their grazing land,…usually), or Arcata Recycling(monopoly in CRV). These businesses will suffer little or no effect from a commercial tidal wave. In fact, development is in their own best interests.
I feel that small business owners or Mom and Pop’s supporting this project cannot see what will happen to the local community, as well as themselves, because they still have hope that their business will expand beyond the fishbowl. The grass is always greener on the other side the fence for them.
a href=”http://saverichardsongrove.blogspot.com/2009/04/town-dandy-eats-humboldt-pie.html ”>Or, if you’re like Hank Sims…”The Pie’s the limit” :)
Don’t let Cal-Trans rip a hole through the Redwood Curtain! Sign this petition now and help save the Richardson Grove Old Growth Redwoods!