Blog Archives - Sierra Booster

Harvey, Irma and 911, We Can Replace the Stuff

9/12/2017

By Dr. Glenn Mollette

Hurricane Harvey and Irma have been bad news to all in their paths. Lives have sadly been lost, houses demolished and personal items blown or washed away. Such horrific acts of nature remind us that we are all fragile and vulnerable. The right wind and rain can wash everything away including us and people we love so much.

We love our stuff. We store it. We hoard it. We want to pass it on to our children and grandchildren. There are storage facilities being built almost everywhere in America because we love our stuff so much. Harvey and Irma remind us again that our greatest assets are our lives and the people we love. If we have our health, safety and valued people in our lives then everything is either secondary or worthless in perspective to life and people.

None of us want to see our houses floating down a river or covered up in trees to never be lived in again. We don't want to lose our pictures and everything we have worked so hard to buy and cherish. Such loss is excruciating. However, it is stuff and stuff is never forever.

I recognize there is much about this planet that seems to last forever. There is a huge rock formation above my old home place that we always called Buzzard Rock. It was a fun place to climb and play as a kid. I can't see or tell where that rock has changed one bit over the last sixty years. It looks the same to me. I suspect a hundred years from now it will look much the same and another generation of people will have walked or played on that rock and passed on while Buzzard Rock remains for many others to come by for fun and play.

September 11 is once again here. Those of us who lived on that day will never forget the crumbling of the twin towers. A new incredible building called the One World Trade Center has been built and is phenomenal. The tragedy of that day was so many innocent lives were snuffed out by such evil people. Those hardworking good American people are no longer with us and nothing can replace them. We remember them and their value to us all.

People are suffering in America today, from the people of Texas to all over Florida, Georgia and to all who remember September 11, 2001. However, it doesn't have to be a hurricane or act or terrorism to shake our very lives. Often it's the everyday occurrences of life that sometimes go unnoticed by the masses of people round us. Often, it's the death of an aging parent or the sudden loss of a young adult that shakes our lives. A person overdosing and dying from drugs breaks our hearts. Or there is the man or woman we read or hear about who can no longer cope with the difficulties of life.

Take time today on this day to value who and what really counts. Cherish those around you and help those you can. We can replace the stuff. It's the people that we can't.

SIERRA COUNTY EAST SIDE MARIJUANA ERADICATION

9/12/2017

Sierra County Sheriff's Office, US Forest Service, Department of Fish and Wildlife and C.A.M.P. have raided an east Sierra County marijuana grow of in excess of 1,000 plants, according to Sierra County Detective Mike Fisher. He notes possible evidence of prohibited chemical use in fertilizers and insecticides.
The grow is still under investigation.

Attorney General Becerra Issues Consumer Alert Following Equifax Data Breach

9/10/2017

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today issued a consumer alert following the Equifax data breach that affected 143 million Americans and over 15 million Californians. Equifax is one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies. According to Equifax, the breach lasted from mid-May through July, and compromised names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.

“Millions of Californians’ personal information has been compromised as a result of this massive data breach. Equifax's response to date is unacceptable,” said Attorney General Becerra. “My office has been and will continue to be in touch with Equifax until we get to the bottom of this massive data breach. We will do what's necessary to hold Equifax accountable. In the meantime, I urge all consumers to heed this alert to protect themselves.”
To check whether you have been impacted by the Equifax data breach, please visit: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/potential-impact/. If you use Wi-Fi, make sure that you are using a secure Wi-Fi connection before submitting your personal information.
Consumers are also encouraged to take the following steps to protect their personal information:
1. Put a fraud alert on your credit file.
A fraud alert helps protect you against the possibility of someone opening new credit accounts in your name. A fraud alert lasts 90 days and can be renewed.
To post a fraud alert on your credit file, you must contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies below. If you contact any one of the three major credit reporting agencies, fraud alerts will be automatically added by the other two agencies as well.
Experian 1-888-397-3742
experian.com/fraud/center.html
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
transunion.com/fraud
Equifax 1-888-766-0008
alerts.equifax.com
2. Review your credit reports. Look
through each one carefully.
Check your credit reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax — for free — by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Accounts or activity that you don’t recognize could indicate identity theft, especially accounts opened recently.
3. If you find items you don’t understand on your report, call the credit bureau at the number on the report.
Credit bureau staff will review your report with you. If the information can’t be explained, then you will need to call the creditors involved and report the crime to your local police or sheriff’s office. See the Identity Theft Victim Checklist: www.oag.ca.gov/idtheft/information-sheets.
When he assumed office, Attorney General Becerra made protecting consumers a top priority. Among other actions, he has secured a record $18.5 million multi-state settlement with Target over data security failures that contributed to the compromise of 40 million customers' payment card information during the 2013 holiday season and a $3.5 million multi-state settlement with Lenovo to resolve allegations that it illegally preinstalled ad-injecting software that compromised the security of its computers.

AAA Offers 6 Tips on Earthquake Preparedness 'Drop, Cover ... and Hold On'

9/9/2017

BAY AREA, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2017) – With the strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in more than 100 years happening overnight, AAA is reminding Californians not to delay in preparing their own family's earthquake and disaster plans.

"The Big One will happen in California — it's just a matter of when," said AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky. "AAA wants to help you create a disaster preparedness plan for your family today, so you'll know what to do if an earthquake hits tomorrow."

Nearly 60 percent of Americans say they aren't prepared for a natural disaster. AAA hopes to drastically reduce this number by helping one million people prepare for a natural disaster by creating engaging tools and plans for the public. Resources that can help you prepare for an earthquake are available through A AA's Road to Ready game.

AAA Earthquake Safety Tips

Create an earthquake survival kit. This is one of the most important steps you can take. The kit should include canned goods and can opener, two to four quarts of water per person per day, battery operated or hand crank radio, sanitary supplies, a camp stove, portable radio, flashlight and spare batteries, and tools to turn off utilities.
Know how to shut off your home’s gas, water and electricity. You should also make sure your water heater is securely fastened to a wall or post with two metal straps.
Conduct family earthquake drills. Make sure everyone knows which areas in a room are the safest. This may be underneath a table or against a wall. Stay away from windows, fireplaces and tall furniture. And then, Drop, Cover and Hold On: find nearby shelter or use your arms and hands to protect your head and neck.
Decide where your family will reunite if you're separated. Choose a friend or relative you can call after an earthquake to let them know your location and condition. Phone lines are often overloaded or damaged in an earthquake and specifying one point of contact for your entire family will help avoid a strain on the system.
Childproof your cabinet doors. It may seem like an annoyance initially, but installing latches on your cabinet doors can prevent them from flying open in an earthquake. By properly securing the doors you can keep precious belongings from spilling out and breaking.
Check your insurance for earthquake coverage. Knowing what coverage you have can help speed up your recovery after a big quake. Most homeowners policies do NOT cover damage resulting from an earthquake, and in most cases a separate earthquake endorsement or policy is needed. You can find out more at AAA.com/insurance.

AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to more than 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 117 years ago.

Nevada City Paving Operations Closes Lane on Broad Street

9/8/2017

One-way traffic controls will impact traffic on Broad Street

NEVADA CITY – Caltrans is alerting motorists traveling in Nevada City to expect delays for bridge repair and paving operations that are expected from 9 p.m. Friday, September 8 to 6 a.m. Saturday, September 9 on the Broad Street overcrossing over Highway 49/20 in Nevada City.

Motorists should expect delays overnight Friday night through Saturday morning for one-way traffic controls as bridge repair and paving operations occur.

Motorists are cautioned to reduce speeds on areas of rough roadway and to use caution in and near work zones. Weather or other unexpected delays could postpone the work.

LIGHTNING-CAUSED FIRE AT BAR 1 RANCH EAST OF LOYALTON

9/6/2017

CAL FIRE Investigators Arrest Suspect for Allegedly Starting Ponderosa Fire

9/5/2017

Butte County – CAL FIRE law enforcement officers arrested John Ballenger, age 29 of Oroville, on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 on suspicion of causing the Ponderosa Fire. Ballenger is suspected of recklessly starting a campfire outside a designated campground and allowing it to escape. The fire was reported to CAL FIRE’s Emergency Command Center in Oroville at 1:11 p.m. on August 29, 2017.

“All campfires pose a risk of escaping. A campfire should never be left unattended and must be extinguished completely before everyone leaves,” said Chief Darren Read of CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire.

Remember these tips before you light a campfire:

You must have a valid permit
Campfires should only be ignited in approved campfire rings
Use a shovel to clear an area at least 5 feet in diameter
Never leave a campfire unattended
Drown campfires with water and stir all ashes
Feel ashes with the back of your hand to make sure they are cool before leaving the area

For more information on how to prevent wildfires before they start, visit: readyforwildfire.org

America's Government Pension Pain

9/5/2017

On 9-4-2017 around 1245 hours the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received two separate 911 calls reporting armed robberies at two businesses, The Coffee Shop and Higher Elevation, in Portola Ca. The suspect reportedly entered both businesses, presented a note that stated he had a gun, and demanded money. Descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle were obtained and provided to the California Highway Patrol. The suspect, later identified as Craig Dean Wilson, was located by CHP in the Chilcoot area and detained. Upon further investigation by the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson was ultimately charged with two counts of Robbery, Criminal Threats, and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. Wilson was booked into the Plumas County Jail and held on $200,000 Bail.

On 9-4-2017 around 1211 hours the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a 911 call from a female reporting she was being chased by her boyfriend on Highway 70 near Graeagle CA. A second 911 call was received reporting they observed a female being chased by a male who was holding a knife. The female was able to escape from the male suspect and was picked up by a passing vehicle. Both parties were located and the incident was investigated by the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office. The male suspect, identified as Drake Alexander Nelson, was subsequently taken into custody on charges of Domestic Violence, False imprisonment, and Violation of a Court Order. Nelson was booked into the Plumas County Jail and is being held on $50,000 Bail.

America's Government Pension Pain

9/5/2017

By Dr. Glenn Mollette

Stories of struggling government pension funding have abounded the last few months. Reports of changing the retirement scenario for state employees
are dominating the conversation in states like New Jersey, Illinois, California and Kentucky.

Seventy-five year old retired Americans aren't interested in going back to work.
However, if state government pensions are cut some may feel like they have to.

Already, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Target, Starbucks and scores of other retailers are filled with America's seniors trying to at least make grocery money to survive during their senior years. The picture of an 80 year old who has to work just to make payment on his government subsidized housing and to afford a few groceries is not a pretty picture of America.

Americans grew up in the sixties and seventies believing that someday most of us would be millionaires. During Jimmy Carter's Presidency and runaway inflation era all the projections concerning 401k-pensions were that they would yield at least a million dollars in savings. A friend of mine who recently retired and paid into a 401 k annuity plan prescribed by his company for 35 years had approximately $350,000 saved to live on the rest of his life. That sounds like a nice chunk of money but it won't go far.

Take for example a state government pensioner whose retirement is $4,000 a month. Some are a bit less and many are a lot more. However, this is $48,000 a year plus medical insurance benefits. A state government employee who retires at 52 and lives for 30 years will collect $1,440,000 plus occasional cost of living increases, plus health insurance.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a defined benefit retirement will produce a lot more yield over a lifetime than a 401k-pension. A 401k requires a very grueling disciplined lifestyle of saving lots of money and doing without today in hopes of having money for the golden years. Most of America's current workers cannot fathom of trying to save $10,000 to $18,000 a year into a retirement plan because they need every penny today to live on. College loan debt, house payments and often one or two small children consume every penny. By the time people start seriously paying into a 401k-pension the race is on. You can't build much in 20 years unless you are paying $15,000 or more a year into a fund. Thus, most people need 30 to 35 years today to accumulate much money. A government pension that promises you
$4,000 to $5,000 of money every month the rest of your life after working 28 years is a deal that is hard to beat.

Government retirements and other industries for years have afforded their retirees defined benefit retirements secured on the backs of what other people will pay into the fund. Social Security today is in trouble because the money people paid into it was not kept in reserve for the retirees. Instead we have spent it on Vietnam, Afghanistan and anything the government wanted to spend it on. Thus, we are already being warned that in 15 of so years there will not be enough people paying enough money into Social Security to fully pay America's future retirees what was promised.

One major problem we are trying to survive as Americans is the politicians who have been in office for so many years. They have taken care of themselves and failed Americans. Sadly, we keep electing them, and they keep failing us.

Saving American's pensions will take an all out effort. We can't just kick the can down the road. Eventually there will be no more money to borrow because the ability to pay it back will be impossible which is where we are throughout our country.

I do believe Americans will do their part if government will do its part. Most pensioners would reluctantly take a painful ten percent cut if it meant saving the system. Retirees would probably be willing to work to 59, but when you start at 25 that is still 34 years of work. A combination of state pension and Social Security would be a workable solution as well.

More taxes are not the answer. A huge segment of people paying taxes in states like Illinois, New Jersey and Kentucky who are all in big trouble are state pensioners. The state pensioners can't afford any more taxes than the person next door. The idea of taxing the rich doesn't solve the issue because the rich people can all move their residency to another state including Texas, Tennessee or Florida where they don't have a state income tax.

States with increasing income taxes aren't doing so great - consider Illinois. Illinois can't afford to pay their lottery winners. A friend of mine said he was supposed to receive about $200 back on his state income tax filing but knew Illinois would never give it back to him and he was right, they didn't. They don't have the money. The new tax rate for individuals in Illinois is 4.95 percent as of July 1, 2017. Kentucky collects 6% from its highest earners. If you earn over one half million dollars a year you pay 8.97% in state income tax in New Jersey. If you earn between $75,001 and $500,000 then the rate is 6.37% in New Jersey. In Florida the state income tax is zero. However, you do pay a 6% sales tax. In Florida you do not have to pay tax on income from an S corporation.

One major plus of a 401k-pension fund is that at least it is your money. If you have saved two or three hundred thousand dollars then you can count on it. You can spend it or leave it to your children. One thing about your government pension in this new modern era is - you probably can count on it - just probably not all of it.

Glenn Mollette is a syndicated columnist and author of twelve books.
He is read in all fifty states.

3 Reasons College Students Should Run Their Own Businesses

9/5/2017

A typical student’s goal with a college degree is to join a company. Yet some graduates lack specific business essentials and life skills crucial to landing solid employment and finding long-term success.
Perhaps they should demand more of themselves while in school, and rather than merely aspire to join a company, actually gain the experience of running one. Learning how to run their own business from the ground up while attending college can give students a leg up.
“When you run your own business, you will learn how to market and sell yourself,” says Matt Stewart, co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com), which provides internships geared to managing a house-painting business. “Those are skills often lacking in college students.”
The extra time spent outside the classroom acquiring experience in the many aspects of business management can pay off in a broader education, which in turn can lead to better employment prospects. Here are some of the benefits Stewart sees for students who run a business while in college:

Learning to deal with rejection. Rejection will happen early and perhaps often when the college graduate goes to job interviews. Learning how a business owner keeps pushing forward when rejected on sales calls will strengthen the future job aspirant for the rugged world out there. “It’s an eye-opener for many college students who have never been told no before,” Stewart says. “Are you just going to cry because the first person says you’re not qualified for the job?”
Adding skills to the resume. The tough job market for recent college grads has been a trend since the Great Recession (2007-09). Forty-four percent were underemployed (in jobs not requiring degrees) in the final quarter of 2016, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Thus, a more balanced resume and diverse experience is required to separate the new job seeker from the crowd. “It used to be you just needed a bachelor’s degree and an internship,” Stewart says, “but now you also better have tangible skills and the soft skills – being able to communicate, knowing how to work with others, how to interact. You have to do that when you run a business.”
Learning time management. Much of the college experience could be used constructively to learn this important life skill, yet many students don’t always use their down time wisely. Being busier with a learn-a-business internship, coupled with a full load of classes, could equate to better time management. “If you’re going to school and running your own business, you have to manage your time well,” Stewart says. “If you’re taking 12 to 15 credit hours in a semester, that’s maybe 30 hours of work each week. You have a ton of hours left, and what are you going to do with that time?”

Before a company invests in college graduates, it looks at the amount of quality time and effort they invested in their future. Learning a business while going to school shows an interest in acquiring the proper mindset.
“The start of a successful career,” Steward says, “is treating college like it’s your job and getting ready for your life after college.”
About Matt Stewart
Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners.