Will it get hotter or colder? That is the question that scientists are debating right now. This week I attended an event that included a lively debate on weather forecasting based on historical data and geological changes by Dr. Don Easterbrook from Western. Easterbrook says it will get colder with food shortages his big worry. Dr. Clifford Mass from the University of Washington offered very different conclusions based on projections using computer modeling of weather pattern data. Mass says it will get hotter with regional variations and he believes that Washington state will have a much later start if in the global warming phenomena.
Why should I care about this? Well, we are a state that has decided to pass laws this year that reduce our CO2 emissions from cars and other pollution sources believed to contribute to global warming. We are a state about to embark on creating a new wave of environmental professionals whose environmental industry will advocate what is in its best interests as professionals realize they want to keep their new jobs. Our state lawmakers just approved $25 million this year alone to begin their global warming/climate change programs.
According to the key note speaker, Bjorn Lomborg, the danger in setting up these new industries is they become myopic. Why would they be open to new science if it means their theories are considered obsolete, not practical, or not effective? Lomborg is a world leader in questioning the validity of "Eco Fads". One example is the use of biofuels. What happened there? We created food shortages by using corn for fuel instead of food. This is also an example of the "law of unintended consequences", according to another speaker at this event, Dr. Mathew Manweller, a professor of political science from Central. Manweller notes that what is lacking in these debates about what we should be doing to regulate ourselves is to ask the question of what might happen once a new law gets passed. He advocates a much deeper discussion on this question than we now have.
Lawmakers face a major management issue. Do they set public policy and manage for their term in office or do they set public policy for longer periods of time? Manweller believes that the tendency is to look at what is more immediate. He talked about "Green Pork". He says we have a "pork barrel problem". For instance, in Seattle there is a proposal to charge 20 cents on each plastic bag that a consumer gets with their groceries or pharmacy items. This is a flawed scheme because it doesn't relate to the value of the effort.
Plastic bag fees are a pork barrel idea. They are a flawed scheme because all users will pay but will not really get a benefit to match the cost. From a business perspective, retailers anticipate an increase in their costs with no benefit at all. So the city ends up with millions of dollars to use.
Let's go back to climate change, though. I thought the Washington Policy Center that put on the event did a great job. The conversations covered all perspectives and the audience was full of business owners, scientists, and even the general public worried about the topic. Do I think it will warm up or cool off? I don't know, but what I did come away with was a very strong sense that business really didn't want to finance any "Green Pork" through taxes or fees on such items as plastic bags, waste their time or money on ideas that are flawed or have unintended consequences that should have been more well thought out.
Retail crime act proposed in Congress
Two members of Congress this week introduced a resolution that would make organized retail crime a federal offense.
Retailers nationally lose an estimated $15 billion to $30 billion a year to organized retail crime, according to the FBI. The offense also is a public health threat in that some thieves tamper with popular items such as baby formulas or over-the-counter medications before they are offered for sale on Internet auctions sites.
The proposal is the bipartisan effort of Representative Brad Ellsworth, D-Indiana and Representative Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. The bill defines organized retail crime as "the acquiring of retail merchandise by illegal means for the purpose of reselling the items."
The bill also would establish that operation of on-line marketplaces be considered "facilitation" of organized crime unless the operator could show that steps had been taken to prove that goods for sale were not obtained by theft or fraud. The bill would require site operators to "expeditiously" investigate complaints that stolen items were being sold and maintain records of the names and addresses of high-volume sellers to assist law enforcement in investigating prosecutions.
Crime rings typically target everyday, easy-to-steal consumer items such as gift cards, cosmetics, batteries and razor blades. They also target more expensive and popular items such as DVDs, CDs, video games and designer clothing.
The Washington Retail Association has elevated organized retail crime and resulting possible identity theft to the top of its list of priorities. The association is sending a letter of support and thanks to Congress members Ellsworth and Jordan for their efforts to address this fast-growing and serious crime.
Dollar losses from organized retail crime exceed the estimated $18 billion retailers lose each year to other crimes such as robbery, larceny, burglary and auto theft, according to the National Retail Federation.
Source: National Retail Federation
WRA hires former journalist at Director of Public Affairs Jim Szymanski has joined the Washington Retail Association as Director of Public Affairs.
Jim is an award-winning veteran of the newspaper business, having served in the roles of editor and reporter. He last served as Business Editor of The Olympian after covering business issues for a decade as a reporter for the Tacoma News Tribune.
Jim has covered a variety of business issues for daily newspapers in Sacramento and Albuquerque. His reporting also has appeared in the Seattle Times and the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Jim's background includes marketing and internal communications duties for an aerospace contractor based in Sacramento.
At the retail association, Jim is responsible for helping to formulate and lobby on behalf of policy initiatives, tracking proposed legislation as it affects member retailers, internal member communications and amplifying the association's messages and issues to statewide and national media outlets.
Consumers spend rebate checks on necessities
Consumers fixed on meeting the rising costs of necessities blunted the effect of federal government tax rebate checks that arrived in mailboxes last month.
Total retail sales results released this week by the U.S. Commerce Department showed a seasonally-adjusted increase of 0.1 percent in June sales compared to May and an unadjusted year-to-year increase in spending of 1 percent in June. The sales category includes non-general purchases such as automobile and meals in restaurants.
"Many consumers have been practical with their tax rebates, using them to offset higher prices of gas and food," said Rosalind Wells, chief economist for the National Retail Federation.
Source: National Retail Federation
Retailers add new lines to grow sales
Electronics retailer Best Buy plans to add an assortment of musical instruments to its main product categories of computers and cell phones to help it double annual sales to $80 billion in the next five years, Mike Vitelli, a company vice president, told a consumer conference this month.
On another front, Wal-Mart reports it will introduce a sustainable line of gold and silver jewelry that will allow customers to use a Website to track where the jewelry was mined. The company says it is aiming to sell more jewelry coming from mines that meet its environmental standards.
Sources: The New York Times and Reuters
Registration is now open for the Governor's Safety and Health Conference.
Thousands of workers are injured, and sadly, more than 100 Washington workers die from job-related injuries each year. Many of these injuries and losses are preventable. The conference provides resources to assist in design and maintenance of a sound safety and healthy culture at your workplace. The benefits include; reduced injuries, less time lost from work, money saved on industrial insurance premiums and an increase in profits. The comprehensive safety skills gained will benefit you far beyond the workplace.
There are two great pre-conference sessions, one dealing with wellness for commercial drivers that is a MUST SEE for any type of driver working out of their vehicle. This will take place Tuesday, September 23, 8:30am - 4:30pm at the DoubleTree Hotel, Spokane Falls Ballroom. For more information, please contact Sharon Drozdowsky at (360) 902-4622 or dros235@LNI.wa.gov . This is valuable for delivery drivers too!
The second session deals with Solutions for an Aging Workforce. Many workplaces are confronted by the demographic reality of an aging workforce. While older workers do have particular needs, solutions must take into account the needs of workers at all stages of their careers and lives. The course will examine specific issues, including workplace design for safety and health; work/life balance; maintaining health as we age; the roles of employers, employees, the larger community, and public policy in addressing this demographic change. For more information, visit http://nwcenter.washington.edu or contact Maribeth Moore, Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, 206-543-1069 or moomoore@u.washington.edu.
Registration is now open for the Governor's 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Conference, Sept. 3-4, in Lynnwood.
Learn new strategies, applaud best practices and make important connections that will help move your workforce development organization forward.
The conference features:
·An update from Gov. Chris Gregoire on The Next Washington.
·Recognition of 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Award winners.
·Cutting-edge workshops on industry clusters, Innovation Partnership Zones and the green economy.
·Compelling breakout sessions to help your organization thrive in a global marketplace.
Register now and qualify for the early-bird registration fee of $150. After Aug. 8, it's $200. Tickets to this two-day event include continental breakfast, lunch and an evening reception.
Join us and learn new ways to keep Washington's economy and workforce moving ahead!
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The Washington Attorney General (AG) announced these upcoming free community shred events and free identity theft prevention forums providing opportunities to shred important personally identifiable documents. Bring your documents to be shredded!
Below is a list of upcoming events. You can find more information and additional shredding sites online at www.atg.wa.gov/shredathon.aspx.
OLYMPIA: Saturday, July 26, 2008, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. WSECU, 400 East Union St. Olympia. Shredding provided by Shred-It.
MOSES LAKE: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location TBA. Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna: Noon to 1:30 pm.Shredding donated by United Data Security.
CENTRALIA: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location TBA. Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna: Noon to 1:30 pm.Shredding donated by LeMay
GOLDENDALE: Tentatively planned for Wednesday, September 10, 2008. Location TBA. In conjunction with Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna.
TACOMA: Ongoing, Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tacoma Recycling Co., Inc., 2318 South Tacoma Way Offers free document destruction for private individuals who bring in less than 10 pounds of material during regular business hours. Consumers may witness their papers being destroyed. Businesses will be charged for this service. Info: (253) 474-9559
Washington Retail Association | 618 Quince St SE, STE A | PO Box 2227 | Olympia | WA | 98501
The Washington Retail Association, WRA, is a 501 C 6 trade association formed to advocate for Washington State’s retailers at the local, state and national level. Since 1987, the WRA has protected Washington's retailers from unreasonable taxes, fees, regulations and legislation. The efforts of the WRA benefit all Washington state retailers and help fuel statewide economic growth.
