They should be thankful for what they...
They should be thankful for what they have
Burbank Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susan Bowers said
recently that business has a tough time making it in this state. She
can’t be referring to Urban Outfitters, which just opened in Burbank.
The store received a $675,000 loan from the city to help it get
started. That doesn’t sound bad.
There have been various lures like this to help business get a
foothold, including subsidies, redevelopment loans, conditional-use
permits and tax write-offs like manufacturing credits and enterprise
zones. Let’s not forget the loopholes in the federal tax law, which
has allowed corporations to pay a lower percentage of their income in
taxes.
There are no guarantees that business should be successful. It
depends on the wisdom, hard work and good luck of the ownership.
There is a risk.
The state has a great natural market for business because of its
large and diverse population. It has the fifth-largest gross national
product in the world, and it’s a great agricultural state.
Some manufacturing companies are moving their plants overseas to
cut labor costs. Some of the countries allow child labor and there
are few or no benefits for the workers. If a corporation can’t be
fair to its workers, it doesn’t deserve to be in business.
There have been excesses in California like the workers’
compensation law. Recently, the legislature passed a law to
substantially correct that. Guess who complained about the reform? It
was businesses like chiropractors, pharmacists and other members of
the medical business community who would now make less profit because
of the reform.
A positive gesture by business would be contributions to the local
school systems and to job-retaining programs. Make an investment in
the community. Businesses should be thankful for being in Burbank and
the state of California. Let’s start showing it.
Wesley Greene
Burbank
Hope deserves to have airport named in his honor
Everyone seemed to be touched by Bob Hope. He was a great man who
did great things all over the world. He helped support our troops and
Americans worldwide. He also helped our military families, especially
the lower-ranking enlisted personnel who made up the bulk of our
troops. He helped the USO and hospitals, and the list goes on and on.
Driving down Bob Hope Drive will have even more meaning to us all.
I was very privileged to have several encounters with Mr. Hope. I
first met him many years ago when I was a waitress at Bob’s Big Boy
in Burbank. After taping his show for NBC, Mr. Hope would drive in
and be served in his car. Everyone would walk by to see him. On the
days it was raining, he would come inside for a cup of coffee, and
customers would ask for his autograph, which he would gladly give.
Sometimes I saw him at Vons on Pass Avenue. He would be walking down
the aisles.
Bob Hope was a great man who did wonderful things in his life for
us all. Maybe it’s fitting to name the Burbank- Glendale-Pasadena
Airport after him. Maybe with the name Hope, there would be hope for
the airport. Yes, I have my memories of Bob Hope. He was the real
thing. God bless you, Bob Hope. And thanks for the memories.
Lee Paysinger
Burbank