What If Ashley Wasn't In Arcadia?

During Monday's special Chamber meeting, Todd Wanek, President and CEO of Ashley Furniture posed a very intriguing question – one that I'm sure not a lot of people in Arcadia would like, nor ever want, to ponder. That question: What if Ashley was located in Illinois? Well, first off, if Ashley's Midwestern manufacturing plant were located in Illinois, it wouldn't be here … obviously. Thus, by spinning his question around, a better, yet more dire, question evolves. What if Ashley wasn't in Arcadia? Definitely food for thought.

To be frank, the City of Arcadia, as well as Trempealeau County and the entire Coulee Region, is extremely fortunate to have a successful manufacturer like Ashley Furniture in its midst for several reasons. The most obvious is the benefit to the local economy. As was pointed out during the meeting, well over 1,000 Ashley employees reside in the 54612 zip code. These people spend their wages here and pay taxes here, strengthening the city's financial system. For years, Ashley has prided itself on creating a ripple effect – the theory that every dollar is capable of turning over seven times in the community in which it is spent. Now imagine if Ashley were to relocate elsewhere. Believe me, a ripple effect would still exist, only it would be felt in the exact opposite direction.

Without Ashley, less money would be spent locally, the city would have less money to put toward infrastructure, the school system would not be what it is today and local business owners would suffer losses in revenue and likely go bankrupt. In addition, the population of Arcadia would be significantly lower and the tax base would be far less than what it is now. So when a business like Ashley Furniture takes a $7 million hit due to flooding –with a good chance of the same thing happening in the future – one might wonder if it would be cheaper for the company to just uproot and relocate to an area where the flood risk is significantly lower or nonexistent. Not that Ashley Furniture is going to pack up and leave town anytime soon, but, I'm sure if a great opportunity to move the business out of a floodplain ever presented itself, it would be seriously considered. Thus, I think there's a very strong sense of urgency to address the city's flooding issues.

Businesses, residents and the city as a whole would benefit greatly if the levee was accredited and the people of Arcadia would no longer be required to have flood insurance. After all, less money spent on flood insurance means more money will circulate back into the local economy. Those in attendance at Monday's meeting received a copy of a news article published in that day's USA Today with the headline, "If you build it, will they come?" The article focused on a speculative industrial site in Van Wert, Ohio, "complete with a rail line, gas lines, land acquisition options and anything else a manufacturer would need." Reading those words, as well as the line that stated, "all that's missing is a manufacturer who wants to build a giant factory on 1,600 acres of farmland in northwest Ohio," it really got me thinking that, just because Ashley is here today, doesn't mean the company is obligated to stay here forever. When cities like Van Wert are doing everything in their power to attract business, I can't help but wonder why Arcadia isn't doing everything in its power to retain and protect its businesses.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Royal Wedding Nothing But a Circus

While the forthcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate, er, I'm sorry, Catherine Middleton has been called numerous things – elaborate, extravagant, highly-anticipated – I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Jerry Seinfeld on this one. It is turning out to be more of a circus than a day of holy matrimony. Seeing as how I was not even alive when Prince Charles and Diana Spencer tied the knot, I can't say for sure how much of a spectacle was made of that royal wedding. However, judging by what I've seen so far, I suspect Prince William and Kate's wedding to be even further over the top. For crying out loud, the spectacle has its own website, where a countdown clock is ticking down the hours, minutes and seconds to the start of the ceremony; people are buying up merchandise and souvenirs – including bobble head dolls – branded with the couples' faces, names and date of the big event; and, yes, the royal wedding even has its own iPhone, iPad and Android app.

Canadian stamps are even being released and the London Mint has been minting coins to commemorate the engagement and nuptials. According to the official website of the royal wedding extravaganza, two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams will perform music for the wedding. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, London Chamber Orchestra and Chapel Royal Choir and countless others have been preparing for this event for months. Sir Paul McCartney is even slated to perform at the royal wedding reception. Two wedding carriages – one a glass coach in case of adverse weather conditions – have been selected for the bride and groom to ride in following the wedding at Westminster Abbey. And two cakes will be awaiting the couple at the reception.

Truly a wedding fit for a (future) king and queen, I have to say that the one redeeming factor behind the pomp and circumstance of this entire event has got to be the generosity of the bride and groom. Turns out, in lieu of gifts, the couple is asking well-wishers to send money to several of their favorite charities. Seeing as how the royal family essentially has all the money in the world, it seems only right that the couple decline gifts. While I'm not one to get too worked up about these types of events, even on a non-celebrity scale, this particular wedding seems to be a bit much. Add to that the fact that it's been talked about on news stations to the point of overkill, I'm pretty much over it already.

I mean, the cover of every magazine lately seems to touch on some aspect of the royal wedding – Kate's dress, the flower selection, the cake, the guest list, the luxurious jewelry the bride will wear on her big day; you name it, the press has covered it … and then some. What I don't think I will ever be able to understand is why so many people, especially Englanders, get so wrapped up in an event like this. Last week, a man discovered a mango-flavored jelly bean with Kate's likeness on it. Not one to let an opportunity get away from him, the man has put the bean up for sale on eBay for a small fortune of 500 pounds (that's about $815, folks). Clearly, this wedding has reached the level of hysteria. With the nuptials being televised over TV and Internet, it is expected to be watched by about 2 billion people worldwide; I am more than happy to admit that I will not be one of them.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Recalls Are a Ridiculous Concept

I get that this is a democracy and all, but what it certainly is not is a department store. You can’t commit yourself to something and then, a month or two later, decide that it’s not what you want. Government should not be run that way, plain and simple. The way I see it, most of the people who voted took the time to familiarize themselves with the candidates before voting. None of the things that Gov. Scott Walker is doing was a secret; his entire campaign focused on getting this state out of debt. The elimination of collective bargaining rights was one of those measures that would be taken in order to do so. And I don’t think that it’s any secret that following the party lines is a tried and true practice used by both the Republicans and Democrats.

That being said, it should have been presumed that all of the Republicans who were elected to office would go along with Gov. Walker on these issues. For those not privy to the way government works and who cast their votes for Republican senators and representatives, sorry about your luck. So, if there’s someone out there who decided not to do their homework and merely voted for a candidate because they were the lesser of two evils, there should be no second chances or grace periods to change your mind. The way I see it, these people were elected to represent citizens and that’s exactly what they are doing. I know many liberals and state employees are irate over this issue, but there are likely just as many people out there that support this move. I, for one, don’t want to live in a state that’s in as much debt as we are. No matter what they do, politicians are not going to be able to please all of their constituents; that would only happen in a perfect world, which, from my perspective, at least, doesn’t seem to exist.

As many of you read in my column a couple weeks ago, I am 110 percent opposed to boycotting local businesses. Does that mean that all the liberals who started the push for a boycott be recalled? Absolutely not. If one wrong move is all it takes for people to lose faith in their elected officials, perhaps, the blame should not fall on the shoulders of the politicians. Constituents need to have a lot more pride and faith in their elected officials to do their jobs. I mean, who’s to say the other person will do a better job?

And then, you have to consider that having a recall election is not cheap. Someone has to pay for the polls to be open and staffed and printing ballots isn't free either. I honestly don't know which is worse … taking the chance on paying for a second election with no guarantee the candidate in question won't win again or just dealing with it for the rest of his or her term. Personally, I think, once elected, a full term should be guaranteed unless there’s grounds for impeachment, obviously. Standing up for what they – as well as a faction of those they represent – believe in is most certainly not something that should get a candidate thrown out of office. If you’re not satisfied with the job that’s being done, there seems to always be an election right around the corner. If I’ve learned anything from watching this health care reform bill going through appeals, it’s that nothing is set in stone. Just because collective bargaining rights are being revoked doesn’t mean they can never be reinstated.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Arcadia Hospital Will Be Missed

As many already know, the Franciscan Skemp hospital and emergency room in Arcadia closed last week. While I was fully aware of what the obvious impacts were, I failed to realize just how hard, not only the staff, but also community members would take this change. While I will admit that I never utilized the services of the hospital or emergency room, many lives have been positively impacted by the presence of the facility. Considering there are so many farms in this rural area, I think having an emergency care facility in the vicinity eased a lot of minds. Given that farming accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, it does concern me that there will no longer be a hospital in Arcadia.

Not only that, but the city is a manufacturing hub in this region, with people working shifts around the clock. If I were working in a plant where serious injury could occur, I would definitely feel better if there were a hospital nearby. Thankfully, the Arcadia Ambulance Service received a donation from the Franciscan Skemp Foundation that will allow them to add a second crew. That money will also go toward more training, which, while not a bona fide substitute for an emergency room, is certainly something makes me feel better about the current situation. The hospital closure also affected many families when their loved ones had to be relocated to different facilities. I know, if I had a grandparent or other relative who had to be hospitalized, I would want them as near as possible. To think that families will now have to travel to places like Eau Claire or La Crosse to visit with those individuals just doesn't seem right.

Then, of course, you have the emotional aspect of the hospital closure. As was mentioned during the closing ceremony last Thursday, the loss of the hospital was likened to a death in the community. In many ways, that's true. So many people have had to find other places of employment, if at all, leaving behind a cherished venue where they worked for years. The bonds that these people forged as a staff is similar to the attachments built with childhood friends and those with which you graduated high school. You spend so many hours a day with the same people that they become like family. Now, that family is divided and the staff is going their separate ways.

Seeing so many people wiping away tears and becoming emotional during last Thursday's ceremony was something I was really not anticipating. While I knew what kind of impact this change would have on the community as a whole, I never stopped to think about those individuals who thought of the hospital as their second home and their coworkers as family. For them, this change is more like turning the pages of a book and starting a new chapter. It is ironic, however, that those who have cared for the ill and helped them recuperate are now the ones who find themselves in need of healing. Hopefully, the saying is true and time really does heal all wounds.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Operation Not Our Problem

While the majority of the country was enthralled with the NCAA men's basketball tournament, something significant happened in our nation's history; President Barack Obama launched Operation Odyssey Dawn. Where that name came from, I will never know, but March 19 marked the start of the U. S. military operation in Libya as part of a coalition enforcing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. Though the United States has since passed the proverbial torch to the UN and now only serves a support role in the operation, I can't help but wonder why President Obama felt the need to enter this country into yet another battle that isn't even ours to fight. While there has been much criticism over the president's lack of consulting with Congress before deploying the Air Force, Marines and Navy, I feel that he failed to adequately inform the public of what his ultimate intentions were. It was like one minute, we were sitting idly by, letting things unfold, and the next, we were right in the thick of it.

I understand that, at times, the president can be put under pressure and has to act on instincts (take 9/11, for example), but the problems in Libya have been ongoing, meaning that this was likely not a surprise attack, but rather an anticipated next step as the situation in Libya worsened. I think it would have been nice to know that there was a distinct possibility that our nation was going to take a very active role in the fight against Moammar Gadhafi. All along, the Obama administration portrayed the United States' involvement as supportive. If naming the operation, having a U.S. commander in charge of said operation and providing the majority of the firepower is supportive, then the definition clearly needs to be changed.

Either way, I wholeheartedly disagree with the decision President Obama made to deploy troops, mostly because it's not our fight. I know that it's important for the United States, as a superpower and member of the United Nations, to make our presence known and uphold resolutions and beliefs of the Security Council, but I truly feel that we could have sat this one out. No, I am not opposed to war and I'm not opposed to helping out other countries in need, but there comes a point when you're overextended. For starters, close to 150,000 soldiers are still on active duty in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Wisconsin soldier, Spc. Justin Ross of Green Bay, was killed just this past weekend serving this country. Why do we need to send more military personnel to risk their lives for something that truly isn't our problem to begin with?

Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against the military. I have several close friends who serve or have served this country and both my parents enlisted when they were 18. I guess I just don't understand why the United States has to be involved, to some extent or another, in every conflict that arises. We're like that snoopy next door neighbor who always has her nose in everyone's business. I guess the point I'm trying to make in this ongoing diatribe is that, maybe, for once, it would serve the United States better to simply have a truly supportive role in events like these. Letting other nations take the first step to handle and overcome these obstacles is what makes them grow stronger and become more independent. Yes, we have relied on a lot of these particular countries to help us during the numerous wars that have taken place, but I just don't feel as though it's our place to intervene whenever something goes awry.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Don't Boycott Local Businesses

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about Wisconsin unions encouraging their disciples, if you will, to boycott local businesses who do not come out and formally oppose Gov. Scott Walker and his plan to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights. How in the world is this ever going to help matters? First of all, let politics stay in the political realm as much as possible. I understand that businesses often give contributions to campaigns, but I see no reason to encourage people to stop frequenting Wisconsin businesses, especially at a time when money's tight and the state is trying to attract business. Imagine if large corporations with the potential to expand to Wisconsin get wind of this. If residents of Wisconsin are so eager to abandon some of the most prominent businesses in the state over politics, chances are they'll take their business elsewhere. It just doesn't paint the picture of a promising business environment. Granted, Wisconsin is in an utter state of disarray at the moment, but still.

Kwik Trip and M&I Bank were two institutions that have been threatened by unions that their businesses will be boycotted if they don't formally announce that they are not in favor of Gov. Walker's plan. That's only going to make things worse for the middle class, as most of the people employed by Kwik Trip, which is a family-owned company, fall into that category. Then, of course, you have the business contributions to each community. Kwik Trip has been known to support various charitable organizations and non-profits, as well as donate to other efforts, such as the flood that occurred in Arcadia last fall. If you boycott a business like Kwik Trip, you're basically saying that your community doesn't need their support. Au contraire!

What these unions are forgetting is that local businesses contribute campaign funds to both parties. If they are boycotted, there's nothing stopping them from refusing support the next time campaign season rolls around. But, in all honesty, does every single business have to pick sides on this issue? What's wrong with just being Switzerland? Is it going to make a difference if Kwik Trip says they're opposed to Gov. Walker's plan? More than likely, it will not. The way I see it, boycotting local businesses is about as effective as thinking that a nationwide boycott of filling up at gas stations for one day will impact fuel prices. And, most certainly, people are not going to inconvenience themselves by shutting down their bank accounts and finding a different institution that opposes Scott Walker's plan. If so, that's just plain sad.

As of late last week, both Kwik Trip and M&I Bank refused to fall victim to the peer pressure of these politics and did not take a position on the issue. I give them a great deal of credit for standing up to these intimidation tactics. If I were a business owner who provided campaign funding for both parties, I think it would be appropriate to maintain neutrality. There's really no need for local businesses to choose sides in this debacle. Why can't we just let the politicians do the job they were elected to do and leave all of these antics out of it for a change?

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times

Are We Prepared For A 9.0 Quake?

After witnessing the devastation of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan, I can't help but wonder what would happen if the United States faced a similar crisis on its Pacific coast. While this country has withstood its share of natural disasters, the mere fact that earthquakes can happen at any moment of any given day without any warning is a scary concept. What's worse is that we're not immune to the kind of tragedy that is unfolding on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

For starters, California sits atop the San Andreas fault line and there are several sister fault lines in the San Francisco Bay area alone. That, in itself, makes me cognizant of just how plausible it would be for the United States to face similar devastation. The San Andreas fault has been the epicenter of a handful of serious earthquakes in the past, the largest of them being a 7.9-magnitude tremor in 1857. However, the population of California has grown extensively since then and a 9.0-magnitude quake, as was experienced in Japan, could seriously cripple the Golden State. With three of its major cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, along the coast, a 31-foot wall of water would devastate the region. Those three cities have a combined population of close to 6 million.

In addition, the United States has four of the nation's 104 licensed nuclear reactors located in southern California. The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, with two reactors, was built right on the shoreline in San Luis Obispo County, which makes it extremely vulnerable to tsunamis. The San Onofre power plant in southern San Diego County, which also sits on the Pacific coastline, is said to have been built to withstand a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. That's all well and good, but what if a larger quake shook the region?

And then there's the issue of infrastructure stability. In 1989, when San Francisco was hit by a 6.9-magnitude quake, bridges and highways collapsed. A portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay replacement bridge is still under construction over 20 years later. And that tremor lasted roughly 15 seconds; the quake in Japan shook the nation for over two minutes. Tom Heaton, an engineering seismologist at Cal Tech, admitted that, compared to Japan, California is nowhere near as prepared for such a violent quake. If that's the case, if I lived in California, I would be seriously considering a move.

If you ask me, it seems that earthquakes have been getting more severe in strength. Consider the devastation that was caused by the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami near Indonesia in 2004 – over 200,000 people killed. Then, of course, there was the 8.8-magnitude tremblor that rocked Chile just over a year ago – over 500 people killed. While the earthquake in Haiti only registered as a 7 on the Richter scale, it caused severe damage due to the fact that the epicenter was near a very populated location – between 50,000 and 200,000 people killed.

That many major quakes in a seven-year span is quite rare and has been deemed a statistical anomaly by some. With the death toll in Japan still rising and Prime Minister Naoto Kan describing the ordeal as the nation's worst crisis since World War II, I can't even begin to fathom what would happen if we were faced with similar devastation. Let's hope we don't have to.

Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times