Editor:
On the afternoon of March 1 the Big Daddy of the Arcata Economic Development Corporation, Ross Welch (“Default Lines,” March 15), entered Plaza Design in Arcata, placed his hand with authoritative display upon the counter near the manager (my wife) Tracy and announced in a reportedly loud, aggressive tone in the middle of a busy Thursday something like:
“I am Ross, from the AEDC. We are here to shut this business down. If you work here, you no longer have a job. This stock is ours. It is our collateral.” Ross had brought Tony, the AEDC’s collections agent, and a locksmith described as being of thuggish temperament.
My first instinct was to demand a public apology for Mr. Welch’s hostile attitude during the close down event — and to ask who was responsible for payment of held paychecks. I called Ross at the AEDC to see what was up with the pay for my wife and others. I was under the wrong impression that AEDC had seized accounts!?
He said that the AEDC hadn’t seized accounts and that it couldn’t. He explained the legal logic of this and was notably gentlemanly to me.
As of March 17, the held paychecks were finally received from the proprietors with a kind letter.
But I still think a public apology is due from Mr. Welch to my wife and her co-workers.
I also assign Ross an exonerate tractate on:
An analysis of what ontogenic level(s) money exists on: What is money?
And, what are the ethical rules guiding practices of stewarding these increments of human value?
(Hints: You can reference the sciences, mathematics, general system’s theory, cybernetics, human neurology, history of philosophy, and/or Buddhist ontology. And all systems align along the temporal axis.)
Big question issues. Heavy karmic weight.
Assignment due by April 15.
Matt Yadley, Eureka
This article appears in School Lunch 2.0.
I would like to add something to Mr. Yadley’s letter to the mailbox in the March 22 Journal.
The Nazi tactics used by Ross Welch were extremely unprofessional and narcissistic. His dramatic entrance was for no other reason than to show people how much control he had over their ‘little’ lives and how little he cared about these people. To bring along a collections agent is a little much-it starts to become a theater production.
Mr. Welch could have waited until Plaza Design had closed for the business day. Announcing as he walked into the store..’I am Ross…’-what, has Ironman moved to Arcata?
One more thing I wouuld like to address. If the AEDC gets money at 1% interest, why do they charge up to 10% to ‘their’ clients. It sounds close to loan sharking to me.
This was so heavy fisted that it is hard to believe that any businessman would behave in such a manner.
I ,also, am asking that Ross apologize to the owners and employees of Plaza Design.
Step up, Ross, and do the right thing.
Kathe Gruenthal
Matt,
Is it possible that earlier attempts to get the owners and staff to behave with honesty had failed, and this was Mr. Welch’s last resort after his patience was exhausted? I don’t think most Economic Development Corporations, including Arcata’s, behave this way with much regularity.
I’m grateful that Mr. Welch acted in the taxpayers’ interest, though I’m wondering if he and his organization may have let things slip for too long before taking sensible action.
Should the owners of Plaza Design apologize to AEDC and the taxpayers for the situation they created?
If it hurt your feelings to have someone stop their assets from walking out the doors… too bad.
What is money? Why it is what you use to pay your debts, Matt. If you would have done that, then you wouldn’t have forced someone else to take action. You are at fault here, no one else.
Is anyone willing to do the community service of explaining to Kathe who the Nazis were?
Terrence, you see, Nazis where like really bad people who like closed up shops when like people like didn’t pay like their like oppressive like loan payments. Money should be free like pot like whoa.
Kathe doesn’t seem to understand how to world really works, but don’t you worry, she’s going to HSU and will come out knowing less than before.
I mean her whole rant seems to be based off that she doesn’t understand, so she doesn’t think it’s right. No, Kathe, Ironman didn’t move to Arcata, but you loudly announce what is going on when you seize a store. Keeps people from getting their balance and emptying the till into their pockets. No, it isn’t close to loan shaking, as Mike still has his fingers and kneecaps and writes letters to the editor instead of eating through a straw because he got his jaw broken for not making his note on time.
And you can tell that this wasn’t a Nazi action because there are no mass graves full of bodies covered in lime, or piles of ashes in which the owners and employees once stood.
If it wasn’t so dramatic, you might get more people feeling pity, instead of wondering where you got your shitty History lessons.