Letters to the Editor 2/15/17

Equal Pay For Women Has ConsequencesEditor: Here's the problem with the Equal Pay bill being considered by the Utah Legislature... Traditionally men have earned more than women in the workplace because they are considered the primary breadwinners for families. They need to make enough to support their families and allow the Mother to remain in the home to raise and nurture the children.If businesses are forced to pay women the same as male earnings, that means they will have to reduce the pay for the men they employ... simple economics. If that happens, then men will have an even more difficult time earning enough to support their families, which will mean more Mothers will be forced to leave the home (where they may prefer to be) to join the workforce to make up the difference.And as even more women thus enter the workforce that creates more competition for jobs (even men's jobs) and puts further downward pressure on the pay for all jobs... meaning more and more Mothers will be forced into the workforce. And that is bad for families and thus for all of society.It's a vicious cycle that only gets worse the more equality of pay is forced upon us. It's a situation of well-meaning intentions, but negative unintended consequences.We should encourage our Legislators to drop the whole notion. Let the marketplace determine what free-market forces should prevail. It is not the role of government to dictate to businesses what they should pay anyway... either as a Minimum Wage or Equal Pay for men and women.James C. GreenWasatch Co. GOP Vice-ChairMore on ScamsEditor: I enjoyed the article on the latest scam, where you inadvertently answer "yes" to a question such as "can you hear me". The scammers use a recording of your "yes" to send you some stuff you didn't order. There are other scams where you get sent a bill for something you didn't order. I've gotten half a dozen such calls in the past couple weeks, all from 435-654 numbers which means they are spoofing your caller ID so you will answer the phone.One of the worst scams is known as the "grandmother scam". I know a 90 year old grandmother that was badly taken by this. She got a call saying her grandson had gone out drinking with a high school buddy and got arrested for possession of heroin. She was asked to buy gift cards to affect payment to bail out the grandson.Another scam had to do with owing back taxes where someone calls you and says they are from the IRS, that you owe back taxes and that if you didn't pay up immediately, law enforcement would be on your doorstep. I've gotten that call and asked which IRS office I could bring the money to. The scammer said there wasn't time. I then asked if I could meet them. They asked why and I said I wanted to know what kind of ammunition to bring. Click. As soon as they realize you aren't a sucker, they don't want to waste another second on you.If you are asked to provide a gift card, don't do it. If you do, here's a way of having a little fun. Usually, they will want a gift card for several hundred dollars from a big box chain that has stores all around the country. So, go buy a gift card that you are willing to use and when they call for the number and PIN, alter a few digits in the gift card number and come up with a totally different PIN. You could notify the card issuers corporate security. When they call back, laugh as loud as you can, then use the gift card yourself.If you get some merchandise you didn't order with an invoice, call the sender and tell them you did not order it. If they want the stuff back, then ask for an RMA (return material authorization which will allow you to return the stuff them at their expense. If they balk at that, then tell them you are going to drop the stuff off at the Sheriff's office and tell the sender where they can pick up the stuff. If you end up with a bogus charge on your credit card, notify them and make sure they understand that you will not pay that charge.Rule number 1. Don't pay.Rule number 2. Read rule number 1.Dave KennamerHeber CityCommunity Thank YouEditor: Earlier this month our Olympic communities of Heber City, Midway and Park City played host to the world once again with over 500 athletes from nearly 40 nations coming to Utah for the USANA FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships. It was the largest celebration of our Olympic legacy since the 2002 Games 15 years ago.On behalf of the athletes, I want to extend my thanks to everyone in our local communities who made the teams feel so welcome here. It meant a lot to these young athletes to compete on the Olympic venues at Soldier Hollow and the Utah Olympic Park. And it was gratifying to see the volunteer support and the open arms with which Utah welcomed the