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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2020)
OPINION READER’S FORUM Founded in 1906 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020 A4 EDITOR’S DESK In an angry world, kindness begins with us hile I was watching the news events of last week unfold, I was thinking of a song that I grew up singing in church when I was a young child. It went: “I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right, you see. And so I say to myself, ‘Remem- ber this: Kindness begins with me.’” Jade “Be kind” may seem McDowell like an obvious message NEWS EDITOR that no one should need reiterated. But while there are many good and kind people in Hermiston, as someone who has a public-fac- ing and sometimes controversial job I can also tell you from personal expe- rience that there are many people in this community who are not very kind. And they have been particularly unkind this year. Many unkind people don’t think of themselves as such. Occasionally, when I am going through comments on the Hermiston Herald or East Oregonian Facebook pages to hide or delete ones that violate our com- munity standards against profanity and slurs, I will click on the profi le of someone who has said something especially rude. It’s amazing how often the person has recently shared a post about the importance of kind- ness or positivity. One woman had “Be kind, it’s that simple” as her slo- gan at the top of her page. W Jade McDowell/Hermiston Herald In an example of responding to diffi cult circumstances with kindness, teenagers wash cars outside Center Market in Stanfi eld on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, to raise money for classmates seriously injured in a recent car crash. That’s the problem with the inter- net. It creates a psychological barrier between us and the people who we are communicating with. Somehow, calling someone stupid or a liar using a keyboard feels different than walk- ing up to a stranger in the grocery store to call them the same things. But the impact is often the same for the victim, however the message is delivered. I’m defi nitely guilty of it, too. Occasionally I have taken my bad day out on a random stranger online, and if you have ever been the target of a sarcastic or rude comment from me, I sincerely apologize. I am work- ing to improve on that area of my life. A while ago I saw an interaction between two strangers in the com- ment section of an article online. They began by disagreeing over something political, which esca- lated to one person calling the other a name. While that happens every day, what happened next was more mem- COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Keep your business out of trouble with proper record keeping hat is the difference between bookkeepers, accountants, and certifi ed public accountants (known as CPAs)? Many times, these terms are used interchangeably by small business owners, but there are distinct and important differ- ences. Sometimes people balk at pay- ing for these pro- fessional services, but the investment is well worth avoid- ing getting side- ways with the Inter- Greg nal Revenue Service Smith or Oregon Department of Revenue. Do-it-your-selfers many times make errors especially when it comes to payroll and the timely submission of reports and payments. This is something the IRS and Ore- gon Department of Revenue take very seriously, and the penalties are severe. Here is a brief summary of what duties bookkeepers, accountants, and CPAs typically perform and the requirements of each. • Bookkeepers work for a company to keep track of the fi nances. They are responsible for accounts receiv- able and payable, inventory, accurate and timely recording of transactions, monthly, quarterly, and annual report- ing and, in some instances, payroll. They can be independent contractors W or employees. With regard to train- ing, some bookkeepers have only a high school diploma, but many com- panies prefer someone with at least an associate’s degree. Bookkeeping cer- tifi cations and licensing are available through national organizations. As an aside, bookkeepers are in very high demand and for someone qualifi ed, is it a highly profi table business. • Accountants typically can prepare detailed fi nancial statements, audits of a company’s books, and prepare reports for tax purposes. It is import- ant to note that only CPAs, tax attor- neys, and enrolled agents are able to represent a taxpayer to the IRS. • What can a CPA do? To begin with, they have a much higher level of training and expertise. They have passed required examinations, meet all statutory regulations, and obtained licensing. A CPA can prepare and sign tax returns for businesses and indi- viduals, and represent clients before the IRS for audits and other import- ant matters. The national profes- sional association for CPAs is the American Institute of Certifi ed Public Accountants. Small business owners are busy. Many lack the expertise or simply don’t keep their fi nancial records up to date and are unaware of legitimate and important tax deductions. Depending on the size and type of business, an owner may have a bookkeeper and/or accountant, and then depend on a CPA for more complex matters, tax plan- ning, and preparation of tax returns. While it is always best to accurately track income and expenses throughout the year, the beginning of the fourth quarter will allow you a short window of time to get your books in order and implement the services of one or more of these professionals. Especially with all the unique cir- cumstances surrounding COVID-19, it is highly recommended that busi- ness owners employ the services of a CPA. Make the appointment as soon as possible so plans can be made to put the business in the best possi- ble position before 2020 tax returns are due. If delayed, not only will this compromise the business, but this is when CPAs’ schedules become full and they may be unable to accept new clients. The level to which a business owner keeps tabs on the company’s fi nances is a sure recipe for either suc- cess or failure. Make that appointment today. ——— Greg Smith is the executive advi- sor for the Umatilla Electric Coop- erative Business Resource Center, located at 1475 N. First St. in Herm- iston. The center provides free, con- fi dential advising to small businesses and can be reached at 541-289-3000 or uecbrc@gmail.com. CORRECTIONS Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 39 Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673 Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. orable. When the person who had been called a name responded there was no need to get personal, the other commenter apologized, stating he was going through a diffi cult time in his personal life and he shouldn’t have taken that out on someone else. The other responded that he understood; he did the same thing sometimes. “I hope things get better for you, man,” he said, and the two parted ways on seemingly amicable terms. Imagine if that was the spirit we brought into all of our interactions. A major part of the human expe- rience is being negatively affected by others. We go through life get- ting cut off in traffi c, given the wrong food order in the drive-thru and treated rudely by customers. What we often don’t see is the other side to that interaction — the normally great driver who accidentally cut us off because they were busy worrying about their injured toddler they were rushing to pick up from day care. Other times, the person we are angry at might be every bit the name we want to call them. We may believe we are completely justifi ed in what we want to say to or about them. In those situations, I have been trying to ask myself one question: With all of negativity already in the world today, do I want to be responsible for mak- ing it an even more negative place? Increasingly, my answer to that question has been no. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020 It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Morrow County deserves Doherty Jim Doherty is in a November runoff to be reelected as county commissioner in Morrow County. I have been watch- ing Jim since meeting him over a year ago, and he will get a vote from me. I encourage everyone registered to vote in Morrow County to vote for him as well. Jim looks at situ- ations from all angles and attempts to steer decisions in a manner that will benefi t everyone in the county. Jim works hard advocating for our county in Salem. Jim spends time trying to understand the way things operate and is not afraid to push for improvement even when it is unpopular. This behavior is exactly what we need in our local government. As a business owner raising my family in Morrow County; I want Jim Doherty working for me as county com- missioner. I know that with him in offi ce; someone is think- ing of each individual and each entity when making deci- sions. Jim has been commissioner for one term, and during that time he has developed and adapted. I believe he will only become more effective with time in offi ce. Please join me in voting to retain Jim Doherty. Morrow County deserves to have Jim Doherty as part of our team. J. Fletcher Hobbs Boardman SPEAK UP Seeking guest viewpoints Are you a parent who has been managing your children’s distance learning while working from home, struggling to fi nd child care or had to quit your job during the pandemic? The Hermiston Herald wants to hear from you about your experience this year. Submit a 250-word letter to the editor or a guest column of 400 to 650 words about your experience, along with your name, city of residence and phone number (phone number is for verifi cation purposes and will not be published) and you may be published on the opinion page of an upcoming edition of the Hermiston Herald. Letters and columns can be sent to editor@hermistonherald.com or submitted via the letters form at www.hermistonherald.com. Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be published. OBITUARY POLICY The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These include information about services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@ hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, x221.
