The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/629697
and watching T.V. for two weeks straight, we should be learning all that we can and making good use of our time. On the other hand, Winter break produces a good break from the stress that is a teenager's life. Page 2 January 22, 2015 Staff Editorial Minimum wage strangles small businesses... Opinions Editorial Policy: Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the district, staff, or student body. We welcome signed letters to the editor. Names may be withheld upon request. We also reserve the right to edit submission based on length and/or clarity. THE BLU FFER STA FF Tymberlyn Bealer Editor-in-Chief News Editors Tymberlyn Bealer Ceighlee Fennel Kourtney Sanders Shania Prieto Opinions Editor Britney Miranda Julissa Villalobos Features Editors Lexi Pritchard Joe Mills Sports Editors Becca Frey Sophie Cumpton Topics Editors Ceighlee Fennel Editor-in-Chief Julia Liebert Advertising Director Alisa Pelanconi Adviser Cartoonist Katelyn Stewart Leslie Soto Staff Writers Brianna Tackmier Amy Becerra Abby O'Sullivan Taylor Nguyen Skyler Drew Trinity Stehno Brooke Blythe Hanne Mae Dittner Brianna Zotea Gabe Hale Colton Epperson Claire Miller A-&-E Editors Netflix 'Making a Murderer' series brings light to crimes Hanne Mae Dittner Staff Writer Colton Epperson Staff Writer Abby O'Sullivan Staff Writer Minimum wage jobs have gotten another pay raise in the United States. Our minimum wage, starting on January 1, 2016, went up twenty-five cents from $9.75 per hour to $10.00 per hour, according to ncsl.org. The effects of this raise in pay make negative impacts on small communities such as Red Bluff. Raising the minimum wage twenty-five cents means that small business employers must pay their employees more money to work, but would force hours to be cut despite the excitement of getting the raise. In order to make a profit, small businesses must raise their prices on their products. But customers are displeased with the price raise, which drives them away from Red Bluff's small businesses. In turn, this lack of decent business forces the employers to cut their staff, and see through any other legal option necessary to continue their line of work. Minimum wage is meant for the people who do not have the training or other qualifications necessary for a higher-pay job. Thus minimum wage should not be raised because it is not meant for people to live off of with a family, but now in the major cities, employees at minimum wage are demanding that the national minimum wage be set at $15.00 per hour. If minimum wage jumped another $5.00 per hour, it would signal the end of the small business as we know it. Since the Recession in 2008, small businesses throughout the state of California have struggled to keep up with both the economy and growing minimum wage. We would see all of our businesses shut-down slowly if it was raised again. And they would likely not make a return. Our businesses need time to grow and prosper once more in Red Bluff before we can even talk about raising minimum wage yet again. If we don't take the time to settle the struggle with small businesses and minimum wage, we might as well say goodbye to our small businesses along with the oh-so-famous Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving and their unique (and in some cases cheaper) lines of products, because they would not survive another sudden increase in minimum wage. And if they do, small businesses will take an extremely long time to recover before they can thrive once more, in small communities and big cities alike. Nobody keeps them anymore. SPARTAN THUMBS Rainfall in Red Bluff February Break New Year's Resolutions Winter Formal Casual dances beat out this event. California welcomes the needed rain. Students are looking forward for this vacation. Hoverboards The stupid things keep catching on fire. Bluffer/ Claire Miller ***These Thumbs were acquired by Mr. Hendricks's third period class. Vacations endanger education tradition T he 2015-16 NFL season went by really fast. It is already the playoffs and the teams in the playoffs are Redskins, Vikings, Packers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Panthers, Patriots, Chiefs, Texans, Steelers and the Broncos. All of these teams listed are competing for a chance to win Super Bowl 50 February 7 at the Levi's stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San francisco 49ers. The 1 set of playoffs already took place The teams still remaining in the playoffs are the Panthers, Patriots, Chiefs, Steelers, Broncos, Seahawks, Packers, and Cardinals. This weekend's matchups that are taking place are Packers vs Cardinals, Seahawks vs Panthers, Broncos vs Steelers, Patriots vs Chiefs The winner of the Broncos VS the Steelers advance to the AFC championship game against the winner of the Patriots and Chiefs game. The winner of the Seahawks vs Panthers game will advance to the NFC championship game against the winner of the Packers vs Cardinals. The winner of the AFC and NFC championship games will advance to Super Bowl 50 on February 7. All of these teams remaining are all fighting for a chance to call themselves Super Bowl 50 champions. There are two teams still in the playoffs that were in Super Bowl 1 and those two teams are the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. I think that it's crazy that the two teams that were in the 1st Super Bowl are in for a chance to win the 50th Super Bowl. I think, from what I saw, the 1st Superbowl was crazy. T he Netflix series, 'Making a Murderer', first streamed on December 18, 2015. This intriguing documentary written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, investigates the story of Steven Avery. Avery was born in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin and is a man who served 18 long years in prison for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. Avery was convicted of this crime primarily because Beerstein identified Avery as her attacker. Avery denied the charges and never admitted guilt, but on December 14, 1985 he was sentenced to 32 years in prison. After many years of trying to prove his innocence, in April of 2002 multiple attorneys from the Wisconsin Innocence project obtained a court order for more DNA testing. The state crime laboratory tested 13 hairs recovered from Beernsteen at the time of the incident. Furthermore, after using a FBI DNA database, it had linked to a single hair of Gregory Allen who was then convicted for the assault of Penny Beerntsen. On September 11, 2003 the convicted charges were dismissed and Avery was granted release. When Avery was released his exact words were, "When I left prison, the anger left ... I was probably the happiest man on earth." Two years after Avery was released from prison, he was bringing up a 32 million dollar lawsuit against Manitowoc County and the district attorney who was in charge of the case and helped put Steven Avery away. The Netflix series explores the possibilities that Avery somehow could have been framed. In 2005 Steven Avery was then charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach who had come to a junkyard that the very family had owned. Avery was convicted after a very high profile trial in 2007. Given the first false conviction the viewers of the new Netflix series wonder if Avery did, in fact, kill Teresa Halbach. "How to make a Murderer" has brought even more attention to this case and is bringing a lot of new information to the courtroom to help this case. This show is giving new information to the public and also bringing new light to the rumors of the police department allegedly framing Steven Avery. A h, winter break. The break that every teen looks forward to. You get to sleep in, hang out with family and be with friends. Not to mention all of the amazing presents. But is it really all it's cracked up to be? Yes it's full of presents family and friends but is it worth all of the missed education? Studies have shown that within a 10-day period without practicing or putting to use a certain skill or something that you have memorized, those memories are lost. For example, say you go into break knowing the entire Periodic Table. If you never think about it again until you come back from break, you will only know less than half of what you memorized, in this case the Periodic Table. Teenagers in China do not get any breaks year-round. Yes, that means no summer. Have they caught on to something that the US has yet to discover? There is a reason that the American test scores are so much lower than those of the rest of the world. I believe we have just found it. Instead of sitting around It gives you a chance to unwind and regroup for the upcoming semester. But is forgetting more than half of everything you have worked so hard to memorize really worth it? My answer is no. I would rather know all of the material, score well on tests, and open more doors to my future than have a couple weeks off to stuff my face, chill with friends, and binge watch 'The Vampire Diaries' on Netf lix. Our society has forgotten about what is really at stake: Our education. We need to stay in school longer, and have fewer breaks to be able to even compete with the other countries test scores. America needs to get their stuff together and work harder to achieve these goals. I truly believe that we can do it. delights Age-old There is a reason that the American test scores are so much lower than those of the rest of the world. I believe we have just found it.