Water issue is a Straw Man

My Opinion piece in the Hickory Daily Record on September 17, 2007

Water issue is a Straw Man

In reading the your voice segment by Joice Smyre on Thursday, September 13th, "Where would we be if water siphoned off now," we see this "Straw Man" issue brought to the forefront and once again our fellow communities are being tarred and feathered unnecessarily...

Do the people of Concord-Kannapolis realize the inappropriateness of their request for water from the Catawba River, she asks?

I don't think the citizens of those cities are looking to do us harm. Unlike our community they have a great economic plan for the near and mid-term future. We can't expect other communities to follow our city's example of socialism. Most communities understand the vital need to generate the kind of economic opportunity that increases the size of the pie for all of its citizens. It should not be the role of governments to hinder that.

The Catawba River flows from Marion to the Atlantic Ocean. There are and will be many communities that will grow along it's banks in the future. What kind of a power grab are we asking for when we cry every time a commercial venture is proposed downstream? How would we feel if Marion and Morganton started badmouthing Hickory about our water usage and they wanted to turn off the spigot?

This drought will not last forever and we must all do our part to get through it. Are you doing your part? In the future we all (including municipalities) are going to have to conserve and recycle water. That technology will be necessary as the population continues to grow.

That is just reality, unless we are going to become an authoritarian nation that micromanages every facet of individuals' lives.

In the end, we need to worry about the economic growth of Hickory and stop obsessing about what other communities are doing about their circumstances. We cannot stop that progress. This issue has been vastly overblown by local politicians that want to cover up the fact that they have accomplished nothing significant in years.

The State of North Carolina is going to stand behind whoever or whatever generates more revenue for the state government – that is why they have approved some water transfer. Hickory's seven years of slow (to no) growth leads people to wonder about where our community's priorities lie. When Fortune 500 companies come knocking, will we lend a helping hand or push them away, because of petty concerns.

Instead of blaming Concord-Kannapolis for wanting water from the Catawba River, let's thank them for the cold hard slap of reality.The vitality of Hickory does not rest upon what happens downstream. Let's stop with the animosity towards our fellow communities and start fixing our own problems. The success or failure of this city depends upon bringing Major Industry back to the area.

We must learn to accept the things we cannot change, have the courage to change the things we can control, and hope that God helps us to know the difference.

James Thomas Shell