Opportunity and the Quality of Life

In this mission that I have been on over the last couple of years to find out where things all went wrong for this area on the economic front, I have had the fortune of meeting many fine people. What I have discovered is that I am not out here alone in the wilderness.

In this journey, I have met people who feel the whole spectrum of thoughts, emotions, and action in dealing with our plight. There are people that think as I do about Hickory's state of affairs and they speak up about it. There are those who know our economy is in the dumper, but they try to put on a brave front. Others are in complete denial that anything is wrong and they think people aren't spending money for psychological reasons. And then there are those that don't care -- "Where's my next brew."

I am sure that there are other characteristics and combinations of all of the above, but I sure have witnessed a lot of angst in this community about what the future holds, both in the near term and long term. One thing is certain, the status quo just ain't gonna cut it.

This community is going to have to change, if we are ever going to get back ahead of the curve. I am not talking about change for the sake of change, like some half-blind punch drunk prizefighter flailing away at something he can't focus on, but change with purpose. I am not talking about words. I am talking about action.

Some people in my personal life wonder why I am doing this. They wonder what the payoff is. Many people think that if you aren't getting paid to do something or it isn't purely recreational, then one is wasting their time. But, I truly believe in my heart that this is the time for the Hound to be my purpose.

I remember the Mayor on Hal Rowe back in December talking about how he was disappointed in our economic picture, but he wasn't losing any sleep over it. Well, I wish I could say the same, because I have had trouble sleeping since 2005 and though a lot of it has to do with anxiety issues, let's just say this economic uncertainty hasn't done my sleep habits any favors.

I have never been able to be like the little girl Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, "Dad-Day, I want a golden ticket!!!" I have had to work and be thrifty like the vast majority of people in Hickory. So I have never expected, nor have ever wanted, anything to be handed to me. I have met several people like myself in this process.

I had a phone conversation with a person that has joined my circle over the last month and I started going into my dissertation about how I can get alot of this Hound, FEC, and other stuff done, because I'm averaging 4 to 6 hours of sleep a night. He said he couldn't sleep at night either. He worries about sales, his baby, his family's future, and what action he is going to personally take to remedy the situation. He drives his wife crazy, because he gets up in the middle of the night and jots notes to try to systematically analyze his problems.

This person talks about the lack of opportunity. That it doesn't look like this generation and subsequent generations are going to have the opportunities that our parents and grandparents had. He doesn't want anything handed to him. He is willing to work for his expectations, but he deserves to be fairly compensated and he deserves broad horizons of opportunity. And once given that opportunity, then it is up to him to make the most of it. No words have ever rung truer to my ears and I knew I had a comrade.

I have also heard the Mayor state that he wants people to have one job, if they want one job, and two jobs if they want two. There was a saying back during the Clinton Administration that this person knew the Clinton Administration had created a lot of jobs, because he was working 3 of them. Mr. Mayor, you have personally told me that Quality of Life is important to you. What is a person's Quality of Life, if they are working two jobs just to make ends meet? They are wearing themselves out and they're not getting to enjoy their family. Seems to me, that that is important to ones quality of life.

I don't brag to people about how educated I am. When I enter crowded rooms, I understand that I am not the smartest person in that room, but I did achieve the requirements to get my college degrees. Yet, I have struggled from the get-go in this community. A couple of years ago I wanted to get out of the restaurant business, I sent in resumes and/or applied for over 150 jobs. I received 3 interviews. Does that not speak volumes about the opportunity available in this area?

I have a lot more to offer than just cooking. 20 years ago when I graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Finance, I never thought I would have struggled as mightily as I have. Twelve years ago, when I graduated with a 4.0 GPA in Culinary Arts, I would have never thought I would still be basically doing the same job I was doing then. You know Hickory's motto rings in my mind as it constantly drones on, "It's better than nuthin."

It's all about opportunity. Folks, the status quo is not working, it's not working, ittt's notttt Working!!!! We have got to move in a new direction. We cannot stand idly by and blame others for our problems. We are as much contributors as they are! That is the reason why I started this blog to get the message out. For years this community has been doing the same old thing and falling further and further behind. Isn't it time to change direction?

That is the reason this blog was started. We aren't here to demonize personalities, but when ideas are leading this community in the wrong direction, then we need to start openly debating those ideas. Once ideas are fully vetted from every angle, then we can come up with better alternatives and solutions. When ideas are conformed to personalities, it limits the scope of knowledge and stifles creativity and innovation.

I want to see more of our citizens brought into the local philosophical arena. I want more voices to be heard. I don't care who they are or what their agenda is, because the next big thing could come from that mind or from a collaboration of all of our minds. I am also tiring of seeing all that has been going on behind closed doors in this city. It is time that the light gets shone on what our city government is up to. After all, they work for the citizens of Hickory, do they not? Do the citizens of Hickory not have a right to know what their employees are up to?

In closing, I hope that we see a lively campaign with many debates, newspaper articles, radio appearances, public dialogue and discourse. An informed and educated electorate will make a decision in which they feel personally invested and in turn those subsequent elected officials will be more accountable for their actions, because there will be more scrutiny towards the decisions they make. This only equals one step, but that would be a great leap towards a brighter future for Hickory.