To date, the Hickory Hound has had 21,806 Unique Viewers from all over the World. Many of the targets you see above are people who have viewed this site on multiple occasions. The stats show that over 20% of the people that visit this site come back multiple times.This is something that I have heard expressed on many occasions. Many of these people have some sort of a connection with our area. I think that we should study these connections to make sure that we aren't missing opportunities. This ain't Podunkville any more!!!
This blog is read by almost as many people outside of this community as it is inside the community. The people outside of the community are Googling specific issues and this blog is the only source to find in-depth information on specific issues that have an impact on this community in relation to the local area, the State, the United States, and the World. That is the reason why my articles go to the top of the Google lists pertaining to the subjects discussed.
When it comes to people inside this community. We estimate that around 100 people read this blog on a continual basis, another 100 read it occasionally, and a few thousand people have read it and know it exists. When I think of phrases to describe our community, I think Lack of caring, Lack of passion, and Lack of compassion. I hate to make statements like that, but they are assessments of what I see. I'm not going to dig back into the lack of participation of the public pertaining to the local political scene. People act put out by anything other than trivial participation. Compare the lack of participation in local politics to the 2008 election when Obama ran. More than half of registered voters voted because of the hype surrounding that election, and honestly, you know that it was only about the hype. Hello, do people not understand that local politics is as important, if not more important than what is happening in Washington D.C.
This has been and continues to be a tough road to hoe and I have quit worrying about doing this for the community as a whole. What has to be done will have to occur in spite of the vast majority of people in this community, because it is more than apparent that they don't care about their own community. I do know that there are many people who are overwhelmed by work and taking care of their families, but fixing this community is going to be challenging and our backs are against the wall. We don't have time to devote to mindless hours of pop culture, conditioned news, and regimented politics.
It is my dream that we can restore balance to this community and get it back to where it was in the 80s and 90s. It is my dream that our young people will include our area in the equation of places they want to be when they get out of college. It is my dream that we can raise the standard of living in this area to a reasonable level. It is my dream that we will have a viable housing market and the commercial real estate market will bounce back, sooner rather than later, when the business cycle turns around or we discover new economic principles.
We have great assets in this community. We have people who are industrious and talented. We have serious issues that should be at the forefront of the nation's new paradigm. I think that people just need to get on board and take this community more seriously. You know, the Jon Reep shtick was funny in the beginning, but it is getting old. I don't think we should be pushing a "Billy Beer" agenda around here and I am definitely not on board. I know some very sophisticated people who live in this area and those are the people I am on board with, those are the difference makers, those are the game changers.
The Shuttle Progress took off and exploded. Hickory, we have a problem! These are dead serious times. There is no time for jokes. There is no time for frivolities. There is no time to sit on your hands and wish it was all just a bad dream. It is time for action! It is time to go find the pieces and put them back together so that we can fly again, so that we can get back on the path to progress. It's not going to be the same, but if we put the pieces back together right it will be better.
You need to understand, everything that each one of us does can make the difference. We all have an impact on this community. I don't like carrying a heavier load, but I am willing. We need champions for the cause. We all know the people who are on the right track and have the right mindset. We should invest in those people, lend them a hand, and encourage them when they are down. We need to encourage the trendsetters and create a support network to help them thrive.
I want to live to tell the story of this community's resurgence. I have friends that tell me it will be a generation before we even begin to act. I have compatriots who wonder why there is no sense of urgency to act. Sometimes I get physically ill thinking about how overwhelming the issues we face are. But, it's about the endgame. It's about surviving to thrive. I think about that Hollywood happy ending and we all have our roles to play. And people are watching this story play out every day. What will be your impact on our history?
4 comments:
As the rock band Steppenwolf said: "So we'll all just stick our head in the sand, pretend that all in life is grand, and hope that things will just turn out OK. "
Good post Thom. The change we need is an ethical and moral one, where involvement is a virtue and a priority. I admit, I get busy with work, family, and then stupid stuff and lose sight of the world around me. The message of our culture is one of convenience and self-centered-ness. We must break that spell that clouds our minds, making us see only those most immediate wrongs. It's a spell that blinds the eyes and robs the will.
I repent of my waywardness. I want to be involved, connected, a part of the problems and the solutions. I want to care, but it's a dastardly and wicked spell that is continually chanted by the t.v., the radio, the internet. Thus, the counter-spell must be equally powerful. If we can find that, we'll get people involved.
There is time for those ancillary modes of time usage, but life cannot revolve completely around entertainment and so many people have centered their lives around pleasure that they completely abandon the development of their lives.
I think 8 hours a day towards work, 4 hours towards life development, 2 hours towards maintenance, and 2 hours towards entertainment is a good balance. If you can sleep less, then you can devote that time towards whatever you wish.
But this is all just my opinion.
I agree with you Thom we should all be more proactive in the Hickory area. However, coming from a simple layman, watching the moves of City Council, it is apparent that personal agendas and vendettas are bountiful at City Hall. If you are not wealthy and/or poltically connected, you are not necessary in Hickory City Political circles.
We pride ourselves on being a small town with big town ideas and potential for growth. It seems the little man that makes for a great small town is being forgotten amongst the big town politics, small town ideas and the backwater ways to achieve them. It is classical Robin Hood syndrome only in reverse. The rich get richer by driving out the working man, receiving federal funding to "revitalize" buildings that seem to be still sitting vacant. In the meantime, they are still trying to accrue more property(funding). Instead of waiting for the upswing of the economy so these properties can be flipped at a profit, these people/companies need to make the first move. By allowing the small town business man that has made Hickory what it is today, to thrive along with them; it becomes a win/win situation for all not just the chosen few.
In a nutshell, Hickory does not let the small man have the power, so the ones in power are the ones who need to step up and work with the community not against it.
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