Citizens for Equity in Government - Pool Protest at City Hall

It was good to see all of the people that showed up at City Hall this morning to protest the decision to tear up the pools and fill them in. There were over 30 people that participated at various times this morning in temperatures that were in the lower 20s, if not colder.

In reading some other comments from other websites, I have been disheartened to read some petty, shallow comments related to this issue. It should not be necessary that it has to be said, but the people that showed up to City Hall this morning were some of the finest citizens in our community. You read some of these comments from these people who define themselves as "Conservative" and you would believe that the people who are protesting this decision about these pools are a bunch of derelicts. The conversations that I had with the diverse participants showed that the people understand the issue and they have fully thought out what has happened in this process.

I think that is an idea that has been fostered by some of the leaders of this community. They take the low road on some issues. If you don't agree with the company line, then there is supposedly something wrong with you. Honesty, Integrity, Honor, and Loyalty are the most important codes that we should live by, in order to build a bond of trust with others. Without espousing to these ideals, one cannot be a good leader on any level. Obfuscation, Duplicity, and Abandonment do not engender trust.

I carried a sign today, which is something that Gerald Celente has espoused over the last year. My sign stated, "City Council votes No to Justice. Yes! To just-us." All people want is justice and equity from our leaders. When leaders choose winners and losers, then whether you understand it or not, you are a living under a tyrannical form of government. No one is going to expressly state that you are living in tyranny. It is a feeling and it speaks for itself.

I am tired of shallow politics. I'm sure that most of you understand that I am not a shallow person. I am by no means perfect, and I make and have made plenty of mistakes in my life, but I always aspire to excellence, while trying to remain humble. Sometimes I demand too much of others, because of my own ways. I am sure that others aspire to excellence in some regard related to their personal life, but I feel they lose sight of the important things in life.

Last week, at the City Council meeting, I saw a man get very emotional about the process that he was witnessing City Council move forward with regarding the pools. He had no idea that this issue was on the agenda. He was at the meeting as part of a presentation to the Hickory Landmark Society. He ended up addressing council on this issue. You could understand that the Ridgeview pool had a significant meaning in his life. He basically begged them to table the issue. I doubt they even understood what he was saying. To the Council, the City Council meetings are just a ceremonial show. The real decisions are figured out well before the pageantry presentation to the public.

I have seen a hollow, matter of fact, lack of compassion come from this group on many occasions over the last few years. I can't figure out whether they are tone deaf or lack cognitive skills. There are consequences for actions that one takes, and one cannot absolve themself from their input in the public decision-making process. That is the reason why those who take on government roles, whether elected or bureaucratic, are supposed to be thought of as public servants; because their role is to serve the public. Not the other way around.

There is a club mentality with Hickory's City Council. Remember the last city election. The Mayor stated that he would like to see the Council re-elected, "because they are all of one mind" -- then they proceeded to throw Z. Anne Hoyle under the bus. There is an us versus them mentality when it comes to the council's relationship with the people of this community. It is almost a type of divine right mentality, as has been displayed by royal figures in the past. Another comment that I heard from Gerald Celente, in the past few weeks, mirrors what comes to my mind in relation to this issue. "Marie Antoinette said let them a cake. Our leaders say let them have nothing."

You may think this is extreme, but I don't. Who is still going on trips and vacations? Who still has benefits? Who is still not taking a major hit to their lifestyle? Who is still enjoying the amenities of life?... And the working-class people of Hickory can't even have a pool anymore!

There is a resentment that is building in this community. In these hard times, our community should be coming together, and yet it is falling apart. Whose fault is that?

The people of the South side of the tracks are looked down upon by the "Powers that Be," and their community is being stripped down to nothing. Is this some sort of master plan? Is there something behind this? I have seen a lot of people suffer, because of the city's abandonment of the South side of the tracks. This has gone on for a long, long time.

I am not trying to be contentious by pointing to the obvious. I have seen hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on downtown. I have seen a once thriving airport brought to its knees. An airport that could be thriving and is currently hemorrhaging cash due to the malfeasance in relation to a contract that was negotiated and signed under very unusual circumstances. I have heard the rumblings about legal cases where the city has had to negotiate their way out of trouble through settlements, which end up totaling a ridiculous amount of money.

I have been made privy to alternative solutions offered by private citizens, which could remedy this pools issue. I know for a fact, because I know the people involved, that an Olympic size swimming pool in the City of Hickory is a definite possibility. I know that an Olympic style sports facility was on the horizon for Hickory until our local government botched it. Yet, we hear nothing about this from our local media. The Mayor and the City Manager are given Carte Blanche and an open mic to say whatever they want when they stand before the media. And no one ever demands anything more.

The things that have been going on around here just do not add up unless you have had the privilege to gain a broad understanding from those who understand the undercurrent of the history of the "City of Hickory" and its effects on the surrounding area.

In the upcoming year, it is my hope to dig deeper and bring to you some of the wise, diverse voices of the local area who can give you the knowledge that you need to understand what is happening in this area, and how we got to this point. If the people in the public, who care about this community, begin to communicate with one another and put behind them the contentious, shallow politics offered by the Republican and Democrat parties, then we can move this area forward. We've got to start working with one another. In the end, we all want the same thing -- a better Hickory!