Welcome to 2011

The Hickory Hound saw viewership increase by 17.6% in 2010. I believe that the people who are seeking a deeper understanding about what is going on in this community come here. They are the people living on the cutting edge. They are seeking news, not awaiting its arrival.

We are here to go under under the rug to get closer to reality. I know that our message isn't optimistic. We are not here to pass out happy pills. We are here to help the people of this community understand the challenges that we face. We are here for those seeking knowledge, not soundbites or slogans.

What most people who have read this blog will understand is that I do not believe that there are any easy answers or quick solutions to the problems that we face in this community. I am not optimistic about the short term future of our community, but neither am I overly pessimistic.

Why be dower, when statistics and analytical analysis from every survey show that we are already at the bottom of the totem pole in this nation. Folks, we can't fall any further, but we can sure as heck tread water down here.

It took until late 2007, for most of the leaders in this community to formally recognize that we were in a funk and most wanted and still want to calm the masses and soothe their souls with unnecessary rhetoric.

This year needs to be about more than that. We have spent alot of time thinking and talking and that is good. Communication is good, but this needs to be a year to take action. It is time to take actions towards tangible goals!

We talk about this area being an entrepreneurial area. I do believe and history does show that this area has been an entrepreneurial hotbed in the past. Ideas are not the problem. I believe that we have leadership from the "Powers That Be" in this community (Elected Officials, their Supporters, and the Bureaucracy) that are very, very risk averse. They want someone to show that an investment has a 100% chance of success, before they are willing to allow investment capital to be utilized for any entrepreneurial efforts. The problem is that innovation comes with no such guarantees and this type of mindset stifles ingenuity.

We need private investors who are willing to place loss-leader dollars into an incubation effort to get the ball rolling. I understand that there are public efforts, such as with the Small Business and Technology Development Center, the Manufacturing Solutions Center, and other efforts, but what we need to see is a private incubator, such as Thomas Edison's Menlo Park facility that fostered so much innovation. I honestly believe that focused energy can lead to innovation. But, it takes tangible actions and capital investment to move in such a direction and although we have seen the initial steps, we have not seen the follow through. This year needs to be about the follow through.

I believe in education, but I believe that the most important issue that we face in our area isn't necessarily the lack of education. The problem that I see is the lack of ambition when it comes to seeking knowledge. Knowledge should be a lifelong endeavor. We have too many people who cannot grasp that concept. Education is not about achieving goals through certifications. Education in any such manner will always become antiquated. I can tell you that any subject evolves over time. Look at Science. Understanding is constantly evolving. There are no constants.

I look up to older citizens and I trust their judgment, but there has to be balance. We have to balance this sage advice and experience with youth's energy and vigor. This community has always had a mindset of telling younger generations keep quiet and wait their turn. Youth is where most innovation comes from, because new ideas generally take energy to be seen through to fruition. The younger generations need to be invited to the decision making table.

I believe, the more people work together to make decisions, the better the decisions will be, and the more accountable we will all be for our actions. We cannot afford the Status Quo. No one is asking the community to change to a mindset of a Riverboat Gambler. We are saying that we need balance! In this rapidly changing world, we cannot afford to stand pat. We must move forward! We must be nimble!

I would like to thank the thousands of people who have read this blog so far. Whether you agree with me or not, it makes me feel good to know that people have spent time reading and interpreting my thoughts.

Thank You and God Bless You this Year,
James Thomas Shell