The Hickory United Political Action Committee (PAC) announced their endorsements for the upcoming Hickory City Election.
Hank Guess was endorsed by his speechwriter Dr. Glenn Pinckney for the 4th Ward, Farmer's Market Hotdog salesman David Crosby endorsed Hickory Insider David Zagaroli for the 5th Ward, and Former City Councilman and Hickory United Co-Chair Phil Yount endorsed incumbent Jill Patton of the 6th Ward for a third term. Now for the big surprise of the evening... Hickory United failed to endorse any candidate running for Mayor.
Where does this leave us? Hickory United went out on a limb to endorse the incumbent from Ward 4, Sally Fox's handpicked successor for Ward 5, and as if they needed to the unopposed incumbent from Ward 6. That's right, they actually endorsed the unopposed incumbent from Ward 6.
Talk about safe bets... Could there be a more Pro Status Quo ticket than this? I guess it is too much of a gamble to endorse the current three term incumbent Mayor Rudy Wright???
Mr. Mayor are the winds of change a blowin? Is it uncomfortable out there by yourself on that limb?
There were 19 people in the room, 5 people I know personally, and 9 associated with Hickory United. So out of several hundred Robocalls, there were five people who felt compelled enough in what Hickory United had to say to attend this meeting... And there was no known media presence.
Not only is there a lack of support at the top of the ticket. They are supporting personalities for their name and not anything that they stand for. These are the people who have brought us to where we are today. They support and represent the Status Quo and that Status Quo is:
* 30,000+ Job losses over the past decade
* 10%+ Unemployment
* Lowest per Capita income in North Carolina
* A realization that a property tax increase is imminent
* The 5th most miserable place in the nation according to a Gallup-Healthway study.
Let me put this year's elections into some historical context... The United PAC fails to see reality. In this year alone, there are more candidates challenging incumbents than in the previous 10 years combined.
Stay tuned for a groundbreaking announcement coming next week!
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013
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A friend recently shared this with me. It was written by Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and College Professor. Reading it, I couldn't help but marvel at how well he has defined the goings on in Hickory and Catawba County. Submitted for your contemplation.
"...A few days ago I had breakfast with a man who had been one of my mentors in college, who participated in the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s and has devoted much of the rest of his life in pursuit of equal opportunity for minorities, the poor, women, gays, immigrants -- and also for average hard-working people who have been beaten down by the economy. Now in his mid-80s, he's still active.
I asked him if he thought America would ever achieve true equality of opportunity.
"Not without a fight. Those who have wealth and power and privilege don't want equal opportunity," he said. "It's too threatening to them. They will pretend equal opportunity already exists, and that anyone who doesn't make it in America must be lazy or stupid or otherwise undeserving."
"You've been fighting for social justice for over half a century. Are you discouraged?"
"Not at all!" he said. "Don't confuse the difficulty of attaining a goal with the urgency of fighting for it."
"But have we really made progress? Inequality is widening. The middle class and the poor are in many ways worse off than they were decades ago."
"Yes, and they're starting to understand that," he said. "And beginning to see that the distinction between the middle class and poor is disappearing. Many who were in the middle have fallen into poverty; many more will do so."
"And, so?"
"For decades, those at the top have tried to convince the middle class that their economic enemies are minorities and the poor. But that old divide-and-conquer strategy is starting to fail. And as it fails, it will be possible to create a political coalition of the poor and the middle class. It will be a powerful coalition! Remember, demographics are shifting. Soon America will be a majority of minorities. And women are gaining more and more economic power."
"But the 400 richest Americans are now wealthier than the bottom 150 million Americans put together -- and have more political influence than ever."
"Just you wait," he laughed. "I wish I had another fifty years in me."
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