I appreciate you coming to catch up on information pertaining to Hickory as a community or to find out information related to the current Ward Referendum Election process. I promise that no information below will be profane in any way. And a special thanks to those who have come here in spite of the Mayor, and his friends, telling you not to. Your open mindedness is especially appreciated.
Below is the debate that occurred this morning on Hal Row's First Talk program presented without any commentary by myself. A special thanks to Hal Row and WHKY for recognizing the historical context of the preceding petition, the subsequent certification by the election board, and the discussion of the issue. This has been a true Public Service provided by Hal and WHKY. In my book, he gets an A+ for his involvement and neutrality on the issue and letting the issue speak for itself.
As I have said, don't shoot the messenger. I do support the passage of this Ward Referendum and I make no bones about that, If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact me at hickoryhound@gmail.com
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
William Shadup Gets It -- Letter in the HDR from Sunday
This has got to be a pseudonym, but these comments are spot on. Some are comments I have alluded to in this blog and a couple are points that I haven't even thought of:
From the Hickory Daily Record on Sunday, August 26, 2012:
I have a few questions regarding the referendum on Sept. 18: Why is the movement to defeat this referendum spearheaded by incumbent city council members and city leaders? What are our city council members so worried about? Do they not serve each of their wards well enough to get re-elected by the voters they represent? How is it not a conflict of interest for people such as our honorable Mayor Wright, and council members Jill Patton and Bruce Meisner to contribute money to a campaign to defeat the measure? Why wasn’t everyone in her ward asked to attend the meeting arranged by Sally Fox at Patrick Beaver Library a few weeks ago so she could inform us as to why we are better off voting against this measure?
Instead, it was only for people who have contributed to her campaign, many of them not from her ward. Why are we paying $50,000 for a special election, when the mayor has stated that the council could vote to enact the true ward system?
Of course, he also stated that the city council could not vote to enact the true ward system. So which one is it? Do we have a mayor that is incompetent or dishonest?
According to his Facebook page, Mayor Wright supports voting no on Sept. 18, because he wants to prevent “crackpots” from being elected to the city council. Why would a mayor use such an ugly word to describe his own constituents?
I think we know who the “crackpots” are Mr. Mayor, thanks to you and the city council.
WILLIAM SHADUP
Hickory
From the Hickory Daily Record on Sunday, August 26, 2012:
I have a few questions regarding the referendum on Sept. 18: Why is the movement to defeat this referendum spearheaded by incumbent city council members and city leaders? What are our city council members so worried about? Do they not serve each of their wards well enough to get re-elected by the voters they represent? How is it not a conflict of interest for people such as our honorable Mayor Wright, and council members Jill Patton and Bruce Meisner to contribute money to a campaign to defeat the measure? Why wasn’t everyone in her ward asked to attend the meeting arranged by Sally Fox at Patrick Beaver Library a few weeks ago so she could inform us as to why we are better off voting against this measure?
Instead, it was only for people who have contributed to her campaign, many of them not from her ward. Why are we paying $50,000 for a special election, when the mayor has stated that the council could vote to enact the true ward system?
Of course, he also stated that the city council could not vote to enact the true ward system. So which one is it? Do we have a mayor that is incompetent or dishonest?
According to his Facebook page, Mayor Wright supports voting no on Sept. 18, because he wants to prevent “crackpots” from being elected to the city council. Why would a mayor use such an ugly word to describe his own constituents?
I think we know who the “crackpots” are Mr. Mayor, thanks to you and the city council.
WILLIAM SHADUP
Hickory
Monday, August 27, 2012
CEG on Hal Row's Show - Vote Yes on Referendum - August 27, 2012
Joe Brannock and Billy Sudderth of the Citizen's for Equity in Government make the case for voting yes for the City Council Ward Voting Referendum on Hal Row's First Talk show.
Starts playing at 18 seconds. Oops. Misspelled Voting (Voring) and Their (There) on the story board.
Starts playing at 18 seconds. Oops. Misspelled Voting (Voring) and Their (There) on the story board.
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- August 26, 2012
America’s Descent into Poverty ~ Paul Craig Roberts - www.paulcraigroberts.org - August 24, 2012 - The United States has collapsed economically, socially, politically, legally, constitutionally, and environmentally. The country that exists today is not even a shell of the country into which I was born. In this article I will deal with America’s economic collapse. In subsequent articles, i will deal with other aspects of American collapse. Economically, America has descended into poverty. As Peter Edelman says, “Low-wage work is pandemic.” Today in “freedom and democracy” America, “the world’s only superpower,” one fourth of the work force is employed in jobs that pay less than $22,000, the poverty line for a family of four. Some of these lowly-paid persons are young college graduates, burdened by education loans, who share housing with three or four others in the same desperate situation. Other of these persons are single parents only one medical problem or lost job away from homelessness. Others might be Ph.D.s teaching at universities as adjunct professors for $10,000 per year or less. Education is still touted as the way out of poverty, but increasingly is a path into poverty or into enlistments into the military services. Edelman, who studies these issues, reports that 20.5 million Americans have incomes less than $9,500 per year, which is half of the poverty definition for a family of three. There are six million Americans whose only income is food stamps. That means that there are six million Americans who live on the streets or under bridges or in the homes of relatives or friends. Hard-hearted Republicans continue to rail at welfare, but Edelman says, “basically welfare is gone.” In my opinion as an economist, the official poverty line is long out of date. The prospect of three people living on $19,000 per year is farfetched. Considering the prices of rent, electricity, water, bread and fast food, one person cannot live in the US on $6,333.33 per year. In Thailand, perhaps, until the dollar collapses, it might be done, but not in the US.....
8 Economic Threats That We Were Not Even Talking About At The Beginning Of The Summer - The Economic Collapse Blog - In the crazy times in which we live, it helps to expect the unexpected. Sometimes you can think that you have it all figured out and then this world can throw a real curveball at you. Very few people anticipated that we would see a massive outbreak of the West Nile Virus in Texas this year or that the Mississippi River would be in danger of drying up after experiencing historic flooding last year. Who would have thought that we would see the worst drought in more than 50 years or that horrific wildfires would burn nearly 7 million acres of land? This is why economic conditions are always so hard to predict. A single "black swan event" can come along and change everything almost overnight. Our world has become incredibly unstable, and so who really knows what the rest of 2012 will bring? Will we see a stock market crash? Will the hurricane season be unusually bad? Will war erupt in the Middle East? Will we see a major earthquake on the west coast or even a volcanic eruption? Will the upcoming election cause an eruption of anger and frustration in America? We don't know the answers to those questions yet, and the truth is that we will probably see some things happen that very few of us are anticipating at this point. This is an exciting time to be a "news junkie", but unfortunately the vast majority of the news these days is bad. It is almost as if a "perfect storm" is developing. Our weather is going crazy, our financial system is on the verge of collapse, our politicians seem more insane than ever, there is evidence of social decay all around us and the drumbeats of war in the Middle East grow louder with each passing day. As strange as 2012 has been so far, I fear that things are about to get a whole lot stranger. Not that we haven't had some very unanticipated events happen this year up to this point. The following are 8 economic threats that we were not even talking about at the beginning of the summer....
Rising Jobless Claims Seen Keeping Unemployment Rate High - Thursday, 23 Aug 2012 - AP through Newsmax - The number of people seeking first-time unemployment benefits rose a slight 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 372,000, evidence that the job market's recovery remains modest and uneven. The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased 3,750 to 368,000. Applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. When they fall consistently below 375,000, it generally suggests hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate. Applications have risen for two straight weeks. Some economists said that indicates that hiring in August may slow from July's solid gain of 163,000 jobs......
Obama's Budget to Add $4.4 Trillion to Debt in Next Four Years - The Weekly Standard - DANIEL HALPER - August 23, 2012 - By the end of this year, the federal debt is expected to be $16.2 trillion, which is $6.2 trillion more than when President Obama first came into office four years ago. Moreover, new analysis by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee finds that, over the next 4 years, if Barack Obama remains president and his budget is enacted, $4.4 trillion will be added to the federal debt. Here's a chart illustrating the projected debt over the next four years:
Republicans Eye Return to Gold Standard - The Financial Times through CNBC - Robin Harding and Anna Fifield, Financial Times - August 24, 2012 - The gold standard has returned to mainstream U.S. politics for the first time in 30 years, with a “gold commission” set to become part of official Republican party policy. Drafts of the party platform, which it will adopt at a convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, next week, call for an audit of Federal Reserve monetary policy and a commission to look at restoring the link between the dollar and gold. The move shows how five years of easy monetary policy — and the efforts of congressman Ron Paul — have made the once-fringe idea of returning to gold-as-money a legitimate part of Republican debate. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican congresswoman from Tennessee and co-chair of the platform committee, said the issues were not adopted merely to placate Paul and the delegates that he picked up during his campaign for the party’s nomination. “These were adopted because they are things that Republicans agree on,” Blackburn told the Financial Times. “The House recently passed a bill on this, and this is something that we think needs to be done.” The proposal is reminiscent of the Gold Commission created by former president Ronald Reagan in 1981, 10 years after Richard Nixon broke the link between gold and the dollar during the 1971 oil crisis. That commission ultimately supported the status quo. “There is a growing recognition within the Republican party and in America more generally that we’re not going to be able to print our way to prosperity,” said Sean Fieler, chairman of the American Principles Project, a conservative group that has pushed for a return to the gold standard. A commission would have no power except to make recommendations, but Fieler said it would provide a chance to educate politicians and the public about the merits of a return to gold. “We’re not going to go from a standing start to the gold standard,” he said. The Republican platform in 1980 referred to “restoration of a dependable monetary standard," while the 1984 platform said that “the gold standard may be a useful mechanism”. More recent platforms did not mention it.......
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000111494
Big Income Losses for Those Near Retirement - New York Times - CATHERINE RAMPELL - August 23, 2012 - Americans nearing retirement age have suffered disproportionately after the financial crisis: along with the declining value of their homes, which were intended to cushion their final years, their incomes have fallen sharply. The typical household income for people age 55 to 64 years old is almost 10 percent less in today’s dollars than it was when the recovery officially began three years ago, according to a new report from Sentier Research, a data analysis company that specializes in demographic and income data. Across the country, in almost every demographic, Americans earn less today than they did in June 2009, when the recovery technically started. As of June, the median household income for all Americans was $50,964, or 4.8 percent lower than its level three years earlier, when the inflation-adjusted median income was $53,508. The decline looks even worse when comparing today’s incomes to those when the recession began in December 2007. Then, the median household income was $54,916, meaning that incomes have fallen 7.2 percent since the economy last peaked.......
Sunday, August 26, 2012
No Steps Backwards... Whatever!
From the Hickory Daily Record on August 26, 2012
Vote no to sustain unity
To hear it from the perspective of James Thomas Shell, you would think that Citizens for Equity in Government is the new Rainbow Coalition. Mr. Shell also believes that it is divisive to point out some of the cast of characters that CEG has brought in to disenfranchise me and the voters of Hickory by stripping away 5 of our votes.
Frankly they have no room to talk.
Mr. Shell and CEG brought in the radical group Democracy N.C., whose organizer Robert Dawkins has on many occasions taught courses on how to register felons to vote. CEG also managed to secure the endorsement of the Catawba County Democratic Party for a yes vote on this referendum. CEG also brought in Larry Pope to their efforts knowing that he is among the most divisive individuals in Hickory. Mr. Shell himself runs a blog, which I will not name in this family newspaper, which attacks in the most profane ways the mayor and other figures of city government.
Combined with this petition drive, it seems to me that CEG are the ones attempting to divide and disenfranchise this city. The No Steps Backwards Coalition at least brings in people of all political affiliations in a high minded tone that seeks to preserve good government for Hickory. Tell CEG and their divisive politics no on Sept. 18.
CHAD BOLICK
The Hound - I'm not going to get into a back and forth with this guy in the Hickory Daily Record. How has this blog been profane towards Rudy Wright?
I haven't seen Mr. Bolick at any public functions, so I don't really know him and he doesn't know me and I don't think he knows Larry Pope or the man from the DemocracyNC group, who seemed like a nice guy to me, but these people want to make out like he's Van Jones or something. Mr. Bolick won't tell us the merits of the current system. He only assassinates the character of Larry Pope, the virtually anonymous guy, and myself.
I was accused of secretly recording Mr. Rudy Wright the other day, by Mr. Wright, at a Republican function, which was an open meeting. I made no secrets about recording the meeting. I pulled out the recorder in front of everyone and started it. Maybe a few people didn't know what it was, but I assumed this was a public meeting and a public debate and it was alright to record it, but then Mr. Wright went and fussed at people in the Republican Party and I pulled the recording down, because the head of the Republican Party asked that I do so. What did Mr. Wright say that he didn't want people to hear?
Mr. Wright says I was an "uninvited, but not unwelcomed guest." Who the heck is Rudy Wright? I was invited by the guy he was debating, Joe Brannock, and no one made any negative comments towards my presence. I felt I conducted myself in a respectful manner towards these ladies. They were gracious ladies and they even invited me back. The only person who had a problem with my being there is more than obviously Rudy Wright and I don't think Mr. Wright is in charge of the Republican Party.
Mr. Wright came across as attempting to spread fear. He used the words "Scorched Earth" in relation to the supporters of this Referendum. His presentation was very aggressive, and frankly where he insinuated that we told non-truths, I can tell you that he told some whoppers. Stuff like that the guy from DemocracyNC spent all of his time speaking about how to get convicted felons registered to vote. I have a recording of that meeting and Mr. Wright is telling and out and out lie. The man did speak for a couple minutes about how to register people who had served there time and were free and clear to vote again. You do know that in this State that once free and clear of the legal system, then you may once again vote. The DemocracyNC guy never talked about signing up people in the penitentiary.
The other week, on Hal Row's show, Mr. Wright said it was "sinister," what I had said about Hickory being the only city in its peer group that has this modified at large system. That information came from the School of Government and it was information brought forward at the Hickory City Council meeting and it is indisputable. Now, Mr. Wright seems to have backed off and now says, "Hickory has the best way, because of the foresight and wisdom of the Councilmen in 1967."
Mr. Wright may not know this, but I have met Oren Cline and spoken with him on a couple of occasions, when he was brought to eat at my Aunt's restaurant and I cooked for him. The man is a very nice man and he is about 97 years old. He has nothing to do with this referendum. One of his sons is a friend of mine and I have never said a bad thing about Mr. Cline or Mayor Whitener or the others. I don't agree with the way they changed the system, but it was a different world in 1967 than what it is today. For one thing, Hickory had less than half its current population back then.
The fact is that what we have seen with the current Modified At-Large system makes it virtually impossible for a ward to have a direct impact on who represents them and therefore there is no direct accountability to your ward. With incumbency, if the incumbent is unopposed, then you stay in. If two run, you are guaranteed a city wide campaign. If three people or more run, then you have to end up in third place and to my knowledge that has only happened one time since this system was implemented in 1970. So in 42 years and 60+ city council races that has happened one time. Those are long odds for a ward to have a direct impact on who represents them. The result is that the Council will represent the Bloc that brings the most votes from wherever and not their ward.
I honestly can get into a long oratory about some of the things Mr. Wright has said and done over the last several years, but frankly this is not about Rudy Wright. Mr. Wright said the other day that "this is just about the tent and the pools," but he is wrong again. This is all about accountability. Mr. Wright can use all of his diatribe and do whatever he wants and frankly I don't care any more. This is about City Council representation. I just honestly feel that this Ward Voting System change is in the best interest of the whole of Hickory and certainly term limits would help too, but one thing at a time and it is time to move forward.
Vote no to sustain unity
To hear it from the perspective of James Thomas Shell, you would think that Citizens for Equity in Government is the new Rainbow Coalition. Mr. Shell also believes that it is divisive to point out some of the cast of characters that CEG has brought in to disenfranchise me and the voters of Hickory by stripping away 5 of our votes.
Frankly they have no room to talk.
Mr. Shell and CEG brought in the radical group Democracy N.C., whose organizer Robert Dawkins has on many occasions taught courses on how to register felons to vote. CEG also managed to secure the endorsement of the Catawba County Democratic Party for a yes vote on this referendum. CEG also brought in Larry Pope to their efforts knowing that he is among the most divisive individuals in Hickory. Mr. Shell himself runs a blog, which I will not name in this family newspaper, which attacks in the most profane ways the mayor and other figures of city government.
Combined with this petition drive, it seems to me that CEG are the ones attempting to divide and disenfranchise this city. The No Steps Backwards Coalition at least brings in people of all political affiliations in a high minded tone that seeks to preserve good government for Hickory. Tell CEG and their divisive politics no on Sept. 18.
CHAD BOLICK
The Hound - I'm not going to get into a back and forth with this guy in the Hickory Daily Record. How has this blog been profane towards Rudy Wright?
I haven't seen Mr. Bolick at any public functions, so I don't really know him and he doesn't know me and I don't think he knows Larry Pope or the man from the DemocracyNC group, who seemed like a nice guy to me, but these people want to make out like he's Van Jones or something. Mr. Bolick won't tell us the merits of the current system. He only assassinates the character of Larry Pope, the virtually anonymous guy, and myself.
I was accused of secretly recording Mr. Rudy Wright the other day, by Mr. Wright, at a Republican function, which was an open meeting. I made no secrets about recording the meeting. I pulled out the recorder in front of everyone and started it. Maybe a few people didn't know what it was, but I assumed this was a public meeting and a public debate and it was alright to record it, but then Mr. Wright went and fussed at people in the Republican Party and I pulled the recording down, because the head of the Republican Party asked that I do so. What did Mr. Wright say that he didn't want people to hear?
Mr. Wright says I was an "uninvited, but not unwelcomed guest." Who the heck is Rudy Wright? I was invited by the guy he was debating, Joe Brannock, and no one made any negative comments towards my presence. I felt I conducted myself in a respectful manner towards these ladies. They were gracious ladies and they even invited me back. The only person who had a problem with my being there is more than obviously Rudy Wright and I don't think Mr. Wright is in charge of the Republican Party.
Mr. Wright came across as attempting to spread fear. He used the words "Scorched Earth" in relation to the supporters of this Referendum. His presentation was very aggressive, and frankly where he insinuated that we told non-truths, I can tell you that he told some whoppers. Stuff like that the guy from DemocracyNC spent all of his time speaking about how to get convicted felons registered to vote. I have a recording of that meeting and Mr. Wright is telling and out and out lie. The man did speak for a couple minutes about how to register people who had served there time and were free and clear to vote again. You do know that in this State that once free and clear of the legal system, then you may once again vote. The DemocracyNC guy never talked about signing up people in the penitentiary.
The other week, on Hal Row's show, Mr. Wright said it was "sinister," what I had said about Hickory being the only city in its peer group that has this modified at large system. That information came from the School of Government and it was information brought forward at the Hickory City Council meeting and it is indisputable. Now, Mr. Wright seems to have backed off and now says, "Hickory has the best way, because of the foresight and wisdom of the Councilmen in 1967."
Mr. Wright may not know this, but I have met Oren Cline and spoken with him on a couple of occasions, when he was brought to eat at my Aunt's restaurant and I cooked for him. The man is a very nice man and he is about 97 years old. He has nothing to do with this referendum. One of his sons is a friend of mine and I have never said a bad thing about Mr. Cline or Mayor Whitener or the others. I don't agree with the way they changed the system, but it was a different world in 1967 than what it is today. For one thing, Hickory had less than half its current population back then.
The fact is that what we have seen with the current Modified At-Large system makes it virtually impossible for a ward to have a direct impact on who represents them and therefore there is no direct accountability to your ward. With incumbency, if the incumbent is unopposed, then you stay in. If two run, you are guaranteed a city wide campaign. If three people or more run, then you have to end up in third place and to my knowledge that has only happened one time since this system was implemented in 1970. So in 42 years and 60+ city council races that has happened one time. Those are long odds for a ward to have a direct impact on who represents them. The result is that the Council will represent the Bloc that brings the most votes from wherever and not their ward.
I honestly can get into a long oratory about some of the things Mr. Wright has said and done over the last several years, but frankly this is not about Rudy Wright. Mr. Wright said the other day that "this is just about the tent and the pools," but he is wrong again. This is all about accountability. Mr. Wright can use all of his diatribe and do whatever he wants and frankly I don't care any more. This is about City Council representation. I just honestly feel that this Ward Voting System change is in the best interest of the whole of Hickory and certainly term limits would help too, but one thing at a time and it is time to move forward.
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