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Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
41.3% of the Unifour's Population Works (Revised with December data)
When I did these numbers originally I compared Workforce versus Population. I should have compared Employed versus Total Population. The actual number of employed vs Total Population in Catawba County is right at 42.5%.
I have done some more statistical analyzes of our area. These numbers do have some extrapolations, since our last guesstimates on population were presented for January 1, 2007. But, by rounding the numbers I feel that it is safe to say that we are very close to the numbers represented in this analysis.
The latest unemployment data presented by the St Louis Federal Reserve was for December 1, 2008. New data should be coming out in the next couple days. The last data was released on February 12, 2009. The population of the Unifour area is right around 367,000 people, up from 293,000 people in 1990
Look at the numbers of total citizens versus those that are actually employed. As of 12/1/2008, the population has increased by 20.24% in the Unifour since 1990, but we have lost 7% of our jobs during that time period.
In July 2000 the Unifour hit its Zenith as far as Employed Workforce Population is concerned. There were 183,838 people employed in the workforce, since then we have seen our area's workforce fall by nearly 29,000 people. From 1990 to 2000 we had added over 21,000 people to local payrolls. Our reversal in fortunes is directly attributable to the dismantling of our manufacturing based economy, especially after the decimation brought about after the dot.com-cable bust.
Look at the numbers and see that Alexander County is the only County whose employment numbers have grown over the last 19 years. I believe that is because these people want to be near the heart of the Hickory Metro without having to pay the taxes. I believe a lot of this growth is from the Bethlehem area, but that is an anecdotal interpretation.
It is terrible to see what Burke and Caldwell County have gone through since 1990. Burke County has lost 13.6% of its jobs, while Caldwell County has lost over 15% of its jobs. Burke County is struggling to show any signs of population growth over the last few years and Caldwell County isn't fairing much better. According to employment statistics, Caldwell County is the worst off in the region, the only bright spot being the Grace Chapel area near Hickory, which seems to be doing fairly well. But once again, I have to say that is anecdotal evidence.
What do these numbers show? Well, one interpretation is pretty much self explanatory. We have seen our traditional manufacturing job base devastated without question. But, I also believe we have seen a perfect storm of circumstances that are leading us down a path that honestly could send us into third world status. We must reinvent this community to survive and there are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing so.
The Unifour's population has increased by nearly 74,000 people and most of that is attributable to the growth of Catawba County. It is just too bad that there hasn't been the growth in industry to keep pace with population growth.
Harry Hipps makes some excellent points about the demographics of our population growth issue, in the article 47% (really 42.5%) of Catawba County's Population Works:
"First, the average household income (last statistics I saw was 2006) showed that we had a two income household making $67,000 a year. Catawba County recently stated that by 2025 six out of ten people in Catawba Co. will be over 65. The average Social Security check is $1000 per month so you can see that the income for 60% of us is going to drop by almost 2/3s. In addition, health care is rising more than general inflation and taking our disposable income and the strength of our Federal gov't and the future of the SS system is questionable. If there is a crisis in Social Security where does that leave us? And what does our economy look like when 60% of us are living on this reduced income?"
We cannot build our Economy on Fixed Income Economics. We have to attach ourselves to growth industries and we all know that the elderly are naturally risk-averse and not looking toward long-term investment or what might be termed as somewhat risky.
We must diversify our economy, especially demographically. Let's challenge ourselves to bring in a younger demographic. Once we do develop some new industry, we need to recruit young people who will not look at our community as a stepping stone, but will be willing to grow with it. That is the reason why we need to retain the best and the brightest that have been raised in this area.
What good does it do to develop youth as gifted students and then watch them gravitate to other communities? We must do something to get these young up and comers to stay at home. We must develop industries that challenge these young people to give the Unifour a look when choosing where they want to advance their professional careers. That, my friends, is the key to turning our community around.
Unifour Employed vs Total Population - Click the link to see the spreadsheet
I have done some more statistical analyzes of our area. These numbers do have some extrapolations, since our last guesstimates on population were presented for January 1, 2007. But, by rounding the numbers I feel that it is safe to say that we are very close to the numbers represented in this analysis.
The latest unemployment data presented by the St Louis Federal Reserve was for December 1, 2008. New data should be coming out in the next couple days. The last data was released on February 12, 2009. The population of the Unifour area is right around 367,000 people, up from 293,000 people in 1990
Look at the numbers of total citizens versus those that are actually employed. As of 12/1/2008, the population has increased by 20.24% in the Unifour since 1990, but we have lost 7% of our jobs during that time period.
In July 2000 the Unifour hit its Zenith as far as Employed Workforce Population is concerned. There were 183,838 people employed in the workforce, since then we have seen our area's workforce fall by nearly 29,000 people. From 1990 to 2000 we had added over 21,000 people to local payrolls. Our reversal in fortunes is directly attributable to the dismantling of our manufacturing based economy, especially after the decimation brought about after the dot.com-cable bust.
Look at the numbers and see that Alexander County is the only County whose employment numbers have grown over the last 19 years. I believe that is because these people want to be near the heart of the Hickory Metro without having to pay the taxes. I believe a lot of this growth is from the Bethlehem area, but that is an anecdotal interpretation.
It is terrible to see what Burke and Caldwell County have gone through since 1990. Burke County has lost 13.6% of its jobs, while Caldwell County has lost over 15% of its jobs. Burke County is struggling to show any signs of population growth over the last few years and Caldwell County isn't fairing much better. According to employment statistics, Caldwell County is the worst off in the region, the only bright spot being the Grace Chapel area near Hickory, which seems to be doing fairly well. But once again, I have to say that is anecdotal evidence.
What do these numbers show? Well, one interpretation is pretty much self explanatory. We have seen our traditional manufacturing job base devastated without question. But, I also believe we have seen a perfect storm of circumstances that are leading us down a path that honestly could send us into third world status. We must reinvent this community to survive and there are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing so.
The Unifour's population has increased by nearly 74,000 people and most of that is attributable to the growth of Catawba County. It is just too bad that there hasn't been the growth in industry to keep pace with population growth.
Harry Hipps makes some excellent points about the demographics of our population growth issue, in the article 47% (really 42.5%) of Catawba County's Population Works:
"First, the average household income (last statistics I saw was 2006) showed that we had a two income household making $67,000 a year. Catawba County recently stated that by 2025 six out of ten people in Catawba Co. will be over 65. The average Social Security check is $1000 per month so you can see that the income for 60% of us is going to drop by almost 2/3s. In addition, health care is rising more than general inflation and taking our disposable income and the strength of our Federal gov't and the future of the SS system is questionable. If there is a crisis in Social Security where does that leave us? And what does our economy look like when 60% of us are living on this reduced income?"
We cannot build our Economy on Fixed Income Economics. We have to attach ourselves to growth industries and we all know that the elderly are naturally risk-averse and not looking toward long-term investment or what might be termed as somewhat risky.
We must diversify our economy, especially demographically. Let's challenge ourselves to bring in a younger demographic. Once we do develop some new industry, we need to recruit young people who will not look at our community as a stepping stone, but will be willing to grow with it. That is the reason why we need to retain the best and the brightest that have been raised in this area.
What good does it do to develop youth as gifted students and then watch them gravitate to other communities? We must do something to get these young up and comers to stay at home. We must develop industries that challenge these young people to give the Unifour a look when choosing where they want to advance their professional careers. That, my friends, is the key to turning our community around.
Unifour Employed vs Total Population - Click the link to see the spreadsheet
Monday, February 9, 2009
Violent Crimes in the Hickory area since 11/24/2008
Do you think this is a problem, to have this many violent crimes in the last 77 days, or do you think it is normal? I want to know.
Violent Crimes
1) http://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1229704478689.htm - Hickory 11/24/2008 - Hickory police are asking for information in the robbery of a bank Monday. At about 12:45 p.m., a man and a woman walked into the BB&T branch on 12th Avenue N.E. and demanded money.
2) http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/11/30/3821968.htm - This happened around 11/29/2008 - Jonathan Christopher Cooke, a Newton resident, was taken into custody Saturday. He is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon. His first court appearance is Monday.Cooke was in the Catawba County Detention Center on Saturday under a $50,000 bond.Newton police said the investigation of the bank robbery is ongoing.It was the second bank robbery in less than a week in Catawba County.Newton police responded to an alarm at the branch bank at 2619 N. Main Ave. at approximately 2:36 p.m. Friday.
3) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/04/restaurant-robbed-gunpoint/ - Robbery at a Waffle shop on 12/4/2008 in which 2 waitresses were pistol whipped.
4) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/06/shopkeeper-shoots-suspected-thieves/ - 12/5/2008 - With bushel baskets filled with ripe tomatoes and fresh pecans beside its prominent holiday fruitcake display, the Randy Willis Grocery in Vale shows little evidence of the violent struggle that left one man dead during a botched robbery attempt early Saturday.
5) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/06/rash-robberies/news/ - Six Catawba County businesses - reported on 12/6/2008 - two banks, two grocery stores and two restaurants, have been robbed at gunpoint over the past two weeks. Vehicle break-ins and residential burglaries seem to have become commonplace. Thefts are on the rise.
6) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/10/grocery-store-employee-shot-lenoir-robbery/news-local/ - 12/8/2008 - An employee at the Fairvalue Supermarket was shot during a robbery at around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
7) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/20/customer-foils-robbery/ - happened on 12/16/2008 - masked suspects ran in and demanded money at gunpoint. Police say the same suspects first tried to rob the Market Basket convenience store on 14th Avenue, NE.
8) http://www.whky.com/news.asp?mode=detail&articleID=5518 - Happened I believe on 12/21/2008 - Two Catawba County women are among three suspects charged in connection with a robbery at a Hickory McDonalds. The third suspect is charged in two different robbery cases.
9) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/31/hickory-man-charged-murder/news-local/ - Gary Joshua Wilfong, 20, of 145 10th Ave. SE, Hickory, is charged with the murder of Denny Michael Abernathy, 45, of 823 2nd St. SE, Hickory on 12/23/2008.
10) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/31/knife-wielding-robber-gets-pepper-spray-instead-go/news-local/ - 12/29/2008 - A masked man with a knife tried to rob a gas station Monday night, but when the clerks fought back, the would-be robber ran.
11) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/08/police-woman-abducted-mall-sexually-assaulted/news-local/ - Hickory - 12/30/2008 - Two men robbed and sexually assaulted a woman after they abducted her from Valley Hills Mall last week
12) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/02/masked-man-robs-hickory-smoke-shop/news-local/ - 12/31/2008 - A masked man wielding a black sawed-off shotgun robbed the Smoker Friendly tobacco shop at 1417 29th Ave. Drive, NE, on Wednesday, according to police reports.
13) http://www.hildebrannews.com/news/jan09/304.html#- Hickory- reported on 1/9/2009. Police believe that they have arrested the two men responsible for two robberies in Hickory.
14) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/24/n-eagle-eyed-gds-workers-alert-authorities-arrest-/ - Alexander County - 1/23/2009 - GDS collection workers suspected something was wrong when they noticed there were jewelry boxes mixed in with the trash they were dumping in the back of their garbage truck day after day. So they brought one of the boxes back to their supervisor, said GDS Operations Manager John Isenhour.
15) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/27/alexander-county-bank-robbed-morning/ - Bethlehem - 1/27/2008 - At 10:45 a.m. a man entered the bank, flashed a silver handgun and demanded money, according to police. Authorities did not disclose the amount of money taken in the robbery.
16) http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18595631/detail.html - HICKORY, N.C. - 2/5/2008 -- Hickory police hope surveillance video will help them catch a pair of robbers who ambushed a convenience store clerk, beat him and dragged him across the floor early Thursday.
17) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/feb/06/masked-men-invade-home-steal-items/ - Hickory Springs Road Area though it says Newton - 2/6/2008 - One of the intruders pointed a pistol at the homeowner's head, ordered him to the floor, demanded to know who else was in the home and warned the victim that if he didn't comply he would kill him, said Coy Reid, Catawba County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy.
18) http://www.whky.com/news.asp?mode=detail&articleID=6001 - Hickory - Arrest made in weekend armed robbery at Hickory restaurant 2/7/2009 - A Hickory man is charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred over the weekend at a restaurant in the city. 20 year old Jonathan Credle was arrested yesterday and charged with robbery with a firearm in connection with an armed robbery at Subway at 2157 North Center Street.
Violent Crimes
1) http://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1229704478689.htm - Hickory 11/24/2008 - Hickory police are asking for information in the robbery of a bank Monday. At about 12:45 p.m., a man and a woman walked into the BB&T branch on 12th Avenue N.E. and demanded money.
2) http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/
3) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/04/restaurant-robbed-gunpoint/ - Robbery at a Waffle shop on 12/4/2008 in which 2 waitresses were pistol whipped.
4) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
5) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
6) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
7) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
8) http://www.whky.com/news.asp?
9) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/dec/31/hickory-man-charged-murder/news-local/ - Gary Joshua Wilfong, 20, of 145 10th Ave. SE, Hickory, is charged with the murder of Denny Michael Abernathy, 45, of 823 2nd St. SE, Hickory on 12/23/2008.
10) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
11) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
12) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/
13) http://www.hildebrannews.com/
14) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/24/n-eagle-eyed-gds-workers-alert-authorities-arrest-/ - Alexander County - 1/23/2009 - GDS collection workers suspected something was wrong when they noticed there were jewelry boxes mixed in with the trash they were dumping in the back of their garbage truck day after day. So they brought one of the boxes back to their supervisor, said GDS Operations Manager John Isenhour.
15) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/jan/27/alexander-county-bank-robbed-morning/ - Bethlehem - 1/27/2008 - At 10:45 a.m. a man entered the bank, flashed a silver handgun and demanded money, according to police. Authorities did not disclose the amount of money taken in the robbery.
16) http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18595631/detail.html - HICKORY, N.C. - 2/5/2008 -- Hickory police hope surveillance video will help them catch a pair of robbers who ambushed a convenience store clerk, beat him and dragged him across the floor early Thursday.
17) http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2009/feb/06/masked-men-invade-home-steal-items/ - Hickory Springs Road Area though it says Newton - 2/6/2008 - One of the intruders pointed a pistol at the homeowner's head, ordered him to the floor, demanded to know who else was in the home and warned the victim that if he didn't comply he would kill him, said Coy Reid, Catawba County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy.
18) http://www.whky.com/news.asp?mode=detail&articleID=6001 - Hickory - Arrest made in weekend armed robbery at Hickory restaurant 2/7/2009 - A Hickory man is charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred over the weekend at a restaurant in the city. 20 year old Jonathan Credle was arrested yesterday and charged with robbery with a firearm in connection with an armed robbery at Subway at 2157 North Center Street.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Does this really belong here?
I know that my address of my "supposed" traffic violation is of a personal nature and may have some people wondering, "Does this really belong here?"
I would like to say that I believe that it does. Not because it is personal to me, but because I believe that it was a wrongful action. But, it is my word against a police officer's and I am guilty until proven innocent. I can tell you that if any of you have something like this happen to you, I want to know about it. That is what we do here, we want to know about the issues that this city faces and open them up to the public eye.
We had a home invasion two blocks from here, in this neighborhood, the other night. Does it not make some of you wary, when you see the escalation in violent criminal activity that we have seen in the Hickory area over the last several months? Do you think this is an anomaly? Do you think this is going to get better or worse as we move forward in these trying economic times?
I have ultimate respect for our police officers. I know that there job is tough and I am glad that we have people that are assigned jobs to protect us. I do support them. I have never held animosity towards the police and have always been polite, respectful, and cooperative; both when approached and when asked to cooperate with them. I think we should all be, but I also understand why people of certain racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds have a bitter and wary attitude towards police officers.
It just seems ironic, to me, that we have police officers sitting inside of neighborhoods looking to see if someone stops at a stop sign properly (which can be judged very arbitrarily), when we have all of the crimes of a severe criminal nature taking place a couple of blocks away. Where are the priorities? Is it wrong for me to think this?
I will end this by saying that I will try and not put the letters B and S together or P and O together in my writings in the future. Yes, we all know what those acronyms mean and maybe some of you were offended by their use. To those of you who were offended, I apologize. I follow this action because I respect what Harry Hipps says and he says that it isn't right. I hope that as we move forward on the relevant issues of the day that the public will participate more with comments, whether you agree or disagree with me, because we need everyone to make this thing work and to move this city closer to what we dream of it being.
I would like to say that I believe that it does. Not because it is personal to me, but because I believe that it was a wrongful action. But, it is my word against a police officer's and I am guilty until proven innocent. I can tell you that if any of you have something like this happen to you, I want to know about it. That is what we do here, we want to know about the issues that this city faces and open them up to the public eye.
We had a home invasion two blocks from here, in this neighborhood, the other night. Does it not make some of you wary, when you see the escalation in violent criminal activity that we have seen in the Hickory area over the last several months? Do you think this is an anomaly? Do you think this is going to get better or worse as we move forward in these trying economic times?
I have ultimate respect for our police officers. I know that there job is tough and I am glad that we have people that are assigned jobs to protect us. I do support them. I have never held animosity towards the police and have always been polite, respectful, and cooperative; both when approached and when asked to cooperate with them. I think we should all be, but I also understand why people of certain racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds have a bitter and wary attitude towards police officers.
It just seems ironic, to me, that we have police officers sitting inside of neighborhoods looking to see if someone stops at a stop sign properly (which can be judged very arbitrarily), when we have all of the crimes of a severe criminal nature taking place a couple of blocks away. Where are the priorities? Is it wrong for me to think this?
I will end this by saying that I will try and not put the letters B and S together or P and O together in my writings in the future. Yes, we all know what those acronyms mean and maybe some of you were offended by their use. To those of you who were offended, I apologize. I follow this action because I respect what Harry Hipps says and he says that it isn't right. I hope that as we move forward on the relevant issues of the day that the public will participate more with comments, whether you agree or disagree with me, because we need everyone to make this thing work and to move this city closer to what we dream of it being.
Friday, February 6, 2009
When is Stopping at a Stop Sign, not Stopping?
I just got a ticket for supposedly "rolling" through a stop sign on the way to a doctor check-up this morning at the end of the road that I live on -- not 200 feet from in front of where I live. I stopped, but I didn't stop for 3 seconds. I stopped for 1. I certainly didn't "roll" through the stop sign.
I am mad about this, because no one's life, limb, or property was anywhere near endangered. I knew he was coming after me as I passed by him and he started rolling. I pulled over and I was polite. I knew what he was going to say, because it couldn't have been for speeding, because I went by him at about 10 mph. Through the entire process, I was started out thinking, "This guy isn't going to write me a ticket," and then I was like "He's actually going to write me a ticket." Then I was like, "I cannot believe this guy is actually going to write me a ticket." That ticket was total BS. I would love to ask Officer ********** if he would like a ticket written to him under those same circumstances?
That is the kind of stuff that makes people resent the Hickory Police Department. I haven't had anyone pull me over for not stopping at a stop sign in 25 years. I have seen policemen make stops at stop signs right in front of me (all the time) just like I made this morning and I didn't find it to be offensive, so I really don't know where this guy is coming from. I just wish they would get some perspective.
(Please Read Harry Hipps's contribution below. It is a very good article about the Wayfinding issue and the missed opportunity that it represents, when it comes to the lack of citizen involvement in our City's relevant issues of the day.)
I am mad about this, because no one's life, limb, or property was anywhere near endangered. I knew he was coming after me as I passed by him and he started rolling. I pulled over and I was polite. I knew what he was going to say, because it couldn't have been for speeding, because I went by him at about 10 mph. Through the entire process, I was started out thinking, "This guy isn't going to write me a ticket," and then I was like "He's actually going to write me a ticket." Then I was like, "I cannot believe this guy is actually going to write me a ticket." That ticket was total BS. I would love to ask Officer ********** if he would like a ticket written to him under those same circumstances?
That is the kind of stuff that makes people resent the Hickory Police Department. I haven't had anyone pull me over for not stopping at a stop sign in 25 years. I have seen policemen make stops at stop signs right in front of me (all the time) just like I made this morning and I didn't find it to be offensive, so I really don't know where this guy is coming from. I just wish they would get some perspective.
(Please Read Harry Hipps's contribution below. It is a very good article about the Wayfinding issue and the missed opportunity that it represents, when it comes to the lack of citizen involvement in our City's relevant issues of the day.)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
WAYFINDING - TRAFFIC AND GOVERNMENT
Recently, City Council approved a contract for a consulting firm to design a logo and artwork for the City of Hickory. It's called a wayfinding project. This design will be used on City vehicles and signs to help direct traffic to popular destinations. In addition, they will interview people to determine which destinations to include when the signage is eventually purchased and installed. Council's vote was closely split with some feeling that now was not the time to spend the $74,000 on the first phase of this.
We do need to bring some uniformity to the signage and I think this is good for the City image as well as helping newcomers and visitors to find their way around the City, which is tough. People always comment on the difficulty our street layout presents. But I think we missed a great opportunity to think creatively here and boost citizen involvement. This decision followed the classic bureaucratic pattern. A need was identified, companies that specialize in meeting that need were identified, interviewed, and a bid was received. Staff studied it and made a recommendation to approve the bid. Our staff does a great job and they usually make good choices. This time, however, we could have taken a different approach.
This project does not really need a great deal of specialized knowledge. We're not talking about heavy equipment, computer systems, or a complicated legal morass. We are talking about artwork and signs. This is tailor made for citizen involvement.
First, we don't need a lot of interviews to determine what entities need a sign. I could probably do that myself in an hour or two. City Hall, the Crawdad's stadium, the SALT block, the Museum of Art, etc.... Most of us could come up with the list before a cup of coffee goes cold. Secondly, we will need different types of signs. The presentation at council showed what types of signs we need, some on light poles, some on power lines at intersections, large free standing signs at the entrances to the City........ so we know what we need as far as types of signs from this. Finally, the design of the logo itself, the colors, the images, etc...
What an opportunity this presents for citizen input. We could have a contest for someone to come up with the design. Local school art classes may be interested in trying out, graphic arts students at local colleges may want to try to be the winner so it would be a Resume enhancement for them. Local advertising agencies may try so they could get some bragging rights. Many people could then be focused on Hickory's image and what we are about and what we want to present to people. The artwork submissions could be submitted to a committee comprised of residents from our arts, engineering, academic, and other areas to narrow down the choices to be voted on by Council. This would generate more than artwork, it would generate participation in a City enterprise that is directly involved in defining who we are and what we want to be in this world.
When Council meets, few people attend or seem to care. It's a shame that participation and interest is so low. I think it is incumbent on the City government to do what it can to try to spark some interest from citizens and get us all working together for our common good. This would have been an opportunity to think outside the box.
We do need to bring some uniformity to the signage and I think this is good for the City image as well as helping newcomers and visitors to find their way around the City, which is tough. People always comment on the difficulty our street layout presents. But I think we missed a great opportunity to think creatively here and boost citizen involvement. This decision followed the classic bureaucratic pattern. A need was identified, companies that specialize in meeting that need were identified, interviewed, and a bid was received. Staff studied it and made a recommendation to approve the bid. Our staff does a great job and they usually make good choices. This time, however, we could have taken a different approach.
This project does not really need a great deal of specialized knowledge. We're not talking about heavy equipment, computer systems, or a complicated legal morass. We are talking about artwork and signs. This is tailor made for citizen involvement.
First, we don't need a lot of interviews to determine what entities need a sign. I could probably do that myself in an hour or two. City Hall, the Crawdad's stadium, the SALT block, the Museum of Art, etc.... Most of us could come up with the list before a cup of coffee goes cold. Secondly, we will need different types of signs. The presentation at council showed what types of signs we need, some on light poles, some on power lines at intersections, large free standing signs at the entrances to the City........ so we know what we need as far as types of signs from this. Finally, the design of the logo itself, the colors, the images, etc...
What an opportunity this presents for citizen input. We could have a contest for someone to come up with the design. Local school art classes may be interested in trying out, graphic arts students at local colleges may want to try to be the winner so it would be a Resume enhancement for them. Local advertising agencies may try so they could get some bragging rights. Many people could then be focused on Hickory's image and what we are about and what we want to present to people. The artwork submissions could be submitted to a committee comprised of residents from our arts, engineering, academic, and other areas to narrow down the choices to be voted on by Council. This would generate more than artwork, it would generate participation in a City enterprise that is directly involved in defining who we are and what we want to be in this world.
When Council meets, few people attend or seem to care. It's a shame that participation and interest is so low. I think it is incumbent on the City government to do what it can to try to spark some interest from citizens and get us all working together for our common good. This would have been an opportunity to think outside the box.
47% (really 42.5%) of Catawba County's Population Works
When I did these numbers originally I compared workforce versus population. I should have compared Employed versus Population.
I have decided to do some more statistical analyzes of our area. These numbers do have some extrapolations, since our last guesstimates on population were presented for January 1, 2007. But, by rounding the numbers I feel that it is safe to say that we are very close to the numbers represented in this analysis.
The last unemployment data presented by the St Louis Federal Reserve was for November 1, 2008. New data should be coming out in the next couple days. The last data was released on January 7, 2009. Looking at the numbers it is safe to say that Catawba County has a population right in the area of 160,000 as of November 1, 2008. This is under the assumption that we are growing at a rounded off rate of 2,400 people per year -- as we have grown over the last several years.
If these numbers are holding true, then that would mean that we have some serious issues when looking at the numbers of total citizens versus those that are actually employed. As of 11/1/2008, Catawba County has 75,307 people in its workforce, the unemployment rate was 9.7%, which means that 7,305 people are out of work. With an estimated population in the county right at 160,000 people, we see that only 47.06% (actually 42.5%) of Catawba County's citizens were employed at the beginning of November.
To give those numbers some comparison and perspective, you need to look at the data from the spreadsheet linked below. In January 1990 there were 68,339 people employed in this county. As of November 1, 2008 there were 68,002 people employed in the county, The population in the county on 1/1/1990 was 118,945 people compared to 11/1/2008's 160,000 people. So that means that basically, while the population has grown by more than 40,000 people in the last 19 years, we have lost 337 jobs.
On February 1, 2001 Catawba County hit its Zenith as far as Workforce Population is concerned. There were 82,245 people in the workforce at that time, since then we have seen our workforce fall by almost 7,000 people. As of 11/1/2008, there were 75,307 people available in our workforce. Our maximum number of employed people was achieved on 6/1/2000 at 78,540 people, since that time we have shed more than 10,000 jobs to where today we stand today at 68,002 people employed.
The most devastating angle in the new research that I have started shows that less than 50% of Catawba County's populace is now employed. The numbers show that only a tick over 47% (revised to 42.5%)of our total population is currently officially employed. We went below the 50% mark after December 2006 (actually December 2001) and have steadily declined since. Compare this to to July of 1991, when 61.86% (58.58% in June 1990) of our population was officially employed. That means that nearly 16% of our population is not working, as compared to then. We had 38,500 people fewer living in this county then.
What do these numbers show? Well, one interpretation is pretty much self explanatory. We have seen our traditional manufacturing job base devastated without question. But, I also believe we have seen a perfect storm of circumstances that are leading us down a path that honestly could send us into third world status. We must reinvent this community to survive and there are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing so.
Why has our population increased by over 40,000 people, yet there are no jobs to show for it? That shouldn't make sense, but I believe it is partially due to the fact that we have been slowly turning our community into a retirement village. The perfect storm of this county's native population aging, along with an influx of retirees from elsewhere is contributing to a community where more people don't work than do. It is up to you to decide whether this is sustainable or not. I contend that it is not and we must try everything we can to get our demographic model back in kilter.
I love older people. My grandmothers are 94 and 86 respectively. I do everything I can for them. But I also see the inherent costs in aging. Can our county's health care system sustain the aged if they become a predominant demographic element in this community. What will it mean for the standard of living of the younger generations, if we are expected to gear our working careers towards fixed income economics? I really think that these questions deserve to be answered. What do you think?
Catawba County Population Working vs Not Working
I have decided to do some more statistical analyzes of our area. These numbers do have some extrapolations, since our last guesstimates on population were presented for January 1, 2007. But, by rounding the numbers I feel that it is safe to say that we are very close to the numbers represented in this analysis.
The last unemployment data presented by the St Louis Federal Reserve was for November 1, 2008. New data should be coming out in the next couple days. The last data was released on January 7, 2009. Looking at the numbers it is safe to say that Catawba County has a population right in the area of 160,000 as of November 1, 2008. This is under the assumption that we are growing at a rounded off rate of 2,400 people per year -- as we have grown over the last several years.
If these numbers are holding true, then that would mean that we have some serious issues when looking at the numbers of total citizens versus those that are actually employed. As of 11/1/2008, Catawba County has 75,307 people in its workforce, the unemployment rate was 9.7%, which means that 7,305 people are out of work. With an estimated population in the county right at 160,000 people, we see that only 47.06% (actually 42.5%) of Catawba County's citizens were employed at the beginning of November.
To give those numbers some comparison and perspective, you need to look at the data from the spreadsheet linked below. In January 1990 there were 68,339 people employed in this county. As of November 1, 2008 there were 68,002 people employed in the county, The population in the county on 1/1/1990 was 118,945 people compared to 11/1/2008's 160,000 people. So that means that basically, while the population has grown by more than 40,000 people in the last 19 years, we have lost 337 jobs.
On February 1, 2001 Catawba County hit its Zenith as far as Workforce Population is concerned. There were 82,245 people in the workforce at that time, since then we have seen our workforce fall by almost 7,000 people. As of 11/1/2008, there were 75,307 people available in our workforce. Our maximum number of employed people was achieved on 6/1/2000 at 78,540 people, since that time we have shed more than 10,000 jobs to where today we stand today at 68,002 people employed.
The most devastating angle in the new research that I have started shows that less than 50% of Catawba County's populace is now employed. The numbers show that only a tick over 47% (revised to 42.5%)of our total population is currently officially employed. We went below the 50% mark after December 2006 (actually December 2001) and have steadily declined since. Compare this to to July of 1991, when 61.86% (58.58% in June 1990) of our population was officially employed. That means that nearly 16% of our population is not working, as compared to then. We had 38,500 people fewer living in this county then.
What do these numbers show? Well, one interpretation is pretty much self explanatory. We have seen our traditional manufacturing job base devastated without question. But, I also believe we have seen a perfect storm of circumstances that are leading us down a path that honestly could send us into third world status. We must reinvent this community to survive and there are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing so.
Why has our population increased by over 40,000 people, yet there are no jobs to show for it? That shouldn't make sense, but I believe it is partially due to the fact that we have been slowly turning our community into a retirement village. The perfect storm of this county's native population aging, along with an influx of retirees from elsewhere is contributing to a community where more people don't work than do. It is up to you to decide whether this is sustainable or not. I contend that it is not and we must try everything we can to get our demographic model back in kilter.
I love older people. My grandmothers are 94 and 86 respectively. I do everything I can for them. But I also see the inherent costs in aging. Can our county's health care system sustain the aged if they become a predominant demographic element in this community. What will it mean for the standard of living of the younger generations, if we are expected to gear our working careers towards fixed income economics? I really think that these questions deserve to be answered. What do you think?
Catawba County Population Working vs Not Working
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