The Relevant Issue: 34,294 JOBS lost since July 2000 in the Unifour

This is a statistical abstract of population and employment statistics in this area. Some estimated extrapolations have had to be assumed. The numbers show the following details.

Unifour - In June 1990 56% of the Unifour's population was employed. As of May, only 39.5% of the same population is working. The Unifour area's population stood at 293,489 in January 1990 and it is estimated to currently be 369,033. The population has increased 25.7% during this time period.

In July 2000 there were 180,176 people working in the Unifour area. As of May, 145,882 people were working in the Metro area. Employment = Jobs and this shows that the Metro area has shed 34,294 jobs in the 8 year 10 month period. In February 2001, the Unifour's Workforce Population maxed out at 187,409 and current numbers stand at 172,426, which shows that the workforce has shrunk by 14,893 people. The Unifour has lost 8.7% of its workforce and 23.5% of it's jobs from it's peak.

Catawba - In June 1990 58.58% of the Catawba County's population was employed. As of May, only 40.12% of the same population is working. Catawba County's population stood at 118,945 in January 1990 and it is estimated to currently be 161,200. The population has increased 35.5% during this time period.

In June 2000 there were 78,540 people working in Catawba County. As of May, 64,679 people were working in the county. The county has shed 13,861 jobs in the 8 year 11 month period. In February 2001, the Catawba's Workforce Population maxed out at 82,245 and current numbers stand at 76,543, which shows that the workforce has shrunk by 5,702 people. Catawba County has lost 7.4% of its workforce and 21.4% of it's jobs from it's peak.

Caldwell - In June 1990 55.8% of the Caldwell County's population was employed. As of May, only 39.85% of the same population is working. Caldwell County's population stood at 70,846 in January 1990 and it is estimated to currently be 80,267. The population has increased 13.3% during this time period.

In July 2000 there were 41,430 people working in Caldwell County. As of May, 31,985 people were working in the county. The county has shed 9,445 jobs in the 8 year 10 month period. In January 2001, the Caldwell's Workforce Population maxed out at 45,053 and current numbers stand at 37,897, which shows that the workforce has shrunk by 5,156 people. Caldwell County has lost 13.6% of its workforce and 33.6% of it's jobs from it's peak.

Alexander - In June 1990 56.86% of the Alexander County's population was employed. As of May, only 41.41% of the same population is working. Alexander County's population stood at 27,652 in January 1990 and it is estimated to currently be 37,333. This shows population has increased 35% during this time period.

In July 2000 there were 18,960 people working in Alexander County. As of May, 15,461 people were working in the county. The county has shed 3,499 jobs in the 8 year 10 month period. In February 2001, the Alexander's Workforce Population maxed out at 19,578 and current numbers stand at 18,319, which shows that the workforce has shrunk by 1,259 people. Alexander County has lost 6.9% of its workforce and 22.6% of it's jobs from it's peak.

Burke- In September 1990 52.42% of the Burke County's population was employed. As of May, only 37.41% of the same population is working. Burke County's population stood at 76,046 in January 1990 and it is estimated to currently be 90,233. This shows the population has increased 18.7% during this time period.

In July 2000 there were 41,258 people working in Burke County. As of May, 33,757 people were working in the county. The county has shed 7,501 jobs in the 8 year 10 month period. In January 2001, Burke's Workforce Population maxed out at 43,053 and current numbers stand at 39,667, which shows that the workforce has shrunk by 3,386 people. Burke County has lost 8.5% of its workforce and 22.2% of it's jobs from it's peak.

The Hound's take: If we look at the numbers, we see across the board job losses in all 4 counties. Caldwell has taken the brunt of the hits and this is due to its major losses of several Furniture manufacturers over the last decade. The bottom line shows that we have lost 1 out of 5 jobs in the area.

The local governments have done an excellent job of keeping costs of services in order and taxes low, but unless we soon see a very drastic turnaround, taxes are going to have to be raised or services are going to have to be slashed. The recession means that we are going to see a reduction in sales tax revenues coming into local governmental coffers. Unemployed people do not spend money and also fewer people are coming to the area to buy furniture at local shops, as we have all seen in the past. We are also going to see less property tax revenue contributions from commercial and industrial properties, because so many companies have gone out of business and so many commercial properties are now sitting vacant. Yes, the local government has kept your tax rate low, but this ought to show you that they can't honestly tell you that they are going to be able to keep doing that.

My fear is that Hickory is becoming irrelevant. As I have stated before, we have so much to offer, but we aren't focused on the most important issue of the day -- JOBS. I do appreciate what Scott Millar has done with the Economic Development Corporation, but so much more needs to be done and Scott can't do it all. I have also seen what Danny Hearn has done. The man is working his tail off to help our local struggling small businesses succeed, but he can't do it all either. We just can't continue to overload our hopes of recovery on these mens backs.

We have to change the game. We have to lay a foundation to bring innovation to this community. That is our only way out. It is my hope that we will see fresh new ideas brought to the forefront of these campaigns that will take place for the city council seats and Mayoral race over the next few months. We have to have people with open minds that are willing to accept the challenges, risk their reputations, and set their egos aside. The status quo is causing us to fall further and further behind.

Hickory is the center of the area and should be the driving force, but we now see Lenoir with Google, Maiden looks to be getting Apple, Newton has Target... where does this leave Hickory? In my opinion, the area would be better off with a robust Hickory, but slowly and surely it looks like Hickory is getting left in the dust. As businesses continue to locate all around us, it is becoming more and more apparent that the communities around us are letting us know that they don't need us. This city can no longer afford to arrogantly think that we are the straw that stirs the drink, because we no longer are. It is time to leave the state of denial and face the facts.

The question that needs to be asked of all of these candidates in this upcoming race: What are you going to do to get Hickory back on track before we become totally irrelevant?

Happy Birthday America!!!

WHKY Candidate Call-In on Hal Row's Show Monday Morning

I listened to Hal Row's First Talk show on Thursday morning and he said since there isn't going to be a City Council meeting, this week, that the Monday Morning meeting with the Mayor is being pushed back two weeks and he is going to allow candidates to call in and announce their candidacy for the upcoming election.

Hal stated that he wants to keep this show positive. He doesn't want people calling in to attack the other candidates. I agree with those ground rules. We need to find out why these people are running, what they represent, and what they are all about. In the economic quandary that this area finds itself in, this election should be about ideas, not personalities. If we want to run a popularity contest, then why don't we throw a beauty pageant?

I can't wait to hear this show and I hope that the followers of the Hound will take time out and listen to Hal's show on Monday morning. I believe the call-ins will start after the news and such of the 8 o'clock hour. This is a good start to what I hope will be a vigorous debate about the concepts and ideas needed to lead this area into the future. Kudos to Hal and WHKY for having enough foresight and care for our community to provide such a forum.

WHKY on the net

Wall St. Journal - The National U-6 Unemployment Rate hits 16.5%

Wall Street Journal Article - Broader Unemployment Rate Hit 16.5% in June

U-6 is total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past.

Hound - This is the number I am referring to when I say that Unemployment is 25% in the area. If one extrapolates the National versus the local Hickory Metro and Catawba County numbers, then it is impossible to deny that that 25% is a very realistic number.

I heard someone the other day say that the great depression wasn't so bad for those that had a job. By listening to what politicians are saying today, and the decisions they are making, it sure does look like we are repeating history, doesn't it?

(National U6 / National U3) * Local U3 = Local U6
( 16.5 / 9.5 ) * 15.5 = 26.92%

Words that keep coming up over and over and over again

Below are words that have frequently come up in the articles and text of what I have written and expressed. I hope that this will give you further insight and perspective about where the Hound is coming from.

Access - the ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance: We are all stakeholders in our government. So we all deserve access to its just and righteous cause.

Accountability - subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable. Our Elected officials and the Bureaucracy that they are responsible for hiring have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of the people they represent and not in their own specific interests.

Authoritarian - favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom: Our Elected officials and the Bureaucracy are supposed to work in the peoples' interest and not the other way around. Authoritarianism comes from leadership that is elitist and feels that they know all of the answers and have all of the solutions and they don't want input from the people. When this happens, it decreases ones Quality of Life.

Common Sense - sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence: Natural knowledge and instinct that give us an innate feeling as to whether specific instances are just, right, and/or truthful.

Consequences - the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier: If certain things are done, then we should expect certain outcomes, especially where there is historical precedence to show us what is to be expected.

Credibility - capable of being believed; believable: Integrally related to honesty and integrity and built upon trust.

Expectations - to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of: My favorite example of this is when my grandparents would tell me that if I worked hard and did the right things that I would get ahead in life. Whatever happened to that premise.

Freedom - enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery: The condition of having opportunity and the right to make a choice as to whether to seize that opportunity. The more opportunity one has, the more choices they can make, and the more freedom they have. This increases one's Quality of Life.

Future - time that is to be or come thereafter. We cannot capture time and hold it hostage. Every action or reaction has consequences on the future. So the decisions we make today have a direct bearing on the future.

Innovation - something new or different introduced: We create new things as a result of evolution. Newness is brought about to improve the Quality of Life. This Progressivity helps to move society forward into the future.

Justice - The quality of being guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness: In a just society; laws, regulations, codes, and ordinances are applied equally without regard to ones station in life. When this does not happen, then we are led onto a foundation that can't be trusted not to crumble. Lack of Justice leads to a lower quality of life.

Manage - to bring about or succeed in accomplishing, sometimes despite difficulty or hardship: This should not be confused with control. Control is a form of management by authoritarianism utilizing coercion, threats, or domineering action. We see ruling bodies trying to negatively control people and processes in every form of government in the current era. We do need to manage processes, but positively, by being just, accountable, and forthright and getting people to buy-in to the process, not by pushing them, whether expressively or inadvertently, away from the process. Good Management leads to a higher Quality of Life.

Perspective - the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship: Everyone senses things through their own being. People that truly bring an open-mind to the decision making process naturally have greater perspective in dealing with others.

Process - a systematic series of actions directed to some end: Every thoughtful action in life is brought into being by a Process. Good Processes based upon a firm foundation of justice, righteousness, and equality lead to good results, while Arbitrary Processes based upon personalities and special interests will lead to bad consequences.

Prosperity - a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, esp. in financial respects; good fortune. Prosperity is brought about by opportunity; whether you were born into it or it was presented to you by association or creation. Prosperity dwindles when economic conditions are put into a state of negative momentum. Progressive economic policies broaden horizons and opportunities, which increases the odds of someone obtaining prosperous circumstances - a rising tide lifts all boats. Many times it can be much better to accept being a smaller fish in an ever expanding pond, than to be the biggest fish in a shrinking pond.

Purpose - the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc. We all have a Purpose and in my opinion it is much better to have convictions that are real. How many people have you seen that join a cause because it is popular and not because their heart is in it. In the end, these types of people do more damage than good. Sometimes in life you've got to show a little backbone at all costs. Better to leave this earth on real terms to face the creator, than to leave behind popularity.

Opportunity - an appropriate or favorable time or occasion: Most people just want is to be presented with decent circumstances (odds) to succeed. Most of us don't expect things to be handed to us. We get more pleasure out of obtaining something we have to work hard for. If given a good opportunity to succeed, then it is up to us to make it happen.

Quality of Life - used by politicians and economists to measure broader social effects of policies. The Objectives of the Hickory Hound. Quality of Life is ambiguous, but to be true it should include positive progressive momentum economically, culturally, educationally, spiritually, and environmentally for all our citizens, not just those at the top. Special interest are selfish in the fact that they want an excellent Quality of Life for themselves and from their own perspective, but they aren't looking out for all of the citizens.

Results - to spring, arise, or proceed as a consequence of actions, circumstances, premises, etc.; be the outcome: In the end this is what we want from leadership, not excuses. People who expect to not be judged by results are telling us that they don't expect or deserve to ever be held accountable.

Transformation - to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose. We need to move away from the needless attacks on people's personal being and a movement towards discussions of ideas and philosophies. Sometimes by winning, you can end up losing. The same ole people doing the same ole things will lead to the same ole results. This is not an attack on their personalities. It is taking the results of historical data and projecting them on the future. If we expect to change our economic circumstances and lack of progress, then we are going to have to change what we are putting into the system to move forward.

The Hound puts it all together by saying that results are important. Common Sense tells us that the consequences of this area's lack of leadership have been years of decline for the average citizen in this area. The real unemployment number in this area is around 25%, if you include underemployment.

We have to see a real transformation in our leadership process, if we want to move forward. The expectations of the citizenry have not been met. Our leaders tell us to put them back in office and things will get better. There is no accountability in this statement and therefore there is no credibility either. Isn't it time that we hear about our leaders' purpose? Why do they want to be on the council or in government?

Our local leaders talk about how they want the area to support a good Quality of Life. I understand that we all come at this from a different perspective. I have never been rich and some will say that makes me bitter. All I want to see is a fair governmental process. A city devoted to justice for all will open doors of access and opportunity to everyone and not just the privileged few who are well connected.

An authoritarian system arbitrarily chooses who the winners and losers will be. This takes away our freedom and in the end leads to a lack of prosperity for those who are not chosen. This is inherently a prejudice system that wreaks of the ways of the old South.

In the future, we need to change the philosophy about how our leaders manage this area. We need people who expressly understand that we need buy-in to the process from all sectors of the public. Innovation knows no boundaries. It can come from the poorest part of this city just as easily as it can from the richest, and that ingenuity can get us out of this hole we are in. We need people who understand that they don't have all of the answers and that we are all in this together. Until that happens, I hate to say that I believe the Hickory area will continue to fall further and further behind.

Catawba County Unemployment Rate hits 15.5%

Article from the Hickory Daily Record - Jobless rates rise in Greater Hickory Metro

The Hickory Metro number was 15.4%, up from 14.9% in May and the Catawba County number is 15.5%, up from 15%. We are obviously back to where we were with the March numbers. We will soon see other dreadful numbers as college kids come home to find there are no jobs and no opportunities available.

Here is a quote from a lost soul that I read on the HDR website:

No, the problem is that there are to many people out there who don't want to have to go to work for 6.15 and hour because they can draw more on their unemployment check than they can if they go find a job. I have looked at the job search engines and there are some job out there for people with minimal skills, the problem is that no body wants to start over making 8 or 9 dollars an hour. I have heard people say why would I want to go work for that when I can make more sitting at home with my 3 kids and living of the government for a while. My husband has worked for 9.80 for 10 years and he is just thankful he has a job to go to everyday. More American's need to realize that they may have to start over and tighten their belt's. I have no sympathy for someone who will not take responsibility for themselves and their own choices.

That is the "It's better than nuthin" motto that I have been talking about. How does this person expect to pay for ever escalating costs like healthcare, fuel, taxes, food, clothing, retirement... That is the type of least common denominator attitude that has killed this city and this area. Do you really think that people would rather be on unemployment? -- Please.

One of my best friends was laid off from a job where he was making over $15 an hour. The sales had slowed, because what the company sells is directly effected by the housing market. He liked the job, so he has hoped that he will get hired back. He is good at the job. but others had more seniority. His unemployment benefits aren't going to last forever and I have seen the emotions that he is going through and I promise you he isn't lazy. He is an excellent worker and if/when I am able to start a business up, he would be one of the first people I would hire.

Our city officials think it's just great to turn this area into a restaurant and retail center. Well, the local City of Hickory officials have weaved such a tangled web in their dealings with developers, that the developers are taking business to the fringe areas of Hickory -- Granite Falls, Conover, Catawba. Remember that Wal-Mart that was going to be off of Kool-Park Road? Poof, it went to Conover with all of the tax revenue that would have come along with it. So Hickory's sales tax base is now getting split with other communities, because certain city officials would rather have no businesses, than to have what they call Big Box stores. Hickory's former stranglehold on the local retail sector is disappearing faster than a rabbit in David Copperfield's hat.

I personally have seen my lifestyle hurt by the Black Ice Management we have seen devour our employment capacity over the last 8 years. All of the people that once worked in manufacturing are now being pushed into the restaurant business sector, in what has become a game of survival. The successful restaurants in this area are now catering to budget meals, which means constant cost cutting measures, lower quality food, lower profitability, and lower wages for the staff. Owners of Fine Dining restaurants are hanging on by their fingernails and the Country Clubs in the area are going in the hole. Yep, sure sounds like a direction local leaders should be pushing us into (sarcasm).

The question is, are people going to continue to accept the area's status quo or are we going to say enough? There are things that we can do to turn our situation around, but is our city government worried about job creation or public relations?

Last week in the Hickory Daily Record, I read about Operation No Vacancy. I am all for this type of activity, but how many jobs will it create? Our city has been spending way too much time on these marketing tools in a time when job creation should be our focus. This report on Operation No Vacancy is another in a long list of our city's efforts to obfuscate what is Hickory's most defining issue -- JOBS.

Focusing on all of these awards and fluff should be monikered "Operation J.O.B.S." Whenever our city officials think about J.O.B.S., they aren't thinking about putting people to work, they are thinking about Justifying Our B.S.

It is time to shake up the structure around here. We have got to have people in city hall that will "eat, drink, and sleep" putting people back to work. Dabbling around the fringes isn't going to accomplish this. We have systemic problems and we need to change our mindset. Are we going to get there by maintaining the Status Quo? In the end, do these awards and certificates matter? Did that All-American City award produce what was promised by city officials?

The only award I want to see is 5% to 7% unemployment and positive economic growth. I know that is a tall order with our current national economic picture, but let's be honest, we can do better than we have been doing. We should have higher expectations. We are in the bottom 5% of employment numbers in the whole country. It took years of "No Control" management to get us where we are today. We have to change our mindset or we will continue to languish.

Right now we have negative momentum, when it comes to the economic opportunity of the average citizen in Hickory. No plaque, award, or certificate puts food on a citizen's table or money in their pocket. The only thing that does that is a JOB. As long as we have the same ole people, doing the same ole things, then we should expect the same ole results. Why not try the opposite? Maybe it's time to think about bringing some fresh faces, who will bring some fresh ideas into the picture, and then we might start seeing some positive momentum.

Opportunity and the Quality of Life

In this mission that I have been on over the last couple of years to find out where things all went wrong for this area on the economic front, I have had the fortune of meeting many fine people. What I have discovered is that I am not out here alone in the wilderness.

In this journey, I have met people who feel the whole spectrum of thoughts, emotions, and action in dealing with our plight. There are people that think as I do about Hickory's state of affairs and they speak up about it. There are those who know our economy is in the dumper, but they try to put on a brave front. Others are in complete denial that anything is wrong and they think people aren't spending money for psychological reasons. And then there are those that don't care -- "Where's my next brew."

I am sure that there are other characteristics and combinations of all of the above, but I sure have witnessed a lot of angst in this community about what the future holds, both in the near term and long term. One thing is certain, the status quo just ain't gonna cut it.

This community is going to have to change, if we are ever going to get back ahead of the curve. I am not talking about change for the sake of change, like some half-blind punch drunk prizefighter flailing away at something he can't focus on, but change with purpose. I am not talking about words. I am talking about action.

Some people in my personal life wonder why I am doing this. They wonder what the payoff is. Many people think that if you aren't getting paid to do something or it isn't purely recreational, then one is wasting their time. But, I truly believe in my heart that this is the time for the Hound to be my purpose.

I remember the Mayor on Hal Rowe back in December talking about how he was disappointed in our economic picture, but he wasn't losing any sleep over it. Well, I wish I could say the same, because I have had trouble sleeping since 2005 and though a lot of it has to do with anxiety issues, let's just say this economic uncertainty hasn't done my sleep habits any favors.

I have never been able to be like the little girl Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, "Dad-Day, I want a golden ticket!!!" I have had to work and be thrifty like the vast majority of people in Hickory. So I have never expected, nor have ever wanted, anything to be handed to me. I have met several people like myself in this process.

I had a phone conversation with a person that has joined my circle over the last month and I started going into my dissertation about how I can get alot of this Hound, FEC, and other stuff done, because I'm averaging 4 to 6 hours of sleep a night. He said he couldn't sleep at night either. He worries about sales, his baby, his family's future, and what action he is going to personally take to remedy the situation. He drives his wife crazy, because he gets up in the middle of the night and jots notes to try to systematically analyze his problems.

This person talks about the lack of opportunity. That it doesn't look like this generation and subsequent generations are going to have the opportunities that our parents and grandparents had. He doesn't want anything handed to him. He is willing to work for his expectations, but he deserves to be fairly compensated and he deserves broad horizons of opportunity. And once given that opportunity, then it is up to him to make the most of it. No words have ever rung truer to my ears and I knew I had a comrade.

I have also heard the Mayor state that he wants people to have one job, if they want one job, and two jobs if they want two. There was a saying back during the Clinton Administration that this person knew the Clinton Administration had created a lot of jobs, because he was working 3 of them. Mr. Mayor, you have personally told me that Quality of Life is important to you. What is a person's Quality of Life, if they are working two jobs just to make ends meet? They are wearing themselves out and they're not getting to enjoy their family. Seems to me, that that is important to ones quality of life.

I don't brag to people about how educated I am. When I enter crowded rooms, I understand that I am not the smartest person in that room, but I did achieve the requirements to get my college degrees. Yet, I have struggled from the get-go in this community. A couple of years ago I wanted to get out of the restaurant business, I sent in resumes and/or applied for over 150 jobs. I received 3 interviews. Does that not speak volumes about the opportunity available in this area?

I have a lot more to offer than just cooking. 20 years ago when I graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Finance, I never thought I would have struggled as mightily as I have. Twelve years ago, when I graduated with a 4.0 GPA in Culinary Arts, I would have never thought I would still be basically doing the same job I was doing then. You know Hickory's motto rings in my mind as it constantly drones on, "It's better than nuthin."

It's all about opportunity. Folks, the status quo is not working, it's not working, ittt's notttt Working!!!! We have got to move in a new direction. We cannot stand idly by and blame others for our problems. We are as much contributors as they are! That is the reason why I started this blog to get the message out. For years this community has been doing the same old thing and falling further and further behind. Isn't it time to change direction?

That is the reason this blog was started. We aren't here to demonize personalities, but when ideas are leading this community in the wrong direction, then we need to start openly debating those ideas. Once ideas are fully vetted from every angle, then we can come up with better alternatives and solutions. When ideas are conformed to personalities, it limits the scope of knowledge and stifles creativity and innovation.

I want to see more of our citizens brought into the local philosophical arena. I want more voices to be heard. I don't care who they are or what their agenda is, because the next big thing could come from that mind or from a collaboration of all of our minds. I am also tiring of seeing all that has been going on behind closed doors in this city. It is time that the light gets shone on what our city government is up to. After all, they work for the citizens of Hickory, do they not? Do the citizens of Hickory not have a right to know what their employees are up to?

In closing, I hope that we see a lively campaign with many debates, newspaper articles, radio appearances, public dialogue and discourse. An informed and educated electorate will make a decision in which they feel personally invested and in turn those subsequent elected officials will be more accountable for their actions, because there will be more scrutiny towards the decisions they make. This only equals one step, but that would be a great leap towards a brighter future for Hickory.