An Inside Look from the People most affected by the City of Hickory's decision to no longer operate the Swimming Pools that have been a part of our community for Generations:
Sent to me by E-Mail from Deana Jones:
The city of Hickory only owns two swimming pools, Ridgeview and the George Ivey facility both located in low-income, minority communities. Neither pool has opened for the last few swimming seasons.
In 1994 and 1995, the City and leadership approved a program called the “Ridgeview Strategies”. This program was designed to help improve the Ridgeview Community by building city facilities and improving housing conditions. Among some of the city facilities that was to be improved was the swimming pool in this community. The improvement was to be a new swimming pool for adults and youth in the Ridgeview community at the end of the summer swimming season. There was money approved in the budget dating back to 1994 for the upgrading of the swimming pool.
The community is asking why the money allotted for this work has not been used for the repairs of these swimming pools. These pools serve a great purpose for the youth during the summer to help keep them out of the streets.
In 2007, the pool was opened on a specified day to allow dogs to swim in the pool. This upset many citizens of the Ridgeview community.
Later the swimming pool was inspected by the county and state Environmental Protection Agencies and was determined to be unsuitable for use during the next swimming season.
The last inspections were made in 2007 and 2008 and the City was told about which repairs would be needed to reopen the pool for the 2010 summer swimming season. As of July 10, 2010, the City has not complied with the work needed for the Ridgeview community.
It may be of interest that the community leaders went before City Council for resolution and concerns in this matter to no avail.
The pools are the issue. Let’s look at the real problem.
As most of us are aware of, we live in an area (Unifour) where (because of the election processes) for all practical purposes it is impossible to elect progressive leadership to represent minorities and poor and low-income whites to governmental bodies. The playing field is not level.
By anti-Democratic processes I am speaking of the at-large and modified at-large systems used to elect members to city councils, school boards, and county commissioners throughout the townships in the Unifour area (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties and hundreds of counties and townships throughout NC). The lone exceptions are the pure ward voting systems in Hickory, NC and Burke County, NC for electing school board members.
District and ward representation came into being to ensure the representation of ignored neighborhoods and to increase the likelihood that minorities and poor people would be represented by politicians of their choosing. It was not for the convenience of politicians.
By systematically allowing these voting processes to flourish, it is the intentional misuse of power that denies full democratic participation on bodies that determine our involvement in shaping public policy in the area. (Unifour)
If we are systematically kept away from the decision-making tables, we are barely left with little or no control of our destiny. We are at the mercy of “Plantation Politics” if we continue to do nothing about our condition. Can anything be done? The answer is a resounding Yes! We must go to our NAACP’s, labor groups, churches, social organizations to ask that they get involved in demanding that our right to participate in responsive and representative government not continue to be denied to us by the dominate cultural forces and corporate groups. Our leaders in these institutions must be at the forefront of our struggle for just democratic representation.
These anti-democratic processes disfranchise and discourage voters especially among workers and our youth.
The citizens of Hickory will return to City Hall AT 6:00pm on July 20, 2010-BE THERE! CAN WE AGREE HERE TODAY AMONG OURSELVES TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS STRUGGLE?
Hickory City Pools -- Told You So
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Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Reaffirmation of Independence of the United States of America
As was stated by the original author(s) of our Nation’s founding Document declaring Independence. We, as Americans, should reaffirm and ratify our Declaration against tyranny, whether foreign or domestic.
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for unsubstantial and/or temporary reasons; and accordingly all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are tolerable, than to correct themselves by abolishing the forms (of governance) to which they have become accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object exhibits a plan and willingness to reduce the people under absolute despotism, it is the peoples’ right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Such was the patient suffering of the colonies in the mid to latter 18th century, as such is now the slow drumbeat of oppression enforced upon us by a government gone awry that no longer represents the intent of the founders and the will of the people; which was government of, by, and for the people.
It has now become necessary to reaffirm and restore our rightful system of government. The history of the egregious actions of many of our elected representatives and members of the unelected bureaucracy must be enumerated. The injuries and usurpations of our rights, granted under the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all relate directly to the establishment of an absolute tyranny over “We the People.” To prove this, let the following facts be submitted to a candid world.
Our Federal Government has been arbitrary and prejudice in its administration and enforcement of laws; not following the intent of the founders, by crossing the jurisdictions of the three branches of government and allowing influence peddling based upon the intrusive force of money and power.
Our Federal Government has overstepped its bounds by not allowing State and Local governments to regulate their own commerce or pass and enforce laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless assented to by the Federal Government itself; and the Federal Government has been passive in recognizing the needs of the Governments closest to the people.
Our Federal Government has refused to pass or enforce other laws for the protection of many of its constituents; stripping the citizenry of rights granted under the United States Constitution through the signage and administration of treaties and other International agreements, without ratification, that have not complied with the by-laws of our foundational documents.
Our Federal Government has utilized the Peoples’ legislative bodies outside of their accord, by not following precedent of procedure in the passage of new laws. This has happened in spite of the intent of the people and displayed a voluntary willingness to basically make the rules up as they go to administrate the special interests of the elite against the common good.
Our Federal Government has dissolved the authority of the States to administer and regulate themselves, by seizure through the intent of force, if any individual State defended their rights. This superjurisdictional seizure has taken place against the guidelines set forth by the 10th amendment to the United States Constitution.
Our Federal Government has allowed issues to fester through the intent of neglect by not allowing State laws and regulations to be administered at the same time they refuse to administer laws and regulations themselves. Such political gamesmanship has left States with International borders vulnerable to the influx and incursion of foreign nationals upon their rightful jurisdictional territory.
Our Federal Government has endeavored to promote illegal immigration into the States by not enforcing immigration laws and regulations and this has inherently discouraged the proper naturalization of foreigners. This has had the effect of diluting the value of the rights of the Natural Born and Naturalized Citizens of these United States.
Our Federal Government has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing to administer, and working against, laws established by Legislative bodies; and the utilization of judicial powers as a weapon against the desires of the people.
Our Federal Government has allowed the Executive Branch to utilize Extrajurisdictional powers through Presidential Executive Orders against the separation of powers intended by the United States Constitution. This has enabled the establishment of Government by Decree and thus goes against the prudence, which prevents changes in governance for unsubstantial and/or temporary reasons.
The Federal Government has erected a multitude of new offices by decree, and sent swarms of officers to harass the people of the United States; and as stated in the original declaration, “eat out their substance.”
The Federal Government nearly ten years ago created “The Department of Homeland Security,” which over time has more and more been allowed to encroach upon and inhibit the rights of the people granted under the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. The Founders expressed in the original Declaration their angst that the English Crown kept troops amongst the people, in times of peace, without the consent of the legislative bodies. This is happening in our country today through the use of military and paramilitary troops, which has the effect of devaluing and suppressing the rights of the people.
The Federal Government has affected to render to local police agencies military powers independent of and superior to ordinary civil power. Left to its own devices, this will eventually lead to the effect of full scale Martial Law.
The Federal Government has allowed a Corporatocracy to develop, which has taken precedence over our long established system of laws and subjected us to a jurisdiction foreign to the United States Constitution.
The Federal Government has willfully taken actions that have by design, whether intended of consequence or not, destroyed our nation’s Productive Industrial Capacity. This has enriched the Corporatocracy at the expense of the people.
The Federal Government has allowed Multi-National Corporate Interests to take precedence over American Interests and the goodwill of the People of these United States.
The Federal Government has unfairly imposed many taxes upon the people without their consent.
The Federal Government has mismanaged the finances of this Nation in a multitude of ways, including the abrogation of the control of our National Currency to the interests of the Corporatocracy.
The Federal Government long ago established the Federal Reserve Banking system, which is a private corporate system. The money of the United States rightfully belongs with its people, not private corporate interests.
The Federal Government has willfully allowed the extortion of the American People’s interests through the manipulation of the currency by these private multi-national corporate interests.
The Federal Government’s Agencies were initiated to protect the interest of the American Public, but instead these agencies have been utilized as a means to protect the interests of the Corporatocracy.
For rendering State and Local Governments dysfunctional by overstepping the bounds of their jurisdiction and not recognizing or respecting the importance of local governance; which has fundamentally altered all levels of our governments.
For subverting State legislatures by not allowing them to govern in the interests of the individual State as recognized by the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; basically declaring the Federal Government invested with power to regulate legislation at all levels of the government through exploitation and illegitimate utilization of the “Commerce Clause.”
The Federal Government has abrogated responsibilities enumerated in the United States Constitution, by abandoning the protection of rightful citizens and falsely labeling many as subversives for defending their natural rights.
The Federal Government has endorsed the plunder of our natural resources, the polluting of our coasts and interior, the degradation of our local municipalities, and general destruction of the lives of many of our people through its willing support and association with the monopolistic International Corporatocracy.
Large portions of our standing military are being utilized in the role of mercenaries at the behest and for the interests of the International Corporatocracy. Many of our nation’s citizens are fearful that at a point in time in the near future that our own Military Forces accompanied by International Military Forces will be utilized to subvert the will of the people of this great nation.
The Federal Government over time has instilled a spirit of reduced expectations among the general populace, while continually expanding and protecting the superficial interests of the wealthy elite. The original paradigm upon which this nation was built was a demand for excellence and an altruistic belief in justice and equal opportunity for all.
Federal officials have voluntarily accepted an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, while some have continually and willfully subverted aspects that do not support their personal preferences. At the very least this is contempt and the argument can be made that this is treason. If the case can be properly established as to willful subversion of the Constitution, then at the very least, the remedy shall be removal from office.
The actions and consequences of this Federal Government may at a time in the future create the circumstances, whether intentional or unintentional, of domestic insurrections amongst us. Such Vigilante Justice and the reaction against it will inevitably lead to collateral damage involving the lives and property of innocent bystanders.
As we move further down this road of radicalized, divisive government, many of us grow weary to witness the chasm that has developed between Governance and the People. Under all definitions of our Republic’s founding documents, we are supposed to be a government of, by, and for the people. We humbly appeal to you to heal this divide with the people. Have we not learned from history, the consequences of Government by Decree?
The multitude of the people do not desire anarchy. We need governance, but the people deserve to be heard and their will shall not be subverted. The Federal Government’s role is understood, but it shall not be an autonomous agency of our governance. Under the Constitution that role is to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the Common Defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to the people of this nation.
It is understood that this nation, in past historical circumstances, has had issues where the Federal Government has had to step in to protect minority interests in the concern of justice. This is the reason why we are a Republic and not a Democracy. Justice shall prevail in cases where natural law is suppressed in the favor of oppression and against good moral standing. This should not however allow the Federal Government to grant itself new powers not enumerated in the original Constitutional document, unless an amendment is properly ratified under Constitutional guidelines and procedures.
Therefore, it is the hope of the people of this nation that our elected representatives and those others who serve the United States of America, will understand the seriousness of these issues solemnly set forth and published in this document. The United States are still and by right ought to be free and independent states as set forth in the original Declaration.
Lest we ever forget those who toiled, labored, or paid the ultimate sacrifice for these freedoms that this generation takes for granted and seems so willing to cast away.
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for unsubstantial and/or temporary reasons; and accordingly all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are tolerable, than to correct themselves by abolishing the forms (of governance) to which they have become accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object exhibits a plan and willingness to reduce the people under absolute despotism, it is the peoples’ right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Such was the patient suffering of the colonies in the mid to latter 18th century, as such is now the slow drumbeat of oppression enforced upon us by a government gone awry that no longer represents the intent of the founders and the will of the people; which was government of, by, and for the people.
It has now become necessary to reaffirm and restore our rightful system of government. The history of the egregious actions of many of our elected representatives and members of the unelected bureaucracy must be enumerated. The injuries and usurpations of our rights, granted under the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, all relate directly to the establishment of an absolute tyranny over “We the People.” To prove this, let the following facts be submitted to a candid world.
Our Federal Government has been arbitrary and prejudice in its administration and enforcement of laws; not following the intent of the founders, by crossing the jurisdictions of the three branches of government and allowing influence peddling based upon the intrusive force of money and power.
Our Federal Government has overstepped its bounds by not allowing State and Local governments to regulate their own commerce or pass and enforce laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless assented to by the Federal Government itself; and the Federal Government has been passive in recognizing the needs of the Governments closest to the people.
Our Federal Government has refused to pass or enforce other laws for the protection of many of its constituents; stripping the citizenry of rights granted under the United States Constitution through the signage and administration of treaties and other International agreements, without ratification, that have not complied with the by-laws of our foundational documents.
Our Federal Government has utilized the Peoples’ legislative bodies outside of their accord, by not following precedent of procedure in the passage of new laws. This has happened in spite of the intent of the people and displayed a voluntary willingness to basically make the rules up as they go to administrate the special interests of the elite against the common good.
Our Federal Government has dissolved the authority of the States to administer and regulate themselves, by seizure through the intent of force, if any individual State defended their rights. This superjurisdictional seizure has taken place against the guidelines set forth by the 10th amendment to the United States Constitution.
Our Federal Government has allowed issues to fester through the intent of neglect by not allowing State laws and regulations to be administered at the same time they refuse to administer laws and regulations themselves. Such political gamesmanship has left States with International borders vulnerable to the influx and incursion of foreign nationals upon their rightful jurisdictional territory.
Our Federal Government has endeavored to promote illegal immigration into the States by not enforcing immigration laws and regulations and this has inherently discouraged the proper naturalization of foreigners. This has had the effect of diluting the value of the rights of the Natural Born and Naturalized Citizens of these United States.
Our Federal Government has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing to administer, and working against, laws established by Legislative bodies; and the utilization of judicial powers as a weapon against the desires of the people.
Our Federal Government has allowed the Executive Branch to utilize Extrajurisdictional powers through Presidential Executive Orders against the separation of powers intended by the United States Constitution. This has enabled the establishment of Government by Decree and thus goes against the prudence, which prevents changes in governance for unsubstantial and/or temporary reasons.
The Federal Government has erected a multitude of new offices by decree, and sent swarms of officers to harass the people of the United States; and as stated in the original declaration, “eat out their substance.”
The Federal Government nearly ten years ago created “The Department of Homeland Security,” which over time has more and more been allowed to encroach upon and inhibit the rights of the people granted under the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. The Founders expressed in the original Declaration their angst that the English Crown kept troops amongst the people, in times of peace, without the consent of the legislative bodies. This is happening in our country today through the use of military and paramilitary troops, which has the effect of devaluing and suppressing the rights of the people.
The Federal Government has affected to render to local police agencies military powers independent of and superior to ordinary civil power. Left to its own devices, this will eventually lead to the effect of full scale Martial Law.
The Federal Government has allowed a Corporatocracy to develop, which has taken precedence over our long established system of laws and subjected us to a jurisdiction foreign to the United States Constitution.
The Federal Government has willfully taken actions that have by design, whether intended of consequence or not, destroyed our nation’s Productive Industrial Capacity. This has enriched the Corporatocracy at the expense of the people.
The Federal Government has allowed Multi-National Corporate Interests to take precedence over American Interests and the goodwill of the People of these United States.
The Federal Government has unfairly imposed many taxes upon the people without their consent.
The Federal Government has mismanaged the finances of this Nation in a multitude of ways, including the abrogation of the control of our National Currency to the interests of the Corporatocracy.
The Federal Government long ago established the Federal Reserve Banking system, which is a private corporate system. The money of the United States rightfully belongs with its people, not private corporate interests.
The Federal Government has willfully allowed the extortion of the American People’s interests through the manipulation of the currency by these private multi-national corporate interests.
The Federal Government’s Agencies were initiated to protect the interest of the American Public, but instead these agencies have been utilized as a means to protect the interests of the Corporatocracy.
For rendering State and Local Governments dysfunctional by overstepping the bounds of their jurisdiction and not recognizing or respecting the importance of local governance; which has fundamentally altered all levels of our governments.
For subverting State legislatures by not allowing them to govern in the interests of the individual State as recognized by the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; basically declaring the Federal Government invested with power to regulate legislation at all levels of the government through exploitation and illegitimate utilization of the “Commerce Clause.”
The Federal Government has abrogated responsibilities enumerated in the United States Constitution, by abandoning the protection of rightful citizens and falsely labeling many as subversives for defending their natural rights.
The Federal Government has endorsed the plunder of our natural resources, the polluting of our coasts and interior, the degradation of our local municipalities, and general destruction of the lives of many of our people through its willing support and association with the monopolistic International Corporatocracy.
Large portions of our standing military are being utilized in the role of mercenaries at the behest and for the interests of the International Corporatocracy. Many of our nation’s citizens are fearful that at a point in time in the near future that our own Military Forces accompanied by International Military Forces will be utilized to subvert the will of the people of this great nation.
The Federal Government over time has instilled a spirit of reduced expectations among the general populace, while continually expanding and protecting the superficial interests of the wealthy elite. The original paradigm upon which this nation was built was a demand for excellence and an altruistic belief in justice and equal opportunity for all.
Federal officials have voluntarily accepted an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, while some have continually and willfully subverted aspects that do not support their personal preferences. At the very least this is contempt and the argument can be made that this is treason. If the case can be properly established as to willful subversion of the Constitution, then at the very least, the remedy shall be removal from office.
The actions and consequences of this Federal Government may at a time in the future create the circumstances, whether intentional or unintentional, of domestic insurrections amongst us. Such Vigilante Justice and the reaction against it will inevitably lead to collateral damage involving the lives and property of innocent bystanders.
As we move further down this road of radicalized, divisive government, many of us grow weary to witness the chasm that has developed between Governance and the People. Under all definitions of our Republic’s founding documents, we are supposed to be a government of, by, and for the people. We humbly appeal to you to heal this divide with the people. Have we not learned from history, the consequences of Government by Decree?
The multitude of the people do not desire anarchy. We need governance, but the people deserve to be heard and their will shall not be subverted. The Federal Government’s role is understood, but it shall not be an autonomous agency of our governance. Under the Constitution that role is to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the Common Defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to the people of this nation.
It is understood that this nation, in past historical circumstances, has had issues where the Federal Government has had to step in to protect minority interests in the concern of justice. This is the reason why we are a Republic and not a Democracy. Justice shall prevail in cases where natural law is suppressed in the favor of oppression and against good moral standing. This should not however allow the Federal Government to grant itself new powers not enumerated in the original Constitutional document, unless an amendment is properly ratified under Constitutional guidelines and procedures.
Therefore, it is the hope of the people of this nation that our elected representatives and those others who serve the United States of America, will understand the seriousness of these issues solemnly set forth and published in this document. The United States are still and by right ought to be free and independent states as set forth in the original Declaration.
Lest we ever forget those who toiled, labored, or paid the ultimate sacrifice for these freedoms that this generation takes for granted and seems so willing to cast away.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Show Reverance for our Country - Happy Birthday America!!!
Galatians 6: 1-16
My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads.
Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule -- peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Eva Cassidy
This fits my Mood this Evening
And Thank You to the Director and Producer of the documentary "The Secret of Oz," Bill Still and thanks to Alex Jones for the great interview he had today with Mr. Still. I would suggest this to people who know there is something wrong with our country's financial system, but can't put their finger on it.
================================================================================
Description I found on the Internet:
Thirteen years ago, in a documentary called "The MoneyMasters", we asked the question why is America going broke. It wasn't clear then that we were, but it is today. Now the question is how can we get out of this mess. Foreclosures are everywhere, unemployment is skyrocketing - and this is only the beginning. America's economy is on a long, slippery slope from here on. The bubble ride of debt has come to an end.
What can government do? The sad answer is - under the current monetary system - nothing. It's not going to get better until the root of the problem is understood and addressed. There isn't enough stimulus money in the entire world to get us out of this hole.
Why? Debt. The national debt is just like our consumer debt - it's the interest that's killing us.
Though most people don't realize it the government can't just issue it's own money anymore. It used to be that way. The King could just issue stuff called money. Abraham Lincoln did it to win the Civil War.
No, today, in our crazy money system, the government has to borrow our money into existence and then pay interest on it. That's why they call it the National Debt. All our money is created out of debt. Politicians who focus on reducing the National Debt as an answer probably don't know what the National Debt really is. To reduce the National Debt would be to reduce our money - and there's already too little of that.
No, you have to go deeper. You have to get at the root of this problem or we're never going to fix this. The solution isn't new or radical. America used to do it. Politicians used to fight with big bankers over it. It's all in our history - now sadly - in the distant past.
But why can't we just do it again? Why can't we just issue our own money, debt free? That, my friends, is the answer. Talk about reform! That's the only reform that will make a huge difference to everyone's life - even worldwide.
The solution is the secret that's been hidden from us for just over 100 years - ever since the time when author L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
Peace
And Thank You to the Director and Producer of the documentary "The Secret of Oz," Bill Still and thanks to Alex Jones for the great interview he had today with Mr. Still. I would suggest this to people who know there is something wrong with our country's financial system, but can't put their finger on it.
================================================================================
Description I found on the Internet:
Thirteen years ago, in a documentary called "The MoneyMasters", we asked the question why is America going broke. It wasn't clear then that we were, but it is today. Now the question is how can we get out of this mess. Foreclosures are everywhere, unemployment is skyrocketing - and this is only the beginning. America's economy is on a long, slippery slope from here on. The bubble ride of debt has come to an end.
What can government do? The sad answer is - under the current monetary system - nothing. It's not going to get better until the root of the problem is understood and addressed. There isn't enough stimulus money in the entire world to get us out of this hole.
Why? Debt. The national debt is just like our consumer debt - it's the interest that's killing us.
Though most people don't realize it the government can't just issue it's own money anymore. It used to be that way. The King could just issue stuff called money. Abraham Lincoln did it to win the Civil War.
No, today, in our crazy money system, the government has to borrow our money into existence and then pay interest on it. That's why they call it the National Debt. All our money is created out of debt. Politicians who focus on reducing the National Debt as an answer probably don't know what the National Debt really is. To reduce the National Debt would be to reduce our money - and there's already too little of that.
No, you have to go deeper. You have to get at the root of this problem or we're never going to fix this. The solution isn't new or radical. America used to do it. Politicians used to fight with big bankers over it. It's all in our history - now sadly - in the distant past.
But why can't we just do it again? Why can't we just issue our own money, debt free? That, my friends, is the answer. Talk about reform! That's the only reform that will make a huge difference to everyone's life - even worldwide.
The solution is the secret that's been hidden from us for just over 100 years - ever since the time when author L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
Peace
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
As Nightly News becomes irrelevant, Alternative Media and News Expand
You can't seem to get much relevant news on the tube any more, maybe that is the reason why the nightly news on the the original major three networks lost a million viewers last year alone. (Audience).
I get the news I want to see through the computer. You can look at the conservative take and the liberal take, you can look at international, national, state, and local stories, and you can get breadth and depth. And you aren't being spoon fed pablum to people talking down to you, because they think you're an idiot. I don't need slick presentations. I need cold, hard facts.
I found the presentation above at the Trend sand Forecast Blog, which is Gerald Celente's video blog. Mr. Celente is recognized as the foremost trends forecaster in the world. He is the head of the Trends Research Institute. So if you would like a quick spot to go to to see the relevant issues of the day, then this is a site I suggest is worth taking a look at.
The Detroit Presentation itself is from PJTV. Pajamas Media is an American-based media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news. The site is said to have a Libertarian-Conservative slant.
Look at the expansion of Youtube, written about in this article from PC World entitled As YouTube Grows, Will it Go Premium?. "A new report from ComScore details just how far YouTube has come. For the first time, the average visitor to Google video sites -- mainly YouTube -- watched more than 100 clips per month. More importantly, almost 145 million people visited Google's video sites per month, accounting for 43.1 percent of all online video served." Youtube was started in February 2005 and bought by Google in November 2006. Look at the growth that has taken place in just five short years.
In my opinion, if these trends continue, you could see the end of the network news as we know it over the next decade. At the least, you will see the evening news become more stylized like morning news shows, which probably would be a good thing, because at least it would be entertaining.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Hickory City Pools -- Told You So! --- 8)
They huffed and they puffed. They Ballyhooed and Blustered,
but no matter how they try, the City of Hickory can't make this go away.
and that really has them flustered.
You see folks, everyone knows it's a con. If City Officials wanted to find money to open the pools in Ridgeview and West Hickory they could. They thought they were going to slide this under the radar -- per usual. Those of us who balked at how this issue has been handled have been ignored and all we asked for was to see where this $850,000 number comes from, because maybe we could help solve this problem, if we are made privy to the facts.
Not until those 50+ members of the African-American community showed up at the last City Council meeting did we see City officials awaken to the issue they have created. I admittedly was a little torn by that evening, because I have wondered where these people have been. Where were they last Summer and Fall when Harry and I were talking about this issue. Do you know that only 70-some people voted from the Ridgeview precinct in the City Council election last November. That is the reason why your community has been taken for granted. But now you are here and I say welcome. Better late than never.
What we see here with the pools is the story of the Mick Berry City Management Era in Hickory. Government by decree and it is to be adhered to; no input, no roundtable, no debate... just do as he says. What seems to not be understood is that you can't have a city without people and without people, there would be no jobs for city staff. We have a city administration that is constantly hamstringing the functionality of the city, because they pigeonhole issues based upon personal desires.
And the City Council has given Manager Berry the authority to act in this manner. "Staff recommends" no debate. He has been given Carte Blanche to operate this city in whatever manner he sees fit. It is clear that he is in charge of the City's fortunes. Oh, the Council has a wishlist of tasks they want accomplished (directed at "Council Retreats"), but in the end if Manager Berry says something isn't feasible there is no further discussion. It reminds me of the parent driving to the beach telling the kids to sit in the back seat and keep their mouths shut. Or when the family goes to a social function and the children are told that they are to be seen, but not to be heard. You, the average people of Hickory, are those children.
And folks, that ain't the way that government in the United States is supposed to work! Let's get down to the brass tacks of this pool situation and of course my opinion of the issue:
Today's story in the Hickory Daily Record - Protesters want pools opened -
Karen Hoyle stated "The city promised us they'd re-open the pool this year, and it's time to deliver," she said. "This summer has been pretty miserable for our kids."
City manager Berry stated,"Berry said the City Council has not decided if the pools will be repaired and opened in the future. The city's recreation department is studying pool repairs or alternatives like entering into partnerships with organizations that have their own pools or building splash parks."
In reading many of the comments on the HDR website , it was easy to see that many of the people have no depth of knowledge when it comes to this issue and it surely seems that in the nearly two years that this blog has been in existence that City officials have fostered this type of "Keep it in the dark" mindset. Maybe if the local citizenry would get a little bit more involved in the local Gubment scene, then they wouldn't throw out these ignorant black versus white comments and other stuff that is frankly bigotted on many levels. And folks, you who read this blog know that I am no bleeding heart.
At the last city council meeting Reverend David Roberts showed some research and documents, pertaining to the Ridgeview Redevelopment plan established in 1999. In his readings, he discovered that in 1992 documents were signed by former City Manager Gary McGee, that detailed extensive plans to renovate and refurbish the pool. That was revisited again in 1995 and 1999. Those plans and promises were never followed through on. Since 1995, that is 15 years of promises that the city have not kept.
In my book that is being dishonest and it doesn't matter whether you are black or white. Promises made should be promises kept. Not only that, but this shows that there were no lines of communication pertaining to this issue and probably other issues involving that area. No wonder that the Ridgeview area has had problems in the past. It has basically been ignored when it comes to city investments. The truth of the matter is that the real investment dollars in Ridgeview are mainly attributable to Federal Grants.
I have talked with several people that have stated that the city has cooked up the $850k number to justify them closing these pools. Remember this comment in reply to my June Rant about the Hickory Budget:
I wonder if the best solution is to pick the better of the two old pools and do a temporary fix. A friend with pool knowledge suggests that a back-up filter/pump unit that runs at night only and through temporary and movable pipes might allow a pool to open. The additional pipes might, or might not, be moved out of the way when the pool is in operation for the public. The change to the pump inlet cages should not be such a big thing.
Then, start planning for a single new, really good, pool or aquatic center to replace the two old ones. With a good plan in place, there might be federal or other outside money to help build something modern and appropriately sized.
Did you look at what it costs, per visit, to swim in the Kool Park private pool. Pretty expensive.
One or two un-necessary teen-age pregnancies, a few extra teen-age arrests, a father drowning a decade from now because he never learned to swim: then the money to get a pool open is pretty small in total social cost comparison. I remember how important the first pool in Morganton was to me back in the 1950's.
Let's look at the real facts. Right now the city has $10,087,675 in undesignated fund balance budgeted for the next fiscal year. That means that the city has over $10 million dollars set aside in the bank that is going towards nothing.
Let's say that they fix one of these two pools and the actual cost is $200k. They would be able to finance that over 5 years at a cost of around $50k per year and with some guarantees from public and private interests they would be able to defray those costs through increased attendance at the pools by church and civic groups who would guarantee attendance and monitoring of the pools through the public-private partnership.
If you consolidate the numbers of attendees into the use of this one fixed pool, then you can easily achieve these numbers. Then you don't stop there as this city has shown itself to be so apt to do -- put a band-aid on it and wait until the band-aid falls off and put another band-aid on it, repeat process until infinity or collapse, whichever comes first. Show some brains and integrity and invest in a new city pool with the slip and slide splash park to be finished within 10 years or foster the ability (through the public-private partnership) of an entrepreneur to make this happen.
This should not be looked at as a handout. These pools are for everyone and the use of them is not free. The Mayor has stated that pools are "Passe." Passe as in the French word meaning no longer fashionable, in wide use, etc.; out-of-date; outmoded. Has the Mayor been to the Y during a weekday? Has he seen Kool-Park's attendance?
Maybe the problem is that these pools were allowed over time to fall below standard. People have paid to go to these pools for years, while they were not being kept up to standard. City officials would not understand this because no one associated with them attends these pools. The city has run these pools with the bare minimum of maintenance. The one at Ridgeview doesn't look very inviting. It looks like an armed encampment with all of the barbed wire that surrounds it.
As I have stated before, when I was a kid I attended First Baptist Summer camp. We used to go to the pool in West Hickory twice a week. There were well over 100 kids attending that pool every day during the hours I was there -- maybe even 200. Let's say you charge $3 a head, that is a minimum of $600 per day, $4200 per week, $50,400 for a 12 week pool season.
I know that I used to be a member of the Y from 1999 to 2003. My fee for an individual (myself) per month was $30 to start (in '99) and went to $42 four years later. Heck, at night you couldn't find a parking space and with all of the activity you could hardly find a time where you could dip a toe in the pool. I was spending $500 a year and was having to work around their schedule to utilize the facility. Does that make sense? I can only imagine what the overcrowding is like now and y'all are saying send'em some more.
If you partner with Churches, civic groups, and others, then you can easily achieve the numbers I detailed above. What about concession stands to sell food and drinks? That could easily double the take. And, if done right, this facility could double those conservative projections. A facility that could generate $200k in 3 months is easily feasible.
Let's look at other spending that has become a staple of the Hickory City Budget. The City has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix awnings and facades downtown. The City just put $25,000 into a slush fund for graffiti and is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for wayfinding, new logos, and signage all pointing the way downtown. The City is also paying $50,000 to contribute to the salary of the administrator of the Downtown Development Association. It seems clear to me where the priorities lie.
You know, my preference is for this to be done privately, but this area has proven that that won't work. Local private investors are unwilling to invest in anything that does not provide an instantaneous bang for the buck.
Look at the south side of the tracks from 127 to Hildebran on Hwy 70. Besides Steve Ikerd investing in that area, no one has stepped forward and frankly it has gone to pot. Drive down 70 and look at all of the vacant buildings. Look at Main avenue from 4th street SW to Longview. It is kind to say it is a nasty place. Cheap begets Cheap!!!
No! we are going to have to start investing some public money to pull those areas back up. These monies and all other monies in this city need to be administered with guideposts and strings of accountability attached. You give some money and if the investors don't follow through, then you rebuke them and make sure that they never see a penny of public funds again. That should be the way that the system works at every level of government -- the carrot and the stick.
The Oldsters in this community don't want to invest in the kids. Most of the young middle aged folks like myself understand that you must invest in your future or there will be none. You know that I am not saying that we should throw money at this issue. I am saying that we can utilize seed money to make this happen and through public-private partnerships we can recoup and move on to other projects that will make the quality of life in this community better for EVERYONE in this community!!!
It is time for average citizens to start barging their way into the governmental decision making process or the World of Austerity will justify encroaching upon even the most meager pleasures you have taken for granted until eventually they justify leaving you with nothing at all.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sobering Messages by Eric King of King World News
Widening US Deficit To Collapse the Dollar
Looking at the year 2010 on the chart you can see a huge chasm between spending and revenue. Keep in mind that like most countries the US has two sets of books, so the situation is much more dire than the illustration. Let’s go with what the graph states for now and look past 2010 where we see the fantasy of increased revenue. Revenues will not increase, and when the economy has its next leg down there is a high likelihood of further decreases in revenue.
The above chart is a graphic image of the problem with the government forecasts. Spending increases dramatically and there is the underlying assumption that revenues will increase as well. This projection does not take into account the fact that we are in a depressionary cycle which is ready to have another leg down.
An already weak economy will become even weaker. This means less tax revenue, which flies in the face of government forecasts which call for an increase in revenue. As the chasm increases in size between spending and revenue, faith in the US dollar will evaporate. This will lead to a significant devaluation of the dollar, or an outright collapse.
Many developed countries face similar problems today and this is one of the major pillars of this secular bull market in gold. Make sure you have gold as your insurance policy. This means owning physical bullion, not paper promises.
Eric King
KingWorldNews.com
The Fed, Debt and Systemic Collapse of the US
Higher Taxes Guarantees A Depression
Looking at the year 2010 on the chart you can see a huge chasm between spending and revenue. Keep in mind that like most countries the US has two sets of books, so the situation is much more dire than the illustration. Let’s go with what the graph states for now and look past 2010 where we see the fantasy of increased revenue. Revenues will not increase, and when the economy has its next leg down there is a high likelihood of further decreases in revenue.
The above chart is a graphic image of the problem with the government forecasts. Spending increases dramatically and there is the underlying assumption that revenues will increase as well. This projection does not take into account the fact that we are in a depressionary cycle which is ready to have another leg down.
An already weak economy will become even weaker. This means less tax revenue, which flies in the face of government forecasts which call for an increase in revenue. As the chasm increases in size between spending and revenue, faith in the US dollar will evaporate. This will lead to a significant devaluation of the dollar, or an outright collapse.
Many developed countries face similar problems today and this is one of the major pillars of this secular bull market in gold. Make sure you have gold as your insurance policy. This means owning physical bullion, not paper promises.
Eric King
KingWorldNews.com
The Fed, Debt and Systemic Collapse of the US
Higher Taxes Guarantees A Depression
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