Wake Up to two of my favorites - Max Keiser interviews Gerald Celente

(Prologue) - Do you really want to know what is happening with our economy? Here is the interview that pretty much sums it up. These two gentleman along with Bob Chapman and Catherine Austin Fitts are the people that I pay attention to the most when it comes to the current economic realities facing our nation and the rest of the World. Watch this interview. This is the real news. If you don't believe it, then by all means take notes and go check it out. You will see that the Kumbaya garbage we hear on the Boob Tube is just propaganda. Are you making preparations to face the new economic realities? I hope you are.




Join the JOURNALISM 2.0 alliance!!! - The Old media is Dying - They call them TV programs because they are programming YOU!!!

Where Do we go from here? - Citizens for Equity in Government

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

As we pause in our day-to-day organizing work, we would like to pay homage to the passing of fellow organizer and community worker Joseph Hill who passed away on February 4, 2011. We will miss his timely comments concerning our struggle for democracy at the local level (even from his death bed). Condolences go out to the Hill family.

Over the past year, we have been uncompromising when it concerns justice, human rights, our values, our children, our families and the development of our community.

We will continue to make a positive difference on behalf of our poor and minority citizens in Hickory, NC as we aspire to achieve democracy at the local level. Local government is the tier of public authority that citizens first look to solve their immediate social problems. It is also the level of democracy in which the citizen has the most effective opportunity to actively and directly participate in decisions made for all of society.

Poor and minority citizens have lost their community swimming pool due to the arrogance of city council and a lack of democracy at the local level. It is public knowledge that they made the decision and will build a new pool in a distant “central location”.

Professional citizens with expertise offered other alternatives but were denied. The city of Hickory spent over $26,000 of taxpayer’s dollars to hold surveys and hearings of what citizens wanted. Citizens asked for and voted on four (4) district pools, much to no avail. Still no democracy at the local level… Legal strategy is being explored. Leaders have been jailed while trying to prevent the demolition of the pools.

We must now appeal to the progressive elements of the Hickory community if we are deliberately being denied access in the decision making process. Because of these “invincible fences”, we need help in relieving our powerlessness.

Historically, we lost our democracy in Hickory in 1970 when the voting process was changed from the pure ward system of electing officials to the modified ward system of electing officials. This was to ensure that only the right kind could be elected. We lost again in 2000 when our majority minority ward was redistricted out. We are now in a process of redistricting from the 2010 census. Democratically, we are still at the mercy of the few. If one person is about democracy, everyone is about democracy!

If you are interested in helping to end this destruction of poor and minority representation in Hickory, join our coalition and meet with us Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 6:00 pm in the Ridgeview Branch Library, 706 1st Street SW in Hickory or call 828-308-4669.

Date:February 24, 2011
Contact: Billy Sudderth (828) 308-4669

February Rant - Critical Thinking

This is what the Hickory Hound tries to be centered around. One of the original stated ideas and goals of the Future Economy Council was to move towards an organization of people who would come together from various positions of the political and cultural spectrum and work together to discuss, initiate, implement, and produce common objectives that will benefit the community. That is the importance of Master Capacity Building. We are connectors, who utilize our individual characteristics, personalities, and personal skills to bring people together to make those common objectives realities.

That is what I have tried to do by bringing you these predictive capacities about weak signals in and of the future. That is what I have tried to do by talking about people like Gerald Celente, who always states that "Current Events form Future Trends." In this age of constant change and uncertainty, it is very important to be able to walk through this minefield with skills and knowledge that can help you cope with constant chaos. That is what will keep you mentally steady and helps one be adaptive and nimble and thus resilient in this current age of uncertainty and constant evolution of changing realities.

We are currently going through a great period of Transformation at every level of Society. Most people are reluctant to deal with the seismic shifts in evolutionary realities that we are constantly witnessing over a daily basis. It is hard to get people to deal with and open up to the fact that the World's realities are no longer stable. Problems must constantly be dealt with to keep issues from becoming overwhelming. Look at the Dictators in the Middle East. Do you think that they thought that they would be overwhelmed by revolutionary movements in a matter of weeks, when they have controlled their nations for decades?

Rick Smyre of Communities of the Future states that there are 4 stages of true transformation: 1) resistance - where people will not accept new ideas being introduced, because of defense mechanisms related to anxiety associated with risk aversion, 2) hmmm? - the stage where people willing to accept progress and evolutionary changes start to look at a subject from different viewpoints and how ideas can work, 3) aha! - when the people willing to accept transformation begin to comprehend new realities and how those realities can be brought to tangibility , and 4) of course - the point at which acceptance of the new reality is achieved... there is no way to shortcut this process.



The reality is that our species is evolving. No one can tell you exactly what will happen, but we have seen an advance in computerization and technology, we have seen an evolution towards dependence on convenience and material desires, we have seen a 6 fold increase in worldwide population in one century, we have seen a battle between forces who desire individual liberty versus those who desire social control...

There are other forces at play in this tug of war, but there will always be a struggle between what most of us desire as "Good" versus the differences that we all interpret differently as evil. I do foresee a melding of the human into what will be part machine. The technology will evolve and eventually be biological instead of mechanical. In my opinion this will be good to the extent that it enhances us as individuals and the quality of our lives, but it will be bad if it is utilized to control us as animals and/or property of the elite.

The one thing that I do know is that we are headed towards some really tough times. There are some of us that want to bring the whole World up to the scale of quality of life that many Americans enjoyed in the past, but there are others that view these people from the Third World as subhuman and view the poor in our nation as subhuman. They feel that we are pawns to fulfill their purposes and they do not want to share the technological goodies with Average Ordinary People.

There is more than enough room on this planet and it is time to stop thinking that Ordinary people don't have value. We all have value. Think about the people you love, don't they have value to you? Haven't they played a role in your life? Everyone you see wherever you go has value to someone. Do you think that an elitist who doesn't even know you or your loved ones should be treating you or your loved ones like a disposable pawn?

This is the Force of Good versus Evil that I have alluded to. We are all going to have people that we don't want to work with; people that we can't stand. That is human nature. But, when we work towards bettering society and not playing the "Us versus Them" game, then we enhance our Ecosystem and thus we make the World a better place for ourselves and everyone in the system. It generates positive momentum. It is going to take this sort of mentality, of working together, to get out of this Depression and start growing economically, culturally, and as a society once again. I hope that you will keep this in mind the next time that you have a chance to help someone out. I know that the people who read this blog are, for the most part, critical thinkers. It is time to get the people we care about to start thinking this way too.

Who's in Charge around here?

Fed dictator Bernanke needs to be toppled - Paul B. Farrell - Feb. 15, 2011, 12:01 a.m. EST -

Fed boss Ben Bernanke is the most dangerous human on earth, far more dangerous than Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s 30-year dictator, ever was. Bernanke rules a monetary dictatorship that will trigger the coming third meltdown of the 21st century.

Ben Bernanke: The U.S. Leninist? - Paul Amery - Seeking Alpha - February 22, 2011 -

Should Ben Bernanke dust down a copy of the collective works of Lenin?

According to the instigator of Russia’s 1917 October revolution, “the surest way to destroy a nation is to debauch its currency”.

(In fact, this widely-cited quote was a 1930s paraphrase by Keynes – Lenin’s actual words, in an interview from 1919, were: “the simplest way to exterminate the very spirit of capitalism is … to flood the country with notes of a high face-value without financial guarantees of any sort”)

The astonishing leap in commodities prices that started in September last year coincided with the announcement of a second quantitative easing programme by the US Federal Reserve.

A chart of cotton futures shows that the price of the raw material began to take off almost to the day that the Fed’s chairman stated in Jackson Hole that his institution was ready to take “unconventional measures” to stimulate the economy.

Hidden Inflation In Supermarket Prices - Mark Ames - Higher Price, Less Product




18 Sobering Facts Which Prove That The Middle Class Is Not Being Included In This “Economic Recovery” - The Economic Collapse Blog - February 21, 2011

Have you heard the news? The stock market is absolutely soaring and according to the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve we are in the beginning stages of a robust economic recovery. Yippee! The S&P 500 is up 6.8 percent so far in 2011, and the stock market recently hit a two and a half year high. So shouldn't we all be celebrating? Well, if stock market performance was an accurate measure of economic health, then Zimbabwe would have had one of the healthiest economies on the entire globe during the last decade. But just like Zimbabwe's stock market was artificially pumped up with "funny money" that was rapidly being devalued, so is ours. All of the "quantitative easing" that the Federal Reserve has been doing is pumping plenty of money into the financial markets and is helping to inflate a false stock market bubble, but it is doing very little to alleviate the suffering of the U.S. middle class. In fact, when you take a closer look at the numbers you quickly find out that the suffering of the middle class is getting even worse.

According to Gallup, the unemployment rate is now over 10%. The number of Americans that have given up looking for work recently set a new all-time record. The number of mortgages in foreclosure tied a record high during the fourth quarter of 2010. Gas and food prices are rising rapidly. The number of Americans on food stamps continues to increase every single month.

Yes, right now the economic situation is not in free fall like it was a couple years ago. We should be thankful for that. Periods of relative stability such as we are enjoying now will be few and far between in the years ahead. This "bubble" of economic calm is a great opportunity that we should all be taking advantage of.

However, those that are hoping that this is an economic "turning point" and that things will soon be back to "normal" are going to be greatly disappointed. This is about as "normal" as things are going to be ever again.

Even during this time of relative economic stability, the U.S. middle class is still being ripped to shreds. If there are those among your family and friends that are somehow convinced that the U.S. economy is recovering nicely, you might want want to show them the following 18 very sobering facts....

#1 According to Gallup, the U.S. unemployment rate is currently 10.3 percent. When you add in part-time American workers that want full-time employment, that number rises to 20.2 percent.

#2 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings in the United States declined for a second straight month during December.

#3 There are currently more than 4 million Americans that have been unemployed for more than a year.

#4 The number of Americans that have become so discouraged that they have given up searching for work completely now stands at an all-time high.

#5 Gasoline prices in the United States recently hit a 28-month high.

#6 During the 4th quarter of 2010, 4.63 percent of all U.S. home loans were in foreclosure. That matched the all-time high, and it was up significantly from 4.39 percent in the 3rd quarter.

#7 It is estimated that there are about 5 million homeowners in the United States that are at least two months behind on their mortgages, and it is being projected that over a million American families will be booted out of their homes this year alone.

#8 Almost 14 percent of all credit card accounts in the United States are currently 90 days or more delinquent.

#9 The average credit card rate in the United States had increased to a whopping 13.44 percent at the end of 2010.

#10 Americans now owe more than $890 billion on student loans, which is even more than they owe on credit cards.

#11 Average household debt in the United States has now reached a level of 136% of average household income. In China, average household debt is only 17% of average household income.

#12 U.S. life expectancy at birth is now three years less than Canada and four years less than Japan.

#13 New home sales in the state of California were at the lowest level ever recorded in the month of January.

#14 43 percent of all mortgages in south Florida are currently underwater.

#15 Prior to the most recent economic downturn, there were usually somewhere around four to five million job openings in America. Today there are about 3 million.

#16 When you adjust wages for inflation, middle class workers in the United States make less money today than they did back in 1971.

#17 One out of every seven Americans is now on food stamps.

#18 One out of every six elderly Americans now lives below the federal poverty line.

You know things are bad when articles start popping up in the mainstream news instructing us how to interact socially with the hordes of unemployed Americans that are out there today. A recent USA Today article entitled "What not to say to someone who is unemployed" listed some of the things that you should not say to someone that does not have a job. The following are some of their suggestions on what NOT to say....

"Hey, have you found anything yet?"

"How's the search going?"

"You just have to pound the pavement."

"Something will turn up."

"It's tough out there."

"Other people are going through the same thing."

"Maybe you're asking for too much money."

"Maybe you should go back to school."

"There are plenty of jobs out there."

I am sure most of us have heard things like this at one time or another. It can be a soul-crushing thing to have others like at you in pity because you don't have a job and you can't pay the mortgage and feed your family.

Most unemployed Americans are not lazy. The vast majority of them desperately want jobs. But the U.S. economy is not producing nearly enough jobs today. As noted above, the U.S. economy currently has about 3 million job openings, but approximately 20 percent of the workforce wants to find a full-time job. The demand for jobs is far, far, far greater than the supply.

Unfortunately, this is the legacy of decades of bad economic decision-making. The U.S. economy should be able to provide work for every single person that wants it, but because of the choices that have been made that will never be the case again.

The middle class in America is being ripped to shreds right in front of our eyes and very little is being done to stop it. Desperation is rising across the nation. More Americans slip into poverty every single day. It is almost as if a cloud of gloom and despair has descended upon the U.S. economy and every single month the situation only seems to get darker.

An Economy Out of Control

(Prologue) - In the previous article related to the Food Crisis, you noticed the Hockey stick style increases that have taken place over the last couple of years. This is caused by speculation related to the flooding of the financial system with Digital Dollars. These dollars are not filtering through the economy. These dollars are being used by the banks to purchase derivative investments, which have a multiplier effect on commodities.

The following article from "The Economic Collapse" Blog shows charts very similar to those Hockey stick exponential increases in Sugar, Wheat, Coffee, Cotton, and Beef. The Federal Reserve Has created this mess because of Ben Bernanke and Wall Street's obsession with deflation. Instead, we are seeing hyperinflation in the commodity markets. This is the result of cheapened money that is becoming worthless.

The following charts show the level of government spending, the National Debt, the increase of Interest owed on that debt, household debt, the aggregate of all debt, Unemployment and the Duration of Unemployment, the increase in the Cost of Living (CPI) since the Federal Reserves inception, the increase in the Money Supply, and the increase in the Cost of Oil.

In my opinion, we aren't going to see a constant increase in prices. What we will see is a bumping against the Price Point-Demand ceiling. An example was when oil hit $147+ per barrel in September 2008. Consumers could not afford to pay for energy at these inflated prices and so they adapted down and changed their habits. This reduced demand and subsequently the investors in the Oil derivative markets rushed to get out of the collapsing market. Oil fell to $40 per barrel as a result, but we have seen a steady march back up to the current levels around $90.

We will continue to see this type of volatility in all essential commodities. The trend will be upward, because most commodities are priced in U.S. Dollars and those Dollars are losing value due to the expansion of the Money Supply. But their will be price breaking points, because most consumers are hurting. The one thing that is for sure is that markets such as these are not sustainable, because trust is being lost in the marketplace. Most people are at a loss for what to do. People are tired of getting ripped off by the banks. It is completely unrealistic and basically criminal that the banks are paying .5% to 2% on savings accounts and Certificates of Deposit, but it is not the time to put money in the stock market with the fraud that rampantly flows involving issues of transparency, ignorance and lack of enforcement of fiduciary responsibilities of market makers, the exorbitant fees that brokerage houses charge, and the volatility associated with not knowing what the government might do next.

Look at this Chart comparing today to the Depression of the 1930s:



What Is Wrong With The U.S. Economy? Here Are 10 Economic Charts That Will Blow Your Mind - The Economic Collapse (Blog)

The 10 economic charts that you are about to see are completely and totally shocking. If you know anyone that still does not believe that the United States is in the midst of a long-term economic decline, just show them these charts. Sometimes you can quote economic statistics to people until you are blue in the face and it won't do any good, but when those same people see charts and pictures suddenly it all sinks in. What is great about charts is that you can very easily demonstrate what has been happening to the economy over an extended period of time. As you examine the economic charts below, pay special attention to what has been happening to the U.S. economy over the last 30 or 40 years. The truth is that what is wrong with the U.S. economy is not a great mystery. All of the economic problems that we are experiencing now have taken decades to develop. Hopefully the charts in this article will help people realize just how nightmarish our economic problems have become, because until people start realizing how incredibly bad things have gotten they will never be willing to accept the dramatic solutions that are necessary to fix our financial system.

The sad fact of the matter is that we have been living in the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world over the last 40 years. All of this debt has purchased a wonderful standard of living for the vast majority of us, but all of this debt has also destroyed the economic future of our children and our grandchildren. Someday future generations will look back on what we have done in absolute horror.

The 10 economic charts posted below are meant to shock you. Most Americans today need to be shocked before they will be motivated to take action. Please share these charts with as many people as you can. Hopefully we can wake enough people up that something will be done about all of these problems while there is still time.

1 - Government spending is expanding at an exponential rate. As you can see from the chart below, federal spending is almost 18 times higher than it was back in 1970. Now Barack Obama has proposed a budget that would increase U.S. government spending to 5.6 trillion dollars in 2021. Just imagine what the following chart would look like if that happens....

2 - U.S. government debt is absolutely exploding. The U.S. national debt is currently $14,081,561,324,681.83. It is more than 14 times larger than it was back in 1980. Unfortunately, the national debt continues to grow at breathtaking speed. In fact, the Obama administration is projecting that the federal budget deficit for this year will be an all-time record 1.6 trillion dollars. Can we afford to continue to accumulate debt at this rate?....

3 - Unless something changes right now, the outlook for U.S. government finances in future years is downright apocalyptic. The chart posted below is from an official U.S. government report to Congress. As you can see, it is projected that interest on our exploding national debt is absolutely going to spiral out of control if we continue on the path that we are currently on....

4 - Household debt has soared to almost unbelievable levels over the last 30 years. The sad truth is that it is not just the U.S. government that has a massive debt problem. U.S. households have also been accumulating debt at a staggering rate. Total U.S. household debt did not pass the 2 trillion dollar mark until the mid-1980s, but now total U.S. household debt is well over 13 trillion dollars....

5 - The total of all debt (government, business and consumer) in the United States is now well over 50 trillion dollars. For the past couple of years this figure has been hovering around a level that is equivalent to approximately 360 percent of GDP. This is a debt bubble that is absolutely unprecedented in U.S. history....

6 - As tens of thousands of U.S. factories get shut down and as millions of our jobs get shipped overseas, the number of unemployed Americans continues to go up and up and up. As you can see from the chart below, there has been a long-term trend of increasing unemployment in the United States. In fact, there are about 3 and a half times as many unemployed workers in the United States today as there were when 1970 began. These jobs losses are going to continue as long as we allow our corporations to pay slave labor wages to workers on the other side of the globe. All of the major trends in global trade are very bad for the U.S. middle class. For example, the U.S. trade deficit with China for 2010 was 27 times larger than it was back in 1990. How long will our politicians stand by as our nation bleeds jobs?....

7 - The median duration of unemployment in the United States is in unprecedented territory. For most of the post-World War 2 era, when the median duration of unemployment in America reached 10 weeks that was considered a national crisis. Well, today competition for jobs is so intense that the median duration of unemployment is now well over 20 weeks....

8 - Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the value of the U.S. dollar has declined by over 95 percent. One of the reasons given for the existence of the Federal Reserve is that the Fed helps control inflation. But that is a huge lie. The truth is that the United States never had consistently rampant inflation until the Federal Reserve took control. In particular, once the U.S. totally went off the gold standard in the 1970s inflation really started escalating out of control....

9 - Now the Federal Reserve says that the solution to our current economic problems is to print even more money out of thin air. The games that the Federal Reserve is playing with our money supply are simply inexcusable. Just look at what the Federal Reserve has done to the monetary base since the beginning of the recession....

10 - All of this new money is creating tremendous inflation. In particular, the price of oil is now ridiculously high. A high price for oil is very, very bad for the U.S. economy. Our entire economic system is based on being able to use massive quantities of very cheap oil.

Unfortunately, that paradigm is starting to break down and the consequences will be very bitter. Back in mid-2008, the price of oil hit an all-time record of $147 a barrel and subsequently the world financial system imploded a few months later. Well, the price of oil is on the march again and that is very bad news for the U.S. economy....

Needless to say, if the economic trends documented by the charts above continue the U.S. economy will be totally wiped out. The U.S. economy as it currently exists is unsustainable by definition. It is only a matter of time before we slam into an economic brick wall.

We have developed an economy that cannot function without debt, and at this point it seems like almost everyone is drowning in red ink. The federal government is massively overextended, most of our state and local governments are massively overextended, most of our major corporations are massively overextended and the majority of U.S. consumers are massively overextended.

The only way that the game can continue is for the Federal Reserve to print increasingly larger amounts of paper money out of thin air and for everyone in the economic food chain to go into increasingly larger amounts of debt.

But no debt spiral can go on forever. At some point this entire house of cards is going to collapse.

When that happens, there is going to be economic pain that is greater than anything that this country has ever seen before.

Someday we will all desperately wish that we could go back to the "good times" of 2011. A great economic collapse is coming, and all of us had better get ready.

The Food Crisis -- February 19, 2011

Prologue - The following video can look scary if you don't have a clue about what is going on in the world related to the devaluation of our currency by the Federal Reserve and the domino effect of implications that this is having on the world stage.

We are in a period of extreme economic instability which has roots in issues that should have been dealt with long ago. It is time to prepare for this instability by building cushions. If we have more local food production and consumption options, then it will reduce the costs associated with the world wide network of food transportation and reduce the anxieties that we are seeing in other parts of the world. I think that people need look into buying food through local farmers and learn how to grow food in their yards and through container gardening.

People need to become more efficient with their resources during these times. Just think what that additional savings can me in a crunch and it is healthier in a number of ways -- Peace be with you!



Prices of Commodities at all time nominal highs include Arabica Coffee, Sugar, Beef, Wheat, and Cotton.

Cotton futures surge 12-fold in 6 months as prices hit peaks - Daily News & Analysis - Amritha Pillay - ‎2/18/2011

Beef industry battling grain prices, ethanol production - CattleNetwork.com - ‎Feb 14, 2011‎



Arabica coffee close to 30-year peak - Financial Times - 2/18/2011


Grain prices surge Thursday - UPI.com - - ‎Feb 17, 2011‎

Uncertainty Over Supplies May Keep Sugar Price Volatile - Daily Markets - ‎Feb 11, 2011‎


Desperate people will do desperate things!
Food price rises bring risk of new riots-France - (Reuters) - 2/17/2011 - France's agriculture minister warned the United Nations on Thursday that food riots like those of three years ago could break out around the world because of steep rises in food prices. ...

Food Riots Threaten Latin America on Surging Commodities in UN Assessment - Bloomberg - Nicholas Larkin - ‎Feb 16, 2011‎

Food prices push millions into poverty - Washington Post - Howard Schneider - ‎Feb 15, 2011‎ - Rising food prices pushed tens of millions of people into extreme poverty last year and are reaching "dangerous levels" in some countries, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Tuesday as he released new data showing that the ...

Rising global food prices an 'extreme poverty' crisis - Washington Times - Josh Brown - ‎Feb 15, 2011‎ - Skyrocketing global food prices have pulled more than 40 million people into “extreme poverty” and have almost reached the levels of June 2008, when the world was rocked by food riots. “The Bank's Food Price Index shows food prices are ...

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 15, 2011

This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.

At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.

You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.

Here is a summary of the agenda of the 1/18/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:

Please remember that pressing Ctrl and + will magnify the text and page and pressing Ctrl and - will make the text and page smaller. This will help the readability for those with smaller screens and/or eye difficulties.

Invocation by Chaplain Lawrence Bolick of Spiritual Life at Abernethy Laurels Retirement Community

Special Presentations:
A. Presentation by Senior Firefighter/Staff Sergeant Patrick Auton to City Council the “Patriotic Employer Award” in Appreciation of the City’s Continued Support of Military Service Personnel - Sgt. Auton has served for 15 years. His group was tasked to provide air support for Helicopters and to teach Iraqis firefighting techniques. He talked about the support he received from his fellow firefighters and the department and how it went above and beyond.

The Hound would like to point to the above presentation as a moving event. Sgt. Auton gave a detailed explanation of what his duty entailed in Kirkuk, Iraq. You could tell that this guy is a solid gentleman and truly cares about this community and this country. He presented several awards to the Hickory Fire Department and the City. Fire Chief Tom Alexander stated that Sgt Auton has been deployed three times since he has been Fire Chief and he is grateful that he (Sgt. Auton) has been able to come back each time. When we have people who will go out and protect our liberties and our rights, then God bless them. Our community is honored to count this gentleman amongst us. I think everyone that was at this meeting this night would concur.

B. Presentation By Community Groups Requesting Appropriations from the City Council During the Next Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2011 - The Council will not take action tonight. Action will be taken when the Council considers the City’s annual budget in May or June. These presentations are made so Council Members can ask questions or make comments about the requests. Presenters will be allotted no more than five minutes to make their presentations to Council.

Organization Presentation By Amount Requested
Catawba County Economic Development Corporation - Scott Millar - $138,511.14 + Greater Hickory Marketing - $75,000
- Scott mentioned successes involving with Fiserv and Turbotech, the Bradington Young corporate Headquarters has relocated here in hickory. Greater Hickory marketing is associated with the Golf Tournament that will be held in June. Greater Hickory Marketing is the Rock Barn Classic Golf Tournament and it will revert back to being named the Greater Hickory Classic from last year’s Ensure naming rights. The budget request is $300 less than the year before. Allocations are made based upon the populations of the cities in Catawba County.

The Salt Block Foundation - Steve Mull - $100,000
- The SALT block has been in existence since 1986. 300,000 visitors come to the SALT block each year. City funds provide money for security guards and grounds keeping. The foundation operates three buildings on the SALT block campus. Provides a home for the Museum of Art, Science Center, The Choral Society, the Western Piedmont Symphony, and the United Arts Council. Pays building and Capital expenses. Along with the Patrick Beaver Memorial Library, these entities provide economically invaluable cultural resources for the entire Hickory region. Auditorium is used over 200 times per year. Moneys were used to replace the HVAC system, new lighting, and the roofs of two buildings.

United Arts Council of Catawba County - Jeff Neuville - $41,039
- Mr. Neuville is the President of the Arts Council. The amount of money is based on $1 per capita. The city has funded the UAC since 1984. This funding is important to the quality of life and the economic development in the community. For every dollar granted by Hickory, a minimum of $4 is spent on arts, science, and history projects in this community by the UAC. The North Carolina Arts council estimates that $24 is spent locally for every dollar spent on the arts. Mr. Neuville went over several projects that these funds were used for.

Hickory Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau – Ray Combs - $20,000
- Mr. Combs is the Executive Director of the HMCVB. Mr. Combs mentioned the Harley-Davidson Owners Group that will be coming to Hickory this August. The Bureau is under the umbrella of the Hickory-Conover Tourism Development Authority. The CVB will continue to be the marketing arm of the authority. They will continue to support and stimulate the local economy by tourism, business conferences, meetings, and sporting events. They have streamlined operations under the TDA. They network by attending meetings, advertising, and the internet. Generated over $7.5 million in revenue from over 6,000 room nights. The Convention Center was occupied 232 days in 2009, hosting over 100 groups and 100,000 people. The North Carolina Rose Convention was held here this year. Mayor Wright commended the CVB for reducing salary and benefits 10% over the past year. Events Mr. Combs mentioned that are coming to Hickory include The North Carolina Library Association, The NC Shriners, The NC Association of County Directors of Social Services, and The National Narrow Gauge Railway convention will bring railway enthusiasts from around the world.

Habitat for Humanity - Mitzi Gellman - $22,850
- This is the 16th year the habitat has appeared before the council. Since 2000, the number of people living in poverty has risen 50%. 20% of those in poverty are children. 18 qualified applicants are currently on their list. The average worker in our area makes $8 an hour as of the 2000 census, yet it takes $20/hour to support a family. The mortgage payments from a Habitat House cost less than rent.

Six houses closed during the previous fiscal year. The Habitat is trying to renovate more houses as compared to building new houses. They are looking to stabilize neighborhoods. The first house built by habitat was in 1996. Over 100 sewer and water taps have been donated by the City of Hickory. 143 houses have been completed so far in Catawba County (over 80% in Hickory). Habitat is the banking interest in the arrangements and the qualifiers have to have good credit. It has been harder to get families qualified. 11 families are currently on the list. These families are under 80% of area median income and 7 are 50% under area median income. Qualifiers have to put 250 to 500 hours in building their houses. Habitat is putting more effort into making sure that they are building quality, energy efficient houses. Each house has $10,000 to $12,000 worth of volunteer labor in them. The money requested is about the same as last years request and will be used to fund 10 water-sewer taps. The Mayor stated that that effects 40 lives.
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Hickory Downtown Development Association - Connie Kincaid - $50,000
- Addressed special events, the Farmer's Market, and Art crawls. There were four new businesses this year creating 109 new jobs. The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded Swinging under the stars was awarded North Carolina’s best Downtown event.

Connie spoke about the 4/40 Destination Downtown program where Downtown businesses offer discounts on the 4th Saturday of each month.. Private investment was $328,000. Public Funding was $998,000 meaning that over $1.3 million were invested Downtown. Hickory Hops hosted 48 breweries and 2,263 people with an economic impact of nearly $304,000 to the Area. Connie talked about Swinging under the Stars and Art Crawls. She talked about Oktoberfest, candy crawl, tree lighting, Holiday events, and business development. She spoke of the castle of cans and the signature event of Octoberfest.
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C. Presentation and Approval of Special Events Application for the Use of Union Square for the 2011 Farmer’s Market Season - Staff has worked with Farmer’s Market Board members, DDA staff and board members to determine how the Farmer’s Market can be located on Union Square and adjacent parking lot. As of the printing of the agenda, the specific layout of the Farmer’s Market was not available. This will be presented to City Council at the meeting.

Addendum Farmer's Market on Union Square - Several people addressed the Council before the Council deliberated on this issue. The information is detailed at the link and includes Youtube audio of the proceedings.


Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of 2011 Federal Legislative Agenda - City staff has prepared a Federal Legislative Agenda for 2011 which lists key issues and talking points to discuss with our legislative delegation City Council will use this agenda with our Federal delegation in Washington, DC. This item was previously discussed during the January 18, 2011 Council meeting, but no formal action was taken.

B. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance Through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs - Habitat for Humanity is being recommended for assistance under the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program for the installation of a new HVAC system in their new building. Assistance would not exceed $70,000.00 in the form of a 3% interest loan for a 20 year period. Funds are budgeted through the City’s former Rental Rehabilitation Program income received in FY 2009 and/or income received through the City’s Community Development Department Block Grant Program. Applicant Wade Haynes, Jr. of 1470 3rd Street Place, SW is being recommended for approval for assistance under the City’s 2010 Urgent Repair Program for emergency related repairs not to exceed $5,000.00. Funds are budgeted through the City’s Community Development Department funding received in FY 2010-11. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommends approval of the above applicants.

C. Transfer of Cemetery Lots in Oakwood Cemetery From John W. and wife Lana L. Teague to Nelda W. Eckard (Document Prepared by Attorneys Christian & Associates)

D. Budget Ordinance Amendment
1. To budget a $1,460.62 insurance claim check from Erie Insurance Company in the Library Maintenance and Repair of Building line item. This payment is for property damage sustained during a loading dock door repair.
2. To budget $61,701 of Local Government Revenue received from Catawba County in the Fire Department Overtime line item. This reimbursement is for overtime expenses paid out to Hickory Fire Department for staffing fire apparatus while rescue training classes were being conducted during the months of September 2010 through December 2010.
3. To budget a $2,516 insurance claim check from Trident Insurance Company in the Residential Sanitation Maintenance and Repair of Vehicles line item. This claim is for damage to a garbage truck on 12-28-10.
4. To budget a $297 check from United Beverages of NC, LLC in the Water and Sewer Pipes, Hydrants and Meters line item. This payment is for damage sustained to a fire hydrant.
5. To budget a $3,548 check from Trident Insurance Company in the Water and Sewer Maintenance and Repair of Vehicle line item. This payment is for damage sustained to an International Dump Truck on 01-01-11.

Informational Items:
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s Travel to Denver, Colorado From November 30, 2010 to December 5, 2010 to Attend the NLC 2010 Congress of Cities & Exposition; registration - $635.00; hotel - $1281.75; per diem - $363.50; mileage - $52.00; airfare - $362.90; airport parking - $20.00 - (Mayor Wright chose to reimburse the City for his hotel and per diem for November 30, 2010 and daily hotel parking for a total to the City of $397.05)

B. Report of City Manager Berry’s Travel to Raleigh, NC on January 20, 2011 to Attend the 2011-2012 NCLM Advocacy Goals Conference; registration - $75.00

C. Report of City Manager Berry’s Travel to Raleigh, NC on February 2 – 4, 2011 to Attend the 2011 NCCCMA Winter Conference; registration - $300.00; hotel - $270.72; per diem - $80.00

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Council Will Get a Sneak Preview of the Community Webportal - The Chamber of Commerce has led this initiative with a number of local organizations, including the City of Hickory. The webportal will be officially revealed at the annual Catawba County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on February 17, 2011. Mandy Pitts made this presentation. The whole goal is to bring businesses and people to our area. Pixelspace designed the search engine entitled "Start Something Here" around the ideas of Live, Work, and Learn. I can explain it to you, but I think it is best that you go check it out for yourself and experiment with it. So without further ado go check it out.

Recognition of Persons Requesting To Be Heard
Addendum Citizens Requesting to be Heard - The link takes you to the addendum which details the presentation from Larry Pope's address to the Council involving his arrest in association with the destruction of the swimming pool in Ridgeview and its relation with the pool in West Hickory. The other address of the Council is by Jim Edmonds in relation to the Cell Tower that is being placed in the vicinity of Highway 127 behind Jenkins Elementary, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, and the Hunter's Run neighborhood.