Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 17, 2012

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 1/17/2012 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 Pastor J. Whit Malone, First Presbyterian Church


Special Presentation:
A. Recognize Parks and Recreation Director Mack McLeod for Serving as NC Parks and Recreation Association President for 2011 - Mack has been a member of the association for 27 years. He received an award for serving as President of the NCPRA in 2011. He was commended for outstanding service and leadership as part of the association. He has served on the nominations and elections committee, the professional development committee, procedures committee, and annual conference committee.He was elected and served as the Region 8 Chair in 2006, Secretary in 2007, 2nd Vice President in 2008, Vice President in 2009, 1st Vice President in 2010, and President in 2011.He is serving as past President in 2012. He oversaw restructuring of the NCRPA Board of Directors and represented the NCRPA in legislative meeting with the NC General Assembly. The Mayor added that Mack was instrumental, a few years ago, in having the NC Parks and Recreation annual meeting here in Hickory.

B. Presentation Regarding Pink Heals Activities Held on September 22 – 24, 2011 and Recognition of Volunteers - Deputy Fire Chief George Byers addressed the Council. He talked about the volunteers  and Council who that helped make this event a success. Hickory was one of three cities in North Carolina to represent the tour. He talked about how the lives of so many people were touched by cancer. He thanked City management.

The initial application was submitted in November 2010. In December 2010, the Guardians of the Ribbon, Cares enough to Wear Pink organization announced Hickory as a host; establishing the dates of September 22 - 24, 2011. On February 9, 2011 Steering Committee formed. On February 14, 2011 the steering committee adopted a series of goals and objectives for programs, events, and to brainstorm ideas for the project, On March 1, 2011 Council approved the Pink Heals Tour 2011 program followed by a formal proclamation April 5, 2011. This event was transformed in 264 days. many area businesses volunteered at no expense. Many hundreds of thousands of people were touched about this event through media sources in our area and the Charlotte Metro Area. The group from Washington, DC spent 10 hours to drive to Hickory. The biggest success was the benefit dinner held at First Baptist Church. Over 60 individuals and businesses were involved in this endeavor.


The Steering Committee members were Darlene Huffman, Stephanie Drum, Terri Byers, Sylvia Martin, Claudia main, Mandy Pitts, Matt Hutchinson, Tom Alexander, Tom Adkins, Fred Hollar, Gerge Byers...

14 events were visited in 12 hours throughout the Unifour Area. Over 120 motorcycle riders helped escort the tour out of town. They will return sometime in 2013. This effort received an award from the United Way called "Giving from the Heart." A motorcycle was given away in a  raffle, as was a pink fire helmet. Alderman Hank Guess was the winner of the raffle for the helmet and in the picture below he is presenting the helmet to the Darlene Huffman of the Hickory Fire Department. $16,500 was raised through this project and the benefactor is a local organization "Through Healing Eyes," a non-profit organization (founded in 2003) headed by Katheryn Harlan.

The Hound can see the great heart of the Citizens of Hickory through the endeavor above. Hank Guess showed the overall good guy that he is in the presentation above. One could not help but see what a beneficial event this was from the beginning of this process to what was displayed tonight.

Consent Agenda:
A. Transfer of Cemetery Deed from City of Hickory to Jane Deitz in Oakwood Cemetery

B. Transfer of Cemetery Deed from City of Hickory to Betty Anthony in Southside Cemetery

C. Transfer of Cemetery Deed from City of Hickory to Robert Dixon in Southside Cemetery


D. Special Event Permit Application to Use Union Square for Hickory Downtown Art Crawls on Thursday, May 17, 2012 and Thursday, September 20, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

E. Special Event Permit Application to Use Union Square for Swinging Under the Stars on Sunday, May 27, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.


F. Special Event Permit Application to Use Union Square for Hickory Oktoberfest on Friday, October 12, Saturday, October 13, and Sunday, October 14, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. on Friday to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday)


G. Special Event Permit Application to Use Union Square for A Hickory Holiday! On Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

H. Offer to Purchase From Mildred A. Mauney to City of Hickory to Purchase City-Owned Vacant Lot Located on 2nd Street SW (PIN No. 370211573006) in the Amount of $2,000.00 - Mildred A. Mauney has presented an offer to purchase the city-owned vacant lot located on 2nd Street SW in the amount of $2,000.00. This .26-acre vacant lot is located beside Ms. Mauney’s home, and she has cared for and maintained the lot for the past 27 years. The property is zoned R-4, which allows single-family, multi-family residential or manufactured homes. The contract states that the buyer agrees to the inclusion of a restriction in the general warranty deed prohibiting the placement of mobile homes upon the property. Habitat For Humanity is not interested in the lot since they want to concentrate in Ridgeview or other neighborhoods like Green Park. Staff recommends acceptance of the offer to purchase from Ms. Mauney and authorization to advertise for upset bids. Once the property is advertised, other parties will have ten (10) days to submit upset bids.


I. Amendment to Traffic Ordinance By Changing All Parking on Union Square from Drive Entrance at 2nd Street NW Westward to Drive Entrance at 3rd Street NW from Two (2) Hours to Three (3) Hours - The Hickory Downtown Development Association (HDDA) has requested an extension of the time limitation for public parking on Union Square. They feel this would better accommodate the needs of customers and clients of the downtown business owners. This was agreed upon by the HDDA Downtown Parking Task Force on October 4, 2011, approved by the HDDA General Membership on December 7, 2011, and approved by the HDDA Board of Directors on December 20, 2011. The Traffic Division has analyzed this request and feels it would be fitting. Changing the signage along this parking area would be simple, and the signs/markings shop has already taken the appropriate steps to ensure an easy transition. Staff recommends approval.

J. Budget Ordinance Amendments
1. To budget $250 of library donations in the Library Books line item.
2. To budget $1,237 of Local Government Revenue in the Police Department Overtime line item. This revenue is payment from Catawba County Mental Health for a portion of an Officers time spent when accompanying involuntary commitment patients.
3. To budget $1,000 of Appropriated General Fund Balance and budget in the Library’s Audio and Visual Materials line item. This revenue represents a grant awarded to the Patrick Beaver Library from the Hickory International Council at the end of June, 2011 to purchase materials. The award came too late in FY11 to process, therefore an amendment is necessary.
4. To budget $6,500 of insurance claim checks from Trident Insurance Company in the Traffic Division Capital Vehicles line item for damages sustained to a Traffic Van. To transfer $13,500 of Traffic permanent salaries to the Capital Vehicles line item to provide the additional funds needed to replace the vehicle.
5. To budget a $10,349 insurance claim check from Farm Bureau Insurance Company in the Water and Sewer Maintenance and Repair of Vehicles line item. This insurance claim check is for damage sustained to Water and Sewer Division truck.
6. To budget funds for the first phase of the Zahra Baker All-Children's Playground Project. This is for the purchase of playground equipment for this project. Revenues include a $102,231 donation from the Hickory Kiwanis Foundation and a $20,000 grant from KaBoom! (to be paid directly to the vendor) This project will be constructed at Kiwanis Park.


Informational Items
A. Report of City Manager Mick Berry’s travel to attend the Redevelopment and Economic Development Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 13 – 14, 2011 (room – $198.15; per diem - $60.86; rental car - $200.51; other expenses (fuel) - $136.25)

B. Report of Mayor Rudy Wright’s travel to attend the Redevelopment and Economic Development Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 13 – 14, 2011 (room - $198.15; per diem - $60.86)

C. Report of Alderman Brad Lail’s travel to attend the Redevelopment and Economic Development Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 13 – 14, 2011 (room $198.15; per diem - $60.86)

D. Report of Alderman Hank Guess’s travel to attend the Redevelopment and Economic Development Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 13 – 14, 2011 (room $198.15; per diem - $60.86)

E. Report of Alderwoman Jill Patton’s travel to attend the Redevelopment and Economic Development Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 13 – 14, 2011 (room - $198.15; per diem - $60.86)

The Hound: The minutes of this meeting, held in Chattanooga, can be found on this link. They were posted earlier today. We weren't privy to the happenings from this meeting, but I do find the discussions to be very interesting in an odd way even though we have to read between the lines of the subject matter.

They are talking about creating a commission for entertainment and apparently, although she was not present, the thoughts of Alder Fox are to hold some kind of conference/event that centers around this. These minutes were not voluminous, but mention is made of the HDDA being involved in this process. Once again City officials are adamant that Hickory Economic Development center around Union Square.

City Manager Berry talks about the issue of Wayfinding and makes a point that Downtown Parking Deck funds can be used for the project. Isn't it time that the Parking Deck fund was used to build a parking deck? As I stated with the Tent on Union Square, which is also utilizing this fund. This is not going to mitigate the parking issues that people complain about as the number one problem with the Union Square experience. The City does deserve a Thank You for extending the parking hours from 2 to 3 hours, which was a recommendation made over 3 years ago. If you aren't going to utilize the Parking Deck fund for its legislated intended purpose, then let's see some honest government and end this fund and a fund instituted called the "Union Square Pet Projects Fund."

In this meeting, they flat out say that a Hickory Furniture Museum won't work and I think that is ludicrous. No rhyme or reason why it won't work, but I know it would step on some toes and we see a conflict of interest in this conversation -- put the puzzle together... 

The Mayor wants to focus on population growth 25 jobs at a time -- huh?!?!?!? Government jobs are recession proof -- well we will be finding out if that is true here pretty soon. He puts a number on the percentage of growth he would like to see in Manufacturing. How about we not put a number on it and create an environment where modern manufacturing can thrive. There are already efforts under way to do just that and we don't need to limit or constrain our capacity for growth with these numbers from nowhere. If Freightliner can add 1,100 jobs in Cleveland, NC and Solstace can create 500 in High Point, then we don't need to talk about landing such projects as though it is an impossibility.

Why is this blog called pessimistic and yet we point to things that can be done, while our leaders constantly tell us what can't be done and they are lauded for their optimism?


New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Quarterly Financial Report - GENERAL FUND SUMMARY 50% OF THE YEAR COMPLETE . We have received 60.85% of our budgeted revenues. The 5 year average is 56.28%. Warren states that this is the first time we have been ahead of the game in a while. We have spent/encumbered 49.94% of our budgeted expenditures. The 5 year average is 49.50%. Revenues over (under) expenditures = $6,107,713. The 5 year average is $4,615,523. This is good news and is due to property tax revenues. Water/Sewer Fund - We have received 47.98% of our budgeted revenues. The 5 year average is 45.45%. We have spent/encumbered 52.02% of our budgeted expenditures. The 5 year average is 46.99%. Revenues over (under) expenditures = $189,529. The 5 year average is $173,608.This is a $20 million budget, so this is on target.

The above graph shows that Property Tax Revenues have met 71% of budgeted projections. That is a pleasant surprise, which is better than what has been seen in the last five years. They didn't see this happening, because of the bad building permit numbers. The problem with the lack of building permits is that it will eventually be a drag on revenue growth. Warren stated that the tax base estimate has remained stable (level), which is good news. He says, "so far, so good." This makes up 53% of revenue in the General Fund.

Sales Tax revenue makes up 15% of revenues. This represents 5 months. The City should meet the estimate for the year. There has been a $700,000 drop from peak sales tax revenues of 2008-2009. Investments have earned $36,000 this fiscal year. 90 day CDs are earning .1%. He believes that these earnings will increase in the second half of the year.

Wells Fargo Economic Outlook for 2012 - Expect 2% GDP growth during 2012. Threading the needle between low growth and recession. Continued slow job gains - 123,000 monthly. Modest improvement in income growth - 1%. Bottom Line: A repeat of 2011 assuming Europe and/or oil prices do not "blow up." This will give households another year to reduce their debt and increase savings (hopefully) resulting in increased confidence.

(National) Local Government Outlook - New Reality Slower Revenue Growth = Slower Spending Growth. Continued decline or stagnation of property values will negatively impact the tax base. This may continue to be an issue for years. Small improvement in consumer spending. Little need for new retail construction. Single family construction "dead in the water." Industrial fixed investment will be a bright spot.

What all of this means for us: We are beginning to see some stability and predictability in the numbers. We are not seeing net growth in revenue. Building permits are still at all time lows. Increased funding for fuel costs, health insurance costs, and capital replacement costs will be challenging. Cautious approach to undertaking initiatives that create annual recurring expenses. Will continue to recommend use of cash reserves for economic development related projects.

The Hound believes that Warren's report was an excellent summary rooted in current economic realities. I do believe that Europe is going to financially implode in the near future and the games being played in the Middle East do not bode well for oil price stability. The stability in local property values can be summarized as a dead cat bounce. We are lying on a plateau awaiting the next leg down. This was talked about at the Entrepreneurial Summit last week. We have local industrial property owners that are allowing aspiring entrepreneurs free rent just to keep buildings occupied for security purposes, because of crime such as copper theft of wiring that has been going on. 

I think Warren is dead on in what he has pointed to over the last several years with the building permit numbers. The way things stand now; we have at least another decade, as it stands, before we will see any real growth in property values. The entire country is overbuilt and without job growth and commerce, you are not going to see anything pushing us towards the demand side of the equation when it comes to housing, commercial, or industrial needs. The increase in sales tax revenue is purely a reflection on inflation and is actually negative. Sure some industry might come back from overseas, but until we change the trade paradigm, we aren't going to see a renaissance in the business sector that will sustain robust growth. But, the reality is that if we do find the guts to stand up against the raping and pillaging of our Industrial Base and the Middle Class, then we can see the renaissance that can rebuild this nation.

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- January 15, 2012

The Hounds notes from the Regional Entrepreneur Summit (Part 1) - January 11. 2012
The Hounds notes from the Regional Entrepreneur Summit (Part 2) - January 11. 2012

The event above was a very good event that I feel went very well with some of the previous events that have been presented by the North Carolina Partnership in Innovation (NCPI) and the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce. The idea of holding these types of events was a big part of the discussions that have taken place during Future Economy Council meetings over the last three years. We have now seen two innovation events take place over the last 14 months and the first Edison Project Event. I truly believe these events have been fruitful and are developing a pattern which is moving the area forward and will bear fruit in the not to distant future.

The above event, which featured keynote speaker Ted Abernathy focused on collaboration, the event in November 2010 focused on creating networks that lead to innovation,  and the Edison Project event was an initiative that put the rubber to the road leading to specific action. We still have a long way to go, but we are definitely way past baby steps and far down the path on this journey.

The Edison Project - Good News and Great Ventures - September 19, 2011
Innovation 2010 - Andrew Hargadon - Creating a Network of Innovation - November 11, 2010


JPM Explains Why The US Economy Is About To Hit A Brick Wall - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden January 13, 2012 - JPM's head economist Michael Feroli just joined the bandwagon of other Wall Streeters in cutting Q4 GDP, trimming his prior forecast of 3.5% to 3.0%. However, as this is backward looking, it is largely irrelevant if confirming what we already knew: that the economy was certainly not growing as fast as the market implied it was (yes, the manipulated market is not the economy, no matter how much the Fed would like that to be the case). A bigger question is what should one expect from the future. Yes - an in vitro future, isolated from the daily rumor mill of what may or may not happen to the French rating tomorrow or the day after. It is here that there is nothing good to expect: 'we think growth will downshift from 3.0% in 4Q11 to 2.0% in 1Q12. Looking beyond the first quarter, we expect a growing private domestic sector will contend with a fading drag from the external sector and a persistent drag from the public sector." Yet where JPM falls short, is its optimistic view on the private sector. As David Rosenberg showed yesterday, the ratio of negative to positive preannouncements just hit a multi-year high, with the primary culprit being the strong dollar. Unfortunately for Feroli's bullish angle, the private sector will not do all that well at all if the EURUSD remains in the mid 1.20s or falls further. In fact, corporate earnings will likely be trounced, which in combination with everything else that JPM lists out, correctly, could make the second half of 2012 a perfect storm for economic growth, an event which Obama's pre-electoral planners are all too aware of. What is the only possible recourse? Why more QE of course. The only unknown is "when."...

JPMorgan Profit Falls on Trading, Investment Bank Revenue - Bloomberg - Dawn Kopecki - January 13, 2012 - JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank by assets, said fourth-quarter profit fell 23 percent as trading revenue and investment-banking fees declined.                    Net income dropped to $3.73 billion, or 90 cents a share, from $4.83 billion, or $1.12, in the same period a year earlier, the New York-based company said today in a statement. Earnings matched the average estimate of 28 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg....                 Investment banks are eliminating workers to compensate for falling trading revenue, disclosing plans to reduce staff by more than 200,000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Britain’s biggest government- owned bank, said this week it would cut about 4,800 jobs.....                U.S. banks are in the middle of the industry’s worst two years of revenue growth since the Great Depression, according to Mike Mayo, an analyst with independent research firm CLSA in New York. Earnings across the industry were weak in the fourth quarter and won’t have much improvement this year, he said.....            

Presenting Mitt Romney's Top Campaign Contributors - Tyler Durden on January 14, 2012 -

Corporate Welfare: State Taxpayers Pay to Train Workers for Large Corporations - AllGov - Noel Brinkerhoff - January 11, 2012 - Taxpayers are increasingly covering the cost of training for a corporation’s workforce, without getting any long-term benefit in return.                      For instance, North Carolina has spent a million dollars for 400 residents to learn skills for working in a Caterpillar factory, in addition to a $4.3 million on a community college program customized specifically to meet the company’s labor needs. While the investments are expected to help Caterpillar remain in the state, there are no assurances that will happen.                Previously, the state spent $2 million to train employees for a Dell factory. Five years later, the computer maker closed down its operation, costing North Carolina nearly 1,000 jobs.             Among the subsidies given to corporations, according to a report by Good Jobs First, are income tax credits, cash grants, low-cost or forgivable loans, reimbursement for worker training expenses and reductions in property taxes.


White-Collar Workers Join Crowd Straining Food Banks - Bloomberg - Patrick Cole - January 11, 2012 - After losing her job as a consultant for nonprofits, Martha Heassler and her husband, a graphic artist, no longer had money for their daughter’s college education, new clothing or groceries.               We’re waiting for my husband’s paycheck, and we probably have less than $200 to our name,” Heassler, 55, said by phone.                   She now makes weekly trips to the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to pick up bags of food that include meat, eggs, yogurt and vegetables.              “Without the network of food pantries around us, I don’t know how we would have eaten,” said Heassler, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Gordon College, in Wenham, Massachusetts.                 As the sluggish economy idles more middle-class individuals and families, their donations to food banks and soup kitchens have evaporated, hitting the nonprofits from both ends..


DailyJobCuts.com
Layoffs - PNC to lay off 600 in NC after RBC merger - WRAL.com - January 6, 2012 - Rocky Mount and Raleigh
Hiring - Freightliner truck plant will add 1,100 jobs in N.C. - AP - Emery P. Dalesio - January 13, 2012 - Cleveland, NC
Hiring - Solstas seeks incentives to add 500 jobs in High Point - The Business Journal - Matt Evans - January 6, 2012 - High Point

Gerald Celente makes talks about Trends for 2012

The Hounds notes from the Regional Entrepreneur Summit (Part 2) - January 11. 2012

The following is Part 2 of a summary of the information provided at the conference on Building Entrepreneurial Communities held this morning Wednesday, January 11, 2012 sponsored by the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina Partners in Innovation (NCPI). The conference was held at the Crowne Plaza in Hickory and featured speaker Ted Abernathy who is the Executive Director of the Southern Growth Policies Board who believes that "Complex problems need collaborative solutions. Collaboration is not natural, but by following some basic rules communities can use collaboration to create a competitive advantage. Entrepreneurial businesses and collaboration are both a natural fit and a marriage of necessity."

In Part 1 of the presentation you will see local leaders provide ideas, information, and initiatives that can help to turn the Economic plight of our community around. Especially interesting was the information provided by Bill Parrish who is the Director of The Small Business and Technology Development Center and a fellow participant in the Future Economy Council. Much of the information provided within this presentation is relevant to the discussions that have been presented on the Hound.

Here in Part 2, I will write about the Presentation of Ted Abernathy, who in the past was the Director of the Research Triangle Park and wants to work in collaboration to help turn Hickory around. He worked in the past with Bill Parrish of the SBTDC. What you will see is that it isn't us against the World. There are many interested parties in this State that want to see this region turn it around and are willing to help us do just that.

Ted Abernathy - Entrepreneurial Development is Collaboration - Mr. Abernathy first began his presentation by exhibiting percentage of venture capital in the United States. He stated that we aren't going to solve (our problems) by thinking the way everyone else thinks. He added that he was brought in to speak about collaborative models and how we get people to work together to achieve something together. Economic Development has gone from being a game of checkers to becoming three dimensional chess. You have to anticipate and prepare.

 Photos copyright: ©2012 Pat Appleson Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Used By Permission

John F. Kennedy - "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."


Collaboration is the act of working with one or more people to do something that you can't do yourself.
Collaboration = Value - People collaborate when it is in their interest to do so.
Depends on where you sit - The successful process designs itself so that everyone sees the value in the back end
Crisis & Complacency - Motivation comes when Crisis exceeds Complacency
Context matters - Like a Habitat for Humanity House. Agree to the goal and roles of participants.

5 things that make collaboration hard
1) What is the new normal? There has never been a normal. We have to create the future. If we do not create the future, it will be created for us by external forces. The Churn - there are always jobs being increased and lost in communities. Alvin Toffler - Future Shock - The pace of change is so fast it is making us ill (this was 40 years ago). We want and need to know about where we are headed in the future. Philip Tetlock - You can't know enough to predict.
2)Complexity Conundrum - Changing Trends. The complexity of the world causes most people to tune out. Global interdependence shows that the world is interconnected. Top percent GDP Growers in 2012 - They aren't all where you would think they would be. We are in a Matrix Paradox.
3) Cultural Fragmentation - News/Books/Music/Movies/Information. Lack of Familiarity. Today we get information from many more sources, so we aren't as familiar with where others are coming from.
4) We are in a bad mood - Lack of satisfaction in jobs. Most people say things are worse. 100 years ago the life expectancy was 47 years old.
5)The American Dream Crisis - Vision of America. Opportunity for all. It isn't how you were born; It is what you do with your talents. Mr. Abernathy asked what we thought America would be like in 2050. It is hard to be positive about the future when the media is so negative. Building competitive regional clusters is about enabling entrepreneurship through infrastructure, R&D, and training citizens. Global manufacturing - Top 10 drivers in competitiveness. America has to have a strong manufacturing base.


5 things that make for successful collaborations
1) Understanding motivations - "Their best interests." Regions are in this together. Motivations - The Sawyer effect - Create a message that resonates. Co-opts are created to help shops in an area, because vacancies drag down other businesses in an area. Likewise, regions are in this together. When motivating people to help you, you need to figure out how to motivate people to help you through what they want. All communities are competing for economic success. There will be winners and losers in this process. Specific language matters - Franks Luntz.
2)Build a team. Engage every partner. - Business Advantage Center. Evolution of Groups - they get familiar with each other, then build a common language based upon what they want to do, they create shared visions, then work together and eventually learn to trust one another. This builds Social Capital - or Hardwiring a Community. He addressed the people of Leadership Catawba and told them that if they weren't willing to lead, then they should quit the class. The experience is about networking and building trust.
3) Leadership is crucial and models are changing - Hierarchical or Grass Roots. Leadership is changing - Trust/Public/Private/Non-Profit. "Twilight of the Elite." Effective Regional Leadership. Martin Dempsey Quote. What do we want from leadership? Trust and Action. We want to believe that leaders have our interests at heart. There is a need for a catalyst. We get caught up on the fact we think that this is supposed to be hierarchy. Leadership depends on consensus. We need a shared regional narrative. How do we describe our area and talk about it. "A leader is a dealer in hope" - Napolean Bonaparte. “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” - Greek Proverb. General Martin Dempsey recently said, "In the past, "we would have said we want men who are physically fit, educated, and disciplined. Now, what we way is that we want someone who wants to belong to a values-based group, who can communicate, who is inquisitive, and who has an instinct to collaborate."
4)Narrow whatever it is you are dealing with. The New Economy - how to prepare people and places to succeed in the New Economy. Define the geography. Let the function create the form. Collaborative Capacity -- if there is not a group to keep everything organized, then it will not work. If people don't think the objectives can succeed, then they will fail. You need to set realistic objectives. Collective Success depends on common agendas, shared measurements, mutually reinforcing activities, and support structures.
5) It takes capacity to hold groups together - How do you move people? Social influence - peer pressure. You model the behavior you expect. People get information in different ways, but they expect information. Collective Impact - Success is important.

People receive information in different ways. People are sure that society can't get along, but this isn't anything new. We knew this in the founding of the nation. James Madison - "The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society." Friction - checks and balances. Jacksonianism - Tea Party and other things have happened before and they reset America. Community Resilience was born out of Hurricane Katrina. How do you prepare people before critical times happen? Prepare today for negative events that may happen tomorrow. Communities have to be intentional in what they do in order to be successful. The more social capital, the better.

The Millennial Generation will be the most Entrepreneurial generation that we have ever had. They were born, technological, global, and expecting change to happen. They want to work for themselves.

Southern Growth Policies Board - Southern.org

The Hounds notes from the Regional Entrepreneur Summit (Part 1) - January 11. 2012

The following is Part 1 of a summary of the information provided at the conference on Building Entrepreneurial Communities held this morning Wednesday, January 11, 2012 sponsored by the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina Partners in Innovation (NCPI). The conference was held at the Crowne Plaza in Hickory and featured speaker Ted Abernathy who is the Executive Director of the Southern Growth Policies Board who believes that "Complex problems need collaborative solutions. Collaboration is not natural, but by following some basic rules communities can use collaboration to create a competitive advantage. Entrepreneurial businesses and collaboration are both a natural fit and a marriage of necessity."

In Part 1 of the presentation you will see local leaders provide ideas, information, and initiatives that can help to turn the Economic plight of our community around. Especially interesting was the information provided by Bill Parrish who is the Director of The Small Business and Technology Development Center and a fellow participant in the Future Economy Council. Much of the information provided within this presentation is relevant to the discussions that have been presented on the Hound. In Part 2, I will write about the Presentation of Ted Abernathy, who in the past was the Director of the Research Triangle Park and wants to work in collaboration to help turn Hickory around. What you will see is that it isn't us against the World. There are many interested parties in this State that want to see this region turn it around and are willing to help us do just that.

Michael Blackburn, CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center and the current chairman of the board of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce mad introductions for each speaker at the event.

Dr. Jane Everson the Chair of the NCPI explained the purpose of the NCPI and how it consists of the UNC system and the region's Community Colleges along with the four county Chamber of Commerce's. She introduced the top three finalist winners of the Edison project and spoke about entrepreneurial initiatives in the area. Dr. Everson is the outgoing Director of the Appalachian State University - Hickory Partnership and the outgoing chair of the NCPI. It will be hard to fill her shoes in these positions, because she has worked hard getting these initiatives off the ground.

Dr Garrett Hinshaw, President of Catawba Valley Community College was the next speaker. He talked about how hard it was to define entrepreneurship and compared the economy of the 1990s to now. What has happened? The challenge comes in the uncertainty of the future. He spoke about Frye Regional Medical Center and a patient with a fibrillating heart. You have to do something. The community is going to have to provide the shock and create the vision and it includes a role to play for every person in the community. He challenged the people at the conference to help determine what the shock will be. We have to determine that action. The answer has to be created. He introduced Bill Parrish.

Bill Parrish is the Director of the The Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). He paid complements to the work of Dr.s Hinshaw and Everson. He talked about last years event - (Innovation 2010 - Andrew Hargadon - Creating a Network of Innovation). He gave credit to Dr. Jim Zuiches and Dr. Tom White of NC State University, stating this event couldn't have taken place without their help. Bill spoke of the Catawba County Chamber's role in this event and wanted to emphasize Catawba County Chamber President Danny Hearn's point that this is a regional event. He pointed to the organizations that have supported this event.

Bill talked about a study done by a group called Collaborative Economics. Entrepreneurship and small business plays a key role in economic development and is the single business driver of economic well being, technological innovation, and wealth creation. Entrepreneurs are innovators, connectors, and collaborators raising money from people they don't even know. Entrepreneur - a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk, but their are more definition than can be counted.

Execution - the act of putting ones ideas into action... putting it into a business entity that is sustainable.
He pointed to the movie "The Sound of Music" and how Julie Andrews character got things done in spite of children that didn't like her and an overbearing father. Execution separate the dreamer with an idea from the business visionary who takes it forward and creates jobs. He pointed next to Steve Jobs, the president of Apple.

So what? Who Cares? What me worry? Carrying on with business as usual won't get us where we need to go. Manufacturing in the United States was 20% in 1990 and has fallen to below 12%. Manufacturing in the Catawba County was over 50% in 1990 and has fallen to 27%. Technology Explains Drop in Manufacturing Jobs.


U.S. Manufacturing Productivity and Output.

We have lost 35% of our jobs in the 1987-2010 time period shown in the graph above. 49% of rural folks who become unemployed find work in one year. That means that 51% didn't. 30% of these people made less than half of what they made in their previous job. North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center

Dashboard Indicators- Most Communities are not Entrepreneurial
Change in Output - Local Equivalent of the National Gross Domestic Product
Employment Growth
Productivity
Per Capita Income Growth - Jobs is one thing, but to sustain and grow, you need income growth.

Keys to Regional Growth
Skilled Workforce - We are dead last in educational attainment. Local initiatives have created programs to address this. It will take time to turn around.
Business Dynamics - Churning - Entrepreneurial turmoil where businesses are created and destroyed.
Legacy of Place - The cost of outdated facilities and the effects of a shrinking tax base.
Location Amenities - Quality of Life. Will people want to move here?

Environmental Ecosystem
Assets - Education Infrastructure, Financial Institutions, Broadband
Connections - Networking, Partnerships, Collaboration
Culture - The mindset and attitude of the community towards entrepreneurs of different lifestyles.
Quality of Life - The Environment and pools of talent in a community
Combination - Recipe of Ingredients. The community has to put the ingredients together and make them work.

National Trends 2011
Focus on Region - Action and tangible outcomes of regionalism
Reorganizing Economic Development
Access to Capital - As hard to come by as ever
Tax Incentives - NC has a number of them
New Commitments to Technology Based Economic Development (TBED) - More money being spent on targeted research.
Research Investment
Higher Education & Stem Incentives - Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

Fortune 500 Replacement
Replacement of 1/3 of companies in 1960 took 20 years, in 1983 it took 11 years, in 1999 it was down to 4 years. Those are the big businesses where things turn slower. Think of the smaller businesses and this churn rate. The entrepreneurs are having to outrun the big guys.

Bill next talked about Facebook
130 - Average # of friends of users of Facebook
50% growth of users in 2011
800 million users worldwide
$70 Billion minimum market cap estimate for when the company goes public


Bill wants us to watch a story that will be broadcast on NBC on January 16, 2012 at 10pm that will discuss the restart of Cochran Furniture. The company is being reborn as Lincolnton Furniture. The company CEO is Bruce Cochran and he was interviewed by Carolina Business Review (starts at the 11:00 mark in the video below).


CBR 2115 - Bruce Cochrane, President & CEO, Lincolnton Furniture Company from WTVI Charlotte on Vimeo.

The Hound's take on Mayor Wright's Interview with Hal Row - 1/9/2012

This morning I got up to listen to the Mayor on Hal Row’s show doing the “Monthly Morning Meeting.” Much of what was discussed seemed to be a rebuttal to what has been discussed here on the Hound.

In speaking with Harry about what we heard this morning. Harry had something very interesting that he pointed out. Remember Frank Luntz coming here last year and how everyone has bought into Frank Luntz’s word magic. It seems that the city is looking to take a page out of the Frank Luntz playbook and this is what they think branding is all about -- A game of semantics. They don’t like the fact that the $285,000 Big Tent on Union Square has been labeled that. They are jumping here, there, and everywhere to come up with some kind of descriptive moniker that will stick.

There was a comment in one of the earlier posts, about this subject, in which the responder stated that he didn’t think the Council understood the project. Although the wheels have been in motion on this thing for several months, I also don’t think the Council grasps the concept of what this structure is or its purpose and I think that this interview reiterated that point. The Mayor was using names like the gathering area, the Agora, meeting place, exhibit locations, pods, big pod, smaller pods, units, etc.; but it was almost as if he was doing an on air fishing expedition to find some way to describe what this thing is.

No matter how it is spun, this tent fulfills none of the capacities they are attempting to solve. I don’t know what the intrinsic artistic value will be worth, but it is plain as day to see its limitations. The Mayor said that there will be 16 to 20 pods. From what I understand there are presently 33 vendors at the Farmer’s market, where will the other 13 to 17+ vendors be placed? Does it make sense that this is supposed to be a permanent structure for the Farmer’s market and yet it doesn’t even sustain the current level of market activity? And does this not show that the Farmer’s Market on Union Square is maxed out and cannot grow anymore? And what about the fact that the fabric on the structure is going to have to be replaced in the not too distant future?

Then to call this structure an Amphitheater is a bastardization of that term. It will be less than two feet off the ground (look below your knees) with very limited seating and according to Mr. Zagaroli himself, this will not enhance the acoustics of that area. This token all purpose structure is being built to avoid a bolder, riskier move. So basically all they are doing is modernizing the current setup, yet we hear that there are still members of the City Council that want to see an end to some current events, such as Hickory Alive. So we are going to run off current draws with no guarantees of replacement events?

Once again, I don’t see where any of this adds up to helping recoup the $285,000+ that is being spent on this project,  coming from the general fund and penalty money revenues that people have had to pay due to the poor parking situation on Union Square. One of the biggest issues we hear from citizens who complain about their Union Square experience is the parking problems. Yet, money is being diverted from the fund that was instituted under the guise of creating infrastructure to help solve those problems. This is the definition of a slush fund folks.

Much of what we discuss above is the very reasons why we don’t want the City be in charge of building and running anything of this nature. We saw what they did at the LP Frans this past September with the Gay Pride Festival and we know how they are trying to find problems with Hickory Alive. Have you ever inquired about using a facility that is operated by the City of Hickory? It ain’t cheap folks! Do you want the Hickory City Government micro-managing entertainment choices in this community?

All anyone has asked the City to do is to foster and facilitate ideas and maybe help with seed monies that will be recouped as soon as possible. Any entertainment venues need to be operated by an “Authority,” which would be a local autonomous public-private venture. The Hickory City Council should have zero input on such a venture, with the exception being current codes and ordinances.

If you are going to build any public venue, then you institute an initiative. You have public entities come forward with requests for proposals, then you take a look at the ideas and how they fit within the framework of a budget and then after taking all variables into consideration, you make the decision on the project and who will build the project. That is what we saw with the Google initiative and that is what we are supposed to see with all Governmental initiatives, especially expensive ones.

The next big issue discussed was the Mayor inferring that $5 million to $10 million was going to be spent on a project that will be implemented this year.  The "Craftsman" idea is apparently the main theme behind whatever it is that council is going to do.  So this $5-10 million is going to be spent with that in mind.  Apparently, there is going to be some private investment as well.  But this notion of Hickory is ___________...  That blank is going to be filled in by the Council with the help of the City Manager's office and the Business Development team.  But given the track record we have witnessed, the ”It” will be what the Mayor (with City Manager Berry’s tweaking) wants to do, is thinking, wants done.

It seems the BIG project might be a business incubator, such as what Alderman Lail described from the visit to Chattanooga. The specific place they visited connected business owners with entrepreneurs. The Company Lab - (Facebook) connects idea people with artists. He said this space was full of energy. That could be an excellent endeavor, but it will depend on the process. Will we see an honest and above board process or will this be another manipulation that pads club members’ pockets.

A cynical worry is that “Investment” monies will be directed towards the airport under the economic development banner; looking to cover the mismanagement by the prior operators, which the city allowed to go on for years, with an explanation that they are "restructuring" the airport. In layman’s terms, how much debt incurred by River Hawk is the City of Hickory on the hook for and how much is it going to cost to recover from the neglect and recklessness created by River Hawk?

As usual, the big question will be how much public input will be allowed and how will the City attempt to spin the issues revolving around this investment? They don't have a track record of listening to the public and implementing what the public wants. You can rest assured that if the Mayor has introduced this topic that something is already on the table and will soon find its way out from behind the curtain. As we have witnessed for years, the fix is always in and it's going to be all about the sales job. 

Ironically, the initiatives that have been discussed here on the Hound have traction, but the Powers That Be are looking for ways to implement them “on the cheap.” They aren’t making the bold moves that we encourage. They are utilizing the initiatives discussed here as talking points, while we seek boldness and action. The Frank Luntz technique is all about political strategy through wordsmanship. I have nothing against Mr. Luntz, but I view him as a pop culture entertainer. He has no leadership capability and his methods create distrust; because we need people who say what they mean and mean what they say.

We must insist on accountability from the leadership of this community. That comes through cost/benefit analysis mechanisms, competitive bidding for projects, and real studies of the potential effectiveness of projects through compare/contrast analysis. The Big Tent deal is definitely not a template for a community to follow. The public is going to have to decide if they want mind games that lead to nowhere or real actions that can get us moving forward.

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- January 8, 2012

A new excellent website to see how the actual economy is doing is paulcraigroberts.org

The Dismal Economic Outlook For The New Year - paulcraigroberts.org - Paul Craig Roberts - January 6, 2012 - Jobs offshoring, financial deregulation, and ten years of wars have severely damaged the US economy and the economic prospects of 90% of the American population. The signs are everywhere in front of our eyes. They are in the income distribution data, the BLS jobs data, the Census data, the poverty figures, and the high number of food stamp recipients.                   The signs are in the foreclosed and boarded up homes and the accompanying homelessness. They are in closed strip malls, in office building, warehouse, and shopping mall vacancies, and in the huge population losses of America’s manufacturing cities.                  The New Economy was a hoax, like Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction” and the “war on terror.” Americans were deceived by “their” corrupt government, by greed-driven corporations, and by corporate shills among economists and the pundit class into believing that they were trading middle class “dirty fingernail” jobs in manufacturing for better middle class “clean fingernail” high-tech service jobs. Instead, reasonably paid manufacturing and professional skill jobs, such as software engineering and information technology, were traded for lowly paid jobs as waitresses and bartenders and for jobs in ambulatory health care.               Consequently, real median US income fell for the vast majority of the population. To keep consumers spending when they had no raises, the Federal Reserve used low interest rates to create a real estate and credit bubble. The low interest rates drove up housing prices, and Americans refinanced their mortgages and spent the equity in their homes. Americans maxed out credit cards. The rise in consumer indebtedness kept consumer demand growing and the economy afloat.                  But there is a limit to how far debt can outpace income, and the bubble burst. And when it burst the financial fraud that had been hidden in the euphoria was revealed. That set off the financial crisis.


US Economic Forecast for 2012 and the Election Year Cycle - Infowars.com - James Hall - January 4, 2012 - When it comes to business cycles, the former rules no longer seem to apply. The seminal events that changed the economic landscape after the 2008 financial crash still points to an uncertain future and marginal recovery. If you watch CNBC or Bloomberg business news, you hear that a modest recovery is in place. Accepting this kind of reporting may temporarily make you feel better, but in the real economy, the prospects for a rebound are mere fiction. Prosperity only exists for the chums of the insider financial system, who are immune from actual market conditions. Under the privileged and favoritism model, political subsidies and bailouts are more important than creative industry or innovative execution.               The businesses that produce and service the everyday functions of society flounder in a sea of uncertainty and a desert of capital illiquidity. Within this context, the only realistic way to examine the prospects for 2012, must factor in the political component. Yet the promoters of the corporatist system build up false hope, while fudging the number.                 Analyze the valid question; Can We Trust The Moderate Growth Forecasts? 

Lakshman Achuthan, chief operations officer of the Economic Cycle Research Institute, talks with Bloomberg about the next year in the U.S. Economic Outlook, Labor Market video.

Mr. Achuthan continues in a second video interview on the Daily Ticker – Says New Recession Unavoidable.


Top 12 Trends 2012 - rense.com - Trends Research Institute - Gerald Celente - December 21, 2011 -  
1. Economic Martial Law: Given the current economic and geopolitical conditions, the central banks and world governments already have plans in place to declare economic martial law with the possibility of military martial law to follow.
2. Battlefield America: With a stroke of the Presidential pen, language was removed from an earlier version of the National Defense Authorization Act, granting the President authority to act as judge, jury and executioner. Citizens, welcome to "Battlefield America."
3. Invasion of the Occtupy: 15 years ago, Gerald Celente predicted in his book Trends 2000 that prolonged protests would hit Wall Street in the early years of the new millennium and would spread nationwide. The "Occtupy" is now upon us, and it is like nothing history has ever witnessed.
4. Climax Time: The financial house of cards is collapsing, and in 2012 many of the long-simmering socioeconomic and geopolitical trends that Celente has accurately forecast will come to a climax. Some will arrive with a big bang and others less dramatically but no less consequentially. Are you prepared? And what's next for the world?
5. Technocrat Takeover: "Democracy is Dead; Long Live the Technocrat!" A pair of lightning-quick financial coup d'états in Greece and Italy have installed two unelected figures as head of state. No one yet in the mainstream media is calling this merger of state and corporate powers by its proper name: Fascism, nor are they calling these "technocrats" by their proper name: Bankers! Can a rudderless ship be saved because technocrat is at the helm?
6. Repatriate! Repatriate!: It took a small, but financially and politically powerful group to sell the world on globalization, and it will take a large, committed and coordinated citizens' movement to "un-sell" it. "Repatriate! Repatriate!" will pit the creative instincts of a multitude of individuals against the repressive monopoly of the multinationals.
7. Secession Obsession: Winds of political change are blowing from Tunisia to Russia and everywhere in between, opening a window of opportunity through which previously unimaginable political options may now be considered: radical decentralization, Internet-based direct democracy, secession, and even the peaceful dissolution of nations, offering the possibility for a new world "disorder."
8. Safe Havens: As the signs of imminent economic and social collapse become more pronounced, legions of New Millennium survivalists are, or will be, thinking about looking for methods and ways to escape the resulting turmoil. Those "on-trend" have already taken measure to implement Gerald Celente's 3 G's: Gold, Guns and a Getaway plan. Where to go? What to do? Top Trends 2012 will guide the way.
9. Big Brother Internet: The coming year will be the beginning of the end of Internet Freedom: A battle between the governments and the people. Governments will propose legislation for a new "authentication technology," requiring Internet users to present the equivalent of a driver's license and/or bill of health to navigate cyberspace. For the general population it will represent yet another curtailing of freedom and level of governmental control.
10. Direct vs. Faux Democracy: In every corner of the world, a restive populace has made it clear that it's disgusted with "politics as usual" and is looking for change. Government, in all its forms ­ democracy, autocracy, monarchy, socialism, communism ­ just isn''t working. The only viable solution is to take the vote out of the hands of party politicians and institute Direct Democracy. If the Swiss can do it, why can't anyone else?
11. Alternative Energy 2012: Even under the cloud of Fukushima, the harnessing of nuclear power is being reinvigorated by a fuel that is significantly safer than uranium and by the introduction of small, modular, portable reactors that reduce costs and construction time. In addition, there are dozens of projects underway that explore the possibility of creating cleaner, competitively priced liquid fuels distilled from natural sources. Plan to start saying goodbye to conventional liquid fuels!
12. Going Out in Style: In the bleak terrain of 2012 and beyond, "Affordable sophistication" will direct and inspire products, fashion, music, the fine arts and entertainment at all levels. US businesses would be wise to wake up and tap into the dormant desire for old time quality and the America that was.



US Closes 2011 With Record $15.22 Trillion In Debt, Officially At 100.3% Debt/GDP, $14 Billion From Breaching Debt Ceiling - Zero Hedge.com - Tyler Durden on January 3, 2012 - While not news to Zero Hedge readers who knew about the final debt settlement of US debt about 10 days ahead of schedule, it is now official: according to the US Treasury, America has closed the books on 2011 with debt at an all time record $15,222,940,045,451.09. And, as was observed here first in all of the press, US debt to GDP is now officially over 100%, or 100.3% to be specific, a fact which the US government decided to delay exposing until the very end of the calendar year. We wonder, rhetorically, just how prominent of a talking point this historic event will be in any upcoming GOP primary debates. And yes, technically this number is greater than the debt ceiling but it excludes various accounting gimmicks. When accounting for those, the US has a debt ceiling buffer of... $14 billion, or one third the size of a typical bond auction.


DailyJobCuts.com
Charlie Trotter Closing Shop - NBCChicago.com - January 1, 2012 - Restaurant shutting down August 31
Florida hit hardest by Sears store closings - AP - December 29, 2011 - (List)
Sinbad restaurant serves final meal - Times-News - blueridgenow.com - January 1, 2012 -  (Hendersonville, NC restaurant closes - Typical story about small business America in this economy)


The Bank Holiday is coming - Ann Barnhardt and I (Warren Pollock) have an open conversation organized to provide background to this crisis, the setting of legal precedent, netting, settlement, and future trends including a potential bank holiday. We talk about MF Global as it applies to savings and commercial banking, brokerage, insurance, and commodities. We talk about numeric impossibility of solving the problem, incest between government and finance, having the victim of the crisis pay rather than the fraudster. We explain how the MF Global bankruptcy process will define how customer funds will be treated in a bank holiday. We talk about the idea of having an honest bank holiday to root out fraud vs an economic crisis which plays to looting and criminal activity of vested interest.

The Hounds viewership grew by 42.7% in 2011

We still have a lot of work to do when it comes to winning the public over and getting them to understand the validity of this newsource, but we are proud of what we have accomplished so far in the time of the existence of the Hickory Hound. Last year (2011) saw 22,920 unique viewers visiting this website compared to 16,058 in 2010 and 13,652 in 2009. That is an increase of 6,862 unique views from 2010 to 2011.

When looking at pageloads and people visiting various pages and documents on the site, the site grew to 39,865 pageloads in 2011 versus 28,374 pageloads in 2010. That is a 40.5% increase in pageloads. So one can see that the growth in the site was across the board and people are reading the site in depth.

Myself and the others who are associated with this site participate here, because we believe in the mission. We could spend time doing more leisurely activities and I am sure that there are many people who wish that we would "find something better to do." In the peril in which we find this community and our society, we feel we have a calling. Of course most of the input on this site comes from myself, but the connections that have been developed have been invaluable and we would not be growing at the rate we have without them. I thank each and every one of my colleagues from the bottom of my heart for being friends and talking issues out with me and providing expressed input themselves.

I remember a few weeks ago when we were accused of being one sided and narrow minded about the Union Square issues. People are starting to wake up around here and see through a lot of the rouse of simplistic labeling that goes on in this community. We have seen it all. First the insiders try to co-opt you. When that doesn't work, then they move on to saying you are a conspiracy theorist. When you have multiple incidents where your logic proves credible, then they move on to attacking your character. In the end the insiders don't understand that they are losing their grip, because people are witnessing the gamesmanship and as the scams are forced into higher and higher stakes, people are going to become more and more aware, because it is affecting more and more people personally.

When times were good, people weren't forced to pinch pennies and waste to a certain extent was acceptable. Now people have had to tighten their belts and scramble to keep financially level. Some people seem to think somebody else has to take the big haircut, while they trim around the edges. In times like these, all most of us expect is fairness when it comes to shared sacrifice. That is why we have pointed to certain issues involving economic and social equitability in this community. To me, Social Justice is not the bad word that some want to make it out to be; because we are not seeking equal outcomes. We are seeking a level playing field.

I think the growth of the blog shows the awakening going on in this community and to a certain extent legitimizes the message, which in turn brings with it a level of credibility. We will not take that for granted.

I don't know what the upcoming year has in store. I don't take for granted that this blog will continue to grow and growing at 40% in 2012 certainly isn't a given. I appreciate everyone of the 57,334 views that have been granted by the perusers of this site, even when they don't see eye-to-eye with me and vise-versa. It is certainly my hope that we will all enjoy the advancement and enhancement of our lives in the year ahead. And that is the goal we will continue to work towards in the many days ahead.

Peace Be with you all!!!