The Hickory Hound

Friday, September 14, 2012

Statement by Rebecca Inglefield about her arrest at City Hall - September 13, 2012

The Hound: The following statement was issued by Dr. Joseph Inglefield and Rebecca Inglefield relating to her arrest. Rebecca had gone to City Hall as a private citizen to request information that I had been told was available for public viewing by City Council Representative Jill Patton. In her e-mail message, Mrs. Patton gives facts and figures and states, "A file containing the comprehensive expenses of this project is available for public inspection in the City Manager’s office.”

That is the reason why Mrs. Inglefield went to City Hall. She did not go there to be belligerent or combative or to get arrested. I actually saw and spoke to Mrs. Inglefield from 2:00pm to 2:20pm and we had a pleasant conversation to go over facts, as I understand them, and she wanted my input about questions that might be asked. She was actually listening to classical music and seemed very calm at that time. C. Jane Johnson was with us.

The story is going to come out and this arrest is not the issue. The issue is the games that this city has been playing for years in relation to information that belongs to the public and their lack of cooperation in issuing forthright information and context upon request.

The following is a statement sent to Larry Clark of the Hickory Daily Record and released to the public:

Dear Mr. Clark,

Thank-you for your concern about my wife Rebecca and her arrest at Hickory City Hall. It was very kind of you to be at the police station. We are now home after a exhausting, bewildering day. Quite frankly we are very disappointed with the behavior of our city servants. Rebecca is shaken up and recovering from the events of the day. This is the statement she wishes to send to you regarding today.

" On Tuesday 9-11-12 I learned in an email from my city council member, Jill Patton, that the public was invited to visit the City manager's office to review documents related to the cost and bidding for the Sails on the Square project. I believe there was also a notice in the paper. I had requested the documents months ago. At about 2:45 I arrived at city hall where Asst. city manager Warren Wood brought out a stack of documents about 3 inches thick. Mr. Wood told me I could review the documents but a city official would have to sit and observe me as I reviewed the documents. He took me into a spacious conference room, but then moved me across the office building to a table that was in an open area surrounded by offices.

After briefly looking at the first few pages I was glad to have a city official there, because the coding and the invoice numbers were jumbled and confusing. The city official Mike Bennett told me I could not write on the documents, and then refused to help me any more. I sat at the table with a female city employee who kindly helped me to decipher the documents. I told the staff member I wanted to find the actual written bid that was accepted by the city.

At that point, City Attorney John Crone and City Manager Mick Berry aggressively approached the table where I was working. Mick Berry told me I had to leave, but finally he said I could take the documents with me. This was after I had been told I could not review the documents alone nor write on them. I told Mr. Berry and Mr. Crone that these documents could not be understood without assistance from city staff who could explain the documents and their confusing codes. I was told that the city has to produce documents, but does not have to explain them.

Mr. Crone said I could no longer stay. I had to leave. I told him I had a number of questions after having waited on these documents for many months. Mr. Crone said I could send my questions in writing. I tried to ask questions despite his belligerent attitude. He said he would not answer them until a later time. Mr. Crone and Mr. Berry refused to answer any questions about the law or about the project. Instead of being helpful to a citizen they called the police who arrested me on their orders. They are comfortable in the use of intimidation of the public; it has worked for them for a long time.

The citizens of Hickory will vote in 4 days. Every citizen and I have a right to know what is in these documents. The documents they gave me, as far as I can understand them, show nothing regarding how the contract was awarded, and in fact contain no bid.

I am 56 years old, have raised 2 children, have been married for 33 years and practiced law for 25 years. I have never been treated with such disrespect as I was by Mr. Berry and Mr. Crone. The only threatening thing about me is that I was asking for the truth. "

Sincerely,
Rebecca Inglefield

Mr. Clark, it is pretty obvious after months of stonewalling that the city of Hickory did a document dump days before the referendum. The documents are still incomplete and were delivered in a disorganized and purposefully confusing way. A document dump like this is no different than censorship. The goal is to confuse the public and to deny or delay the truth. We need transparency in government. As Ronald Reagan said, "Trust, but verify."

The Hound: And while we are at it, I am re-releasing the debate that took place between Rudy Wright and Joe Brannock on August 21, 2012. You can hear in this the foreboding negative tone of fear that has been expressed throughout this process by many of Hickory's Public Servants and their entourage. They may as well be saying, "These sinister Commonist radicals are cummin ta gitcha and they're gonna burn down your house."

If there is one thing that I can convey to people. Never let fear rule your life. If people use fear to sway you, then you need to figure out what their real agenda is.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

References to where we are today - (Referendum, Consent Agenda, Tent, Airport, Pools)

Since September 2011, we have had over 27,500 unique views on this blog. That equates to a growth rate of over 25% from year to year and like compound interest going into an investment account, the momentum continues to build.

As a member of the new media, whose roots are based in the vestiges of the original newsprint media, we attempt to be at the forefront of the news. Our goal is not to be intrusive, but to get to the heart of the issues that we face in this community. We are here for the people.

The issue of the day in Hickory is the Referendum. And below are links going back over time in relation to this issue that have brought us to where we are today.

The Referendum
Ward Voting Discussion - Lakeland Park - September 11, 2012

Ward versus At Large and the Referendum -- Jay Adams - 9/11/2012

Green Park Neighborhood Association Debate on Referendum - September 10, 2012

No Steps Forward either -- Silence DoGood - 9/10/2012

"No Change!" will not work. - 9/8/2012

Why the Million Dollar No-Bid Tent on Union Square Matters - 9/4/2012

Items of Relevance going into Tonight's Referendum Forum - 9/4/2012

The First Step... - 9/1/2012

The Definition of Cronyism and the Million Dollar Tent - 8/31/2012

Enjoyed the Ward Voting Debate on Hal Row's Show - Harry Hipps - 8/29/2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ward Voting Discussion - Lakeland Park - September 11, 2012

Yesterday, on the 11th anniversary, of the attack upon the World Trade Center, which took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, we as free Americans enjoyed Democracy in action. Another discussion too place between the two sides that represent different viewpoints in relation to this Ward Voting Referendum in which the official voting day will be next September 18, 2012.

As you know I support this Ward Specific voting referendum. Today in the Hickory Daily Record the No Coalition took umbrage about the fact that a leaflet was passed out to attempt to get out the vote in the Black community. I really don't understand what all of the fuss is about, especially when the No Coalition has been out in public trying to scare old people by basically insinuating that we are a bunch of communist subversives, saying that a bunch of Acorn outsiders are involved in our campaign and telling my fellow Republicans that this is a bunch of "Democrats" and we're sprinkled in with a few disgruntled Republicans.

In this discussion, Paul Byrd continues to beat the well worn drum about taking away 5 of his votes. Yes, Mr. Bird we are attempting to take away the Bloc voting system in this community, which has been used as a weapon of control against the Lower Economic Wards in this community, that has kept them from having their issues represented on City Council. Mr. Byrd worries about rancor on City Council going forward. The No coalition seems to support the 99% Consent voting, with no discussion, that takes place with City Council today. Under the present system there will be no rancor unless it is introduced by citizens and then Hickory Inc. will do everything they can to suppress the people when they challenge their authority. I am glad Mr. Byrd, and a few others, feel they are well represented. Our aim is to make sure the entire community feels they are being represented.

In this discussion, Mr. Brannock discusses the request for City Council Closed Session minutes related to the Airport issue and Riverhawk Aviation. Mr. Brannock received over 90 pages of documents. He had to wait 2 weeks to receive those documents. He was charged nearly $25 for that information. In that documentation were included legal information about the Cercil Brothers legal case. There was information about Randy Ingold's Estate settlement. There were issues about the airport that had absolutely nothing to do with the dealings with Riverhawk Aviation. So once again we have seen information requested and the city does not cooperate. And yet the No! coalition tells us that nothing is broken, nothing to see, move along, move long...

What we did learn from that Request For Information is that when the City goes back into closed session they are not taking minutes as they do in the open meetings with the City Clerk. Public meeting minutes are supposed to be documented and presented to the public as prescribed by North Carolina General Statutes.

Joe talks about the Rental property task force, in which this board was represented by a couple of people who own rental property companies and units. Persuasive arguments were made that won some of these people over and action was recommended even though a couple of the Task force members attempted to stifle these actions. These actions were brought before council and actions were taken by all council members even though one known council member had a verifiable conflict of interest. Time and time again we see these multiple hats worn with blurry lines, which to us represent out-and-out conflicts of interest. And time and time again these people with conflicts of interest do not recuse themselves from issues that directly affect their personal financial interests.

Mr. Byrd, over the last two nights, has even gone as far as to offer up that we might need reform going forward and yet he offers no solutions about how this reform would take place. The Yes group has unfortunately had to interject grievance upon grievance that we have faced in relation to this city over the last several years. Issues the public, for the most part, haven't a clue about. At the same time, we have followed behind with solution after solution. Do you think we are enjoying this? I can assure you that we are not.

They say don't throw the baby out with the bath water and we say somebody has kidnapped the baby, we aren't worried about the bath water. Folks, it is time to WAKE UP!!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Ward versus At Large and the Referendum -- Jay Adams

The Hound: Today, being the official 4th anniversary of this blog, I would like to add an article from someone whose opinion I greatly appreciate. Jay Adams is a forward thinker. He is creative and is someone who always has legacy issues in mind when thinking about how the City of Hickory operates presently and going forward. He realizes that everything isn't about today's bottom line. Sustainability is important. He thinks, what is "My" generation going to leave behind for the future generations of this community. I don't always agree with Jay, but to me he is like E.F. Hutton, when he speaks, I listen.

Ward versus At-Large

The late summer and early fall of 2012 in Hickory will be marked with a truly forgettable yet contentious debate…. The debate is over elections of Hickory City Council members. A referendum has been called for that offers a choice between the present system of "at large" elections where all residents of the city vote for all six seats or "by ward" elections where citizens within each of the six wards elect their individual Council Member. In either case the Council Members elected will work ostensibly under the leadership of the Mayor to make decisions on behalf of all of the citizens of Hickory. I inserted myself into this debate when I attended a meeting held in my neighborhood. The following are my observations and experiences in this matter.

Respected, knowledgeable people have said that either method is perfectly acceptable; in communities across the state both systems are used successfully. And yet, people have become emotionally charged and staked themselves out on which choice is preferred to the extent that faces are red, tears are flowing and vicious letters are being sent to the newspaper. The notion by learned people that either system works fine certainly doesn't match the remarks that have been served up to the public by those that oppose the "by ward" system; the "no's".

The Mayor, taking the lead in the opposition, has said some extraordinary things using terms like "scorched earth", and implying that a change to the 'ward based' system will creep into others areas of government creating havoc. He has suggested that the ward based system will lead to "Chicago style politics" and would facilitate the election of "crackpots" and he has named names in that regard. The Mayor has even cast this as a partisan matter naming me as "one of a few Republicans that support this". The fact is there are Democrats and Republicans on both sides. The Mayor says that you are "being asked to give up 6 votes for 1". I would counter that you have no choice unless there is a contest between candidates. Countering the Mayor's remarks the proponents have used extreme license with the facts by saying the Sails on Union Square cost $1,000,000 and created the "Union Square Elite" moniker.

In a typical political contest the folks that oppose this referendum can count on a block of votes that give them a healthy cushion to achieve the results they wish. This referendum is unique in Hickory politics because the proponents of changing the system have secured the signatures of over 2,700 citizens of Hickory to change the system. If these people turn out; the status quo is defeated. In order to preserve the system Hickory's political syndicate feels the need to create a contentious debate by fabricating controversy. Through feigned indignation, hyperbole and demagoguery they are succeeding and this makes me ill. These are the tactics of a confidence game; not responsible leadership. All of this hyperbole and demagoguery creates a fog of confusion, anxiety and concern for the purpose of moving you to vote on the matter; not informing you but manipulating you, not leading you to a well-considered decision but gaming you to vote a certain way.

Hickory has a political problem… Our 'off year', non-partisan, 'at large' elections have created a very comfortable situation for incumbents. With few exceptions a challenger for a Council seat faces a huge challenge to unseat an incumbent in Hickory. The expense, the logistical challenge and the notion of facing the same type of hyperbole and demagoguery we have seen in this episode are enough to chill the desire of an intelligent, experienced and capable person to run for office. As it is, a challenge for a Council seat usually occurs when there is a particularly contentious event running in the background. We change our Council when we are angry. This is a poor way of evolving our City Council and installing new leadership.

We know what the 'at large' system has produced in Hickory. There was a City council race in 2011 that serves as a good example…. 950 people, of 26,000+ registered voters, elected Council members in Ward 1, 2, & 3… all three seats were unopposed. Next year ward 4, 5, 6, and the Mayor's seat are up (this is likely the basis of their sense of urgency). Our Council member in Ward 2 has held that seat for 30 years. Using a medical metaphor…. Our community is politically flat lining… In my opinion this is very unhealthy.

This referendum emerged as a result of a group of citizens in Hickory that were offended by the City's decision to forgo continuing operation of swimming pools and then later funded the Sails on Union Square. They felt disenfranchised from their representative on Council. They felt the city's priorities excluded them. They took the initiative to petition for a referendum and succeeded in getting the petition signed by 10% of the registered voters. They have provided the citizens of Hickory an opportunity to preserve the status quo or make a change that I believe will benefit Hickory. Their very act of challenging the established authority causes some folks to oppose the measure. I applaud them….

We have recently seen the completion of the 'Sails on Union Square' at a cost of $500,000+. This may be good investment; time will tell…. It was the process that was offensive. No public hearing, no bid process, the idea was the product of a single member of Council and an Assistant City Manager, the project was rushed through, poorly planned, the initial design had to be scrapped, the budget was quickly exceeded and ended up being twice the cost anticipated. And while this project obviously was determined to be a priority, there are other things that have not been attended too, for instance Hickory By Choice 2030 directed the City, among other things, to "prepare a regional economic development plan & strategy". That would seem an effort worth pursuing but it has been two years with no action yet.

What I have written so far is intended to provide the back-story, the basis for all of the sound and fury. My opinion is not based on the hyperbole, the demagoguery, or a judgment of whether or not the City is fiscally responsible. My conclusion is based simply on the notion that organizations grow and prosper by assimilating new qualified talent into the controlling apparatus, in this case, our City Council.

I voted "yes" to change the system to a "ward vote" because I believe that it will reduce the cost of running for a City Council seat, allow people a more manageable task to challenge an incumbent, increase political activity in Hickory and by accomplishing that, increase the talent pool for future leaders of our community, create a more intimate relationship between the citizens in the wards and their Council representative, that will likely result in better leadership in our community. Clearly the present "at large system" acts as a barrier to political involvement halting the movement of new talent into the system. A change to the "ward system" is no panacea, but it provides a challenger a more level playing field against an incumbent. A better solution would be term limits; but that is another matter…

My conclusion is based on my experiences over twenty five years as a commercial real estate broker, my involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, the Unifour Air Quality Committee, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Foresight Committees, the first Hickory By Choice Committee and various other activities that have allowed me to interface with the City Staff and elected officials.

Green Park Neighborhood Association Debate on Referendum - September 10, 2012

Today, being the official 4th anniversary of this blog, I would like to introduce a word that a couple of people didn't seem to have a grasp of...

pow·er - [pou-er] - noun - (From Dictionary.com)
1. ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.
2. political or national strength: the balance of power in Europe.
3. great or marked ability to do or act; strength; might; force.
4. the possession of control or command over others; authority; ascendancy: power over men's minds.
5. political ascendancy or control in the government of a country, state, etc.: They attained power by overthrowing the legal government.

Just because you don't acknowledge something does not mean that it does not exist!!!

What I got from this meeting: Paul Byrd is an alright guy. I appreciate that he supports his side. I just happen to not agree with him. I think he realizes now that we aren't Radicals. There are many issues that we would be in a lot of agreement on. As a matter of fact, we probably agree on a lot more than we disagree on. We just have a fundamental disagreement about representation from our local city government and some of those very issues were highlighted on this night through the actions of others, not Mr. Byrd. Notice that I didn't say anything about thoughts or speech, I said actions.

The debate starts around the 6:00 mark and goes for over an hour

Monday, September 10, 2012

No Steps Forward either -- Silence DoGood

The Hound - For the newcomers, I am not Silence DoGood. Mr. DoGood is a pseudonym for a good guy. A former public servant who cannot make his name known, because it would cause him personal irreparable harm at this time. That doesn't mean that DoGood, or people like DoGood, shouldn't have a platform to speak from. DoGood's opinions do not necessarily reflect my own, but they are always interesting and many times thought to be controversial by the Powers That Be. Below is another of his contributions and everyone is entitled to their own personal interpretation of what he is attempting to convey.

I’ve just read and reflected on the post on “The Hickory Hound” of September 8th and the latest exchange in the HDR concerning the impending referendum written by Larry Clark. The points of view proffered certainly leave indelible images of the thought processes toward both points of view. I find pondering the commentary filled with more questions, which no one seems to have offered answers to.

Following the flow of the Hickory Hound text, and certainly mine is based on content without context, but it does seem apt and accurate given the writer and his subject; however my first question would be, why is it the citizen’s responsibility to call council? Is there not sufficient staff to handle the problems and concerns that council seems compelled they must involve themselves in directly? Did the citizens call council with regard to ‘The Sails on the Square’?

I thought it was that entire lack of speech that prompted an outcry of deliberate indifference on the part of City Council, which brought impetus to the ‘Citizens for Equity’ movement. Besides, if they already know best, why does one need to call them? They already know, right? With regard to working hard at a thankless job. They are the ones who made themselves candidates. Those representatives offered themselves up as political servants of the people. Except, serving the people was not quite what was in mind, I don’t believe. It became a phrase, rhetoric; hollow words with no meaning or purpose except to garner the prize sought. Now, there may be a candidate or two that will say they were ‘approached’ to run. That may be very true. But would anyone out there care to wager that those that made the request comprise that same group the former power broker council members claim are unknown to them? This brings me to that astute group of citizens.

No one really cares how much tax they’ve paid. How does that amount, however great or little it might be, make them better able to speak about this issue in this debate? How does the amount of one’s tax assessment make them better able to envision a future? How does it make one wiser or a better leader? It doesn’t of course, but they think it does. They don’t like the word “elite” because it labels them as what they really are, identifies them with their thoughts and actions, and brings into the forefront in cold sobering words what has actually transpired across the decades in Hickory in simple language that everyone can understand. They don’t like that. They would prefer to backdoor politic and socialize at the Country Club with those of their own kind.

In the meantime, the local Powers That Be subvert and re-direct those who would question or challenge their intellectual capabilities and capacity; deride, make fun of and belittle in order to show their superiority. After several cycles of that, apathy sets in. These people understand that. It was their generation after all that kept the unions out of the furniture factories. Whether you agree or disagree with that premise is not the point, the rumors that spread, “if you vote the union in, they’ll shut it down…” is the point.

The Mayor likes to spout that as one of his finest accomplishments during his tenure. ‘He kept the public unions out of the City of Hickory.’ Bah! North Carolina is the least organized State in the Union. That had about as much chance of passing as the current Sails on Union Square have of propelling the USS Constitution to a win in a Yacht race. But, not according to the Mayor. He did it, all by himself. For the transplants, they are of like mind. What they don’t understand is they are tolerated only as long as they spend their money and support those who are in power and don’t try to ascend into power themselves. When that paradigm shifts they will be told precisely what I saw uttered in the comments section before “The Hickory Hound” began moderating comments. “If you don’t like it, leave.” They think they can roll in here and bind with the old power structure. They don’t have a clue. Their purpose is purely to support and provide a convenient mouthpiece.

The problems we have in Hickory were enabled at the National and International levels. Rules and regulations were passed, with local political support, that enabled the off-shoring of jobs. Hickory’s manufacturing base was moved to China and other parts of the globe where people were willing to work for even less money than people in the Catawba Valley earned. This was done all to and for the benefit of those ‘Elites’ the former council members don’t seem to recognize without a mirror or the ‘A’ list from the Country Club. The compromises in education and wages have stacked up across time. Now, with the excesses of one group at the expense of the other so patently obvious, and one group wanting equal representation, we find ourselves at odds with something that should have never been done in the first place.

The Office of City Manager is supposed to be the implementer of policy and process from Council. Mick Berry is supposed to run the day to day operations of the City so that Council can focus on big picture ideas they have and answer all the calls from the citizens they seem to think they should be getting. Mick is the head bureaucrat, not the politician. If they (City Council) insist on running everything hands on as the solicitation for calls would seem to imply, why do they need a manager? They need a call center and personal assistants. If they are going to micro manage, skip the middle man. If not, stay out of his office and let him do his job and hold him accountable for the job he does, not on personal likes or dislikes. Having said all of that, Mick works at the pleasure of Council. It is in his best interest to keep at least a voting majority happy. In that regard with Council’s voting record, he’d better keep them all happy! He can’t afford to even alienate one.

I’m sure many are afraid of the future. It is, after all, unknown. It is natural to fear the unknown. But, we know too that nothing ever stays the same. The land of furniture factories, hosiery mills, and all of those little support cottage industries won’t be coming back any time soon, if ever. It took time to put the regulations in place that allowed the evacuation of manufacturing. It will take time to undo the wrong done, if it can ever be undone.

So yes, in that regard, Hickory has searched for a sense of self. Has the ruling ‘Elite’ facilitated that search with any meaning or regard? No, the message has been, “We know what we’re doing, trust us, erstwhile look at this, this, and this. It proves we know what we’re doing and we’re trying to get Hickory back on track and shut you people up. This is why we should have never educated you. As long as you knew just enough to run the machines and put the stuff together that we decided you should do, everything was fine.”

Yes, the elites can blame themselves for this one. It was the industrial potentates influenced the regulations that enabled the outsourcing of the jobs that brought the house down around their heads. They did it all for the bottom line. They got theirs. They used their positions and connections to profit. Looking out for “me, me, me, me, and me” and not caring about us. What they failed to plan for was what is happening now. They failed to account for the people standing up to demand their rights. That’s why they’re frightened and scared.

And that is why everyone that can vote should. It’s a forgone conclusion that I support this referendum. Not because I think those in power now are evil or diabolical; I don’t. They as persons and personalities don’t enter into the equation. No, this is about undoing something that should have never been done.

I realize that the leader of the opposition thinks he’s losing votes. No, he’s relinquishing something that never should have been his to begin with. The right of the individual to decide and determine, to the fullest extent possible, which one of their neighbors will represent them and their neighborhood. Not a group collective from every other part of the city that doesn’t even travel through on occasion. What do they know of the day to day concerns and problems not living in other areas? Or some name with a face that is only known through name recognition by virtue of their birth right. And after having contemplated that, the average person decides why bother, their vote won’t count for anything. Leaving 1,000 or fewer people to select the representatives of 40,000. 1,000 people of like mind; No Steps Backward. Said another way, No Step Forward either.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- September 9, 2012

Spinning Bad Financial News Into Good ~ Paul Craig Roberts - August 8, 2012 - Friday’s payroll jobs report says that 96,000 new jobs were created in August and that the unemployment rate (U.3) fell from 8.3% to 8.1%. As 96,000 new jobs are not enough to keep up with population growth, the decline in the U.3 unemployment rate was caused by 368,000 discouraged job seekers giving up on finding employment and dropping out of the work force as measured by U.3. Discouraged workers are not included in the U.3 measure of unemployment, which makes the measure useless. The only purpose of U.3 is to keep bad news out of the news. the U.3 unemployment rate only measures those who have not been discouraged by the inability to find a job and are still actively seeking employment.                       The government produces another unemployment measure, U.6, which includes people who have been discouraged by the inability to find a job and have been out of the work force for less than a year. This measure of unemployment is 14.7%, a number that would get attention if reported.                      When the long-term (more than one year) discouraged workers are included, the US unemployment rate is about 22%. In other words, the real US rate of unemployment is almost three times higher than the reported--headline rate--of 8.1%.                       What is the purpose of reporting an unemployment rate that is about one-third the real unemployment rate? The only answer is deception through Happy News.                   Let’s have a look at those 96,000 jobs. What kind of high-tech, high-income super jobs is “the world’s only superpower, the indispensable nation, the world’s greatest economy and capitalist heaven” creating? The answer is lowly paid third world jobs, which is why there is not and cannot be an economic recovery. All the good jobs have been moved offshore in order to maximize the incomes of the rich.                         According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 28,300 of the 96,000 jobs or 29% are waitresses and bartenders. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm                      Health care and social services, primarily ambulatory health care services and home health care services, provided 21,700 jobs or 22.6% of the jobs.                  So, 52% of the new jobs created by the American superpower are lowly paid waitresses, bartenders, practical nurses, and hospital orderlies.                    Highly paid manufacturing jobs declined by 15,000. The incomes lost by these jobs most likely exceed the income gains from the waitresses, bartenders, and hospital orderlies jobs.                  Where did the other 46,000 jobs come from?

Are you better off? Just 96,000 jobs added in August as 368,000 people LEAVE the workforce in bleak employment report dealing blow to Obama re-election hopes - The Mail Online - Tony Harnden - September 7, 2012 - Just 96,000 American jobs were added in August in a bleak monthly jobs report as 368,000 left the workforce, bringing labour market participation down to its lowest level for 31 years and dealing a blow to President Barack Obama’s re-election chances.                      The national unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 per cent, down from 8.2 per cent, but this was only because so many people gave up looking for work. If the participation rate had not dropped so precipitously, unemployment would have risen to 8.4 per cent.                  Factory employment fell by the most in two years and temporary-help companies eliminated positions for the first time in five months. The 69.9 per cent labor force participation rate for men is at lowest level recorded since the US government began tracking it in 1948.                    According to James Pethokoukis of the American Enterprise Institute, the unemployment rate would be 11.2 per cent if the labour force participation rate had remained what it was when Obama took office in January 2009. The U.S. Labour Department also said that 41,000 fewer jobs were created in June and July than previously reported.

Drop in jobless rate a bad sign for economy - Reuters - Jason Lange - September 7, 2012 - Following are some key details from the report:                    * The unemployment rate, which is derived from a separate survey of households, fell because the workforce shrank by 368,000 during the month. That is worrisome because some of the outflow was likely caused by people giving up on their job hunts. To be in the workforce, a worker must be either employed or seeking work. The participation rate, a measure of the amount of people employed compared to the size of the workforce, fell to 63.5 percent in August - the lowest since September 1981 - from 63.7 percent a month earlier.                * A big drag on hiring came from the manufacturing sector, where payrolls dropped by 15,000. Long a major support for the recovery from recession, factories now appear to be sagging as the global economy cools.                * Temporary hiring also held back the gain in payrolls, falling by 4,900 last month. Companies often hire temps to test the waters before adding people directly to their payrolls. The water appeared to be a bit frigid in August.                    * In a more positive signal, a gauge of the total work effort rose last month. The government's index for aggregate weekly hours rose 0.1 percent to 96.0. The average workweek was steady at 34.4 hours. Hourly earnings were about flat.

Seven Ways the Markets are manipulated - The International Forecaster - James Corbett - September 1, 2012: Corbett counts off seven ways the markets are manipulated, from bots, plunge protection, insiders, shorting, and many more of the dirty tricks your money encounters one way or another when you invest. - #1 – High-frequency trading - #2 – The Plunge Protection Team - #3 – Naked Shorting - #4 – Selective Enforcement - #5 – Insider Trading - #6 – Rate rigging - #7 – Back door trading...

Fed Unintended Consequence #267435: Homeowners Front-Running QE By Not Refinancing
- Submitted by Tyler Durden - September 6, 2012 - For the fifth week in a row, MBA mortgage applications fell - dragged lower by a notably consistent drop in the refinance index - which dropped 3% this week alone and represents almost 80% of the total number of loans. Surely if rates are rising - as they have in general in the last few weeks - we would expect the 'rational homeowner of olde' to rush to his friendly local mortgage broker and refinance immediately for fear of missing the turn and the 'opportunity of a lifetime' to lock-in low rates. Unfortunately, just as retail equity investors appear to the be the smartest players in the room as they sell into strength, so the homeowner has now become conditioned by the Fed's central-planning and repression to expect rates to remain low - and QE3 to be implemented later in the year - and therefore will wait for the 'expected' lower rates rather than accept a periodically rising rate. Yet another unintended consequence that hints at the fact that should we see 'real' recovery (we know, but go with the thought experiment) then higher rates will act as a drag on a burgeoning mini-stimulus from refinancing and normalize us back to lower growth.

Are You Better Off? 40 Statistics That Will Absolutely Shock You - The Economic Collapse Blog - Are you better off today than you were four years ago? This is a question that comes up nearly every election. This year the Romney campaign has even created a Twitter hashtag for it: #AreYouBetterOff. The Democrats are making lots of speeches claiming that we are better off, and the Republicans are making lots of speeches claiming that we are not. So are most Americans actually better off than they were four years ago? Of course not. One recent poll found that only 20 percent of Americans believe that they are better off financially than they were four years ago. But the same thing was true four years ago as well. Our economy has been in decline and the middle class has been shrinking for a very long time. The Democrats want to put all of the blame on the Republicans for this, and the Republicans want to put all of the blame on the Democrats for this. A recent CNN headline defiantly declared the following: "Decline of middle class not Obama's fault", and this is the kind of thing we are going to hear day after day until the election in November. But obviously something has gone fundamentally wrong with our economy. So who should we blame?
                       Sadly, you hear very little on the mainstream news networks or the talk radio shows about the institution that has the most power over our economy. The Federal Reserve has far more power over our financial system than anyone else does, but the media and both political parties tell us that the Federal Reserve is "above politics" and that their "independence" must never be questioned.
              Unfortunately, most Americans have gone along with that.
But the truth is that the debt-based financial system that the Federal Reserve is at the core of is absolutely central to our economic problems. If you do not understand this, please see this article: "10 Things That Every American Should Know About The Federal Reserve".             The Federal Reserve has done more to mess up our economy than anyone else has.            So shouldn't they be held accountable?             That is a very good question.                Have you ever wondered why financial markets move so dramatically whenever Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gives a speech?                   The same thing does not happen when Barack Obama gives a speech.             That is because the financial markets know who holds the real power in our financial system.          But during this election season the American people are told to put all of their attention on the "red team" and the "blue team". We are told that the two major political parties are philosophical opposites and that they want to take the United States is two completely different directions.                     The "true believers" on the blue team are completely and totally convinced that Barack Obama will be able to rescue the economy and save America.                  The "true believers" on the red team are completely and totally convinced that Mitt Romney will be able to rescue the economy and save America.                    Once upon a time I was one of those political activists. I was fully convinced that America could be turned around if we could just get enough Republicans into office.                     But then I noticed that nothing really seemed to change no matter who was in power. I became disillusioned as I realized that Republicans were doing things pretty much the exact same way that Democrats were doing them when they got into power.                    Yes, there are some minor differences between the two parties on taxes and regulations.If we elect one guy over the other our economy might decline at a slightly different pace. But in the end both political parties are taking us to the exact same place. Down the toilet. I wish that wasn't true.                      But we need to be honest with ourselves.... -Both parties fully support the Federal Reserve.    -Both parties supported the nomination of Ben Bernanke to a second term as the head of the Federal Reserve.        -Both parties endlessly push the job-killing "free trade" agenda of the global elite.         -Both parties see nothing wrong with running absolutely enormous trade deficits with the rest of the world.   -Both parties supported TARP.    -Both parties supported the "economic stimulus" packages.   -Both parties supported the auto industry bailouts.    -Both parties have run up massive amounts of federal debt when in power.   -Both parties have greatly expanded the size of the federal government when in power.    -Both parties are full of control freaks and both parties have added more layers of ridiculous regulations to our already overburdened society when in power.     -Neither party supports getting rid of the income tax or the IRS.    -Neither party has any intention of doing anything to prevent the coming derivatives crisis that could bring down the entire global financial system.   -Both parties are absolutely showered with cash from the big Wall Street banks.         -Both parties think that the TSA is doing a great job.         -Both parties supported the NDAA and the renewal of the Patriot Act.
      -Both parties have greatly expanded the unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens by government agencies.     -Both parties are extremely soft on illegal immigration.     -Both parties have treated military veterans horribly.       -Both parties are absolutely packed with corrupt politicians that are living the high life at your expense.     -Neither party plans to balance the federal budget in 2013 if their candidate wins the election.     -Neither party has a plan that will fix our deeply broken health care system.       -Neither party has any plans to shut down the Federal Reserve. In fact, both parties see absolutely nothing wrong with our current system.                               Of course this list could go on indefinitely, but hopefully you get the point.   But I can understand those that are deeply frustrated with Barack Obama and that desperately want to avoid another four years of his policies.     I also believe that Barack Obama has been the worst president in U.S. history and that he and his entire cabinet should immediately resign in disgrace. However, the Republican party foolishly chose to nominate the Republican candidate that was most like Barack Obama to run against him. That was an enormous mistake.    No matter what the talk radio shows are telling you, the truth is that this country will continue on pretty much the same path no matter who wins the election.   I know that statement is going to make a lot of people angry. But it is the sad reality of what we are facing.      Even if you focus on just the economy, the truth is that Mitt Romney's "five point plan" is almost exactly the same thing that Barack Obama has been saying.      Many Americans believe that since Mitt Romney made lots of money on Wall Street conducting leveraged buyouts of vulnerable corporations that he understands how to fix our economy.      Sadly, that is not the truth.     I have listened to many Romney speeches about the economy and I keep waiting for some pearls of wisdom, but I have found that he is just as clueless about the economy as our other recent presidents have been.      Look, I know that there are a lot of people out there that have good hearts that want to have someone that they can believe in.     They want to believe that things can get better.     They want to have hope.     And I don't blame them for that.    I just think that it is time to pull our heads out of the sand and realize that things are not going to be getting any better.       A political savior on a white horse is not going to come riding in to save the day.      So by this point in the article a whole lot of Democrats and a whole lot of Republicans are very upset with me. But I am not against you. There is way too much hate in our society today. Even if we disagree with someone else we can still love them.       I just think that it is very important that we understand that there is not going to be a solution to our problems on the national level and that our economy is headed for collapse no matter who gets elected.                               The total amount of debt in the United States has risen from less than 2 trillion dollars to nearly 55 trillion dollars over the past 40 years, and there is nothing that Barack Obama or Mitt Romney can do to prevent the "correction" that is coming. So are Americans better off than they were four years ago?      Of course not.       But things will soon get a whole lot worse no matter how the election turns out.       The following are 40 statistics that will absolutely shock you....

Nearly 17 million Americans repeatedly short of food: report - Reuters - Charles Abbott & Philip Barbara - September 5, 2012 - he number of poor Americans who repeatedly ran short of food shot up by 800,000 in 2011 to nearly 17 million compared with 2010, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.        The Department of Agriculture said in a report that about 5.5 percent of Americans, or nearly 17 million, suffered "very low food security" last year, meaning they had to skip meals or not eat for a day because of a lack of money to buy food. That is a rise of 800,000 over the prior year, it said.        The food-security report was released one day after the government said that a record 46.7 million Americans were enrolled for food stamps in June, up by 173,000 in May.          High unemployment and slow growth since the deep 2008-2009 recession has driven enrollment in food stamps, the major U.S. anti-hunger program, to record levels.

47 Million Americans on Food Stamps

Food stamps is chump change. The 14 trillion dollars that went to the Banksters and Wall Street? Now that's news. And more welfare to the Banksters is coming soon. Called Q.E. 3. It's not the unemployed. Who are the problem. It's the BANKS! about 314,316,326 souls in America, 83,320,200 families, and 46.7 million are on food stamps, Over half American families rely on food from the govt. WOW. What is even more sick is 67,767,865 are retires or on Social Security. and 19,504,437 work for the government or state. US unfunded liabilities are 120,478,377,000,000 dollars grows 1 million every 10 seconds and liabilities per tax payer = 1,054,184 dollars. And Obama just gave Israel 70 Billion 2 weeks ago. Can you say COLLAPSE?

Friday, September 14, 2012

Statement by Rebecca Inglefield about her arrest at City Hall - September 13, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012

References to where we are today - (Referendum, Consent Agenda, Tent, Airport, Pools)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ward Voting Discussion - Lakeland Park - September 11, 2012

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Ward versus At Large and the Referendum -- Jay Adams

Green Park Neighborhood Association Debate on Referendum - September 10, 2012

Monday, September 10, 2012

No Steps Forward either -- Silence DoGood

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- September 9, 2012

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