You know, when the Referendum on Ward Specific Voting took place here in Hickory, the members of the Citizens for Equity in Government were accused of being associated with ACORN by a couple of real nuts from the opposition and we know who put them up to it. It didn't matter that ACORN no longer exists. It was about the end justifying the means. It was about winning through fear and not worrying about the consequences.
I understand the political process and I understand the win at all costs mentality... the scorched earth mentality. We were accused of scorched earth, when the reality is that the opposition meant that we had forced them into scorched earth. That was their choice not ours. They were saying that our role is to sit back and accept their dictates and keep our mouths shut and know our role. There is no room for us to participate unless we endorse whatever their decisions.
Some people come unhinged when their authority is challenged. They want to control everything and when they feel they are losing that perceived grip, then they become so unhinged that their minds escape reality. Makes me appreciate my sobriety each day more and more.
I've been a Republican since I was a kid. It used to P.O. my grandfather, who was born in 1920 and raised in Hudson and moved to Hickory with my Grandmother in 1943 to work for the railroad company. He was a lifelong Democrat who bragged about being Senator Sam Ervin's cousin. As most of the older folks know, most of the people around here were Democrats and that didn't start changing until around the time of Richard Nixon.
My Grandfather told me it was unacceptable to be a Republican, because they represented the rich and didn't care about working class people. But, I looked and saw as many fat cats in the Democrat Party as the Republican and I lived through the Economic Malaise of the 1970s that mimicked a lot of what we see now. High Inflation, Gas prices doubling, High Unemployment, and a general uncertainty about the future.
My grandmother, who passed away a year and a half ago at the age of 97, over the years conveyed the reasoning behind hating the Republicans, although in 1984 she had decided to join us. It all boils down to the Civil War between the States. The Rebellion and the succeeding Reconstruction changed the economic model of the South forever. The Agrarian Economy, based mainly on King Cotton, wilted without indentured and slave labor. The South suffered through basically no economic growth until the end of the Second World War -- basically a Depression of over 75 years (four generations).
You wonder why southerners from that generation hated Northerners? It may have been unjustified to a certain degree, but think about your parents and grandparents etching in your mind about your uncles dying and losing property because of the Depressed Economy and having your community occupied by northern soldiers and administrators. Think about the plight of most southern common folks, living at a subsistence level for generation after generation and the poverty that came along with that. Do you wonder why there was this animosity?
The old Southern plantation owning Elite, who were able to survive the
Civil War and Reconstruction, moved their assets into the Industrial model. Instead of
shipping cotton to the North for textiles, why not produce those
finished goods/products here in the South, "we've got plenty of cheap labor
here." At the same time, they told the commoners that it was all those Republican Northern busy bodies that were keeping you poor. See the old system worked better. And this ends up pitting the poor White Man against the Poor Black Man.
After Reconstruction, with more of an Industrial model set up here in the south, and the Elites from before the Civil War reclaiming their power, the White Sharecroppers were moved into the factories and the
Black Slaves were moved into the sharecropper role. I guess they
considered that upward mobility. None of these poor common people really received freedom. They just received a new brand of indentured servitude, but I guess that was better than the hand-to-hand slaughter the Elite had sent them into from 1861 to 1865.
My grandmother told me about how her family was fortunate. My Grandmother's father died in 1918 when she was four years old. He was a doctor and was going around taking care of patients when he contracted an illness, the flu epidemic of that year. Being a doctor then was completely different than today. He basically bartered his services for the poor. Doctors, though having more wealth than most, didn't have the wealth compared to the general populace that they do today. And their job was a lot more precarious then than it is today with modern medicine. So when he passed, my Great Grandmother Bessie had the debts that my Great Grandfather had accrued, but like most women then she didn't have a job, and she lost the home and the entire family had to move back to that main farm house with her family.
My Grandmother Martha grew up with rheumatic fever and subsequently had to miss two years of school. She told me stories. The kids didn't get shoes all that often, usually to start the school year they would get a pair. Well, not long after one school year started they were walking home after school and playing around and she had taken off her new shoes to play. A storm came along and washed the shoes away down the drain culvert. She told me about how she went and hid, but she couldn't escape the spanking she was due for losing those shoes and she never forgot about taking care of your stuff afterwards.
She also told me how they were so fortunate, because they lived on that farm. She said, we didn't have much money, nobody did, but at least we had food. Mama (my great grandmother Bessie) would fix them Hand Biscuits with Cured Ham or something else like that for them to take to school. My Grandmother would trade those biscuits for what the kids were eating at school, because those kids cherished that type of food that was a luxury to them. The school meal generally consisted of something such as soup and a cheese sandwich. The school meals were along the lines of getting something in the kid's belly and they weren't worried about the food pyramid. That was the type of person my Grandmother was and that is the way I was
raised and why I don't understand the gluttons I have come across in my
life.
I remember my Great Grandmother and her family well and I remember that food well. I got to know what real baked Macaroni and Cheese was made from real milk and real cheese, not that processed corporate bull that they call mac and cheese today. When the older folks died, the farm was sold off to a developer and all of that history is basically gone now. My Great Grandmother Bessie died in 1975. She was born in 1879. My Aunt Lela died in 1986 at the age of 93, she was the last from that generation left. We aren't that far removed. My Paternal Great Grandfather was born in the 1850s. These people lived through all of this.
I know that some of you find it hard to believe that this country is going to head backwards or towards an economy with no growth that lasts generations, but the writing is on the wall. It will be different this time, because no one is used to living at a subsistence level to the degree that they did in that period from the 1860s to the 1940s - hell, it really goes back further than that.
Preparation and survival are the name of the game and when I see the few hours of television that I watch every week, I don't get a sense that the Powers That Be want the general populace to take notice of this slow slide backwards that most of us have experienced over the past decade. They don't want you to prepare. They want you to see those $60,000 cars and million dollar homes and pop a pill culture, thinking that if you just stay in the Rat Race that it will all be yours some day. So go get that 7-year loan for that car and take out another mortgage on that house cause happy days are here again. That is until the next bubble bursts. The fact is that for the most part, you don't stand a chance. You need to be preparing as though you may not have a job tomorrow, because you may not have a job tomorrow.
When we look to how things are different today than the post Civil War South, we see that many of the concepts we have today have evolved. Where we had Soup lines back then, today we have the WIC program. Where we had indentured and slave labor then, today we have immigration issues to keep the wages suppressed. We still have the Elite, who no longer own plantations, but have Investment portfolios that support the same principle. Mainly the principles of greed and cronyism that have always been prevalent to the culture. They hide behind the theory that it is Capitalism, but it is only Free Market Capitalism when it suits the people on top's interests. When the people on top get in a bind, they don't mind manipulating the Public Trust to help bail themselves out. And we all know the true definition of what such a Political, Social, and Economic Model truly is.
The Economic model of this nation after World War Two wasn't perfect, but it was always enough to propel us forward. It was always enough to support the egalitarian principle that through hard work that one could attain upward mobility, but slowly that is withering away and as this happens to our Economic Engine, the growth of this nation is coming to a standstill.
Our young people are heading towards becoming cannon fodder for the elite, as has happened before. We aren't creating enough jobs in the private sector to support a labor model of growth. The oldest generations aren't retiring and leaving the workforce, because they can't afford to and maintain the Standard of Living they have grown accustomed to. So the middle class and poor youngsters aren't going to have any other choice, but to go to the military or join some soon to be created civilian domestic force. By any other name, that is a new model of indentured servitude.
At the same time, we have also outsourced the cheap labor model to the Third World nations leaving us Economically vulnerable in a multitude of ways. This has become a National Security issue when it comes to United States Sovereignty. To keep the growth coming to the very few, we turn a blind eye towards the slave like practices happening in other countries that we would never accept here. The elite are essentially telling us that if we would accept some of those practices here that they would be willing to bring some of those jobs back home. To that I, and the vast majority of us, would say No Thanks.
You see, there are many of us that are not going to lay down and accept some fate that someone else has chosen for us. I'm not better than anyone else and no one else is better than me. That is what the foundations of the principles of liberty are based upon. The politicians can continue to participate in this crony game, but this will end very badly. If you aspire to greatness, you will get closer to it than if you push forward this notion that most of us should resign ourselves to accepting less of a life. If you aspire to me, me, me... Well, throughout history, all of the great Dictators and Tyrannical systems that aspired to create a pyramid of perfection through authoritarian control have failed. What makes anyone think that a new system of self indulgence is going to succeed where these others have failed? Greedy control mechanisms always collapse in the end.
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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 5, 2013
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 3/5/2012 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.
City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
All materials and maps for this meeting are provide at this link:
City Council Action Agenda - March 5, 2013
Invocation by Alderman Danny Seaver (:45)
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted” (2:30) - This was a presentation and recognition of art created by students of the Hickory Public School System.
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea - This young lady is a 7th grader and a Straight A student who won the school, public school system, and regional Spelling B's and she will participate in the National Spelling B in Washington D.C. She will be honored on May 26, 2013.
C. Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board - Kathy Ivey - (17:50)
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee - Mike Holland - (20:20)
3. Community Appearance Commission - Leroy Harris - ( 21:55)
4. Community Relations Council - David Walker and Ray Cerda- (25:00)
5. Hickory International Council - Hani Nassar - (32:35)
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission - Brian Frazier - (39:00)
7. Hickory Youth Council - Hayden Frye - (40:25)
8. Historic Preservation Commission - Zack Taylor - (43:25)
9. Parks and Recreation Commission - Tony Wood - (46:45)
10. Public Art Commission - David Zagaroli- (53:55)
11. Recycling Advisory Board - Norm Meres (Chuck Hanson substituted)- (58:50)
12. Business Development Committee - Alan Jackson - (1:05:50)
(1:14:45) - Mayor Pro-Tem Hank Guess made a motion to allow people to speak to an item on the agenda, which was seconded by Alderman Lail and then unanimously approved by the City Council.
Citizen James Franklin Davis asked to speak about an item not on the agenda and was granted the request. He spoke about issues in the Ridgeview community involving a Barbershop Owner and his patrons not being allowed to smoke on the sidewalk in front of the business and about a man who raises funds for his daughters medical expenses by selling food and being bothered by certain police officers who said that he was playing loud music. Mr. Davis says that there was no one around the location that would have complained.
Consent Agenda: (1:21:10)
A. Special Event/Activities Application for Drum Circles, Mandy Pitts, Communications Director/Brand Manager, on March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, 2013 from 3:15 pm until 6:30 pm in Downtown Hickory Under The Sails.
B. Approval of a Maintenance Agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. - The City and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) have had an agreement since 1994 for the City to perform maintenance on certain NCDOT streets. This allows the City to better manage the “Entrance Ways” into Hickory and provide a more timely response to requests and problems. The City of Hickory will receive up to $140,000 annually for approved work performed on NCDOT roadways. The City tracks the work performed and bills NCDOT quarterly for reimbursement.
C. Approval of a Resolution Accepting the Street Right-of-Way of 13th Avenue Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. - In 2007, as part of the development of commercial property located at the southwest corner of Interstate 40 and McDonald Parkway SE, two street segments were constructed on existing publicly owned right of way containing 2.88 acres, which are known as 13th Street Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. With the completion of the new streets, the City of Hickory is now responsible for maintenance of these public assets. The North Carolina General Statues, as well as the City’s Land Development Code, require that street rights-of-way be officially accepted for public use by resolution of the elected governing body.
D. Approval of Auditing Contract with Martin Starnes & Associates. - The City of Hickory has utilized the services of Martin Starnes & Associates for the past four years with excellent results. Martin Starnes & Associates offers a competitive rate for their services and is widely known for their professional staff and service throughout the local government community. City Council’s Audit Committee supports approval to accept a three year renewal via three annual contracts for auditing services with Martin Starnes & Associates in the amount of $43,000 for the audit and $7,000 for the preparation of the annual financial statements.
E. Approval of a Resolution Approving the City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
F. Approval of a Resolution Approving the Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory owns and operates the Town of Catawba Public Water System, therefore, the City must approve the Water Shortage Response Plan for this public water system as well. The Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
G. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 14. -
1. To budget a $15,300 reimbursement check from Catawba County in the Water and Sewer Division-Water Lines account. Catawba County is reimbursing Public Utilities for a waterline extension to serve a fire hydrant for the Propst Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department. This request was due to a catastrophic fire in the area that resulted in a total loss of one business. Extending the water line will enable the VFD to access a hydrant in the general area without having to close Hwy 10 and detour traffic. Catawba County Utilities and Engineering requested the City of Hickory Public Utilities Division design, permit and bid the project under the Waterline Extension Policy.
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (1:21:40) Approval of a Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant for Property Located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE, in the Amount of $30,000. - Applicants Bruce H. McNeely and Melissa W. McNeely have applied for a Vacant Building Revitalization Grant in the amount of $30,000 to assist in the renovation of the former Simmons Hosiery Mill located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE. The applicant plans to invest approximately $450,000 in real property improvements to renovate the facility for use as office and storage space.
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 3/5/2012 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.
City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
All materials and maps for this meeting are provide at this link:
City Council Action Agenda - March 5, 2013
Invocation by Alderman Danny Seaver (:45)
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted” (2:30) - This was a presentation and recognition of art created by students of the Hickory Public School System.
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea - This young lady is a 7th grader and a Straight A student who won the school, public school system, and regional Spelling B's and she will participate in the National Spelling B in Washington D.C. She will be honored on May 26, 2013.
C. Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board - Kathy Ivey - (17:50)
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee - Mike Holland - (20:20)
3. Community Appearance Commission - Leroy Harris - ( 21:55)
4. Community Relations Council - David Walker and Ray Cerda- (25:00)
5. Hickory International Council - Hani Nassar - (32:35)
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission - Brian Frazier - (39:00)
7. Hickory Youth Council - Hayden Frye - (40:25)
8. Historic Preservation Commission - Zack Taylor - (43:25)
9. Parks and Recreation Commission - Tony Wood - (46:45)
10. Public Art Commission - David Zagaroli- (53:55)
11. Recycling Advisory Board - Norm Meres (Chuck Hanson substituted)- (58:50)
12. Business Development Committee - Alan Jackson - (1:05:50)
(1:14:45) - Mayor Pro-Tem Hank Guess made a motion to allow people to speak to an item on the agenda, which was seconded by Alderman Lail and then unanimously approved by the City Council.
Citizen James Franklin Davis asked to speak about an item not on the agenda and was granted the request. He spoke about issues in the Ridgeview community involving a Barbershop Owner and his patrons not being allowed to smoke on the sidewalk in front of the business and about a man who raises funds for his daughters medical expenses by selling food and being bothered by certain police officers who said that he was playing loud music. Mr. Davis says that there was no one around the location that would have complained.
Consent Agenda: (1:21:10)
A. Special Event/Activities Application for Drum Circles, Mandy Pitts, Communications Director/Brand Manager, on March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, 2013 from 3:15 pm until 6:30 pm in Downtown Hickory Under The Sails.
B. Approval of a Maintenance Agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. - The City and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) have had an agreement since 1994 for the City to perform maintenance on certain NCDOT streets. This allows the City to better manage the “Entrance Ways” into Hickory and provide a more timely response to requests and problems. The City of Hickory will receive up to $140,000 annually for approved work performed on NCDOT roadways. The City tracks the work performed and bills NCDOT quarterly for reimbursement.
C. Approval of a Resolution Accepting the Street Right-of-Way of 13th Avenue Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. - In 2007, as part of the development of commercial property located at the southwest corner of Interstate 40 and McDonald Parkway SE, two street segments were constructed on existing publicly owned right of way containing 2.88 acres, which are known as 13th Street Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. With the completion of the new streets, the City of Hickory is now responsible for maintenance of these public assets. The North Carolina General Statues, as well as the City’s Land Development Code, require that street rights-of-way be officially accepted for public use by resolution of the elected governing body.
D. Approval of Auditing Contract with Martin Starnes & Associates. - The City of Hickory has utilized the services of Martin Starnes & Associates for the past four years with excellent results. Martin Starnes & Associates offers a competitive rate for their services and is widely known for their professional staff and service throughout the local government community. City Council’s Audit Committee supports approval to accept a three year renewal via three annual contracts for auditing services with Martin Starnes & Associates in the amount of $43,000 for the audit and $7,000 for the preparation of the annual financial statements.
E. Approval of a Resolution Approving the City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
F. Approval of a Resolution Approving the Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory owns and operates the Town of Catawba Public Water System, therefore, the City must approve the Water Shortage Response Plan for this public water system as well. The Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
G. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 14. -
1. To budget a $15,300 reimbursement check from Catawba County in the Water and Sewer Division-Water Lines account. Catawba County is reimbursing Public Utilities for a waterline extension to serve a fire hydrant for the Propst Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department. This request was due to a catastrophic fire in the area that resulted in a total loss of one business. Extending the water line will enable the VFD to access a hydrant in the general area without having to close Hwy 10 and detour traffic. Catawba County Utilities and Engineering requested the City of Hickory Public Utilities Division design, permit and bid the project under the Waterline Extension Policy.
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (1:21:40) Approval of a Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant for Property Located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE, in the Amount of $30,000. - Applicants Bruce H. McNeely and Melissa W. McNeely have applied for a Vacant Building Revitalization Grant in the amount of $30,000 to assist in the renovation of the former Simmons Hosiery Mill located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE. The applicant plans to invest approximately $450,000 in real property improvements to renovate the facility for use as office and storage space.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- March 10, 2013
Economics that Idiots even ought to understand...
Corporate Profits after taxes at all time high
Meanwhile, wages as a percentage of GDP at an all time low...
Civilian Employment to Population Ratio...
M1 Money Supply (leads to inflation - money chasing Goods)...
Household Debt
The Last Time The Dow Was Here... - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 5, 2013 -
The American Middle Class Under Stress - Sherle R. Schwenninger and Samuel Sherraden - New America Foundation - PDF
The Recession's Toll: How Middle Class Wealth Collapsed to a 40-Year Low - The Atlantic - Jordan Weissmann - December 4, 2012 - I'm about to share a statistic that you should remember every time you think about the Great Recession, and why the recovery has been so painstaking. It's going to illustrate precisely how devastating the downturn was for your typical American family and the size of the hole we've been trying to dig ourselves out of. Ready? Here goes: Between 2007 and 2010, the median net worth of U.S. households fell by 47 percent, reaching its lowest level in more than forty years, adjusted for inflation. In other words, middle class wealth virtually evaporated in this country. A good chunk of the population got sucked through a financial wormhole back to the sixties.
There were two big reasons why the middle class suffered disproportionately. First, the economic crisis was first and foremost a housing crisis, and homes are by far the biggest store of wealth for most middle-class Americans (who are shown in green below). In fact, even after the housing crash, home equity still made up 66.6 percent of middle class assets -- higher than in the late 1990s.
Because the wealthy were never as deeply in hock as the middle class, their finances didn't suffer as much when the economy soured....
The difference between this Media Source and the Kool-Aid Media
Corporate Profits after taxes at all time high
Meanwhile, wages as a percentage of GDP at an all time low...
Civilian Employment to Population Ratio...
M1 Money Supply (leads to inflation - money chasing Goods)...
Household Debt
The Last Time The Dow Was Here... - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 5, 2013 -
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: Then 14164.5; Now 14164.5
- Regular Gas Price: Then $2.75; Now $3.73
- GDP Growth: Then +2.5%; Now +1.6%
- Americans Unemployed (in Labor Force): Then 6.7 million; Now 13.2 million
- Americans On Food Stamps: Then 26.9 million; Now 47.69 million
- Size of Fed's Balance Sheet: Then $0.89 trillion; Now $3.01 trillion
- US Debt as a Percentage of GDP: Then ~38%; Now 74.2%
- US Deficit (LTM): Then $97 billion; Now $975.6 billion
- Total US Debt Oustanding: Then $9.008 trillion; Now $16.43 trillion
- US Household Debt: Then $13.5 trillion; Now 12.87 trillion
- Labor Force Particpation Rate: Then 65.8%; Now 63.6%
- Consumer Confidence: Then 99.5; Now 69.6
The American Middle Class Under Stress - Sherle R. Schwenninger and Samuel Sherraden - New America Foundation - PDF
The Recession's Toll: How Middle Class Wealth Collapsed to a 40-Year Low - The Atlantic - Jordan Weissmann - December 4, 2012 - I'm about to share a statistic that you should remember every time you think about the Great Recession, and why the recovery has been so painstaking. It's going to illustrate precisely how devastating the downturn was for your typical American family and the size of the hole we've been trying to dig ourselves out of. Ready? Here goes: Between 2007 and 2010, the median net worth of U.S. households fell by 47 percent, reaching its lowest level in more than forty years, adjusted for inflation. In other words, middle class wealth virtually evaporated in this country. A good chunk of the population got sucked through a financial wormhole back to the sixties.
There were two big reasons why the middle class suffered disproportionately. First, the economic crisis was first and foremost a housing crisis, and homes are by far the biggest store of wealth for most middle-class Americans (who are shown in green below). In fact, even after the housing crash, home equity still made up 66.6 percent of middle class assets -- higher than in the late 1990s.
Because the wealthy were never as deeply in hock as the middle class, their finances didn't suffer as much when the economy soured....
The difference between this Media Source and the Kool-Aid Media
Thursday, March 7, 2013
20130305 - Hickory City Council - Audio File
The following is the Hickory Hound audio of the Hickory City Council meeting of March 5, 2013. I will get the video version up as soon as possible, but I wanted to go ahead and get this up. I had hoped that the city's version would be out sooner.
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted”
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea
Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board Kathy Ivey
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Mike Holland
3. Community Appearance Commission Leroy Harris
4. Community Relations Council David Walker and Ray Cerda
5. Hickory International Council Hani Nassar
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission Brian Frazier
7. Hickory Youth Council Hayden Frye
8. Historic Preservation Commission Zack Taylor
9. Parks and Recreation Commission Tony Wood
10. Public Art Commission David Zagaroli
11. Recycling Advisory Board Norm Meres
12. Business Development Committee Alan Jackson
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted”
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea
Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board Kathy Ivey
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Mike Holland
3. Community Appearance Commission Leroy Harris
4. Community Relations Council David Walker and Ray Cerda
5. Hickory International Council Hani Nassar
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission Brian Frazier
7. Hickory Youth Council Hayden Frye
8. Historic Preservation Commission Zack Taylor
9. Parks and Recreation Commission Tony Wood
10. Public Art Commission David Zagaroli
11. Recycling Advisory Board Norm Meres
12. Business Development Committee Alan Jackson
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Caught in the Crossfire
I've been paying some attention to what is going on with this Sequester thing and I think the politics surrounding it are totally ridiculous. Both political parties are embarrassing. You have the Democrats who haven't put forward a budget since Obama has been in office and yet they have nearly doubled the National Debt in five years and they have ZERO plan to move forward. You have the Republicans who can only talk about making trivial cuts to Federal Spending and they want to continue the status quo policies that are bankrupting the middle class and only helping the richest of the rich.
Let me tell you where this is heading. There is no room for people. There aren't going to be many, if any, jobs. With the lack of supply of jobs and the heavy demand for jobs, you are going to get lowballed on income and benefits. You are going to have a heavily skewed distribution of income. There will be equity in poverty for 90%+ of the U.S. populace and then we are going to have a noble overlord class that is going to use technology to keep us in line until we die peacefully or murder us if we rise up. You haven't learned over the past decade that you don't have any rights? You haven't learned that in a Godless system that you have no inalienable rights? That the only rights you have are bequeathed to you by the perverted government?
These little piddly cuts in governmental spending are only structured for the "on book" system. Everything that is done "off book" is going to keep moving forward. The robotics that monitor us to provide "Security," who is that "Security" for? And the middle class, who can't afford the lawyers, accountants, and corporate structure are the ones who have paid to build their own prison and the system of their own demise.
Everything is in place. There is going to be pain and there is no way out. Economically, things are going to happen moving forward that will finally make you understand this implosion. There is a consolidation taking place and there is no room for YOU. YOU and I are the sacrificed in the plans of the Richest of the Rich. They talk about class warfare and they are the ones, who through their greed, have instituted class warfare. It is all about Power through Control. That is not what this country was built upon, but Liberty has been frittered away.
You thought if you didn't pay attention that everything would be alright. You just wanted to be left alone and are too stupid to understand that they aren't going to leave you alone. You say you want Freedom of Choice and a Right to Privacy, but you have neither. I'd tell you to wake up, but it'll be too late when most do. It's too late now.
Peace Be with You and I'll continue to pray.
12 Things That Just Happened That Show The Next Wave Of The Economic Collapse Is Almost Here - The Economic Collapse Blog
Let me tell you where this is heading. There is no room for people. There aren't going to be many, if any, jobs. With the lack of supply of jobs and the heavy demand for jobs, you are going to get lowballed on income and benefits. You are going to have a heavily skewed distribution of income. There will be equity in poverty for 90%+ of the U.S. populace and then we are going to have a noble overlord class that is going to use technology to keep us in line until we die peacefully or murder us if we rise up. You haven't learned over the past decade that you don't have any rights? You haven't learned that in a Godless system that you have no inalienable rights? That the only rights you have are bequeathed to you by the perverted government?
These little piddly cuts in governmental spending are only structured for the "on book" system. Everything that is done "off book" is going to keep moving forward. The robotics that monitor us to provide "Security," who is that "Security" for? And the middle class, who can't afford the lawyers, accountants, and corporate structure are the ones who have paid to build their own prison and the system of their own demise.
Everything is in place. There is going to be pain and there is no way out. Economically, things are going to happen moving forward that will finally make you understand this implosion. There is a consolidation taking place and there is no room for YOU. YOU and I are the sacrificed in the plans of the Richest of the Rich. They talk about class warfare and they are the ones, who through their greed, have instituted class warfare. It is all about Power through Control. That is not what this country was built upon, but Liberty has been frittered away.
You thought if you didn't pay attention that everything would be alright. You just wanted to be left alone and are too stupid to understand that they aren't going to leave you alone. You say you want Freedom of Choice and a Right to Privacy, but you have neither. I'd tell you to wake up, but it'll be too late when most do. It's too late now.
Peace Be with You and I'll continue to pray.
12 Things That Just Happened That Show The Next Wave Of The Economic Collapse Is Almost Here - The Economic Collapse Blog
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- March 3, 2013
U.S. incomes see largest drop in 20 years - Reuters through the Chicago Tribune - March 1, 2013 - U.S. consumer spending rose in January as Americans spent more on services, with savings providing a cushion after income recorded its biggest drop in 20 years. Income tumbled 3.6 percent, the largest drop since January 1993. Part of the decline was payback for a 2.6 percent surge in December as businesses, anxious about higher taxes, rushed to pay dividends and bonuses before the new year. A portion of the drop in January also reflected the tax hikes. The income at the disposal of households after inflation and taxes plunged a 4.0 percent in January after advancing 2.7 percent in December... With income dropping sharply and spending rising, the saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - fell to 2.4 percent, the lowest level since November 2007. The rate had jumped to 6.4 percent in December. -
Consumer Spending in U.S. Climbs Even as Taxes Hurt Incomes - Bloomberg - Michelle Jamrisko - Mar 1, 2013 - Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in January even as incomes dropped by the most in 20 years, showing households were weathering the payroll-tax increase by socking away less money in the bank. Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, climbed 0.2 percent after a 0.1 percent gain the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 76 economists called for a 0.2 percent advance. Incomes slumped 3.6 percent, sending the saving rate down to the lowest level since November 2007... Disposable income, or the money left over after taxes, dropped 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, the biggest plunge since monthly records began in 1959. The drop also reflected the lapse of the payroll tax holiday. Excluding the effect of the tax and other special factors such as the timing of bonuses and dividends, disposable personal income would have increased 0.3 percent in January, the same as in December, the report said. Adjusting consumer spending for inflation, which renders the figures used to calculate gross domestic product, purchases rose 0.1 percent in January for a second month, today’s report showed.
Consumer Spending Drought: 16 Signs That The Middle Class Is Running Out Of Money - The Economic Collapse Blog - Is "discretionary income" rapidly becoming a thing of the past for most American families? Right now, there are a lot of signs that we are on the verge of a nightmarish consumer spending drought. Incomes are down, taxes are up, many large retail chains are deeply struggling because of the lack of customers, and at this point nearly a quarter of all Americans have more credit card debt than money in the bank. Considering the fact that consumer spending is such a large percentage of the U.S. economy, that is very bad news. How will we ever have a sustained economic recovery if consumers don't have much money to spend? Well, the truth is that we aren't ever going to have a sustained economic recovery. In fact, this debt-fueled bubble of false hope that we are experiencing right now is as good as things are going to get. Things are going to go downhill from here, and if you think that consumer spending is bad now, just wait until you see what happens over the next several years. - See more at: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/consumer-spending-drought-16-signs-that-the-middle-class-is-running-out-of-money#sthash.3QUShgLH.dpuf
The Missing Recovery — Paul Craig Roberts - Paul Craig Roberts - March 1, 2013 - Officially, since June 2009 the US economy has been undergoing an economic recovery from the December 2007 recession. But where is this recovery? I cannot find it, and neither can millions of unemployed Americans. The recovery exists only in the official measure of real GDP, which is deflated by an understated measure of inflation, and in the U.3 measure of the unemployment rate, which is declining because it does not count discouraged job seekers who have given up looking for a job. No other data series indicates an economic recovery. Neither real retail sales nor housing starts, consumer confidence, payroll employment, or average weekly earnings indicate economic recovery. Neither does the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed’s expansive monetary policy of bond purchases to maintain negative real interest rates continues 3.5 years into the recovery. Of course, the reason for the Fed’s negative interest rates is not to boost the economy but to boost asset values on the books of “banks too big to fail.” The low interest rates raise the prices of the mortgage-backed derivatives and other debt-related assets on the banks’ balance sheets at the expense of interest income for retirees on their savings accounts, money market funds, and Treasury bonds. Despite recovery’s absence and the lack of job opportunities for Americans, Republicans in Congress are sponsoring bills to enlarge the number of foreigners that corporations can bring in on work visas. The large corporations claim that they cannot find enough skilled Americans. This is one of the most transparent of the constant stream of lies that we are told. Foreign hires are not additions to the work force, but replacements. The corporations force their American employees to train the foreigners, and then the American employees are discharged. Obviously, if skilled employees were in short supply, they would not be laid off. Moreover, if the skills were in short supply, salaries would be bid up, not down, and the 36% of those who graduated in 2011 with a doctorate degree in engineering would not have been left unemployed. The National Science Foundation’s report, “Doctorate Recipients From U.S. Universities,” says that only 64% of the Ph.D. engineering graduates found a pay check. As I have reported on numerous occasions for many years, neither the payroll jobs statistics nor the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job projections show job opportunities for university graduates. But this doesn’t stop Congress from helping US corporations get rid of their American employees in exchange for campaign donations...
Tyson, Cargill among others now drugging your meat with Merck's new Zilmax - NaturalNews.com - Lance Johnson - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - As a journalist for Chronicle of Higher Education, Melody Peterson described her visit to the meat locker at West Texas A&M University. Escorted by Ty E. Lawrence, associate professor of animal science, Peterson reported, "Bloody sides of beef, still covered with a slick layer of ivory-colored fat, hung from steel hooks. Dressed in a white lab coat, a hard hat on his head, Lawrence pointed to the carcass of a Holstein that had been fed a new drug called Zilmax. He noted its larger size compared with the nearby body of a steer never given the drug." "'This is thicker, and it's plumper,' said Lawrence, pointing at the beast's rib-eye. 'This animal right here,' waving his hand at the pharmaceutically enhanced meat, 'doesn't look like a Holstein anymore.'" Not a Holstein anymore: is that really something to be proud about? If a Holstein doesn't look like a Holstein anymore, what are we eating and what are we becoming?... - (Zilmax: New Growth Promotant For Cattle - Food Renegade) -
Written by KristenM)
Why beef is losing its flavor - Feedlots have begun giving cattle a drug that causes the animal to bulk up on muscle, losing fat in the process. - MSN Money - Kim Peterson - February 14, 2013 - If you think steaks don't taste as flavorful as they used to, you might be on to something. Feedlots have begun giving cattle a new drug with a curious side effect: It makes steaks less flavorful and juicy, Slate reports. But the drug, Zilmax, helps cattle bulk up on muscle in the last few weeks of their lives -- which brings in more money for feedlot owners. Merck Animal Health says that Zilmax doesn't cause the quality of steaks to suffer, and that people can't tell the difference between beef that has and has not been treated with the drug. Zilmax usage has really taken off since 2011. If Merck is right, you may have not noticed a thing. But if you've wondered recently why steak suddenly seems more muscular, less fatty and a bit more bland, now you have your answer.
As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? - The Chronicle of Higher Education - Melody Petersen - April 15, 2012 - ...Convincing ranchers that Zilmax will transform their cattle into bovine Schwarzeneggers has been part of Lawrence's work ever since the drug was introduced by Intervet, a subsidiary of Merck, the global pharmaceutical company. The tour he led of the carcasses in his lab was just one of many events where he has helped Intervet sell Zilmax. He's given speeches to ranchers and written an article for a beef-industry magazine to promote the drug. He's repeatedly let Intervet include his comments in news releases, including one in which he said the drug could "revolutionize the beef production system." Lawrence is hardly alone. Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. With the use of these products, the average weight of a fattened steer sold to a packing plant is now roughly 1,300 pounds—up from 1,000 pounds in 1975. It's been a profitable venture for the drug companies, as well as for the professors and their universities. Agriculture schools increasingly depend on the industry for research grants, a sizable portion of which cover overhead and administrative costs. And many professors now add to their personal bank accounts by working for the companies as consultants and speakers. More than two-thirds of animal scientists reported in a 2005 survey that they had received money from industry in the previous five years. Yet unlike a growing number of medical schools around the country, where administrators have recently tightened rules to better police their faculty's ties to pharmaceutical companies, the schools of agriculture have largely rejected critics' concerns about industry cash. Administrators have set few limits on how much corporate money agricultural professors can accept. Faculty work with industry is governed by confidentiality rules that veil it from public view. In certain ways, the close relationship between animal scientists and pharmaceutical companies has never served the public well. Few animal scientists have been interested in looking at what harm the livestock drugs may be causing to the cattle, the environment, or the people eating the meat. They've left most of that work to scientists outside of agriculture, consumer groups, and others who take interest. But with the introduction of Zilmax, the situation may have reached a tipping point. Critics say some academic animal scientists have become so closely tied to the drug companies that they may be working more in the companies' interests than in those of farmers and ranchers—the very groups that land-grant universities were created to serve.
First Horse(meat) Trading, Now 59% Of "Tuna" Sold In The U.S. Isn’t Tuna - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 2, 2013 - This is just the latest revelation in the stealth inflation and food fraud theme I have written about frequently in recent months. The non-profit group Oceana took samples of 1,215 fish sold in the U.S. and genetic tests found that that 59% of those labeled tuna were mislabeled.
Escolar: The World's Most Dangerous Fish - Medellitin - Escolar is the most controversial fish that you are likely to find in your fish market. This firm, white fleshed fish has an incredibly rich flavor, often described as 'succulent', or a fattier version of swordfish. Why so rich? It turns out that Escolar's diet contains food high in wax esters. Wax esters that are really difficult for Escolar to digest. As a result, these esters build up in the fish. Where is the controversy in a buttery, delicious fish? I would say it is in the laxative like effect it has on a certain percentage of the population. Well, a 'laxative like effect' is how my fish monger described it. Others would describe it as closer to diahhrea. An expert would call it 'keriorrhoea'. Literally translated, it means 'flow of wax'. Oily orange droplets pouring out your pooper. Keriorrhoea occurs because the wax esters in the flesh of the fish pool up in your intestine. Some reports of Escolar related illness include cramping, nausea, diarrhea, the itis, and other abdominal pains. This could be the result of severe Keriorrhea or could also be Scrombroid poisoning. Escolar related Scromboid (or histimine poisoning) is the result of high levels of histidine being converted to histimine usually as a result of poor storage.
Consumer Spending in U.S. Climbs Even as Taxes Hurt Incomes - Bloomberg - Michelle Jamrisko - Mar 1, 2013 - Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in January even as incomes dropped by the most in 20 years, showing households were weathering the payroll-tax increase by socking away less money in the bank. Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, climbed 0.2 percent after a 0.1 percent gain the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 76 economists called for a 0.2 percent advance. Incomes slumped 3.6 percent, sending the saving rate down to the lowest level since November 2007... Disposable income, or the money left over after taxes, dropped 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, the biggest plunge since monthly records began in 1959. The drop also reflected the lapse of the payroll tax holiday. Excluding the effect of the tax and other special factors such as the timing of bonuses and dividends, disposable personal income would have increased 0.3 percent in January, the same as in December, the report said. Adjusting consumer spending for inflation, which renders the figures used to calculate gross domestic product, purchases rose 0.1 percent in January for a second month, today’s report showed.
Consumer Spending Drought: 16 Signs That The Middle Class Is Running Out Of Money - The Economic Collapse Blog - Is "discretionary income" rapidly becoming a thing of the past for most American families? Right now, there are a lot of signs that we are on the verge of a nightmarish consumer spending drought. Incomes are down, taxes are up, many large retail chains are deeply struggling because of the lack of customers, and at this point nearly a quarter of all Americans have more credit card debt than money in the bank. Considering the fact that consumer spending is such a large percentage of the U.S. economy, that is very bad news. How will we ever have a sustained economic recovery if consumers don't have much money to spend? Well, the truth is that we aren't ever going to have a sustained economic recovery. In fact, this debt-fueled bubble of false hope that we are experiencing right now is as good as things are going to get. Things are going to go downhill from here, and if you think that consumer spending is bad now, just wait until you see what happens over the next several years. - See more at: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/consumer-spending-drought-16-signs-that-the-middle-class-is-running-out-of-money#sthash.3QUShgLH.dpuf
The Missing Recovery — Paul Craig Roberts - Paul Craig Roberts - March 1, 2013 - Officially, since June 2009 the US economy has been undergoing an economic recovery from the December 2007 recession. But where is this recovery? I cannot find it, and neither can millions of unemployed Americans. The recovery exists only in the official measure of real GDP, which is deflated by an understated measure of inflation, and in the U.3 measure of the unemployment rate, which is declining because it does not count discouraged job seekers who have given up looking for a job. No other data series indicates an economic recovery. Neither real retail sales nor housing starts, consumer confidence, payroll employment, or average weekly earnings indicate economic recovery. Neither does the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed’s expansive monetary policy of bond purchases to maintain negative real interest rates continues 3.5 years into the recovery. Of course, the reason for the Fed’s negative interest rates is not to boost the economy but to boost asset values on the books of “banks too big to fail.” The low interest rates raise the prices of the mortgage-backed derivatives and other debt-related assets on the banks’ balance sheets at the expense of interest income for retirees on their savings accounts, money market funds, and Treasury bonds. Despite recovery’s absence and the lack of job opportunities for Americans, Republicans in Congress are sponsoring bills to enlarge the number of foreigners that corporations can bring in on work visas. The large corporations claim that they cannot find enough skilled Americans. This is one of the most transparent of the constant stream of lies that we are told. Foreign hires are not additions to the work force, but replacements. The corporations force their American employees to train the foreigners, and then the American employees are discharged. Obviously, if skilled employees were in short supply, they would not be laid off. Moreover, if the skills were in short supply, salaries would be bid up, not down, and the 36% of those who graduated in 2011 with a doctorate degree in engineering would not have been left unemployed. The National Science Foundation’s report, “Doctorate Recipients From U.S. Universities,” says that only 64% of the Ph.D. engineering graduates found a pay check. As I have reported on numerous occasions for many years, neither the payroll jobs statistics nor the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job projections show job opportunities for university graduates. But this doesn’t stop Congress from helping US corporations get rid of their American employees in exchange for campaign donations...
Tyson, Cargill among others now drugging your meat with Merck's new Zilmax - NaturalNews.com - Lance Johnson - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - As a journalist for Chronicle of Higher Education, Melody Peterson described her visit to the meat locker at West Texas A&M University. Escorted by Ty E. Lawrence, associate professor of animal science, Peterson reported, "Bloody sides of beef, still covered with a slick layer of ivory-colored fat, hung from steel hooks. Dressed in a white lab coat, a hard hat on his head, Lawrence pointed to the carcass of a Holstein that had been fed a new drug called Zilmax. He noted its larger size compared with the nearby body of a steer never given the drug." "'This is thicker, and it's plumper,' said Lawrence, pointing at the beast's rib-eye. 'This animal right here,' waving his hand at the pharmaceutically enhanced meat, 'doesn't look like a Holstein anymore.'" Not a Holstein anymore: is that really something to be proud about? If a Holstein doesn't look like a Holstein anymore, what are we eating and what are we becoming?... - (Zilmax: New Growth Promotant For Cattle - Food Renegade) -
Written by KristenM)
Why beef is losing its flavor - Feedlots have begun giving cattle a drug that causes the animal to bulk up on muscle, losing fat in the process. - MSN Money - Kim Peterson - February 14, 2013 - If you think steaks don't taste as flavorful as they used to, you might be on to something. Feedlots have begun giving cattle a new drug with a curious side effect: It makes steaks less flavorful and juicy, Slate reports. But the drug, Zilmax, helps cattle bulk up on muscle in the last few weeks of their lives -- which brings in more money for feedlot owners. Merck Animal Health says that Zilmax doesn't cause the quality of steaks to suffer, and that people can't tell the difference between beef that has and has not been treated with the drug. Zilmax usage has really taken off since 2011. If Merck is right, you may have not noticed a thing. But if you've wondered recently why steak suddenly seems more muscular, less fatty and a bit more bland, now you have your answer.
As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? - The Chronicle of Higher Education - Melody Petersen - April 15, 2012 - ...Convincing ranchers that Zilmax will transform their cattle into bovine Schwarzeneggers has been part of Lawrence's work ever since the drug was introduced by Intervet, a subsidiary of Merck, the global pharmaceutical company. The tour he led of the carcasses in his lab was just one of many events where he has helped Intervet sell Zilmax. He's given speeches to ranchers and written an article for a beef-industry magazine to promote the drug. He's repeatedly let Intervet include his comments in news releases, including one in which he said the drug could "revolutionize the beef production system." Lawrence is hardly alone. Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. With the use of these products, the average weight of a fattened steer sold to a packing plant is now roughly 1,300 pounds—up from 1,000 pounds in 1975. It's been a profitable venture for the drug companies, as well as for the professors and their universities. Agriculture schools increasingly depend on the industry for research grants, a sizable portion of which cover overhead and administrative costs. And many professors now add to their personal bank accounts by working for the companies as consultants and speakers. More than two-thirds of animal scientists reported in a 2005 survey that they had received money from industry in the previous five years. Yet unlike a growing number of medical schools around the country, where administrators have recently tightened rules to better police their faculty's ties to pharmaceutical companies, the schools of agriculture have largely rejected critics' concerns about industry cash. Administrators have set few limits on how much corporate money agricultural professors can accept. Faculty work with industry is governed by confidentiality rules that veil it from public view. In certain ways, the close relationship between animal scientists and pharmaceutical companies has never served the public well. Few animal scientists have been interested in looking at what harm the livestock drugs may be causing to the cattle, the environment, or the people eating the meat. They've left most of that work to scientists outside of agriculture, consumer groups, and others who take interest. But with the introduction of Zilmax, the situation may have reached a tipping point. Critics say some academic animal scientists have become so closely tied to the drug companies that they may be working more in the companies' interests than in those of farmers and ranchers—the very groups that land-grant universities were created to serve.
U.S.D.A. May Approve Horse Slaughtering - New York Times - STEPHANIE STROM - February 28, 2013 - The United States Department of Agriculture is likely to approve a horse slaughtering plant in New Mexico in the next two months, which would allow equine meat suitable for human consumption to be produced in the United States for the first time since 2007. The plant, in Roswell, N.M., is owned by Valley Meat Company, which sued the U.S.D.A. and its Food Safety and Inspection Service last fall over the lack of inspection services for horses going to slaughter. Horse meat cannot be processed for human consumption in the United States without inspection by the U.S.D.A., so horses destined for that purpose have been shipped to places like Mexico and Canada for slaughter. Justin DeJong, a spokesman for the agriculture department, said that “several” companies had asked the agency to re-establish inspection of horses for slaughter. “These companies must still complete necessary technical requirements and the F.S.I.S. must complete its inspector training,” he wrote in an e-mail referring to the food inspection service, “but at that point, the department will legally have no choice but to go forward with the inspections.”
He said the Obama administration was urging Congress to reinstate an effective ban on the production of horse meat for human consumption that lapsed in 2011. The impending approval comes amid growing concern among American consumers that horse meat will somehow make its way into ground beef products in the United States as it has done in Europe. Major companies, including Tesco, Nestlé and Ikea, have had to pull food from shelves in 14 countries after tests showed that products labeled 100 percent beef actually contained small amounts of horse meat. Horse meat is not necessarily unsafe, and in some countries, it is popular. But some opponents of horse slaughtering say consumption of horse meat is ill-advised because of the use of various kinds of drugs in horses...
First Horse(meat) Trading, Now 59% Of "Tuna" Sold In The U.S. Isn’t Tuna - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 2, 2013 - This is just the latest revelation in the stealth inflation and food fraud theme I have written about frequently in recent months. The non-profit group Oceana took samples of 1,215 fish sold in the U.S. and genetic tests found that that 59% of those labeled tuna were mislabeled.
Escolar: The World's Most Dangerous Fish - Medellitin - Escolar is the most controversial fish that you are likely to find in your fish market. This firm, white fleshed fish has an incredibly rich flavor, often described as 'succulent', or a fattier version of swordfish. Why so rich? It turns out that Escolar's diet contains food high in wax esters. Wax esters that are really difficult for Escolar to digest. As a result, these esters build up in the fish. Where is the controversy in a buttery, delicious fish? I would say it is in the laxative like effect it has on a certain percentage of the population. Well, a 'laxative like effect' is how my fish monger described it. Others would describe it as closer to diahhrea. An expert would call it 'keriorrhoea'. Literally translated, it means 'flow of wax'. Oily orange droplets pouring out your pooper. Keriorrhoea occurs because the wax esters in the flesh of the fish pool up in your intestine. Some reports of Escolar related illness include cramping, nausea, diarrhea, the itis, and other abdominal pains. This could be the result of severe Keriorrhea or could also be Scrombroid poisoning. Escolar related Scromboid (or histimine poisoning) is the result of high levels of histidine being converted to histimine usually as a result of poor storage.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
Shocking Statistics: America's Income Gap
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Distribution of Wealth and Income in America
Maybe some of you saw the information come out this week that Americans saw their personal income fall by the steepest rate in 20 years (Reuters through the Chicago Tribune).
And yet the stats show that Consumer Spending was up, which means that people are going further into debt to make purchases. We see retailers such as JC Penney, Sears, and Best Buy struggling and continuing declines that have been going on for years now.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
We know that the major issues that these companies face are caused by the hurting American middle class and their reduction in wealth and disposable income. These are just three companies that have been negatively effected by the Economic Depression that is now in its sixth year. What happens when these major retailers close down stores in the malls of mid sized communities. This will continue the downward spiral that continues to feed off of itself.
Below is an excellent video that shows the problems with income distribution in the United States. This is what has killed the American Retail Marketplace. We aren't going to see consumption growth as we did in the late 1990s for generations, but we can at least get balance back into the system by promoting policies that promote, restore, and protect the middle class. Until we begin those processes, the economy will only worsen.
And yet the stats show that Consumer Spending was up, which means that people are going further into debt to make purchases. We see retailers such as JC Penney, Sears, and Best Buy struggling and continuing declines that have been going on for years now.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
We know that the major issues that these companies face are caused by the hurting American middle class and their reduction in wealth and disposable income. These are just three companies that have been negatively effected by the Economic Depression that is now in its sixth year. What happens when these major retailers close down stores in the malls of mid sized communities. This will continue the downward spiral that continues to feed off of itself.
Below is an excellent video that shows the problems with income distribution in the United States. This is what has killed the American Retail Marketplace. We aren't going to see consumption growth as we did in the late 1990s for generations, but we can at least get balance back into the system by promoting policies that promote, restore, and protect the middle class. Until we begin those processes, the economy will only worsen.
Shocking Statistics: America's Income Gap
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