Ernie told me last night that he was saying that he would work with Rudy Wright should he be reelected, but in no way should what he said be constituted as an endorsement. He said he wasn't telling anyone how they should vote and I have seen what the Rudy Crew put out. Everyone understands that Terry Revels endorsement is about National Identity Party politics. And if Terry thinks that is relevant, then they can have each other.
But with Ernie which is it? Who is playing fast and loose with the truth?
Ernie told me last week that he endorsed change. He told me that four more years of Rudy Wright would be disastrous, because of the divisiveness that surrounds Rudy. Ernie laughed when Rudy talked about Hickory's economy turning the corner at the Highland debate and fumed four nights later when Rudy talked about the local economy needing a jumpstart, he asked which is it?
The message that Rudy's crew put out certainly doesn't jibe with the Ernie Masche we all met during the primary campaign. The letter of endorsement put out by Rudy's crew would make Ernie's campaign seem completely disingenuous.
Let's hope that isn't the case.
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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
No place for a working class Republican in Catawba County
Over the past few days, I have been forced to reflect on this campaign and the history of the Hickory Hound. What is the deal with all that has gone on and where does someone like me fit into this community. They don't want people like me to fit in, but I have never been a "They" person. I could care less about they. I care about We.
I have always been in a working class situation. My family has always labored to earn a living and we are proud people looking to make our own way. We haven't ever asked for more than what we have been afforded. I personally have never been afforded the excesses of life and I have always looked to maintain a proper budget. I haven't had vacations, new cars, dates, dining out, etc., especially over the past eight years or so.
My grandparents passed down a traditional value system to me. Work hard, be honest, sacrifice now and when you get older you will have more. Well it hasn't worked out that way. Wealthy people will look at these lamentations and say that I am bitter. No, I'm not really bitter. I am weathered. I don't covet what they have. I want my own. What I am tired of is the class warfare corporate entitlement syndrome that they focus on in dividing the middle class against the poor in this economic slide to the bottom.
When I was a kid I looked up to the wealthy and successful who it seemed had made their own way. I bought into the idea of this being the land of opportunity... the beacon on the hill... American Exceptionalism. Now, with the system we have seen set up in this nation, I see an elite wealthy who refuse to accept risk, aren't creating jobs and who feel entitled to their status in life in perpetuity.
The post World War II progress our nation enjoyed has been offshored as our American industries have been globalized. This has caused a huge erosion in the upward mobility of our middle class structure and increasing wealth disparity between the wealth structures in our nation.
What has been left behind is a casino type economic system. A paper system not built upon productive value, but built upon speculative paper assets. People think because they have accrued some wealth that they understand Economics, when what I have seen is that for the most part nothing could be further from the truth. The wealthy have for the most part soiled their bed; destroyed the viability of their ecosystem in this looking out for Numero Uno Economic Environment that has been created.
It is more than obvious that the middle class economic structure needs to be shored up in this nation. The wealthy illiterate are never going to understand that in the "Looking out for Numero Uno" economic system, because they already have theirs and they want yours. They look at it all as a zero sum game. It seems that the Powers That Be around here and across this nation are no longer interested in growing the pie.
The reason why I became a Republican was because I thought that they better understood realistic, common sense economics. Too all, but the most blindly loyal, it is obvious that is no longer the case. That doesn't mean that the Democrats understand economics better. As I have said, this isn't a zero sum game. Supply side economics could have worked, in theory, but it did not because there was no incentive to allow the assets to flow to the bottom. The economic and tax structure created barriers that have slowed the ability of the poor and middle class to economically progress and the wealth that the upper class accrued has been sent out of the country through the race to the bottom labor model. Things are going to get worse around here, because we have fully embraced the above model of an economic structure.
The reality: get in your car and ride around here. People are leaving. They have no incentive to stay and the political class is pushing for more of the same. The Powers That Be seem to think they don't need a working class/middle class in this community. Please look at all of the houses for sell. Open your eyes. Why are people leaving, because they can't afford to stick around here. Life moves forward, but this community is not moving forward.
You can continue to funnel government resources to the wealthy to build buildings, but those buildings are going to lose value faster than a new car as you drive it off the lot, because we have eroding population and income bases in this community. As more houses come on the market through simple supply and demand we see that the price point equilibrium is going to fall. That means the value of all property is going to fall in this community... diminishing prospects and diminishing returns. Sell it today, because it's going to be worth even less tomorrow.
The Powers that Be in our community are not going to listen to me, because I'm a nobody. You go to any meeting around here and it isn't about gathering facts and ideas and formulating a plan; the first question is who are you and the second is who do you represent. What we have is a go along to get along system... s social system. They already have all their plans. The meetings are windows dressing and hobnobbing events. That is not the foundation of the American system, but no one seems to understand that and even less no one seems to care, because no one says anything about it. It is all about Groupthink. Making these people feel important and like they played a role in the process.
Go to a meeting and it is the corporates and the government. If you are a middle class person they will glad hand you and then see that you are dismissed. You are treated like a visitor. You are there to see them in action; there to see the egos in action. You are there as a useful idiot. Just think if you didn't have a vote! And that would be these people's fantasy world.
If you aren't hugged up to the structure, doesn't it make you sick!
I have always been in a working class situation. My family has always labored to earn a living and we are proud people looking to make our own way. We haven't ever asked for more than what we have been afforded. I personally have never been afforded the excesses of life and I have always looked to maintain a proper budget. I haven't had vacations, new cars, dates, dining out, etc., especially over the past eight years or so.
My grandparents passed down a traditional value system to me. Work hard, be honest, sacrifice now and when you get older you will have more. Well it hasn't worked out that way. Wealthy people will look at these lamentations and say that I am bitter. No, I'm not really bitter. I am weathered. I don't covet what they have. I want my own. What I am tired of is the class warfare corporate entitlement syndrome that they focus on in dividing the middle class against the poor in this economic slide to the bottom.
When I was a kid I looked up to the wealthy and successful who it seemed had made their own way. I bought into the idea of this being the land of opportunity... the beacon on the hill... American Exceptionalism. Now, with the system we have seen set up in this nation, I see an elite wealthy who refuse to accept risk, aren't creating jobs and who feel entitled to their status in life in perpetuity.
The post World War II progress our nation enjoyed has been offshored as our American industries have been globalized. This has caused a huge erosion in the upward mobility of our middle class structure and increasing wealth disparity between the wealth structures in our nation.
What has been left behind is a casino type economic system. A paper system not built upon productive value, but built upon speculative paper assets. People think because they have accrued some wealth that they understand Economics, when what I have seen is that for the most part nothing could be further from the truth. The wealthy have for the most part soiled their bed; destroyed the viability of their ecosystem in this looking out for Numero Uno Economic Environment that has been created.
It is more than obvious that the middle class economic structure needs to be shored up in this nation. The wealthy illiterate are never going to understand that in the "Looking out for Numero Uno" economic system, because they already have theirs and they want yours. They look at it all as a zero sum game. It seems that the Powers That Be around here and across this nation are no longer interested in growing the pie.
The reason why I became a Republican was because I thought that they better understood realistic, common sense economics. Too all, but the most blindly loyal, it is obvious that is no longer the case. That doesn't mean that the Democrats understand economics better. As I have said, this isn't a zero sum game. Supply side economics could have worked, in theory, but it did not because there was no incentive to allow the assets to flow to the bottom. The economic and tax structure created barriers that have slowed the ability of the poor and middle class to economically progress and the wealth that the upper class accrued has been sent out of the country through the race to the bottom labor model. Things are going to get worse around here, because we have fully embraced the above model of an economic structure.
The reality: get in your car and ride around here. People are leaving. They have no incentive to stay and the political class is pushing for more of the same. The Powers That Be seem to think they don't need a working class/middle class in this community. Please look at all of the houses for sell. Open your eyes. Why are people leaving, because they can't afford to stick around here. Life moves forward, but this community is not moving forward.
You can continue to funnel government resources to the wealthy to build buildings, but those buildings are going to lose value faster than a new car as you drive it off the lot, because we have eroding population and income bases in this community. As more houses come on the market through simple supply and demand we see that the price point equilibrium is going to fall. That means the value of all property is going to fall in this community... diminishing prospects and diminishing returns. Sell it today, because it's going to be worth even less tomorrow.
The Powers that Be in our community are not going to listen to me, because I'm a nobody. You go to any meeting around here and it isn't about gathering facts and ideas and formulating a plan; the first question is who are you and the second is who do you represent. What we have is a go along to get along system... s social system. They already have all their plans. The meetings are windows dressing and hobnobbing events. That is not the foundation of the American system, but no one seems to understand that and even less no one seems to care, because no one says anything about it. It is all about Groupthink. Making these people feel important and like they played a role in the process.
Go to a meeting and it is the corporates and the government. If you are a middle class person they will glad hand you and then see that you are dismissed. You are treated like a visitor. You are there to see them in action; there to see the egos in action. You are there as a useful idiot. Just think if you didn't have a vote! And that would be these people's fantasy world.
If you aren't hugged up to the structure, doesn't it make you sick!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Are the Hickory Municipal Elections a Sham... po?
Over the past year we have seen Republicans in our state change voting laws in an attempt to clamp down on what they espouse to be rampant election fraud by Democrats in our State. Last week we saw a comical situation related to all of the hoopla surrounding this issue when Republican Don Yelton of Asheville went on John Stewart's nationally syndicated program and made a fool out of himself.
Here in Catawba County, and more specifically the City of Hickory, we have our own issue of what certainly looks to be election fraud. Back on July 25, the Chairman of the Catawba County Young Republicans Josh Shampo came forward with a letter to the editor in the Hickory Daily Record in which he lambasted Dr. Jody Inglefield over National Democrat Party Issues.
Shampo was called out a few days later for his "Our Fair City" comment by the Chairman of the Catawba County Young Democrats Jonathan Wyant in a responding letter a few days later, because he does not actually reside in the city of Hickory. At that time he was registered to vote at a Sherrill's Ford address. Conveniently a few days after that Shampo rebutted in a follow up to Mr. Wyant that he did indeed have residency in Hickory. He had during the week of July 30th, between letters to rhe editor, gone and registered to vote at the address 1650 20TH AV CT NE Hickory, NC 28601.
Hmmm... everyone found that interesting and wondered where Josh had moved to. Funny thing is that when we looked it up we saw that it is a small townhouse located off of Sandy Ridge Road here in Hickory. That townhouse happens to be the property of Thomas Sherman Kern III. Wow... is that the same Tom Kern who is the Republican Precinct Chair of the Sandy Ridge Precinct here in Hickory; who stood so defiantly against the referendum on ward specific voting last year? Yessir, it most certainly is.
Subsequently, the Hickory United Political Action Committee was formed on August 1 and Young Shampo at the ripe old age of 22 was made it's chairman. This group is a formula of the Catawba County Republican "Tea" Party , includes a Dixiecrat or two, and Carlton Huffman was listed as the contact person for the group. Sounds eerily similar to the No Steps Backwards Coalition of last year.
Photo from the Tumblr site devoted to Rudy Wright and the HDR - August 8, 2013:
Tom aKern was a member of the No Steps Backwards coalition as was the majority of this Hickory United group. Tom Kern, along with Carlton Huffman and Paul Byrd, were the people out labeling the Citizens for Equity in Government as ACORN. There is a video on Youtube that shows Tom Kern doing this. These are the Hickory Status Quos Hatchet men.
On this voting matter, if Mr. Shampo is a good upstanding Republican, I am sure that he would like to follow all of the guidelines involved in stamping out election fraud. I am sure that Mr. Shampo would be more than willing to cooperate with any inquiries into his residential status. As a Republican in support of voter ID laws, he would be more than willing to cooperate and show evidence that he indeed lives at the stated address by showing bills sent in his name to said address. I am sure that his Driver's License address corresponds, as of today, with his Hickory residency status and did at the time that he voted in the Hickory Mayoral Primary on October 8, 2013.
I am sure that Mr. Shampo would in no way want to be involved in election fraud; especially considering his status as the Chairman of the Young Republicans and his Chairmanship of a Political Action Committee directly involved in the Hickory Municipal Election. I am equally certain that Tom Kern would not want to be involved in aiding and abetting election fraud. I am certain, but most others that I have spoken with on this matter don't seem to be.
According to North Carolina DMV.org,
When you move within North Carolina, you must update your address on your NC driver’s license or ID card within 60 days.
Mr. Shampo, you didn't break the law that Republicans have worked so hard to bolster, did you? You aren't shopping for a cause, are you? You do care about the integrity of the system, don't you? Please get in touch so that we may clear up this matter as soon as possible.
Here in Catawba County, and more specifically the City of Hickory, we have our own issue of what certainly looks to be election fraud. Back on July 25, the Chairman of the Catawba County Young Republicans Josh Shampo came forward with a letter to the editor in the Hickory Daily Record in which he lambasted Dr. Jody Inglefield over National Democrat Party Issues.
Shampo was called out a few days later for his "Our Fair City" comment by the Chairman of the Catawba County Young Democrats Jonathan Wyant in a responding letter a few days later, because he does not actually reside in the city of Hickory. At that time he was registered to vote at a Sherrill's Ford address. Conveniently a few days after that Shampo rebutted in a follow up to Mr. Wyant that he did indeed have residency in Hickory. He had during the week of July 30th, between letters to rhe editor, gone and registered to vote at the address 1650 20TH AV CT NE Hickory, NC 28601.
Hmmm... everyone found that interesting and wondered where Josh had moved to. Funny thing is that when we looked it up we saw that it is a small townhouse located off of Sandy Ridge Road here in Hickory. That townhouse happens to be the property of Thomas Sherman Kern III. Wow... is that the same Tom Kern who is the Republican Precinct Chair of the Sandy Ridge Precinct here in Hickory; who stood so defiantly against the referendum on ward specific voting last year? Yessir, it most certainly is.
Subsequently, the Hickory United Political Action Committee was formed on August 1 and Young Shampo at the ripe old age of 22 was made it's chairman. This group is a formula of the Catawba County Republican "Tea" Party , includes a Dixiecrat or two, and Carlton Huffman was listed as the contact person for the group. Sounds eerily similar to the No Steps Backwards Coalition of last year.
Photo from the Tumblr site devoted to Rudy Wright and the HDR - August 8, 2013:
Tom aKern was a member of the No Steps Backwards coalition as was the majority of this Hickory United group. Tom Kern, along with Carlton Huffman and Paul Byrd, were the people out labeling the Citizens for Equity in Government as ACORN. There is a video on Youtube that shows Tom Kern doing this. These are the Hickory Status Quos Hatchet men.
On this voting matter, if Mr. Shampo is a good upstanding Republican, I am sure that he would like to follow all of the guidelines involved in stamping out election fraud. I am sure that Mr. Shampo would be more than willing to cooperate with any inquiries into his residential status. As a Republican in support of voter ID laws, he would be more than willing to cooperate and show evidence that he indeed lives at the stated address by showing bills sent in his name to said address. I am sure that his Driver's License address corresponds, as of today, with his Hickory residency status and did at the time that he voted in the Hickory Mayoral Primary on October 8, 2013.
I am sure that Mr. Shampo would in no way want to be involved in election fraud; especially considering his status as the Chairman of the Young Republicans and his Chairmanship of a Political Action Committee directly involved in the Hickory Municipal Election. I am equally certain that Tom Kern would not want to be involved in aiding and abetting election fraud. I am certain, but most others that I have spoken with on this matter don't seem to be.
According to North Carolina DMV.org,
When you move within North Carolina, you must update your address on your NC driver’s license or ID card within 60 days.
Mr. Shampo, you didn't break the law that Republicans have worked so hard to bolster, did you? You aren't shopping for a cause, are you? You do care about the integrity of the system, don't you? Please get in touch so that we may clear up this matter as soon as possible.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Comment on Today's Situation
This morning I came home from breakfast and found out that Joe Brannock had been arrested yesterday. He is a friend and I am shocked by these allegations. I am sure that many have come here looking to find out information about these charges or other information about Joe. I have not spoken with Joe. He has limited contact with anyone. Any conversation I have had with anyone has been of a private nature regarding these serious accusations. Please remember that in America those charged under the law are innocent until proven guilty. I am sure that more information regarding this will be coming forward soon.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Abracadabra - Always Moving Forward
Concerns and differing points of view do not equate to bitterness. I believe in the future of a Hickory that is made up of the melting pot of people I grew up with, work with, and go to church with. We see a lot of ongoing intolerance in our community. You seem to want me dismissed and ignored. Isn't it time that Old Hickory gives New Hickory a chance to show what they can do to move the community forward?
The Hound: I'm not going to name names, but a couple of curious things happened at my work today. A person called my work, that those who have followed this last year-plus would definitely recognize, and basically wants my boss to fire me.
Then someone made a reservation for 16 tonight and didn't show. The name on the reservation would be very, very, very recognizable...
It certainly would be no conspiracy that some people that are in the latter years of their lives need to grow up. If this is how you display power, then what power do you have.
Abracadabra
The Hound: I'm not going to name names, but a couple of curious things happened at my work today. A person called my work, that those who have followed this last year-plus would definitely recognize, and basically wants my boss to fire me.
Then someone made a reservation for 16 tonight and didn't show. The name on the reservation would be very, very, very recognizable...
It certainly would be no conspiracy that some people that are in the latter years of their lives need to grow up. If this is how you display power, then what power do you have.
Abracadabra
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Thank You for fairness HDR - My response to Sunday's LttE about this forum, the CEG, and myself
Mrs. Nancy Willingham, it is not I who has constantly evoked your father, the former Mayor's name. Your father is no longer with us, but you certainly don't seem to mind bringing him up every time you enter the body politic. You did it when you ran for office in 2007 -- after you had not lived in the community in decades -- and you did it last year when you stood against bringing back direct ward representation. I never proactively evoked your father's name.
Times change Mrs. Willingham. This isn't the 1960's. It seems like those running this community want to take it back to some bygone, nostalgic era that wasn't as rosy a picture, for some, as they would like to paint. Ask African-American people in this community if they would like to go back to pre-1970. That is the reason why in Ridgeview they voted 250 to 5 for bringing back direct ward representation. Every precinct in South and West Hickory voted heavily for the referendum.
You seem to think I have written to harm your father, which has never been my aim. It is your group "Hickory United" that's been constantly vitriolic and evoked negative stereotypes in this community. Who or what are you attempting to unite? Certainly not the diverse ethnicities in this community.
The Citizens for Equity in Government's platform does not look backwards. It moves forward. Hickory needs Term Limits for Mayor and Council. We don't need 20 year Mayors and Council members. There needs to be accountability and transparency in how the city is governed. We need representation for all and not just for Hickory's most wealthy and connected.
Concerns and differing points of view do not equate to bitterness. I believe in the future of a Hickory that is made up of the melting pot of people I grew up with, work with, and go to church with. We see a lot of ongoing intolerance in our community. You seem to want me dismissed and ignored. Isn't it time that Old Hickory gives New Hickory a chance to show what they can do to move the community forward?
The Hound: I didn't want to print this here, before first giving the HDR the right to print it. The Letter to the Editor from Sunday by Mrs. Willingham was published in the HDR and so I felt it deserved a proper response in that forum.
On Sunday, I put an immediate response in this forum, because I was not going to allow the forum and the Citizens for Equity in Government to be damaged by mis-characterizations/representations. I have tried to think of what riled up Mrs. Willingham so much and have come to the conclusion that besides the "in general" support of direct ward representation and attempting to provide play-by-play and color of how that came about, I think she was upset when after the ward voting I said, "Now on to the Julian Whitener Finals" in this election. I was being a little humorous, but is that not what it is? Is the current system not the system that he fought for for over a decade until it was implemented in 1970?
There is more to say, but I've had this pretty much pegged from the beginning going back six years ago. As I said in the last article when I commented on what Pat Bowman had written in her Letter to the Editor in Regards to "CEG Candidates", "these people hiss CEG when they say it." They don't even know what those letters stand for, why the CEG came into existence, or what the CEG's mission is. All they know is that we have a different point of view regarding the way Hickory has been managed/led since its inception and believe it is time to move forward towards modern realities.
We believe the way Hickory is/has been run (more like controlled and manipulated) has had a direct negative impact on it's ability to grow and progress. No growth equals no jobs or economic progress... None of that equals no more money in your pockets... for most means dwindling wealth. The reality is that the status quo is not going to cede one ioda of power willingly.
Times change Mrs. Willingham. This isn't the 1960's. It seems like those running this community want to take it back to some bygone, nostalgic era that wasn't as rosy a picture, for some, as they would like to paint. Ask African-American people in this community if they would like to go back to pre-1970. That is the reason why in Ridgeview they voted 250 to 5 for bringing back direct ward representation. Every precinct in South and West Hickory voted heavily for the referendum.
You seem to think I have written to harm your father, which has never been my aim. It is your group "Hickory United" that's been constantly vitriolic and evoked negative stereotypes in this community. Who or what are you attempting to unite? Certainly not the diverse ethnicities in this community.
The Citizens for Equity in Government's platform does not look backwards. It moves forward. Hickory needs Term Limits for Mayor and Council. We don't need 20 year Mayors and Council members. There needs to be accountability and transparency in how the city is governed. We need representation for all and not just for Hickory's most wealthy and connected.
Concerns and differing points of view do not equate to bitterness. I believe in the future of a Hickory that is made up of the melting pot of people I grew up with, work with, and go to church with. We see a lot of ongoing intolerance in our community. You seem to want me dismissed and ignored. Isn't it time that Old Hickory gives New Hickory a chance to show what they can do to move the community forward?
The Hound: I didn't want to print this here, before first giving the HDR the right to print it. The Letter to the Editor from Sunday by Mrs. Willingham was published in the HDR and so I felt it deserved a proper response in that forum.
On Sunday, I put an immediate response in this forum, because I was not going to allow the forum and the Citizens for Equity in Government to be damaged by mis-characterizations/representations. I have tried to think of what riled up Mrs. Willingham so much and have come to the conclusion that besides the "in general" support of direct ward representation and attempting to provide play-by-play and color of how that came about, I think she was upset when after the ward voting I said, "Now on to the Julian Whitener Finals" in this election. I was being a little humorous, but is that not what it is? Is the current system not the system that he fought for for over a decade until it was implemented in 1970?
There is more to say, but I've had this pretty much pegged from the beginning going back six years ago. As I said in the last article when I commented on what Pat Bowman had written in her Letter to the Editor in Regards to "CEG Candidates", "these people hiss CEG when they say it." They don't even know what those letters stand for, why the CEG came into existence, or what the CEG's mission is. All they know is that we have a different point of view regarding the way Hickory has been managed/led since its inception and believe it is time to move forward towards modern realities.
We believe the way Hickory is/has been run (more like controlled and manipulated) has had a direct negative impact on it's ability to grow and progress. No growth equals no jobs or economic progress... None of that equals no more money in your pockets... for most means dwindling wealth. The reality is that the status quo is not going to cede one ioda of power willingly.
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