Hickory Hound by the numbers

I've met a lot of people here lately that have a hard time with mathematics, because they have a complete lack of interest in anything related to numbers. That is one of the saddest states of affairs in this nation. If you don't understand math, then how do you think you are going to understand money? Money is math. I digress.

Last month there were over 6,000 unique views on the Hickory Hound. I have that set up in the most conservative fashion possible with the ISP statistic program I utilize, because with myself I want as realistic of numbers as possible.  I also had, in the month of October, 10,411 pageloads of the various articles that have been written over the past 5 years.

Now detractors are going to dismiss any numbers as small potatoes and that is their right. I think we all know that this site becomes more relevant each and every day. This is journalism. Unfortunately, the Old School media's journalism has become all about not upsetting the apple cart and about sales. Many of you have been supporting a system that works against you. A system that by its design puts you in a box. A quarter of the people that come here are the people that want to put you and keep you in that box. They come here to study the person they view as an enemy's playbook. The other three quarters are coming here to seek information they can't get elsewhere. They know that what they are hearing from the old school sources just doesn't feel right.

But when you put 6,000 unique views in October in its proper context, think of Hickory (proper) as being 40,000 people and the largest city in our neighborhood Charlotte (proper) as having a population of 775,000 people. So Charlotte is  19.375 times the size of Hickory when it comes to population. Think about a Economic and Political information resource such as the Hickory Hound that was devoted to Charlotte's issues. Comparing a per population number. of 6,000 unique views would equal 116,250 views in a month in such a scenario. That is the context in which you need to view the Hound's numbers. Not in some sort of static small potatoes mindset.

Speaking of which, Charlotte's population today is 775,000 and ours is right around 40,000. In the year 2000, Charlotte's population was 570,000 and Hickory's population was 37,000. In the past 12 years (2000-2012 rounded), Charlotte's population grew by 36% and Hickory's population grew by 7.5%. The numbers diverge even greater over the past few years. We know that the Hickory population grew in the AARP group of 55 and older. We can also see where those 18 to 44 year olds have moved to, can't we.

Moving Forward with Reality

We lost again, but we won again

Dr Inglefield had a very solid showing and it is obvious that the Status Quo's automatic support is eroding. 55% to 45% with a heavy turnout for a municipal election is a lot better than the 66% to 33% we have seen over the past generation. The Status Quo has seen over 10% of their support erode. 

Rudy has stumbled into fortunate political consequences, because had Hickory Inc.s policies not run the 20 to 44 year olds out of town, then Rudy would not have been re-elected tonight. On the other hand, the city cannot survive without those young people. Oooh... what a conundrum.

I will go over the stats tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the day Status Quo. We salute you.

Election Day - November 5, 2013

The challenging candidates said everything that they could say inside the box they have been put in. It is obvious that we don't have a fair electoral process in this community and it is even more obvious that there is a reason for that. The reason is that some feel a dire need to maintain the status quo in the community. Why the media participates in this is beyond me.

This day represents another fork in the road as all elections do. Moving forward, the Hickory Hound will look for another way to evolve. This day isn't about the candidates as much as it is about the people of this community. As in the past, we will be able to read where we all stand by how the electorate participates in this election. There are around 27,000 people eligible to vote in Hickory. Somewhere around 15% of eligible voters will vote. In a Presidential election it would be 3 or 4 times that number.

There is nothing to brag about with either side, but there is plenty of work left to be done going forward. If people refuse to participate in there governance, then what does that say about this community going forward? What does that portend for respected leadership?

The Hickory Hound will continue on, because it came into existence because our local media presence on issues that matter is not there. Yes I am an advocate and I take sides. The local media here takes sides too. They just don't outwardly express it.

Besides this source, there was basically no coverage of this election. It is shameful. This is where decisions are made that effect people's lives the most. People have it backwards. If you don't effect your local government, then don't expect accountability and responsibility in Washington and Raleigh. Honestly, I think the local media understands this. They just want to see the regular folks hamstrung. They don't want average people to be represented.

This is an alternative media source that has grown by leaps and bounds, but there is only so much I can do in this current format. Do I personally double efforts in pressing forward or do I pull back? My efforts have been related to seeing this community evolve and move forward. The payoff for me was to see some changes happen. I am not a sugarcoater. Never have been and never will be. I live in a world of reality. Let's see where reality leaves us at the end of the day.

Peace be with you all.

Vote Inglefield! - Why you should vote for Dr. Inglefield
  
No place for a working class Republican in Catawba County

Hickory Metro - 5th Most Miserable in the United States

Tomorrow

Below is the new flag of Status Quo Hickory.

A friend called and said that Rudy Wright is out there telling people that Dr. Inglefield intends to raise your taxes and is lying about it when he has said time and time again he won't. Just plain old low IQ Hillbilly politics like we have seen so many times in this community.

You just can't do much with stupid, but if you know someone who has a brain ask them to think about these items.

1) Rudy is telling you point blank that he is going to raise your taxes. That means he IS going to raise your taxes. So who is going to raise your taxes?

2) Rudy says it's all about non-partisan politics until he feels threatened. I'll take a caring and compassionate Democrat any day over a pure PT Barnum politician. I used to would never vote for a Democrat, but that changed after I got to know more about Convenient Republicans. Do you automatically support someone just because they say they are a Republican?

3) He says that this election is all about beating him. Well, he is the Mayor isn't he? And the last 12 years have been fantastic, haven't they? Dr. Inglefield has espoused a platform of specific ideas. Rudy has talked about definite tax increases and hazy ideas about what the money will be spent on.

4) He says that the best and brightest serve on the Inspiring Spaces committee. I think by best and brightest he means that they have constantly contributed to his campaigns and other endeavors. Working Class people need not apply. Can people not serve without money being involved?

5) He says he is the most accessible Mayor in the U.S. Please Quantify? What does this mean? They never will. Just because someone can talk to you does not mean you are listening. Listening = money, apparently.

6) This election hinges on the oldest people in this community. Those with the least to lose. Those who have insisted that we keep spinning our wheels in the mud of the past. They won't be here to clean up the mess. Look around you. The economic picture of this community does not look rosy. It's time to get out and push the daggum car. What will it be like when the population decreases become noticeable? Have any of y'all thought about where we are headed?

7) It's getting ready to hit the fan folks and it could be economically really messy. Are you prepared?

But we keep moving forward.

Vote Inglefield! - why you should vote for Dr. Inglefield
  
No place for a working class Republican in Catawba County

Hickory Metro - 5th Most Miserable in the United States

Two days to go

Remember where we were.
Think about where we are.
And where are we headed.

If you keep do'in what you're do'in.
Your gone get what you've got. 

No place for a working class Republican in Catawba County

A Change would do you Good!

The vast majority of Hickory wanted an aquatics facility. Rudy Wright said no!!!
The vast majority of Hickory didn't think we needed "the Sails". Rudy said we're going to build it anyway!!!
He wants to raise working class taxes to pay for corporate welfare
He says he's the most accessible Mayor in the U.S.
We say he's the worst listener in the World.
Enough's Enough!
The Time to move forward is NOW!


Vote Inglefield on Tuesday November 5, 2013

A Change would do you good!

Rudy and the City Council want to and will raise your taxes

1-cent prepared food tax -  Rudy Wright - Inspiring Spaces - $80 million for Beautification





Property taxes - Property taxes WILL be raised in the next budget. It was talked about this year, but was inconvenient because of this municipal election.  The increase looks to be at least 6.5 cents. It was talked about during the City Council meeting of May 21, 2013.

I appreciated Alder Sally Fox's forward honesty in asking that the property tax be raised in the current budget. She took a stand on the issue and voted against the current year's budget, because she wanted to move forward on Inspiring Spaces.This happened during the June 4, 2013 City Council Meeting. I don't agree with raising taxes for Inspiring Spaces until it goes from being ambiguous to a solid blueprint that the community agrees to. Evidence is in the slides below.

You can hear the discussion in the links below:
Entire Budget Discussion
Taxing and Spending

Sally Fox wanted to raise the property tax rate in the current budget




Then we come to the minutes of the Inspiring Spaces meeting of June 6, 2013. Go read the excerpts below. Wonder why Meg Locke and this group are working so hard to get Rudy elected? Read below and you will understand.  

Ms. Locke commented that we are barely there. She stated that the committee probably did not need anybody to tell the group how to formulate a plan, or figure out what they believe is best. They could organize themselves and figure out how to some of that without quite as much direction. The bottom line is how are we going to pay for any of it?

Ms. Locke asked is staff going to recommend that we pay for it? She stated that on Tuesday night, staff didn’t recommend that we talk about raising taxes, two cents or three cents for Inspiring Spaces. She stated half of the committee is not here, she has watched it for years, if staff didn’t recommend and Council voted against raising taxes, what (money) do we have available to even talk about any projects right now? How much money is earmarked right now, before we decide the Water Park sounds great and there is no money mechanism in place? Is staff going to request a bond be passed? Is the committee going to do that?

Ms. Locke asked do we need to start raising money for the projects? One penny for the projects. She asked how much money right now do we have in the budget for Inspiring Spaces?

Mr. Stephen Shuford... Really starting to frame it out, get a sense of what should go first, what is most compelling, what is that iconic action that will give you the biggest bang for buck? Frame it out in terms that can be presented to Council.

Ms. Locke asked if Council could raise taxes then?
Mr. Mick Berry stated no, Council can only raise taxes once a year.
Ms. Locke stated that we are a year away.
Mr. Shuford stated that Ms. Locke’s concern was the cycle.
Ms. Locke replied absolutely; if that doesn’t happen then tell me how we are going to fund that? Give me some other ideas if we are a year away. For instance it is ten million dollars, they have decided on a ten million dollar project, so we are at least a year away from doing anything.

 Mayor Wright stated that he can assure them, to his knowledge that they have the commitment and will of ouncil. We can’t go sell this on the basis of a piece of paper. The selling is going to be critical. If we think that we are just going to lay it out there, and people are going to say, yes, I love that. No, there are people out there who are going to say, for example, till you close the libraries don’t talk to me about spending this money. We have orty thousand people out there, not just the people in this room. We have got to get this through, we can’t let it fail. We have to include these things, demolition of old buildings, and getting shovel ready sites for job creation. If we do that we create a package that everyone can find something in there they can agree on. He stated he is for doing every one of these things; incidentally he is thinking eighty million dollars.

(Remember at the June 4 Council meeting the Mayor was against raising taxes in the current budget.  Look what he says here.)  Mayor Wright commented we want this to happen, Tuesday set us back some, but we are going to come through it and we are going to make this happen. The only thing that could happen detrimental is that we lose four Council Members on that side of the table to a bunch of people that say no taxes. He stated that he does not (know) what happens then.


The Hound: As you can probably see now, on Tuesday you will be voting on whether or not you want your taxes raised to allow this small group of people, who are not accountable to the people of Hickory, to determine how to spend public money as they see fit on projects that may or may not have public support. Choose wisely my friends.