Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- February 9, 2014

42.3% of the people in Catawba County have a job - Hickory Hound - February 6, 2014

About Those 2.9 Million Jobs Lost In January... - Tyler Durden - February 9, 2014 - ...Of course, in keeping with the above "seasonal" transformation, what this means is that instead of having added a total of 3.290 million "statistical" jobs, the Bureau simply had to bump up the "fudge factor" to 3.357K or over, to match or beat the expectations. The difference between the 3.290MM and 3.357MM numbers? 2%.                    Which begs the question: why did whatever prompted the BLS to add just under 3.3 million "excel" jobs, not also prompt them to add another 57K jobs to the final adjustment number which was a minute fraction of the total fudge factor, and beat Wall Street estimates, reincarnating the narrative that the US economy is now back in "escape velocity" mode, it is "self-sustaining" and all those other spins and stories serious economists tell themselves to justify that QE has worked? Unless, it was specifically the intention of the BLS to not give such an impression.                        Whether the reason was precisely to give the Fed the loophole it needs to taper the taper in a few weeks time when the latest "economic recovery" thesis crashes and burns, will be uncovered over the next several months.                     Finally, for all those same very serious economists who lament the impact of the weather on the Establishment survey, and yet point to the surge in the Household Survey which "added" 638K seasonally-adjusted jobs, the unadjusted change there was a drop of 403K jobs. So there's that.

What Happened The Last Time The Unemployment Rate Dropped This Much - Tyler Durden- February 9, 2014 - ... Alas, that is the real reason why the labor force collapse continues and will continue even as America enters its next recession. Or depression.                  So what happens when one renormalizes the unemployment rate calculation and uses a 30 year average labor force participation rate as a constant instead of a variable to be plugged by the BLS to goalseek a desired result? This happens:

What the chart above shows is that the "real" unemployment rate in October 2009 was 11.2%. Where is it now? 11.1%.                 And there is your "Obama Recovery", when stripped of all the fancy veneer and TOTUSed propaganda, right there.


Low-Wage Hours At New Low As ObamaCare Fines Loom - Investor's Business Daily = Jed Graham - February 7, 2014 - Low-wage workers clocked the shortest workweek on record in December — even shorter than at the depth of the recession, new Labor Department data showed Friday.                        The figures underscore concerns about the ObamaCare employer insurance mandate's impact on the work hours and incomes of low-wage earners.                          It's impossible to know how much of the drop relates to ObamaCare, but there's good reason to suspect a strong connection. The workweek has been getting shorter in many of the same industries where anecdotes have piled up about employers cutting hours to evade the law's penalties.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/politics-obamacare/020714-689319-low-wage-workweek-hits-new-low-with-obamacare.htm#ixzz2stKu0BGr
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» Obamacare: The Final Payment–Raiding the Assets of Low-Income and Poor Americans - Paul Craig Roberts - February 8, 2014 - The anonymous Obamacare expert, who provided us a year ago with the most complete account of Obamacare available, http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/02/03/obamacare-a-primer/ has returned with an explanation of estate recovery. Obamacare herds the poor into Medicaid which requires some enrollees to forfeit homes and other assets they might have to the state to cover the cost of their medical care. The research article below is meticulous and demonstrates that Obamacare was not enacted to serve the people...


Top Adviser To The Chinese Government Calls For A “Global Currency” To Replace The U.S. Dollar - End of the American Dream - Michael Snyder - February 6, 2014 - The former chief economist at the World Bank, Justin Yifu Lin, is advising the Chinese government that the time has come for a single global currency.  Lin, who is also a professor at Peking University, says that the U.S. dollar “is the root cause of global financial and economic crises” and that moving to a “global super-currency” will bring much needed stability to the global financial system.  And considering how recklessly the Federal Reserve has been pumping money into the global financial system and how recklessly the U.S. government has been going into debt, it is hard to argue with his logic.  Why would anyone want to trust the United States to continue to run things after how badly we have abused our position?  The United States has greatly benefited from having the de facto reserve currency of the planet for the past several decades, but now that era is coming to an end.  In fact, the central bank of China has already announced that it will no longer be stockpiling more U.S. dollars.  The rest of the world is getting tired of playing our game.  Our debt is wildly out of control and we are creating money as if there was no tomorrow.  As the rest of the world starts moving away from the U.S. dollar, global power is going to shift even more to the East, and that is going to have very serious consequences for ordinary Americans.           Sadly, most Americans don’t even realize what is happening.  These comments by a top adviser to the Chinese government should have made front page news all over the nation.  I had to go to China Daily to find the following excerpt…

42.3% of the people in Catawba County have a job

42.3% of the people in Catawba County have a job. That is an approximate number based upon the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The spreadsheet is in the link below.

Spreadsheet of Catawba County Employment numbers January 1990 to December 2013

In 1990, when these official statistics began, over 58% of the people in Catawba County had a job. The current actual participation rate (Total Workforce/Population) is 45.6%. It has fallen from over 61% of Catawba County's residents being in the workforce in 1990 and 1991.

Look below at the past year and see how drastically the Labor Pool (Workforce) has fallen. At the same time, the officially unemployed has fallen from 8,584 to 5,141. With both falling, one can see how the conclusion is reached that those 3,400+ people are permanently unemployed and we are not seeing an employment recovery. We see 490 fewer people actually employed since July. Look at the two spreadsheets below. At the end of 2009, the number of employed in Catawba County settled around 65,000 and has stayed there ever since. And yet, the corrupted Unemployment Rate number has fallen from 15.1% in January 2010 to the current reported rate of 7.3%. This shows the U-3 unemployment rate statistic is irrelevant.

2013 Employment Numbers

September 2007 to July 2010 - When the downturn began, from the beginning to the end of this period, we see a workforce that begins at 75,900 and ends at 75,600 -- relatively the same. The number of employed falls by 6,714 people between July 2008 and July 2010. The employed percentage falls, while the participation rate remains virtually the same during the period. The unemployment rate rises drastically from 5.3% to a peak of 15.1% before settling in the high 13% range.

---------------------------------------------

There is no employment recovery and we may head down in the near future. I am almost certain that Catawba County lost population last year. Most people are not going to move here to do absolutely nothing, even people of retirement age. If they were working at all, they would be considered employed. All factors point to economic shrinkage in the area.

You are not going to get this information from the Politicians and Bureaucrats in the government. You are not going to get this information from the Social Workers at the Employment Security Commission. You aren't going to get this information from the Lit Majors at the newspaper. You'll have to come here. I might not be perfect, but I will lay the numbers out there for you. I'm not here to give you a feel good message. I'm here to prepare you for the road ahead.

The bottom line is that the number one priority needs to be fixing the dynamics of our local economy. I don't see that we are doing enough about rectifying that and the things that have been bandied about are not going to do that.

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 4, 2014

I began video recording the City Council in 2012, because of my desire that the City do it on their own as any modern 21st century community began doing long ago. I had people tell me that they couldn't make it to the meetings, but they would like to see what is going on. I was also told by some council members that my summaries did not truly reflect the record, so having a video/audio recording cannot be misinterpreted.

So below is the City Council meeting. With each agenda item, you can click on the links and it will take you to that specific point in the meeting. You can always drag the marker on the video display to the point in the broadcast that you are interested in seeing.

Agenda about the City Council meeting of February 4, 2014



Consent Agenda Unanimously Approved


New Business - Public Hearings
1. Resolution and Order for Petition of Moretz Mills, LLC to Close a Portion of E Avenue SE. - On December 6, 2013, Patrick, Harper & Dixon, Attorneys at Law, presented a petition on behalf of Moretz Mills LLC, one of the property owners of property abutting a portion of E Avenue SE, requested the City to abandon a portion of this right-of-way.

Hound: This Public Hearing was postponed til a later date to allow the parties involved in the agreement to come to a compromise. Time certain for the hearing will be March 4, 2014. The hearing was opened and closed and continued.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (a) Request to Amend the Parking Ordinance for the Farmer’s Market to Include Last Year’s Ordinance #13-06, with a Time Change and Day. Change the Farmer’s Market No Parking hours from the current ordinance language which calls for Wednesdays from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM and Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. to the new hours for 2014 which includes Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 6:20 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from April 16, 2014 through November 29, 2014 (excluding Saturday, October 11, 2014 which is Oktoberfest weekend) for the spaces south of Union Square on the north side of the parking lot road connecting the east and west parking lots as well as along the west parking lot to include the first three (3) angled parking spaces. Also, change the parking ordinance from the previous year from Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., May 6, 2013 through October 7, 2013 to now include the new Thursday market evening covered by no parking hours of Thursdays 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from June 5, 2014 through August 28, 2014 in the west parking lot specifically to include the first three (3) angled parking spaces only. Previously, all of the west lot spaces were included for the Monday
market.

2013 Market Hours 2014 Market Hours Dates
Monday 4-7pm Thursday 5-8pm June 5 through August 28, 2014
Wednesday 10am-3pm Wed 10am-3pm April 16 through November 29, 2014
Saturday 8am-1pm Sat 8am-1pm April 16 through November 29, 2014

** Time change has been moved back to help with set up.

1. (b) Special Event/Activities Application for Downtown Hickory Farmers’ Market.

2. (a) Approval of an Agreement for Professional Services with HDR Engineering, Inc. of the Carolinas in the amount of $288,000. - Staff requests approval of this agreement for Engineering Services with HDR Engineering, Inc. of the Carolinas to perform professional engineering services related to design on sanitary sewer infrastructure

2. (b) Capital Project Ordinance Number 2. - To budget a $288,000 transfer from the Water and Sewer Capital – Sewer Lines account to the Murray Basin Capital Project.

General Comments
(From Hickory Inc. Action Agenda)
Alderman Guess commented that recently Chief of Police Tom Adkins was named as the President of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. Not only is that an extinctive honor, but it helps the City of Hickory in a lot of different ways. He wanted to make that public announcement and congratulate Chief Adkins on that appointment.
Alderman Seaver commented now he is the Chief, Chief.
Mayor Wright commented that we are very fortunate. We have Mack McLeod who served as President of the Parks and Recreation Commission, and a lot of people who are very involved in leadership positions with the trade Associations for municipal staff. He commented that is quite a bit of benefit to the City. Some of that knowledge rubs off.
Alderman Seaver commented that is not counting some of the other cities that come and rob us of some of our folks.

Mayor Wright stated that on Friday the City unveiled proposals for Inspiring Spaces. We need to turn our population growth into a positive direction. We need to turn our job growth into a positive direction, and we have to grow one to grow the other. We called it, at that point, a start of dialogue. No decisions were made, no votes were taken. The dialogue has started. If his emails are an example we are going to have a vigorous dialogue, and that is good, because it is for the people, it is going to be paid for by the people, so we need to talk about it. We have had some conversations with some people across the State who have done similar things, and what we hear is positive. That upon embarking on these kind of ventures, the people started feeling better about themselves, and they get enthusiastic and good things happen. He commented that they solicit citizens input, the dialogue is open, and they welcome comments. He asked what we have on the City’s website. We have everything that has been presented to the public. Actually everything that has been presented to the public, is everything that has been presented to the Council too. If you want to learn more go to the City’s website. More information will be released there. It is a new day. We have hunkered down as long as we can, and now we have to start investing and make some good things happen.
Mayor Wright commented that the paper gave the City good coverage. That headline of what might cost the taxpayers $4,006 per foot was not the finest moment for the paper. However, the way that he answers that is this; you build a 5,000 square foot house that is 100 x 50, on average that is $500,000 dollars. You stand at the corner of that house and you look one way, and say, that cost $5,000 a foot. You look the other way, and say, that cost $10,000 a foot, and neither number means a thing. He hopes that we don’t hear too much about $4,006 a foot, unless someone will break it down by square foot, and even that is only meaningful if you understand what you are building.

Alderman Seaver commented that Hickory High was hosting St. Stephens in basketball tonight, so if you would like some further excitement go over to Hickory High.
Mayor Wright stated that they were not endorsing either team.
Alderman Seaver stated no, that is a good game.
Mayor Wright asked if there were any other comments, or if any one wanted to say anything further about Inspiring Spaces?
Alderman Seaver commented that we should aspire to inspire before we expire.

The Hound's Comment - Pretty sad that the Mayor still disrespects the HDR to the extent that he fusses about their headline of $4,000+ per square foot. The HDR did everything in their power to get him and the others re-elected. Where's the love? 

The headline does make a valid point, but in the end they'll do everything they can to help push this through too. Anyone that makes an investment looks at area costs. And please come out of your attention span stupor long enough to remember that the structure on Union Square was supposed to cost $285,000 and the amount they will admit to is right at $500,000.

$27 million for a beautification project focused once again on Downtown, which with the overruns we have seen in the current past could equal $50 million easily, after they told everyone that Inspiring Spaces wouldn't be focused on Downtown, certainly seems exorbitant for a city that has constantly told and shown through actions an unwillingness to invest in other parts of the city.  Lot of splainin to do here folks, but I'm sure they'll come up with somethin'. Won't they?

We aren't prescient folks. It has all been so transparent. We told you what was going to happen last year and now the chickens are ready to roost.

The reality of our current Unemployment Numbers - with factual statistics - Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina

The Hound:  The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor through the Federal Reserve. The U-3 unemployment rate has fallen to 7.3% for the month of December from 7.8% in November, but the workforce continued a steep decline to 70,419 from 71,484. That means that Catawba County lost 1,065 workers in the month of December. In January 1990, when these official statistics began, our labor force was 70,308 and the resident population was 118,945. That means in 1990, 59.1% of the people here were in the workforce... today, based on the latest statistics, less than 46% of our resident population is in the workforce.

From year to year Catawba County lost 3,079 workers (73,498 - 12/2012) and 6,268 workers since the Economic Downturn began in January 2008 (76,687 - 1/2008). We have lost 11,826 workers since our peak Labor Force occurred in February 2001 (82,245 - 2/2001). 

I will be surprised if the Catawba County Population has not fallen over the year 2013. It did increase by 381 residents in 2012 (154,339 - 2012 from 153,958 - 2011), but since 2009 we have lost 4,614 (158,953 - 2009) residents. The shrinking labor force, 3,079 workers in 2013, makes me think that we will see a corollary loss of population over the previous year.

What you see through these numbers is that there is no recovery. It very much seems that we have seen an increased rapidity of a permanent shrinkage of jobs in our Labor Market. The drop in the Unemployment rate is a cementing of the job losses that have occurred. Those that have been considered long term unemployed have now been relegated to a status of Permanently Unemployed. 

Check it out for yourself below.


 

Catawba County, NC

Civilian Labor Force in Catawba County, NC
Thousands of Persons, Monthly, Not Seasonally Adjusted1990-01 to 2013-12 (9 hours ago) usa nsa monthly bls civilian county labor force nc hickory catawba county, nc
Unemployment Rate in Catawba County, NC
Percent, Monthly, Not Seasonally Adjusted1990-01 to 2013-12 (9 hours ago) usa nsa monthly bls rate unemployment county nc hickory catawba county, nc
Resident Population in Catawba County, NC
Thousands of Persons, Annual, Not Seasonally Adjusted1970 to 2012 (2013-03-19) usa nsa annual census county population residents nc hickory catawba county, nc

  Selected Series:     

The (North) Carolina Way - To Seem rather than to Be - Exploitation

Had to share something that was forwarded to my e-mail inbox... My assessment. SPOT ON!

February 3, 2014

Dear Editor:

As a Black man in America, I find it appalling that the University of North Carolina’s Black Caucus would choose to issue a declaration of support to defend the UNC even after the University admitted that it “cheated young Black men” out of the best education possible on its campus.

James Dean, UNC executive vice chancellor and provost of UNC, told Bloomberg Businessweek the university offered phony classes for decades, and "Horrible things happened that I’m ashamed of." UNC Chancellor Carol Folt, who only took office in 2013, admitted to UNC trustees that the flagship university failed students for years with a lack of academic oversight.

Even after these admissions of destroying the academic lives of mostly young Black male student/athletes, the Carolina Black Caucus, comprised of Black UNC faculty and staff, defended the University of North Carolina and its destructive actions. Their declaration in support of UNC is more of a “cheer” for their jobs than a principled-stand on the issue of successfully educating all UNC students.

Maybe these esteemed faculty and staff of the Carolina Black Caucus don’t realize that their university students are not just competing among themselves in the big cities and small towns of North Carolina. Maybe they don’t understand that being globally competent is a much “bigger game” to win than football or basketball!

I am appalled by and ashamed of the faculty and staff at UNC, but I am not surprised! This declaration of support is the kind of action I expect from people who have lost touch with the history of Black people in America and have forgotten what it took for Black people to be admitted to attend schools like UNC. These professional men and women are not scholars and leaders; they are cowards!

Recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Education show that only 12% of 8th-grade black boys in Charlotte, North Carolina can read at a proficient level. If the 88% of Black boys in Charlotte who cannot read at a proficient level are lucky enough to win a basketball or football scholarship to UNC, the Carolina Black Caucus will be there to cheer them on, but not to guarantee that they will become functionally literate when, and if, they graduate from UNC.

The University of North Carolina is not the only college in America taking advantage of Black student/athletes for the sake of sports revenue. However, as of today, the Black faculty and staff at the University of North Carolina are the only Black faculty and staff openly encouraging their institution to exploit Black students!

Sincerely,

Phillip Jackson
Executive Director
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60653
773.285.9600 phone
Blackstar1000@ameritech.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNC Academic Fraud Scandal Sparks Racial Recriminations - Bloomberg Businessweek - Paul M. Barrett - February 4, 2014

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- February 2, 2014

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts interview on King World News - Former US Treasury Official, Co-Founder of Reaganomics, Economist & Acclaimed Author - February 1, 2014 - Emerging Market mess created by the Fed created financial chaos (manipulated markets)... Destabilizing other currencies to bolster the Dollar... Gold investors need to consider a downturning economy and deflation. Will the Fed reinstitute and expand Quantitative Easing. The Fed will do this depending on the state of the Dollar in relation to the economy. Russia is considering flushing Dollars out of the system. Other counntries are doing this and moving towards the Chinese Yuan... If we bail out the banks it may cause the end of the dollar as the World Reserve Currency... In the end the Banks have to go or the Dollar has to go. This is the big decision. Will be made (most likely) by June... The biggest danger in the World is the U.S. desire for World Hegemony that can lead to Nuclear War... The biggest Financial concern is the loss of the Dollar as the World Reserve Currency. Does the Fed choose to save the Dollar or save the banks... China is creating value through Manufacturing. The World now wants to hold Yuan. China is in a solid position, especially compared to U.S. Financial exposure. (King World News Interview)


Movement is Life-Catherine Austin Fitts - USA Watchdog.com - Greg Hunter - January 27, 2014 - Investment advisor Catherine Austin Fitts knows the economy is bad, but not all bad.  She says, “There are many aspects of the economy where the fundamentals are dreadful, and there are certainly parts of the economy collapsing in an evolving implosion.”  Fitts contends capital has shifted out of the old system and into a new system that is high tech and rapidly evolving.  Fitts explains, “One of the things that is keeping the slow burn going is that money flowing into the new system is being reinvested, and those parts of the economy are not only growing but growing strongly. . . . . You need to see the fact that we have a global 2.0, which is essentially bankrupt; and we have a global 3.0, which is rich with resources and growing dramatically. . . . The reinvestment in global 3.0 is now accelerating at rapid speeds, and I think it is going surprise everybody of how dramatic the changes are going to be.”   Fitts says you can sum up what to do with a line from last year’s Brad Pitt movie about zombies.  Fitts says, “Movement is life.  It is unbelievable in importance that we all be prepared to shift.  When you have this very deep and dramatic shift in technology and investment flows that ripple through all aspects of our lives. . . . So, the guys that are going to be the winners are the guys that can get the high learning speeds.”                              What is one of the biggest changes coming?  Fitts says, “In September of 2011, there were approximately 800 million people on smart phones or tablets or desktops around the world. . . . Since September 2011, another half a billion people have gotten onto smart phones and tablets. . . .That’s astonishing because we have 1.2 billion people on smart phones and tablets who are one market in theory.  That’s new.  Never in the history of the world have we had 1.2 billion people who shared membership in one consumer market.”




Nearly Half of America Lives Paycheck-to-Paycheck - Time - Christopher Matthews - January 30, 2014 - The economic picture is looking brighter these days. The federal government announced Thursday that economic growth had picked up to its fastest pace in two years, while employment growth over the past five months has averaged a healthy 185,000 new jobs. But as evidenced by a report out Thursday from the Corporation for Enterprise Development, nearly half of Americans are living in a state of “persistent economic insecurity,” that makes it “difficult to look beyond immediate needs and plan for a more secure future.”                         In other words, too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck. The CFED calls these folks “liquid asset poor,” and its report finds that 44% of Americans are living with less than $5,887 in savings for a family of four. The plight of these folks is compounded by the fact that the recession ravaged many Americans’ credit scores to the point that now 56% percent of us have subprime credit. That means that if emergencies arise, many Americans are forced to resort to high-interest debt from credit cards or payday loans.                           And this financial insecurity isn’t just affected the lower classes. According to the CFED, one-quarter of middle-class households also fall into the category of “liquid asset poor.” Geographically, most of the economically insecure are clustered in the South and West, with Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Nevada, and Arkansas being the states with the highest percentage of financially insecure.

States see record high in long-term joblessness - Pew/Stateline Though USA Today - Jake Grovum - February 1, 2014 - In 28 states, a third or more of the unemployed have been without a job for six months or longer, leaving them with no unemployment insurance safety net following the expiration of extended benefits in December.                            In New Jersey, Florida and the District of Columbia, nearly half of the unemployed have been out of work for longer than 26 weeks, according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute of data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among all 50 states and D.C., the average is 33%.                             Before the Great Recession, the highest the long-term joblessness share ever reached was 26% in mid-1983, according to the EPI analysis. Today, 41 states and D.C. have shares of long-term unemployment above that level.


Economy’s sticky problem: Older and jobless - CNBC - Allison Linn - January 31, 2014 -

Let's say you're the boss, and you have an opening for a widget maker.                              Are you going to choose the person who has been making widgets at your competitor's plant every day for the past two years, or the one who's made lots of widgets in the past—but hasn't worked anywhere for two years?                         Economists say one big problem with the nation's weak economic recovery is that too many employers have the luxury of choosing the person who's already making widgets—and that's leaving those who are already out of work behind.                         "If you're not working—and you're not improving your credentials—it's harder to find a job. That's just simply reality," said Joel Naroff, chief economist with Naroff Economic Advisors.

How the GOP lost Middle America - Pat Buchanan explains impact of Republican Party 'selling its soul to the multinationals' - World Net Daily Commentary - January 31, 2014 - Out of the Republican retreat on Maryland’s Eastern shore comes word that the House leadership is raising the white flag of surrender on immigration.                    The GOP will agree to halt the deportation of 12 million illegal aliens and sign on to a blanket amnesty. It only asks that the 12 million not be put on a path to citizenship.                         Sorry, but losers do not dictate terms. Rich Trumka of the AFL-CIO says amnesty is no longer enough. Illegal aliens must be put on a path to citizenship and given green cards to work – and join unions.                   Rep. Paul Ryan and the Wall Street Journal are for throwing in the towel. Legalize them all and start them on the path to citizenship.                   A full and final capitulation. Let’s get it over with.                        To understand why and how the Republican Party lost Middle America, and faces demographic death, we need to go back to Bush I...


Wal-Mart: Food Stamp Cuts Hurt Our Profits - Wal-Mart’s CFO practically admits that the company largely benefits at the expense of taxpayers - Infowars.com - Kit Daniels - January 31, 2014 - Wal-Mart announced today that cuts in a federal food stamp program as well as record cold temperatures hurt its fourth quarter profits.                  After previously reporting “relatively flat” sales for the quarter, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. now says that sales for its namesake store and its Sam’s Club locations would be “slightly negative” for the November-January quarter, according to Agence France-Presse.                        Wal-Mart’s Chief Financial Officer, Charles Holley, blamed the revised forecast on deeper-than-expected cuts to the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the extreme cold weather occurring in the past month.                      On Nov. 1, the federal government cut $5 billion from the SNAP program due to a planned stimulus withdrawal, which resulted in an average loss of $36 a month for each of the almost 50 million Americans on the program, including many of Wal-Mart’s own employees.                      Taxpayers are subsidizing Wal-Mart through an endless cycle of purchases made through welfare benefits and public assistance given to supplement its workers’ low wages.                         A study released last year found that nearly $1 million in public assistance a year went to 300 employees at just one Wal-Mart Supercenter in Wisconsin.                         Employees at another Wal-Mart in Ohio were asked this past Thanksgiving to donate food items for their co-workers in need so they could also enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.                   “This is a perfect example that shows how the quality of the jobs in this country has gone down the toilet,” Michael Snyder wrote on the subject.


James Turk: We’re Living Within A Money Bubble of Epic Proportion - Investment Watch - Chris Martenson - January 26th, 2014 - James Turk believes the time we live in now will be studied by future historians for generations to come. Just as we today marvel at the collective madness that resulted in the South Sea and Dutch tulip manias, our age will be known as the era when society lost sight of what money really is.                      And as result, the wrong kinds of wealth — today, that’s mostly financial assets — are valued and pursued. And just like those bubbles from centuries ago, when the current asset boom goes bust, the value of paper wealth will vaporize.                 In contrast, those holding tangible productive assets or real money will fare much better on a relative basis.                     James and co-author John Rubino (of DollarCollapse.com) have recently published a new book covering the details of this prediction called The Money Bubble: What To Do Before It Pops. Within it, they delve into the reasons for why the world is destined for what Ludwig von Mises termed a “crack up boom”:

Agenda about the City Council meeting of February 4, 2014

This Agenda is about the Hickory City Council meeting that took place on the date listed above. 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. You can also look in the upper right hand corner of the front page of the Hickory Hound and (will soon) find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.

Here is a summary of the agenda of the 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

City Council Agenda - February 4, 2014

Invocation by Rev. Mark Andrews, Pastor, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Consent Agenda:
A. Special Event/Activities Application for Downtown Hickory Shuck & Peel Party, Connie Kincaid, Executive Director of Hickory Downtown Development Association, Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Union Square.

B. Special Event/Activities Application for Hickory Hops, Connie Kincaid, Executive Director of Hickory Downtown Development Association, Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Government Avenue SW and Second Street SW, (Event Time 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

C. Special Event/Activities Application for Downtown Hickory Art Crawls 2014, Connie Kincaid, Executive Director of Hickory Downtown Development Association, Thursday, May 15, 2014; Thursday, September 18, 2014; and Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Union Square, 3rd Street NW, 2nd Street NW, 1st Avenue NW, 1st Avenue SW, Government Avenue SW, and 2nd Street SW.

D. Transfer of Cemetery Deed from James A. Owenby, Single to David Dauler, Single, in Oakwood Cemetery.

E. Acceptance of Offer to Purchase and Contract for Property Located at 1747 Whitewater Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. - Staff requests consideration of the Offer to Purchase and Contract for property located at 1747 Whitewater Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. The property was originally purchased by the City because it was on the route of the proposed Southern Cross-Town Thoroughfare. The route for the future thoroughfare has since been amended, and the property is no longer needed. Albert Mark Schudde is interested in purchasing this lot because it is adjacent to his home. He is offering $16,500 for this lot. Staff recommends that City Council accept the Offer to Purchase and Contract and authorize staff to advertise for upset bids. Once the property is advertised other parties will have ten days to submit upset bids.

F. Acceptance of Offers to Purchase and Contracts for Properties Located at 1840 and 1845 Waterbury Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. - Staff requests consideration of the Offers to Purchase and Contracts for properties located at 1840 and 1845 Waterbury Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. The properties were originally purchased by the City because they were on the route of the proposed Southern Cross-Town Thoroughfare. The route for the future thoroughfare has since been amended, and the properties are no longer needed. Ioan Aron and wife, Carmen Aron are interested in purchasing these lots in order to construct singe family dwellings. They are offering $15,000 per lot. Staff recommends that City Council accept the Offers to Purchase and Contracts and authorize staff to advertise for upset bids. Once the property is advertised other parties will have ten days to submit upset bids.

G. Approval to Apply for a Historic Preservation Fund Pass-Through Grant to Update the City’s Survey of Historic Properties. - As a Certified Local Government, the City of Hickory and nonprofits within the city are eligible to apply for grants from the State of North Carolina to undertake a variety of different projects to advance historic preservation in communities throughout the state. The Historic Preservation Commission is interested in applying for a grant to update its survey of historic properties within the community. This survey was last updated in 1999, and that update was focused on only a few neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity of the downtown area. The proposed survey would update all of the existing survey records and also study properties throughout the city as budget constraints will allow. This will most certainly include the city’s industrial and commercial properties along with post-war subdivisions throughout the community. The estimated project cost for the grant is currently $20,000. The grant will pay 60 percent of the project costs or $12,000. The required city match will be $8,000. If the grant is approved, the project will take place in the fall of 2014. The Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend moving forward with the grant application at their January 14, 2014 meeting.

H. Approval to Modify the Historic Preservation Commission Work Plan to Include Plaque Program and Identification Signage for Historic Districts. - The Historic Preservation Commission requests amending the Historic Preservation Commission’s Work Plan in order to fund identification signage for Historic Districts and properties along with the creation of a plaque program for owners of historic properties. I. Acceptance of an Offer to Purchase and Contract for Properties Located at 11 3rd Street SE, 17 3rd Street SE, 21 3rd Street SE, and 27 3rd Street SE, the City owns 10.7143% Interest in the Lots. (Exhibit VIII.I.) Staff requests consideration of the Offer to Purchase and Contract for properties located at 11 3rd Street SE, 17 3rd Street SE, 21 3rd Street SE, and 27 3rd Street SE. The Patrick Beaver Memorial Library was one of eight beneficiaries of the will of George L. Lylerly, Jr. In July 2009, the trustee presented the beneficiaries with the option to accept an $8,000 offer to purchase the property or the option to approve the distribution of the property. Council rejected the offer to purchase and approved the distribution of the property from the trust at the July 21, 2009 Council meeting. The City of Hickory was conveyed a 10.7143% interest in the lots. In January 2013, staff received an offer to purchase the property for $44,386 from Prism Commercial Real Estate on behalf of the buyer, Tony Jarrett. All eight owners of the property must consent to the offer to purchase.

J. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 14.
1. To budget a $300 Grant from the North Carolina Department of Administration, Division of Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office, in the Youth Council budget. The Hickory Youth Council will use funds to purchase jump ropes, water bottles and string bags for a free sports camp for youth aged 7-13 to encourage staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
2. To budget $8,534 of General Fund Contingency in the North Carolina League of Municipalities Conference expenditure line item. Area local governments, Hickory Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and the League of Municipalities contributions helped fund expenses associated with hosting the North Carolina League of Municipalities Conference. There is $8,534 of remaining expenditures not covered by the contributions, therefore a budget amendment is necessary to pay for those costs.

New Business - Public Hearings
1. Resolution and Order for Petition of Moretz Mills, LLC to Close a Portion of E Avenue SE. - On December 6, 2013, Patrick, Harper & Dixon, Attorneys at Law, presented a petition on behalf of Moretz Mills LLC, one of the property owners of property abutting a portion of E Avenue SE, requested the City to abandon a portion of this right-of-way.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (a) Request to Amend the Parking Ordinance for the Farmer’s Market to Include Last Year’s Ordinance #13-06, with a Time Change and Day. - Change the Farmer’s Market No Parking hours from the current ordinance language which calls for Wednesdays from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM and Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. to the new hours for 2014 which includes Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 6:20 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from April 16, 2014 through November 29, 2014 (excluding Saturday, October 11, 2014 which is Oktoberfest weekend) for the spaces south of Union Square on the north side of the parking lot road connecting the east and west parking lots as well as along the west parking lot to include the first three (3) angled parking spaces. Also, change the parking ordinance from the previous year from Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., May 6, 2013 through October 7, 2013 to now include the new Thursday market evening covered by no parking hours of Thursdays 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from June 5, 2014 through August 28, 2014 in the west parking lot specifically to include the first three (3) angled parking spaces only. Previously, all of the west lot spaces were included for the Monday
market.

2013 Market Hours 2014 Market Hours Dates
Monday 4-7pm Thursday 5-8pm June 5 through August 28, 2014
Wednesday 10am-3pm Wed 10am-3pm April 16 through November 29, 2014
Saturday 8am-1pm Sat 8am-1pm April 16 through November 29, 2014

1. (b) Special Event/Activities Application for Downtown Hickory Farmers’ Market,Sarah T. Wood, Market Manager, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, April 16, 2014 through November 1, 2014, and a Holiday Market, November 22, and November 29, 2014, on Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Union Square. (These times reflect set-up and clean-up.)


2. (a) Approval of an Agreement for Professional Services with HDR Engineering, Inc. of the Carolinas in the amount of $288,000. - Staff requests approval of this agreement for Engineering Services with HDR Engineering, Inc. of the Carolinas to perform professional engineering services related to design on sanitary sewer infrastructure to serve the Murray Basin service area, which is located between Springs Road, Section House Road and Highland Avenue, in the amount of $288,000. Funds are budgeted in FY 2013/2014 fiscal year capital budget.

2. (b) Capital Project Ordinance Number 2. - To budget a $288,000 transfer from the Water and Sewer Capital – Sewer Lines account to the Murray Basin Capital Project. This transfer is necessary to pay for Engineering Services related to design on sanitary sewer infrastructure to serve the Murray Basin Service Area. This project is budgeted in the FY13-14 capital budget.