The Hounds June Rant - What will it take to wake people up?

Yesterday, I listened to the Monthly Monday Morning Meeting with the Mayor on WHKY's First Talk show as I have done monthly for years. Honestly, I appreciate Hal Row's show and although I haven't been listening live as much over the past few months, because of my job and insomnia, I keep up with the show and the direction that Hal wants to take the show.

I'm not really into critiquing Hal, but I have some thoughts about what I heard on Monday morning and since I do have this forum, I am going to espouse them and I will attempt to do so in a tasteful manner. I would like to preface what I say here by stating that Mayor Wright is entitled to his opinion and even if I don't agree with a few of the things that he stated yesterday, I do appreciate it when he steps forward in a responsible manner and willfully lets us know what he is thinking.

The first issue that the Mayor talked about was his attendance and duties involving Memorial day. I think he was spot on in his statements that more people should attend these services. The public definitely should show reverance to the troops. They do not ask to be put into the situations they are placed in. They are doing their job and fulfilling their duty.

But then, in my opinion, Mayor Wright got off track. He stated that this was the best time to be alive on this earth, because of the strength of the United States of America. He stated that we should be proud of that strength. We should be building on that strength. He stated that this world probably needs a benevolent, powerful leader and he doesn't know who else is going to step up and be benevolent. He stated that our soldiers make the rest of the world know that we are the ones that have to be accounted to.

As I stated, I do believe that we should stand 100% behind our troops, but is our government doing that? I believed in the so called War on Terror, when I thought it was going to be fought to be won. In my opinion, the intentions were never meant to make this nation and our forces occupiers or to enforce our ideals on anyone else. We cannot afford to have a mindset such as that. We have been in these battles for nearly a decade with no end in sight and somewhere along the way we have moved towards governance through the ideals of an Empire instead of as a Republic.

What do I mean by this? George Washington, in his farewell address to the American people urged the nation to avoid attachments and entanglements in foreign affairs. Have we followed this advice? No, We have for years used covert and overt operations to try to manipulate and control other governments for the benefit of a few multinational corporate oligarchs.

This has nothing to do with the troops. This involves politicians who have usurped the authority granted to the government by the constitution. These politicians have been all to willing to be bought off by the corporatists who are really in control of this nation.

If you think that I am being unpatriotic by making these assertions, then maybe you should go back and listen to what President Dwight Eisenhower said in his farewell address in 1961, when addressing The Military Industrial Complex.

Too many people just fall in line with the mainstream media's coverage of these wars. Everyone has fallen into a context of thought that these wars are like sporting events -- Good Guys versus Bad Guys. The questions must be asked about purpose and intent and whether those original purposes and intentions are being fulfilled.

These wars are a culmination of historical events that have developed since the beginning of man's existence on this planet. Is it unreasonable to look at the reasoning behind these wars. Is it wrong to project the future? Is it wrong to demand accountability from our government pertaining to the direction and goals set forth involving these military issues?

I don't think it is good that we try to become benevolent dictators of world policies. We can never permanently enforce these actions. No empire has ever been able to enforce the type of control necessary to maintain the empire. You can't do it militarily, you can't do it motivationally, you can't do it mentally, and you can't do it monetarily. So, what is the endgame? Have we bitten off more than we can chew?

These are clearly not the best times in the history of mankind. The 1990s were the zenith of the United States, but what we have seen is that the Wizards behind the curtain were manipulating perception by cooking the government and corporate books, selling the public on the idea that overconsumption was good, and instituting policies that allowed people to overexpand their credit through cheap money (low interest rates).

The fat created from the bubble economy of the late 1990s' dot.com bubble allowed the people of this country to live in denial for a decade about the true health of this nation's finances. The average person in this country is still unaware of what is going on and has chosen to remain fat, dumb, and happy. They still think that this is a normal business cycle recession and everything is going to come back. Really, has the average person ever been aware? These people are acting as a burdensome anchor that is preventing us from moving towards recovery.

U.S debt to rise to $19.6 trillion by 2015 - Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Kenneth Barry - Tue Jun 8, 2010 6:19pm EDT WASHINGTON June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015, according to a Treasury Department report to Congress.

At the end of Hal's radio show, he talked about how it was good to discuss some of the positive things going on in our community. I will talk about some of the other issues that were discussed on this radio show over the next couple days, but I'll be honest, I didn't hear anything positive mentioned during that show. Maybe it was because the Mayor makes Hal feel warm and fuzzy, but there wasn't any good news on the City's Budget of Austerity, which was the other main point of topic.

I think we have got to get real. The economy is not turning around. What are you pointing to, if you are going to state that?

The worst problem we have in this community is that the people in this community don't care about the world that surrounds them and the actions of our local leaders show that they don't want these people to wake up and they don't want to take any steps that would make the local government more accessible to the people. They want to horde and control the decision making process and I don't think they have any contextual understanding of the world outside of their small group, and what they slurp up on the Boob Tube and a few mainstream periodicals.

I want you to look below at the map of the last 500 people that have looked at this blog. There are as many people looking at it who reside outside the vicinity of this region as those who live here. I think that speaks volumes about what this community is facing and its biggest liability.

I have people that talk to me all of the time about the issues that this community faces, but they don't want to get involved. I have been informed of what I consider unethical conduct taking place, but no one wants to step forward to ask pertinent questions and demand accountable answers. There are a handful of us that care and ask questions, but we are ignored, because the majority of the public and the local press don't care about openness and accountability. The public and the local press go along to get along.

I'm not here to talk about American Idol or Dancing with the Stars or Sports. I am here to talk about the reality of issues that have a true bearing on your life. And I hear the following statements alot from people. "That doesn't affect me." "I can't do anything about that." "That's the way its always been"... And the frog continues to boil.

People talk about how they want someone to step up and do the right thing and look out for the people's interest and not the power's interest; but we step forward and get abandoned by the sloths who in the end support the status quo of continually reduced expectations.

People keep thinking that we've hit rock bottom and this is as bad as it gets. They don't think that things can go down from here. They think it is impossible that this country could become a full blown Totalitarian Government or that we could be militarily invaded and we could be occupied by foreign nationals. We could become a Third World Country like these countries you see on the television. What we have learned from the history of the world is that none of this is impossible.

How long has this thinking that we have hit rock bottom been going on? It seems, as long as the check is coming in the mail, then the people don't care that the governments surrounding them are getting in a continually worse financial bind. Will it take the end of these social welfare programs for people? And will it be too late then? What will it take to wake people up?

Houndvision: Building a Raised Bed Garden - Ready to plant today

Would you like to start a garden today? Do you hate the thoughts of pulling weeds or spending hours building a garden only to lose it to those pesky weeds or crab grass?

This is the way to get a quick start in gardening when you are having trouble getting the soil to cooperate, because there may be a weed issue or the soil isn't properly amended. You can do this in just a few hours. The bed that I build in this video is 18 feet long by 1.5 feet in width and 8 inches deep at the center of each bag -- as is its twin bed along the fence. You could build a 9'x3' with the same depth or a 4'x6' and make it a couple of inches deeper.

The beds built here are 27 square feet in total area utilizing 11 bags of top soil(98 cents per bag on sale), 1/4 bags of 50lb sterilized play sand ($2.50 per bag on sale), and 1/10 of a bag of peat moss ($8.98 for 3 cubic feet). Extrapolating those numbers out, this project cost less than $14, when you include tax. Even without the added savings of the sales, you will add less than $5 to the total cost of this project.

I will probably stretch this to two feet when I enclose it this Fall. And my goal is to add a removable cold frame top to grow lettuces and other cold season plants and vegetables.

My backdoor garden area has had issues with crabgrass. I wanted to plant herbs there and begin the process of getting the weeds under control in that area. I got this idea of how to make this quick raised bed garden at the Mother Earth News website:

Mother Earth News: How to Make Instant No-dig Garden Beds



Many of the plants that you see in this video were plants that were started in February and March and transplanted the first week of April. I also have utilized 100% of the water resources collected in the Water Container system that I developed in April.

I hope these ideas might help open your mind to the possibilities of self sustainability and the many ways that you can save and conserve your resources, while leading a healthier lifestyle and reducing your dependence on the grid.

Houndvision: Garden Watering System
My Scientific Garden 2010

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 1, 2010

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 the bottom right of this page under main information links is a Hickory's Local Government link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the bottom of the page you will see the future dates for meetings scheduled for this year.

At the top of the page, if you click on the “Documents” link, 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 6/1/2010 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below

Invocation by Rev. Susan Smith of Exodus Ministries

Consent Agenda:

A. Resolution – Cancellation of July 6, 2010 City Council Meeting – Because of July 4th holiday

B. Approval to Declare Seven Automated External Defibrillator Units as Surplus - The Hickory Fire Department requests approval to declare these Units as surplus to be utilized by other public safety agencies. The units were purchased in September 2000 and April 2001 for the use on adult-aged cardiac patients only. New protocols have been established for North Carolina to upgrade equipment to adult and pediatric aged cardiac patients. Pursuant to General Statute 160A-274 City Council may surplus items for use by other governmental agencies. The St. Stephens Fire Department by letter of May 26, 2010 has requested one of these units.

C. Write-Offs for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 in the Amount of $164,346.90 - In accordance with the NC General Statutes and the City of Hickory’s financial policies, a list of accounts to be written off follows and is submitted for Council approval in conjunction with the annual audit for FY 2009-10 as required by law. Fiscal Year 2010 write-offs total $164,346.90; whereas, FY 2008-09 write-offs totaled $247,850.19. The majority of these accounts have been submitted to the North Carolina Debt Setoff Program, which means we are continuing to pursue collection. Collections from the NC Debt Setoff Program for Calendar Year 2010 have exceeded $28,000 so far.

D. Proclamation Declaring May 18, 2010 as Fiserv, Inc. Day in the City of Hickory

E. Approval for Financial Assistance to Group Workcamps Foundation (GWF) in the Amount of $9,000 -

The Foundation is a non-profit, interdenominational Christian volunteer home repair organization headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, which is a similar organization to Habitat for Humanity. It differs in that they repair homes instead of building them. Catawba County and the Hickory area have been chosen by the Foundation for home repairs that consist of construction of handicap ramps, porches, painting, sheetrock repair, weatherization, and other general repairs. Eighteen homes have been identified in Hickory with additional projects in the process of acceptance. GWF has requested $9,000 in support from the City of Hickory, which can be provided through the Rental Rehabilitation Program income. GWF will be reimbursed for materials following inspection of the completed work.

F. Request From the Hickory Museum of Art, Through Healing Eyes, Hospice of Catawba Valley and Women’s Resource Center for Use of Union Square for Movie Night in the Courtyard Event on June 3, June 10, June 17 and June 24, 2010 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

G. Transfer of Cemetery Lots in Oakwood Cemetery From Stephen W. Brown, Eric Avant Brown and James A. Owenby Personal Representatives of the Estate of John W. Brown to James A. Owenby

Budget Ordinance
1. To budget $650 of International Council donations in the International Council expenditure line item to be used for the International Springfest event expenses.

2. To budget $150 of revenue from Catawba County in the Water and Sewer Pipes, Hydrants and Meters line item. Catawba County received a grant for a Water Infrastructure Hook-up Program that WPCOG is administering. Therefore, Catawba County is paying Hickory for the water (and/or sewer) taps as well as
the radio read water meters that are required for some of the locations that are hooking up to the system.

Capital Project Ordinance Amendment
1. To budget a total of $23,784,853 ($6,284,853 transfer from the Northeast Wastewater Treatment Plant Capital Reserve and $17,500,000 of State Revolving Funds) in the Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade Project. This amount includes construction costs, construction oversight costs, a
5% contingency and closing costs related to the SRF loan.

2. To decrease the Amity Lane Project Design and Miscellaneous operational line items by $9,711 and increase the Interest Earned by $226. This amendment is necessary to close the completed Amity Lane Capital Project and to transfer the $9,937 of remaining funds back to the original funding source.

Grant Project Ordinance Amendment

1. To accept a $3,690 transfer from the General Fund and budget in the Police Firing Range Upgrade Project-Justice Assistance Grant (J.A.G.) Fund. $3,690 represents Police Federal Reimbursement balances from previous years that have been rolled into Fund Balance at year end, therefore an appropriation is necessary.

New Business - Public Hearings:

1. Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget Ordinance - Pursuant to NC General Statutes §159-12(b), a public hearing shall be held before adopting the budget ordinance. This public hearing was advertised in a

newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area on May 21, 2010. Copies of the budget ordinance were filed for public inspection in the Office of the City Clerk, Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and Ridgeview Library. The recommended budget is also posted on the City’s web page, www.hickorygov.com. Pursuant to NC General Statutes §159-13(a), the City Council is required to adopt a balanced budget before July 1, making the appropriations and levying taxes for the budget year. Manager Berry went over the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget is projected to be $85,215,943 which is .47% more than this years budget of $84,820,849. While the General Fund fell by 3.72%, the overall impact on the operating budget is a 1.59% decrease. He stated that the City of Hickory's financial policies have been held up as models by the institute of government for years, because of prudent budget policies.

Manager Berry made the statement that the City is in a strong financial position and referenced the undesignated balance fund, which has a surplus of $10,087,675. This fund began with a $11,900,000 at the beginning of the year. The City designated funds for projects, such as the Clement Boulevard project, which along with other expenditures led to a budget shortfall of $1.5 million, which is being made up for by other budgetary reductions. In the proposed budget, the City has designated $762,325 of the fund balance towards the upcoming years expenditures. Manager Berry states that this is not out of line. There is still $1 million set aside in fuel reserve and a parking fund reserve of $1.6 million.

Manager Berry went over some of the various expenditures that the appropriated fund balance will be used for. icluding a one time balloon payment, "Project No Vacancy," The Ensure "Greater Hickory Classic" at Rock Barn, the Convention and visitors Bureau, and the Hickory Downtown Development Association. He stated that the biggest concern is what the State of North Carolina might do about revenues that are owed to the city. He added comments about possible the Google initiative and the Wayfinding project, as outstanding projects where the fund balance might be used in the upcoming year.

As far as revenues, he stated that he is recommending that the tax rate stay the same for the upcoming year (50-cents per $100 value). There was no growth and no reduction in property tax revenue in the previous year. There is a $2 million gap that they knew that they would be facing. On the revenue side, they went to the solid waste fee and the water/sewer fee. He stated that as a major water supplier for the region, these water fee increases will also be raised to users in other areas served by Hickory. These water rates are still below average, as is the sewer rate.

On the expenditure side there are some unavoidable costs. employee health insurance has increaded by 3% and the North Carolina Retirement System is requiring the city to increase its contribution by 1.2%. There is still a half a million dollars supporting workers with a benefit package. Manager Berry is recommending the elimination of the longevity benefit for anyone hired after July 1. There is a hiring freeze that has been in place for over a year. If a department has to hire someone they have to go directly to the city manager for the request.

The City Manager addressed the issue of the pools involving his recommendation that the city pools be closed. He stated that these pools are antiquated. Federal law requires new vents to be placed on the areas where the water is circulated. In investigating this issue they found out that the pools were not circulating water sufficiently and it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to completely replace. The Parks and Recreation Commission is reccommending the pools be closed and is exploring what types of water based recreation should be offered. The mayor interjected by making a statement question about the pools being greatly underutilized. The city manager stated that they were. He also pointed out about the libraries having there hours cut.

The city manager stated that he is proud of is that there is a tendency with local governments that when you have a budget crisis that you postpone your capital replacement. They did not want to do that. They wanted to make cuts in operating costs that recurr year after year. The city's policy has been to set two-cents aside for capital replacement. So they don't have to borrow to replace the rolling stock. They can pay for it with cash.

The great unknown is what the State is going to do with their budget. They are guardedly optimistic. The Governor's budget hasn't taken any revenue from us and the house budget writers haven't tapped any of our funds. The City Manager mentioned and gave commendations to Warren wood and Karen Hurley along with all of the department heads. He stated that he shared with the co-workers that you learn alot about your organization when it is under duress. He is proud of the department heads and their staff in helping put together this budget.

The Mayor interjected that Manager Berry mentioned policies, but we all know that it isn't about policies. It is about execution. Isn't it great that we aren't facing some of the problems other municipalities are having. He stated that we have a staff that wants to work to make things go the way they should go. And we have taxpayers that pay their taxes and these people aren't complaining. Alder Patton asked about airport Tower funding, City Manager stated that it isn't being taken away, the FAA money will be there.

The Mayor stated that for $6 per day we get all of the services we have available. He also stated that it hasn't been long since we had the second highest property tax burden in the State of North Carolina. We are now 10th or 11th. He said that he surely hoped that pay raises won't be frozen for another year next year. The City Manager and Council's raises are directly equal to the avarage raise of all employees - therefore they will not be getting a raise. Fees will increase, but this is paid for by users. The users have some control over the services they use. He mentioned the SALT Block appropriation, which he stated benefits everyone in the city. He also mentioned the golf tournament, which is predicated on the Classic becoming a very different activity. It will involve alot more community involvement. Charities will be allowed to keep all of the proceeds from the tickets they sell.  He thinks this will make the classic truly a grass roots community thing. The committment is not contractual and it sil depend on what they do and what other municipalities and counties do. Just because something is in the budget doesn't mean you've got to spend it.

Alder Fox asked what other municipalities are participating? Mayor Wright stated that he understands that it is all of the ones that have in the past and they are being asked to step up there contributions. The tournament was bleeding losses and it would not have been feasable, if not for Ensure stepping forward to sponsor the tournament. 

Alder Fox stated that she hates to see the hours cut back at the library. She doesn't think this is the time to cut back on the hours of the library and other recreational services. She understands the pools. She commended the fine staffs at the library an in recreational services. The Council unanimously approved the budget.

The Hound thinks that city officials and staff deserve due credit for putting together a solid budget under such negative economic circumstances. Everyone has issues that they would like to see addressed or areas that they don't want to see cut. This budget is dictated upon keeping your head above water. It has been achieved without increasing a burden upon citizens whose responsibilty it is incumbent upon city officials to protect the interests of. I think that under Mr. Wood and Ms. Hurley's direction they should be commended for causing the least pain possible and being fair in the process.

Looking down the road things, in my opinion, things are going to get worse. Tough choices are going to have to be made and cuts are going to have to be made to the bone in the upcoming years. Not raising the tax rate directly correlates to Property Appraisal assessments. Right now people are having their properties assessed far above what they could ever sell them for. If these properties are fairly assessed in the future, then surely the rate will have to go up. Of course it will be done under the guise that it is revenue neutral. What will be do about abandoned properties, should we not be able to turn the economic circumstances around and people have to leave Hickory to find work elsewhere?

Also. I think we deserve to see the specifics about the pools, because I really feel that these numbers don't really add up and I can't just take the explanations for granted. The bottom line is that they don't want to operate the pools and they should just get down to the brass tax.  Is the city willing to sell those properties? Would the city consider contracting out those facilities? Will the city abandon the areas of town where those facilities reside in order to build a splash park on the "RIGHT" side of town? Everyone knows that this issue is not going to go away.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road (part 2) - How it relates to today

If you have not read Follow the Yellow Brick Road - The Wizard of Oz and 1890's Monetary Policy, I would suggest you do so, so that you will fully understand the context of the article below. I want to sincerely thank you for reading The Hickory Hound.

This allegorical relationship between the movie "The Wizard of Oz" and our country's economics and culture is something that I have heard before, but never really delved into to the point of being able to fully grasp the conceptual relationship. After reading much of the information, reading the book in the past, and remembering the movie, I believe I truly understand what Baum was getting at. He is telling you that family and relationships are more important than money.

The World is more complex than it was 110 years ago, but people are still the same. Read the characterizations of the main players in the story. Dorothy still defines that innocent young wide eyed person that doesn't understand the cruelty and crassness of the environment surrounding her. Toto represents the people who are good, but many times find trouble by sticking their nose in other people's business, even though many times they do good by exposing the man behind the curtain. Read about the Tin Man and see if it doesn't remind you of the people who are lost because of deindustrialization. Look at the Scarecrow, who now equates to the small businessman being squeezed by a financial structure and taxation system instituted by the government, through funding and support of moral hazards associated with the bad behavior of corporations deemed "Too Big to Fail" and a sense of entitlement and least common denominator expectations associated with a burgeoning underclass created by the imploding structure of the macro-economy.

The Lion represents the modern day leaders of the cultural and political world who complain, but are unwilling to take any real, aggressive action that might put their reputation at risk. The witches are the people in politics and economics at the top of the food chain, who are willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to support their personal interests and goals.

The Presidents still represent witches who are persuaded and controlled by the Wizards who personify the money interests of Wall Street, whether that be the revolving door that Goldman Sachs utilizes to control the regulation of the bureaucracy through conflicts of interest or the insider trading that JP Morgan-Chase utilizes in association with Goldman Sachs in rigging the markets through insider trading sanctioned by The President's Working Group on Financial Markets (the Plunge Protection Team).

Look at what happened two years ago when the banks began imploding, because of the moral hazard associated with their bad lending habits and the derivative investments associated with those loans. Many of the supposed leaders of our country, including President Bush, blindly came to their defense and agreed in conjunction with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury to take the money supply to astronomical levels under the guise that they were helping the American people. The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money was supposed to help individual homeowners who had become underwater on their mortgages and help shore up a Housing system that was imploding due to the Economic bubble associated with the cheap money policies facilitated by the Federal Reserve. Two days after the bill was passed Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson redirected the scheme to give billions of dollars directly to the "Too Big to Fail" Banks.

We look at the campaign of 2008 and how Barack Obama and John McCain essentially ran in the same direction with Progressive platforms. Both of the men supported the TARP and other Banking bailout policies. Obama won because he sold the Average "Dorothy" type Citizens on an idea that he was the candidate who represented Change. In his term to date, he has not represented change. He is carrying out a furtherance of the policies of the George W. Bush administration. He has thrown his lot directly behind the Fat Cats on Wall Street at the expense of the Small Businessman (Scarecrow) and the Average Laborer (Tin Man).

The reason why the Tea Party began forming is because of the disillusionment of an American public that feels that the Legitimate American System has been stolen from us. Think back to August 2009 and those Town hall meetings that took place. Those Town Halls were not organized to function the way that they did. "Toto" showed up to expose the men behind the curtain. People were angry that their health care preferences weren't being represented. It is agreed that something needs to be done, but what has been done does not implement a system of healthcare liberation and choices, instead it institutes a system of top-down bureaucratic control.

I believe that many of the Dorothys are going to be awakened by what the Totos have led them into. People buy into the notion of Conservative-Liberal, Democrat-Republican, Left-Right... These paradigms are meant to divide and conquer. Look at what the parties have done. Do their actions match their rhetoric? Just like in 1890, when both the Democrat and succeeding Republican Presidents made sure to enforce a strict monetary policy tied to Gold, today we have seen a Republican President and his Democrat successor both support a monetary policy based upon Fiat currency, expansion of Federal Reserve Powers, protecting a world banking cartel, Laissez-Faire world trade policies, and I can go on and on with the similarities.

What the story of The Wizard of Oz teaches us is that "There's no place like home." Home is where we find comfort through family and the people that we love. That cannot be derived through the unquenchable, covetous desires programmed upon us through the ideas of the modern materialistic, bastardized "American Dream."

Look at what has happened over the generations to the American Family. It used to be that the family could live comfortably off of one income, usually derived from the father, while the mother stayed home taking care of the household and raising the children. That was a real job, that should have truly been appreciated. Over time, the mother was economically forced to go to work to help support family income needed to pay for rising costs. The system endorsed this transformation in the family structure as Women's Liberation. Has it really liberated anyone?

As time has gone on in this new family structure paradigm, and with the conception and implementation of Social Welfare, we have seen the cohesion of the Institution of the American Family decimated. Under this new structure, it is much more easy for the husband and wife to lose their commonality and grow apart, because their career becomes their identity and more important than their family. Many times this leads to divorce.

Much of the economic devastation we have seen correlates with the coming into middle age of the initial Latchkey Kids and the products of the Age of Divorce. As the Latchkey pioneer generation comes to the age of taking leadership roles, most are lost and ill-prepared because they do not have a principled foundation to fall back on. They are not prepared for leadership, because they have basically had to mentally raise themselves in a chaotic trial and error experience caused by this transformation in Family Values. What has been instituted is a mentality of isolation, survival, and taking care of ones self.

There is no place like home and the security and love that comes with it. I believe that is what we are missing today. Money cannot fulfill that need and as a society we have to get back to Family and Togetherness being the norm and not the exception. Ones relationship with the government should not take precedent over ones relationship with their family. I really don't know if we are too far down this road to get back to the soundness built upon a solid foundation of principles, but in my heart of hearts I know that it is what is right.

I refuse to espouse the ideas of the typically trite politician, who drones on about their belief that America's best days lie ahead. We cannot take that for granted! What we have seen is part of the evolution of our country; but just like that unbridled teen who is out of control, we have to begin to find our way through the personal practice of the principles of honesty, integrity, honor, and loyalty; and we need to get back to being productive. What we have gone through is not a lost cause if we learn from the errors of our ways; but if we don't, then we could surely witness the demise of this great nation in our lifetime. And like Dorothy, the power to solve our problems is within our own hands and it has been the whole time.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road - The Wizard of Oz and 1890's Monetary Policy

There are many people who interpret L. Frank Baum's fairy tale "The Wizard of Oz" as a Political Allegory based upon the politics of the 1890s. The most popular of these interpretations comes from a high school history teacher in upstate New York named Henry Littlefield, he surmised that Mr. Baum was very active in politics and the book was published, in 1900 not more than four years after Democratic Presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan delivered his "Cross of gold" speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which supported the Democratic party's push to take the U.S. dollar off of the "gold standard" and place it on a "silver standard".

The United States had a bimetallic standard (Gold and Silver) until the Congress instituted the "Fourth Coinage Act of 1873." The Act embraced the gold standard and demonetized silver. Western mining interests and others who wanted silver in circulation years later labeled this measure the "Crime of '73". Gold became the only metallic standard in the United States, hence putting the United States 'de facto' onto the gold standard. The U.S. did not actually adopt the gold standard 'de jure' until the year 1900.

In the early half of the 20th century, Bryan's speech was considered to be one of the greatest political speeches in U.S. history. It was believed that inflation would result from from a change to the silver standard (because silver was a more abundant metal allowing more dollars to be printed) and thus make it easier for farmers and other debtors to pay off their debts by increasing their income. It would also reverse the deflation which the U.S. experienced from 1873-1896.

"Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

The Yellow Brick Road represents the "Gold Standard." As is the case today, the banking interests centered around New York City, who believed it was in the United States' best interest to remain on the Gold standard, and in the book (not the movie) Dorothy wears silver slippers and they represent the silver standard advocated by William Jennings Bryan.

Dorothy is a simple country girl who lives on an impoverished farm. She represents the American people and their values -- honest and kindhearted. It is also suggested that she may represent Mary Elizabeth Lease, known as the Kansas Tornado. Lease became involved in the Populist Party, drumming up support for their cause. She believed that big business had made the people of America into "wage slaves", declaring, "Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master." Although she is widely believed to have exhorted Kansas farmers to "raise less corn and more hell", she later said that the admonition had been invented by reporters. Lease decided to let the quote stand because she thought "it was a right good bit of advice."

The moral of the story, which is in the movie, the good witch tells Dorothy after the balloon leaves Oz, is that all along Dorothy had the power to go home, just as the solutions to America's problems lie in the ability of Americans to show faith in themselves and their abilities.

Toto, small and seemingly going unnoticed, reveals the Wizard for the fraud he is. He is thought to be another representation of average American people. Toto is probably a reference to the Prohibition Party, Toto being short for teetotaler. The Prohibition Party generally supported the free silver movement.

Uncle Henry: In the late 1800's, there was a famous farmer who was the editor of a leading farm magazine. His name was Henry Cantwell Wallace, and everyone called him Uncle Henry.

Cyclone: The tornado is thought to represent political upheaval, or the free silver movement. During the time period in which this story was written, farmers were suffering from federal deflation; they were receiving less money for their goods, and their debt was getting larger. They wanted the value of a dollar to have a fixed ratio of both silver and gold. Some politicians were behind this movement while others were not.

Munchkins: The munchkins were little people who represented the common folk. They were ordinary citizens of the United States. And in the same breath, the Lollipop Guild is said to represent child labor.

Silver Slippers: In the book, the slippers that appear on Dorothy's feet are silver, rather than ruby. Silver relates to the monetary political issues. Farmers wanted the value of a dollar to have a fixed ratio of both gold and silver.

The Wicked Witch of the East, President Grover Cleveland, represents Eastern Big Business interests. Cleveland led the fight for the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which had provided for the limited coinage of silver. Dorothy's house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East, leaving only the witch's silver shoes. The Depression of 1893 was believed to be caused by the tight money supply resulting from a lack of available gold supplies. This depression lingered through Cleveland's second term. As the 1896 election approached, eastern pro-gold-standard Democrats wished Cleveland to run for a third term, but he declined.

The Wicked Witch of the West represents William McKinley from Ohio (the west), who defeated Bryan to become President succeeding Cleveland. McKinley was against silver because he viewed it as a debased currency and overseas markets used gold, so he believed that it would harm foreign trade. The Gold Standard Act of the United States was passed in 1900 (ratified on March 14) and established gold as the only standard for redeeming paper money, stopping bimetallism (which had allowed silver in exchange for gold). It was signed by President William McKinley.

Good Witches of the North and South: The Good Witch of the North is thought to represent the workers of the north, whereas the Good Witch of the South is thought to represent the farmers of the south. This contrasts the wicked industrialists of the east and the railroad moguls of the west. The South was sympathetic to free-silver (the entire South voted for Bryan in 1896) so it's fitting that the south has a good witch.

The Scarecrow represents the plight of the American farmer at the turn of the 20th century. From 1879 to the end of the century a constant agitation for the expansion of the money stock (inflation) raged in the USA. Political parties were founded whose sole purpose was to make, by one means or another, the total money supply rise. Some favored the issue of paper money (Fiat currency)and some the return to the Bimetallic Standard. Farmers were the most cruelly struck of all by the deflation. In rural areas, wholesale prices of agricultural commodities fell at a rate of about 3% a year. This deflation meant that farmers who were deeply indebted saw the real value of their debts increase every year. Farmers were thus powerful backers of Bryan and the inflationist cause. While the Scarecrow complained that he didn't have a brain, he ended up being the most clever problem solver (resourceful) of the four travelers.

The Tin Man represents the plight of industrial labor, mechanized and dehumanized by a heartless industrial revolution. In the book we learn that he was once flesh and blood but was cursed. As he worked, his ax would take flight and cut off part of his body. A tinsmith would replace the missing part, and the Tin Woodman could work as well as before. Eventually there was nothing left but tin. For all his increased power to work, the Tin Woodman is unhappy for he had lost his heart. For Hugh Rockoff he represents the Populist and Marxist idea of the alienation of the industrial worker. He once was an independent artisan but is now just a cog in a giant machine. He joined the unemployed of the 1890’s, victim of the eastern goldbugs who didn’t want to increase the money supply by adding silver. He was rusted and immobile, which is a feeling that many factory workers had when businesses began shutting down because of a nation-wide depression. After losing their jobs, they felt helpless.

The Cowardly Lion - William Jennings Bryan. During the 1896 Presidential campaign that followed the Cross of Gold speech at the Democrat convention, his supporters accused him of backing off and he was looked at as too cowardly to lead the charge for a Silver Standard. He was seen as having a loud roar, but no bite, and no power. It is the cowardly blustering lion Bryan who is looking for the courage to defend the poor dumb farmer and mechanized tin man without a heart, but they all are led down the Yellow Brick Road to the land of Oz where the American dream is offered by false prophets that hide behind curtains with pretense of magic and sorcery and yet, in the end all roads lead to Kansas, where one can find happiness with the comfort of home and family.

Flying Monkeys: Flying monkeys were used in political cartoons to poke fun at politicians. While this may be the case, another speculation is that the flying monkeys represent Native Americans. When Dorothy and the gang meet up with the monkeys she is told, "Once we were a free people, living happily in the forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master...This was many ears ago before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land." This seems to relate well with Native Americans who were pushed off of their land by migrating eastern Americans.

Emerald City and Emerald Palace: The Emerald City represents Washington D.C. and the Emerald Palace represents the White House.

Wizard: The Wizard of Oz is thought to be Mark Hanna, McKinley's campaign manager, and the chairman of the Republican party. McKinley didn't campaign in the sense that we know it. He ran a "front-porch" campaign, where he stayed at his home in Canton, Ohio and received visitors and the press. The campaign was well-orchestrated by Chairman of the Republican party, Mark Hanna. Hanna arranged for the visitors and prepared their questions and McKinley's responses. Hanna was likened in the pages of the New York Journal to a puppet-master and ventriloquist who pulled McKinley's strings and made the dummy talk. He's the money bags. He's the guy with the money that's really manipulating the political system and keeping the country on the gold standard. In the original story, each of the characters, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man saw the Wizard differently. This shows a cynicism in politics for the way politicians change face for different people.

Satirical cartoon of Mark Hanna during 1896:

Proposed meanings

Oz: Gold is measured in ounces--oz for short--Oz.

The party follows the yellow brick road up to the Emerald City - They follow the gold standard up to Washington DC.

The Deadly Poppy Field, where the Cowardly Lion (Bryan) fell asleep and could not move forward, was the anti-imperialism that threatened to make Bryapoppyn forget the main issue of silver (note the Oriental connotation of poppies and opium). As noted before, the economy improved and silver ceased being the hot issue after the 1896 election. Populists were afraid that Bryan would abandon the silver issue and, in an effort to broaden his (and the party's) appeal, focus more on imperialism and the business trusts which dominated many industries. The Populists considered this an act of pure cowardice and wanted Bryan to fight for silver in 1900 as strongly as he had in 1896.

The enslavement of the yellow Winkies was "a not very well disguised reference to McKinley's decision to deny immediate independence to the Philippines" after the Spanish-American War.

In the Emerald Palace they enter 7 passages and climb 3 flights of stairs - In the White House they see 7 and 3 : 73. This represents the "Crime of '73." The Coinage act laid out above. It eliminated the coinage of silver and that proved to Populists the collusion between congress and bankers.

The Tin Woodsman is given "a new ax with a handle made of gold and a blade polished so that it glistens like burnished silver and a silver oilcan inlaid with gold and precious stones to oil himself " - The bimetallic standard will ensure the industrial worker that he won't be unemployed again

Really the portrait of the Great and Powerful OZ is not all that flattering - The Wizard is able to fool the people into thinking he is great and powerful, but is revealed to be an ordinary man. He solves the problems of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion by little more than psychology: bran (brain food) and pins for the brain (the pins being sharp wit); a fake heart for the Tin Man, and green liquid courage (Liquor) for the Lion. He can't really help Dorothy except by promising to take her with him in his hot air balloon. Apparently, Mark Hanna had transformed himself from a behind the scenes players into the sinister politician the populists hated. And the populists believed his transformation and promises were full of hot air.

Dorothy can go back to Kansas by "kicking the heels of her silver shoes together three times". - The power to solve her problems (by adding silver to the money stock) was there all the time.

When Dorothy returns to Kansas she finds that her silver shoes are missing: the silver issue was disappearing from the scene. In 1900, the US officially returned to the gold standard with the passing of The Gold Standard Act.

It is known that Baum voted Democrat and was sympathetic to the free-silver issue and had lived in South Dakota where he saw first hand the plight of the farmers.

Continue to:
Follow the Yellow Brick Road (part 2) - How it relates to today

References
The News Hour - Precious Metals
The Crime of 1873
The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a "Parable on Populism"
The University of New Orleans Project Oz
The Wizard of Oz as a Monetary Allegory - Hugh Rockoff

A Little Ambition + Home ownership = UrbanFarmOnline

Back in January, I received a gift certificate for Barnes and Noble and went there to see if there was anything that I wanted. Looking through the magazine section, I started looking at Gardening magazines, because I have been into Gardening, Sustainability, and enhancing the value of my property, since I moved into this house five years ago.

I ended up buying Urban Farm. This magazine is truly awesome and that issue delved in subjects like square-foot gardening, locally produced food, dealing with city ordinances, raising chickens in the city, and many other subjects. The magazine has been published quarterly since last Summer. The newest issue is out. I haven't purchased it yet, but I have already joined the Urban Farm Facebook page and I constantly check out what is going on with it and I have encouraged my friends to join..

Now Urban Farm has developed an Urban Farm Website that is very interesting. I really have to endorse what I have seen from the developers of this Urban Farm entity. You can register on the site and receive updates. They are having a grand opening contest that is offering a lot of prizes that will help you with your gardening and other hobby farming.

I truly believe that due to the economic times we are in that raising a garden and living a more sustainable lifestyle will become an essential part of successful personal finance. A few dollars and time can bring a value of hundreds of dollars. Instead of paying to go to a local gym, how about getting a workout with a shovel, a rake, and a tiller. Instead of paying to work out, you will be getting paid to work out.

Over the last few years, I have been able to Can and Freeze enough vegetables to get me through the winter, when it comes to cooked vegetables. I also have enjoyed the freshness of vegetables during the summer months. The best part is that the efforts are cumulative. As you turn the soil from year to year it becomes more fertile and easier to manage. Each year I have maintained the plots from the previous year and added new plots and projects to the current years activities.

I hope that you will check Urban Farming out. If it is something that you can't get into, I understand. But, I certainly hope that you will give this consideration, because in my opinion it is good for you and will be helpful to all of the people that touch your life. That is the reason why I am presenting this information to you.

"Melt Up" - A great documentary about today's economic reality

This documentary goes into the true realities that we face in our current economic environment. I truly recommend this documentary as a great source of information about the subjects of inflation, quantitative easing, the federal debt, the annual federal deficit, the foreign trade deficit, the exploding costs of entitlement programs, and the effects they will inevitably render on our standard of living.

The documentary also provides proposed solutions to deal with these issues.