This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the 3/5/2012 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:
Please remember that pressing Ctrl and + will magnify the text and page and pressing Ctrl and - will make the text and page smaller. This will help the readability for those with smaller screens and/or eye difficulties.
City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
All materials and maps for this meeting are provide at this link:
City Council Action Agenda - March 5, 2013
Invocation by Alderman Danny Seaver (:45)
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted” (2:30) - This was a presentation and recognition of art created by students of the Hickory Public School System.
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea - This young lady is a 7th grader and a Straight A student who won the school, public school system, and regional Spelling B's and she will participate in the National Spelling B in Washington D.C. She will be honored on May 26, 2013.
C. Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board - Kathy Ivey - (17:50)
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee - Mike Holland - (20:20)
3. Community Appearance Commission - Leroy Harris - ( 21:55)
4. Community Relations Council - David Walker and Ray Cerda- (25:00)
5. Hickory International Council - Hani Nassar - (32:35)
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission - Brian Frazier - (39:00)
7. Hickory Youth Council - Hayden Frye - (40:25)
8. Historic Preservation Commission - Zack Taylor - (43:25)
9. Parks and Recreation Commission - Tony Wood - (46:45)
10. Public Art Commission - David Zagaroli- (53:55)
11. Recycling Advisory Board - Norm Meres (Chuck Hanson substituted)- (58:50)
12. Business Development Committee - Alan Jackson - (1:05:50)
(1:14:45) - Mayor Pro-Tem Hank Guess made a motion to allow people to speak to an item on the agenda, which was seconded by Alderman Lail and then unanimously approved by the City Council.
Citizen James Franklin Davis asked to speak about an item not on the agenda and was granted the request. He spoke about issues in the Ridgeview community involving a Barbershop Owner and his patrons not being allowed to smoke on the sidewalk in front of the business and about a man who raises funds for his daughters medical expenses by selling food and being bothered by certain police officers who said that he was playing loud music. Mr. Davis says that there was no one around the location that would have complained.
Consent Agenda: (1:21:10)
A. Special Event/Activities Application for Drum Circles, Mandy Pitts, Communications Director/Brand Manager, on March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, 2013 from 3:15 pm until 6:30 pm in Downtown Hickory Under The Sails.
B. Approval of a Maintenance Agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. - The City and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) have had an agreement since 1994 for the City to perform maintenance on certain NCDOT streets. This allows the City to better manage the “Entrance Ways” into Hickory and provide a more timely response to requests and problems. The City of Hickory will receive up to $140,000 annually for approved work performed on NCDOT roadways. The City tracks the work performed and bills NCDOT quarterly for reimbursement.
C. Approval of a Resolution Accepting the Street Right-of-Way of 13th Avenue Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. - In 2007, as part of the development of commercial property located at the southwest corner of Interstate 40 and McDonald Parkway SE, two street segments were constructed on existing publicly owned right of way containing 2.88 acres, which are known as 13th Street Drive SE and 21st Street Lane SE. With the completion of the new streets, the City of Hickory is now responsible for maintenance of these public assets. The North Carolina General Statues, as well as the City’s Land Development Code, require that street rights-of-way be officially accepted for public use by resolution of the elected governing body.
D. Approval of Auditing Contract with Martin Starnes & Associates. - The City of Hickory has utilized the services of Martin Starnes & Associates for the past four years with excellent results. Martin Starnes & Associates offers a competitive rate for their services and is widely known for their professional staff and service throughout the local government community. City Council’s Audit Committee supports approval to accept a three year renewal via three annual contracts for auditing services with Martin Starnes & Associates in the amount of $43,000 for the audit and $7,000 for the preparation of the annual financial statements.
E. Approval of a Resolution Approving the City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
F. Approval of a Resolution Approving the Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan.- North Carolina General Statute requires all Public Water Systems to have a Local Water Supply Plan that is intended to give a report of the water system current demands and a project for future demands. In 2012, North Carolina General Statute 143-355 (I) was amended to require public water systems to develop Water Shortage Response Plan to respond to drought conditions and other water shortage emergencies. The City of Hickory owns and operates the Town of Catawba Public Water System, therefore, the City must approve the Water Shortage Response Plan for this public water system as well. The Town of Catawba Water Shortage Response Plan has been reviewed by NCDENR and has been found to be in compliance with NCGS 143-355 (I).
G. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 14. -
1. To budget a $15,300 reimbursement check from Catawba County in the Water and Sewer Division-Water Lines account. Catawba County is reimbursing Public Utilities for a waterline extension to serve a fire hydrant for the Propst Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department. This request was due to a catastrophic fire in the area that resulted in a total loss of one business. Extending the water line will enable the VFD to access a hydrant in the general area without having to close Hwy 10 and detour traffic. Catawba County Utilities and Engineering requested the City of Hickory Public Utilities Division design, permit and bid the project under the Waterline Extension Policy.
New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (1:21:40) Approval of a Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant for Property Located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE, in the Amount of $30,000. - Applicants Bruce H. McNeely and Melissa W. McNeely have applied for a Vacant Building Revitalization Grant in the amount of $30,000 to assist in the renovation of the former Simmons Hosiery Mill located at 391 10th Avenue Drive NE. The applicant plans to invest approximately $450,000 in real property improvements to renovate the facility for use as office and storage space.
|
| Join To Get Blog Update Notices |
| Visit the Hickory Hound Group |
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- March 10, 2013
Economics that Idiots even ought to understand...
Corporate Profits after taxes at all time high
Meanwhile, wages as a percentage of GDP at an all time low...
Civilian Employment to Population Ratio...
M1 Money Supply (leads to inflation - money chasing Goods)...
Household Debt
The Last Time The Dow Was Here... - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 5, 2013 -
The American Middle Class Under Stress - Sherle R. Schwenninger and Samuel Sherraden - New America Foundation - PDF
The Recession's Toll: How Middle Class Wealth Collapsed to a 40-Year Low - The Atlantic - Jordan Weissmann - December 4, 2012 - I'm about to share a statistic that you should remember every time you think about the Great Recession, and why the recovery has been so painstaking. It's going to illustrate precisely how devastating the downturn was for your typical American family and the size of the hole we've been trying to dig ourselves out of. Ready? Here goes: Between 2007 and 2010, the median net worth of U.S. households fell by 47 percent, reaching its lowest level in more than forty years, adjusted for inflation. In other words, middle class wealth virtually evaporated in this country. A good chunk of the population got sucked through a financial wormhole back to the sixties.
There were two big reasons why the middle class suffered disproportionately. First, the economic crisis was first and foremost a housing crisis, and homes are by far the biggest store of wealth for most middle-class Americans (who are shown in green below). In fact, even after the housing crash, home equity still made up 66.6 percent of middle class assets -- higher than in the late 1990s.
Because the wealthy were never as deeply in hock as the middle class, their finances didn't suffer as much when the economy soured....
The difference between this Media Source and the Kool-Aid Media
Corporate Profits after taxes at all time high
Meanwhile, wages as a percentage of GDP at an all time low...
Civilian Employment to Population Ratio...
M1 Money Supply (leads to inflation - money chasing Goods)...
Household Debt
The Last Time The Dow Was Here... - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 5, 2013 -
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: Then 14164.5; Now 14164.5
- Regular Gas Price: Then $2.75; Now $3.73
- GDP Growth: Then +2.5%; Now +1.6%
- Americans Unemployed (in Labor Force): Then 6.7 million; Now 13.2 million
- Americans On Food Stamps: Then 26.9 million; Now 47.69 million
- Size of Fed's Balance Sheet: Then $0.89 trillion; Now $3.01 trillion
- US Debt as a Percentage of GDP: Then ~38%; Now 74.2%
- US Deficit (LTM): Then $97 billion; Now $975.6 billion
- Total US Debt Oustanding: Then $9.008 trillion; Now $16.43 trillion
- US Household Debt: Then $13.5 trillion; Now 12.87 trillion
- Labor Force Particpation Rate: Then 65.8%; Now 63.6%
- Consumer Confidence: Then 99.5; Now 69.6
The American Middle Class Under Stress - Sherle R. Schwenninger and Samuel Sherraden - New America Foundation - PDF
The Recession's Toll: How Middle Class Wealth Collapsed to a 40-Year Low - The Atlantic - Jordan Weissmann - December 4, 2012 - I'm about to share a statistic that you should remember every time you think about the Great Recession, and why the recovery has been so painstaking. It's going to illustrate precisely how devastating the downturn was for your typical American family and the size of the hole we've been trying to dig ourselves out of. Ready? Here goes: Between 2007 and 2010, the median net worth of U.S. households fell by 47 percent, reaching its lowest level in more than forty years, adjusted for inflation. In other words, middle class wealth virtually evaporated in this country. A good chunk of the population got sucked through a financial wormhole back to the sixties.
There were two big reasons why the middle class suffered disproportionately. First, the economic crisis was first and foremost a housing crisis, and homes are by far the biggest store of wealth for most middle-class Americans (who are shown in green below). In fact, even after the housing crash, home equity still made up 66.6 percent of middle class assets -- higher than in the late 1990s.
Because the wealthy were never as deeply in hock as the middle class, their finances didn't suffer as much when the economy soured....
The difference between this Media Source and the Kool-Aid Media
Thursday, March 7, 2013
20130305 - Hickory City Council - Audio File
The following is the Hickory Hound audio of the Hickory City Council meeting of March 5, 2013. I will get the video version up as soon as possible, but I wanted to go ahead and get this up. I had hoped that the city's version would be out sooner.
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted”
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea
Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board Kathy Ivey
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Mike Holland
3. Community Appearance Commission Leroy Harris
4. Community Relations Council David Walker and Ray Cerda
5. Hickory International Council Hani Nassar
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission Brian Frazier
7. Hickory Youth Council Hayden Frye
8. Historic Preservation Commission Zack Taylor
9. Parks and Recreation Commission Tony Wood
10. Public Art Commission David Zagaroli
11. Recycling Advisory Board Norm Meres
12. Business Development Committee Alan Jackson
Special Presentations
A. Hickory Public Schools “Art Well Crafted”
B. Presentation of a Proclamation to Claire Elyse McCrea
Presentation of FY 2013-2014 Board and Commission Work Plans
Board/Commission Presenter
1. Library Advisory Board Kathy Ivey
2. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Mike Holland
3. Community Appearance Commission Leroy Harris
4. Community Relations Council David Walker and Ray Cerda
5. Hickory International Council Hani Nassar
6. Hickory Regional Planning Commission Brian Frazier
7. Hickory Youth Council Hayden Frye
8. Historic Preservation Commission Zack Taylor
9. Parks and Recreation Commission Tony Wood
10. Public Art Commission David Zagaroli
11. Recycling Advisory Board Norm Meres
12. Business Development Committee Alan Jackson
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Caught in the Crossfire
I've been paying some attention to what is going on with this Sequester thing and I think the politics surrounding it are totally ridiculous. Both political parties are embarrassing. You have the Democrats who haven't put forward a budget since Obama has been in office and yet they have nearly doubled the National Debt in five years and they have ZERO plan to move forward. You have the Republicans who can only talk about making trivial cuts to Federal Spending and they want to continue the status quo policies that are bankrupting the middle class and only helping the richest of the rich.
Let me tell you where this is heading. There is no room for people. There aren't going to be many, if any, jobs. With the lack of supply of jobs and the heavy demand for jobs, you are going to get lowballed on income and benefits. You are going to have a heavily skewed distribution of income. There will be equity in poverty for 90%+ of the U.S. populace and then we are going to have a noble overlord class that is going to use technology to keep us in line until we die peacefully or murder us if we rise up. You haven't learned over the past decade that you don't have any rights? You haven't learned that in a Godless system that you have no inalienable rights? That the only rights you have are bequeathed to you by the perverted government?
These little piddly cuts in governmental spending are only structured for the "on book" system. Everything that is done "off book" is going to keep moving forward. The robotics that monitor us to provide "Security," who is that "Security" for? And the middle class, who can't afford the lawyers, accountants, and corporate structure are the ones who have paid to build their own prison and the system of their own demise.
Everything is in place. There is going to be pain and there is no way out. Economically, things are going to happen moving forward that will finally make you understand this implosion. There is a consolidation taking place and there is no room for YOU. YOU and I are the sacrificed in the plans of the Richest of the Rich. They talk about class warfare and they are the ones, who through their greed, have instituted class warfare. It is all about Power through Control. That is not what this country was built upon, but Liberty has been frittered away.
You thought if you didn't pay attention that everything would be alright. You just wanted to be left alone and are too stupid to understand that they aren't going to leave you alone. You say you want Freedom of Choice and a Right to Privacy, but you have neither. I'd tell you to wake up, but it'll be too late when most do. It's too late now.
Peace Be with You and I'll continue to pray.
12 Things That Just Happened That Show The Next Wave Of The Economic Collapse Is Almost Here - The Economic Collapse Blog
Let me tell you where this is heading. There is no room for people. There aren't going to be many, if any, jobs. With the lack of supply of jobs and the heavy demand for jobs, you are going to get lowballed on income and benefits. You are going to have a heavily skewed distribution of income. There will be equity in poverty for 90%+ of the U.S. populace and then we are going to have a noble overlord class that is going to use technology to keep us in line until we die peacefully or murder us if we rise up. You haven't learned over the past decade that you don't have any rights? You haven't learned that in a Godless system that you have no inalienable rights? That the only rights you have are bequeathed to you by the perverted government?
These little piddly cuts in governmental spending are only structured for the "on book" system. Everything that is done "off book" is going to keep moving forward. The robotics that monitor us to provide "Security," who is that "Security" for? And the middle class, who can't afford the lawyers, accountants, and corporate structure are the ones who have paid to build their own prison and the system of their own demise.
Everything is in place. There is going to be pain and there is no way out. Economically, things are going to happen moving forward that will finally make you understand this implosion. There is a consolidation taking place and there is no room for YOU. YOU and I are the sacrificed in the plans of the Richest of the Rich. They talk about class warfare and they are the ones, who through their greed, have instituted class warfare. It is all about Power through Control. That is not what this country was built upon, but Liberty has been frittered away.
You thought if you didn't pay attention that everything would be alright. You just wanted to be left alone and are too stupid to understand that they aren't going to leave you alone. You say you want Freedom of Choice and a Right to Privacy, but you have neither. I'd tell you to wake up, but it'll be too late when most do. It's too late now.
Peace Be with You and I'll continue to pray.
12 Things That Just Happened That Show The Next Wave Of The Economic Collapse Is Almost Here - The Economic Collapse Blog
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- March 3, 2013
U.S. incomes see largest drop in 20 years - Reuters through the Chicago Tribune - March 1, 2013 - U.S. consumer spending rose in January as Americans spent more on services, with savings providing a cushion after income recorded its biggest drop in 20 years. Income tumbled 3.6 percent, the largest drop since January 1993. Part of the decline was payback for a 2.6 percent surge in December as businesses, anxious about higher taxes, rushed to pay dividends and bonuses before the new year. A portion of the drop in January also reflected the tax hikes. The income at the disposal of households after inflation and taxes plunged a 4.0 percent in January after advancing 2.7 percent in December... With income dropping sharply and spending rising, the saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - fell to 2.4 percent, the lowest level since November 2007. The rate had jumped to 6.4 percent in December. -
Consumer Spending in U.S. Climbs Even as Taxes Hurt Incomes - Bloomberg - Michelle Jamrisko - Mar 1, 2013 - Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in January even as incomes dropped by the most in 20 years, showing households were weathering the payroll-tax increase by socking away less money in the bank. Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, climbed 0.2 percent after a 0.1 percent gain the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 76 economists called for a 0.2 percent advance. Incomes slumped 3.6 percent, sending the saving rate down to the lowest level since November 2007... Disposable income, or the money left over after taxes, dropped 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, the biggest plunge since monthly records began in 1959. The drop also reflected the lapse of the payroll tax holiday. Excluding the effect of the tax and other special factors such as the timing of bonuses and dividends, disposable personal income would have increased 0.3 percent in January, the same as in December, the report said. Adjusting consumer spending for inflation, which renders the figures used to calculate gross domestic product, purchases rose 0.1 percent in January for a second month, today’s report showed.
Consumer Spending Drought: 16 Signs That The Middle Class Is Running Out Of Money - The Economic Collapse Blog - Is "discretionary income" rapidly becoming a thing of the past for most American families? Right now, there are a lot of signs that we are on the verge of a nightmarish consumer spending drought. Incomes are down, taxes are up, many large retail chains are deeply struggling because of the lack of customers, and at this point nearly a quarter of all Americans have more credit card debt than money in the bank. Considering the fact that consumer spending is such a large percentage of the U.S. economy, that is very bad news. How will we ever have a sustained economic recovery if consumers don't have much money to spend? Well, the truth is that we aren't ever going to have a sustained economic recovery. In fact, this debt-fueled bubble of false hope that we are experiencing right now is as good as things are going to get. Things are going to go downhill from here, and if you think that consumer spending is bad now, just wait until you see what happens over the next several years. - See more at: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/consumer-spending-drought-16-signs-that-the-middle-class-is-running-out-of-money#sthash.3QUShgLH.dpuf
The Missing Recovery — Paul Craig Roberts - Paul Craig Roberts - March 1, 2013 - Officially, since June 2009 the US economy has been undergoing an economic recovery from the December 2007 recession. But where is this recovery? I cannot find it, and neither can millions of unemployed Americans. The recovery exists only in the official measure of real GDP, which is deflated by an understated measure of inflation, and in the U.3 measure of the unemployment rate, which is declining because it does not count discouraged job seekers who have given up looking for a job. No other data series indicates an economic recovery. Neither real retail sales nor housing starts, consumer confidence, payroll employment, or average weekly earnings indicate economic recovery. Neither does the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed’s expansive monetary policy of bond purchases to maintain negative real interest rates continues 3.5 years into the recovery. Of course, the reason for the Fed’s negative interest rates is not to boost the economy but to boost asset values on the books of “banks too big to fail.” The low interest rates raise the prices of the mortgage-backed derivatives and other debt-related assets on the banks’ balance sheets at the expense of interest income for retirees on their savings accounts, money market funds, and Treasury bonds. Despite recovery’s absence and the lack of job opportunities for Americans, Republicans in Congress are sponsoring bills to enlarge the number of foreigners that corporations can bring in on work visas. The large corporations claim that they cannot find enough skilled Americans. This is one of the most transparent of the constant stream of lies that we are told. Foreign hires are not additions to the work force, but replacements. The corporations force their American employees to train the foreigners, and then the American employees are discharged. Obviously, if skilled employees were in short supply, they would not be laid off. Moreover, if the skills were in short supply, salaries would be bid up, not down, and the 36% of those who graduated in 2011 with a doctorate degree in engineering would not have been left unemployed. The National Science Foundation’s report, “Doctorate Recipients From U.S. Universities,” says that only 64% of the Ph.D. engineering graduates found a pay check. As I have reported on numerous occasions for many years, neither the payroll jobs statistics nor the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job projections show job opportunities for university graduates. But this doesn’t stop Congress from helping US corporations get rid of their American employees in exchange for campaign donations...
Tyson, Cargill among others now drugging your meat with Merck's new Zilmax - NaturalNews.com - Lance Johnson - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - As a journalist for Chronicle of Higher Education, Melody Peterson described her visit to the meat locker at West Texas A&M University. Escorted by Ty E. Lawrence, associate professor of animal science, Peterson reported, "Bloody sides of beef, still covered with a slick layer of ivory-colored fat, hung from steel hooks. Dressed in a white lab coat, a hard hat on his head, Lawrence pointed to the carcass of a Holstein that had been fed a new drug called Zilmax. He noted its larger size compared with the nearby body of a steer never given the drug." "'This is thicker, and it's plumper,' said Lawrence, pointing at the beast's rib-eye. 'This animal right here,' waving his hand at the pharmaceutically enhanced meat, 'doesn't look like a Holstein anymore.'" Not a Holstein anymore: is that really something to be proud about? If a Holstein doesn't look like a Holstein anymore, what are we eating and what are we becoming?... - (Zilmax: New Growth Promotant For Cattle - Food Renegade) -
Written by KristenM)
Why beef is losing its flavor - Feedlots have begun giving cattle a drug that causes the animal to bulk up on muscle, losing fat in the process. - MSN Money - Kim Peterson - February 14, 2013 - If you think steaks don't taste as flavorful as they used to, you might be on to something. Feedlots have begun giving cattle a new drug with a curious side effect: It makes steaks less flavorful and juicy, Slate reports. But the drug, Zilmax, helps cattle bulk up on muscle in the last few weeks of their lives -- which brings in more money for feedlot owners. Merck Animal Health says that Zilmax doesn't cause the quality of steaks to suffer, and that people can't tell the difference between beef that has and has not been treated with the drug. Zilmax usage has really taken off since 2011. If Merck is right, you may have not noticed a thing. But if you've wondered recently why steak suddenly seems more muscular, less fatty and a bit more bland, now you have your answer.
As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? - The Chronicle of Higher Education - Melody Petersen - April 15, 2012 - ...Convincing ranchers that Zilmax will transform their cattle into bovine Schwarzeneggers has been part of Lawrence's work ever since the drug was introduced by Intervet, a subsidiary of Merck, the global pharmaceutical company. The tour he led of the carcasses in his lab was just one of many events where he has helped Intervet sell Zilmax. He's given speeches to ranchers and written an article for a beef-industry magazine to promote the drug. He's repeatedly let Intervet include his comments in news releases, including one in which he said the drug could "revolutionize the beef production system." Lawrence is hardly alone. Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. With the use of these products, the average weight of a fattened steer sold to a packing plant is now roughly 1,300 pounds—up from 1,000 pounds in 1975. It's been a profitable venture for the drug companies, as well as for the professors and their universities. Agriculture schools increasingly depend on the industry for research grants, a sizable portion of which cover overhead and administrative costs. And many professors now add to their personal bank accounts by working for the companies as consultants and speakers. More than two-thirds of animal scientists reported in a 2005 survey that they had received money from industry in the previous five years. Yet unlike a growing number of medical schools around the country, where administrators have recently tightened rules to better police their faculty's ties to pharmaceutical companies, the schools of agriculture have largely rejected critics' concerns about industry cash. Administrators have set few limits on how much corporate money agricultural professors can accept. Faculty work with industry is governed by confidentiality rules that veil it from public view. In certain ways, the close relationship between animal scientists and pharmaceutical companies has never served the public well. Few animal scientists have been interested in looking at what harm the livestock drugs may be causing to the cattle, the environment, or the people eating the meat. They've left most of that work to scientists outside of agriculture, consumer groups, and others who take interest. But with the introduction of Zilmax, the situation may have reached a tipping point. Critics say some academic animal scientists have become so closely tied to the drug companies that they may be working more in the companies' interests than in those of farmers and ranchers—the very groups that land-grant universities were created to serve.
First Horse(meat) Trading, Now 59% Of "Tuna" Sold In The U.S. Isn’t Tuna - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 2, 2013 - This is just the latest revelation in the stealth inflation and food fraud theme I have written about frequently in recent months. The non-profit group Oceana took samples of 1,215 fish sold in the U.S. and genetic tests found that that 59% of those labeled tuna were mislabeled.
Escolar: The World's Most Dangerous Fish - Medellitin - Escolar is the most controversial fish that you are likely to find in your fish market. This firm, white fleshed fish has an incredibly rich flavor, often described as 'succulent', or a fattier version of swordfish. Why so rich? It turns out that Escolar's diet contains food high in wax esters. Wax esters that are really difficult for Escolar to digest. As a result, these esters build up in the fish. Where is the controversy in a buttery, delicious fish? I would say it is in the laxative like effect it has on a certain percentage of the population. Well, a 'laxative like effect' is how my fish monger described it. Others would describe it as closer to diahhrea. An expert would call it 'keriorrhoea'. Literally translated, it means 'flow of wax'. Oily orange droplets pouring out your pooper. Keriorrhoea occurs because the wax esters in the flesh of the fish pool up in your intestine. Some reports of Escolar related illness include cramping, nausea, diarrhea, the itis, and other abdominal pains. This could be the result of severe Keriorrhea or could also be Scrombroid poisoning. Escolar related Scromboid (or histimine poisoning) is the result of high levels of histidine being converted to histimine usually as a result of poor storage.
Consumer Spending in U.S. Climbs Even as Taxes Hurt Incomes - Bloomberg - Michelle Jamrisko - Mar 1, 2013 - Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in January even as incomes dropped by the most in 20 years, showing households were weathering the payroll-tax increase by socking away less money in the bank. Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, climbed 0.2 percent after a 0.1 percent gain the prior month, a Commerce Department report showed today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 76 economists called for a 0.2 percent advance. Incomes slumped 3.6 percent, sending the saving rate down to the lowest level since November 2007... Disposable income, or the money left over after taxes, dropped 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, the biggest plunge since monthly records began in 1959. The drop also reflected the lapse of the payroll tax holiday. Excluding the effect of the tax and other special factors such as the timing of bonuses and dividends, disposable personal income would have increased 0.3 percent in January, the same as in December, the report said. Adjusting consumer spending for inflation, which renders the figures used to calculate gross domestic product, purchases rose 0.1 percent in January for a second month, today’s report showed.
Consumer Spending Drought: 16 Signs That The Middle Class Is Running Out Of Money - The Economic Collapse Blog - Is "discretionary income" rapidly becoming a thing of the past for most American families? Right now, there are a lot of signs that we are on the verge of a nightmarish consumer spending drought. Incomes are down, taxes are up, many large retail chains are deeply struggling because of the lack of customers, and at this point nearly a quarter of all Americans have more credit card debt than money in the bank. Considering the fact that consumer spending is such a large percentage of the U.S. economy, that is very bad news. How will we ever have a sustained economic recovery if consumers don't have much money to spend? Well, the truth is that we aren't ever going to have a sustained economic recovery. In fact, this debt-fueled bubble of false hope that we are experiencing right now is as good as things are going to get. Things are going to go downhill from here, and if you think that consumer spending is bad now, just wait until you see what happens over the next several years. - See more at: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/consumer-spending-drought-16-signs-that-the-middle-class-is-running-out-of-money#sthash.3QUShgLH.dpuf
The Missing Recovery — Paul Craig Roberts - Paul Craig Roberts - March 1, 2013 - Officially, since June 2009 the US economy has been undergoing an economic recovery from the December 2007 recession. But where is this recovery? I cannot find it, and neither can millions of unemployed Americans. The recovery exists only in the official measure of real GDP, which is deflated by an understated measure of inflation, and in the U.3 measure of the unemployment rate, which is declining because it does not count discouraged job seekers who have given up looking for a job. No other data series indicates an economic recovery. Neither real retail sales nor housing starts, consumer confidence, payroll employment, or average weekly earnings indicate economic recovery. Neither does the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed’s expansive monetary policy of bond purchases to maintain negative real interest rates continues 3.5 years into the recovery. Of course, the reason for the Fed’s negative interest rates is not to boost the economy but to boost asset values on the books of “banks too big to fail.” The low interest rates raise the prices of the mortgage-backed derivatives and other debt-related assets on the banks’ balance sheets at the expense of interest income for retirees on their savings accounts, money market funds, and Treasury bonds. Despite recovery’s absence and the lack of job opportunities for Americans, Republicans in Congress are sponsoring bills to enlarge the number of foreigners that corporations can bring in on work visas. The large corporations claim that they cannot find enough skilled Americans. This is one of the most transparent of the constant stream of lies that we are told. Foreign hires are not additions to the work force, but replacements. The corporations force their American employees to train the foreigners, and then the American employees are discharged. Obviously, if skilled employees were in short supply, they would not be laid off. Moreover, if the skills were in short supply, salaries would be bid up, not down, and the 36% of those who graduated in 2011 with a doctorate degree in engineering would not have been left unemployed. The National Science Foundation’s report, “Doctorate Recipients From U.S. Universities,” says that only 64% of the Ph.D. engineering graduates found a pay check. As I have reported on numerous occasions for many years, neither the payroll jobs statistics nor the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job projections show job opportunities for university graduates. But this doesn’t stop Congress from helping US corporations get rid of their American employees in exchange for campaign donations...
Tyson, Cargill among others now drugging your meat with Merck's new Zilmax - NaturalNews.com - Lance Johnson - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - As a journalist for Chronicle of Higher Education, Melody Peterson described her visit to the meat locker at West Texas A&M University. Escorted by Ty E. Lawrence, associate professor of animal science, Peterson reported, "Bloody sides of beef, still covered with a slick layer of ivory-colored fat, hung from steel hooks. Dressed in a white lab coat, a hard hat on his head, Lawrence pointed to the carcass of a Holstein that had been fed a new drug called Zilmax. He noted its larger size compared with the nearby body of a steer never given the drug." "'This is thicker, and it's plumper,' said Lawrence, pointing at the beast's rib-eye. 'This animal right here,' waving his hand at the pharmaceutically enhanced meat, 'doesn't look like a Holstein anymore.'" Not a Holstein anymore: is that really something to be proud about? If a Holstein doesn't look like a Holstein anymore, what are we eating and what are we becoming?... - (Zilmax: New Growth Promotant For Cattle - Food Renegade) -
Written by KristenM)
Why beef is losing its flavor - Feedlots have begun giving cattle a drug that causes the animal to bulk up on muscle, losing fat in the process. - MSN Money - Kim Peterson - February 14, 2013 - If you think steaks don't taste as flavorful as they used to, you might be on to something. Feedlots have begun giving cattle a new drug with a curious side effect: It makes steaks less flavorful and juicy, Slate reports. But the drug, Zilmax, helps cattle bulk up on muscle in the last few weeks of their lives -- which brings in more money for feedlot owners. Merck Animal Health says that Zilmax doesn't cause the quality of steaks to suffer, and that people can't tell the difference between beef that has and has not been treated with the drug. Zilmax usage has really taken off since 2011. If Merck is right, you may have not noticed a thing. But if you've wondered recently why steak suddenly seems more muscular, less fatty and a bit more bland, now you have your answer.
As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? - The Chronicle of Higher Education - Melody Petersen - April 15, 2012 - ...Convincing ranchers that Zilmax will transform their cattle into bovine Schwarzeneggers has been part of Lawrence's work ever since the drug was introduced by Intervet, a subsidiary of Merck, the global pharmaceutical company. The tour he led of the carcasses in his lab was just one of many events where he has helped Intervet sell Zilmax. He's given speeches to ranchers and written an article for a beef-industry magazine to promote the drug. He's repeatedly let Intervet include his comments in news releases, including one in which he said the drug could "revolutionize the beef production system." Lawrence is hardly alone. Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. With the use of these products, the average weight of a fattened steer sold to a packing plant is now roughly 1,300 pounds—up from 1,000 pounds in 1975. It's been a profitable venture for the drug companies, as well as for the professors and their universities. Agriculture schools increasingly depend on the industry for research grants, a sizable portion of which cover overhead and administrative costs. And many professors now add to their personal bank accounts by working for the companies as consultants and speakers. More than two-thirds of animal scientists reported in a 2005 survey that they had received money from industry in the previous five years. Yet unlike a growing number of medical schools around the country, where administrators have recently tightened rules to better police their faculty's ties to pharmaceutical companies, the schools of agriculture have largely rejected critics' concerns about industry cash. Administrators have set few limits on how much corporate money agricultural professors can accept. Faculty work with industry is governed by confidentiality rules that veil it from public view. In certain ways, the close relationship between animal scientists and pharmaceutical companies has never served the public well. Few animal scientists have been interested in looking at what harm the livestock drugs may be causing to the cattle, the environment, or the people eating the meat. They've left most of that work to scientists outside of agriculture, consumer groups, and others who take interest. But with the introduction of Zilmax, the situation may have reached a tipping point. Critics say some academic animal scientists have become so closely tied to the drug companies that they may be working more in the companies' interests than in those of farmers and ranchers—the very groups that land-grant universities were created to serve.
U.S.D.A. May Approve Horse Slaughtering - New York Times - STEPHANIE STROM - February 28, 2013 - The United States Department of Agriculture is likely to approve a horse slaughtering plant in New Mexico in the next two months, which would allow equine meat suitable for human consumption to be produced in the United States for the first time since 2007. The plant, in Roswell, N.M., is owned by Valley Meat Company, which sued the U.S.D.A. and its Food Safety and Inspection Service last fall over the lack of inspection services for horses going to slaughter. Horse meat cannot be processed for human consumption in the United States without inspection by the U.S.D.A., so horses destined for that purpose have been shipped to places like Mexico and Canada for slaughter. Justin DeJong, a spokesman for the agriculture department, said that “several” companies had asked the agency to re-establish inspection of horses for slaughter. “These companies must still complete necessary technical requirements and the F.S.I.S. must complete its inspector training,” he wrote in an e-mail referring to the food inspection service, “but at that point, the department will legally have no choice but to go forward with the inspections.”
He said the Obama administration was urging Congress to reinstate an effective ban on the production of horse meat for human consumption that lapsed in 2011. The impending approval comes amid growing concern among American consumers that horse meat will somehow make its way into ground beef products in the United States as it has done in Europe. Major companies, including Tesco, Nestlé and Ikea, have had to pull food from shelves in 14 countries after tests showed that products labeled 100 percent beef actually contained small amounts of horse meat. Horse meat is not necessarily unsafe, and in some countries, it is popular. But some opponents of horse slaughtering say consumption of horse meat is ill-advised because of the use of various kinds of drugs in horses...
First Horse(meat) Trading, Now 59% Of "Tuna" Sold In The U.S. Isn’t Tuna - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - March 2, 2013 - This is just the latest revelation in the stealth inflation and food fraud theme I have written about frequently in recent months. The non-profit group Oceana took samples of 1,215 fish sold in the U.S. and genetic tests found that that 59% of those labeled tuna were mislabeled.
Escolar: The World's Most Dangerous Fish - Medellitin - Escolar is the most controversial fish that you are likely to find in your fish market. This firm, white fleshed fish has an incredibly rich flavor, often described as 'succulent', or a fattier version of swordfish. Why so rich? It turns out that Escolar's diet contains food high in wax esters. Wax esters that are really difficult for Escolar to digest. As a result, these esters build up in the fish. Where is the controversy in a buttery, delicious fish? I would say it is in the laxative like effect it has on a certain percentage of the population. Well, a 'laxative like effect' is how my fish monger described it. Others would describe it as closer to diahhrea. An expert would call it 'keriorrhoea'. Literally translated, it means 'flow of wax'. Oily orange droplets pouring out your pooper. Keriorrhoea occurs because the wax esters in the flesh of the fish pool up in your intestine. Some reports of Escolar related illness include cramping, nausea, diarrhea, the itis, and other abdominal pains. This could be the result of severe Keriorrhea or could also be Scrombroid poisoning. Escolar related Scromboid (or histimine poisoning) is the result of high levels of histidine being converted to histimine usually as a result of poor storage.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
Shocking Statistics: America's Income Gap
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Distribution of Wealth and Income in America
Maybe some of you saw the information come out this week that Americans saw their personal income fall by the steepest rate in 20 years (Reuters through the Chicago Tribune).
And yet the stats show that Consumer Spending was up, which means that people are going further into debt to make purchases. We see retailers such as JC Penney, Sears, and Best Buy struggling and continuing declines that have been going on for years now.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
We know that the major issues that these companies face are caused by the hurting American middle class and their reduction in wealth and disposable income. These are just three companies that have been negatively effected by the Economic Depression that is now in its sixth year. What happens when these major retailers close down stores in the malls of mid sized communities. This will continue the downward spiral that continues to feed off of itself.
Below is an excellent video that shows the problems with income distribution in the United States. This is what has killed the American Retail Marketplace. We aren't going to see consumption growth as we did in the late 1990s for generations, but we can at least get balance back into the system by promoting policies that promote, restore, and protect the middle class. Until we begin those processes, the economy will only worsen.
And yet the stats show that Consumer Spending was up, which means that people are going further into debt to make purchases. We see retailers such as JC Penney, Sears, and Best Buy struggling and continuing declines that have been going on for years now.
J.C. Penney shares fall after sales plunge - Reuters - February 28, 2013
A Truly Depressing Visit to a JCPenney Store - Slate - March 1, 2013
Sears Slows, but Does Not Reverse, Its 6-Year Descent - AP through New York Times - February 28, 2013
Best Buy Earnings, Revenue Top Estimates - CNBC - March 1, 2013
Best Buy, Sears failing to compete with online market, incoming U.S. chains: Analyst
- CTV - February 1, 2013
We know that the major issues that these companies face are caused by the hurting American middle class and their reduction in wealth and disposable income. These are just three companies that have been negatively effected by the Economic Depression that is now in its sixth year. What happens when these major retailers close down stores in the malls of mid sized communities. This will continue the downward spiral that continues to feed off of itself.
Below is an excellent video that shows the problems with income distribution in the United States. This is what has killed the American Retail Marketplace. We aren't going to see consumption growth as we did in the late 1990s for generations, but we can at least get balance back into the system by promoting policies that promote, restore, and protect the middle class. Until we begin those processes, the economy will only worsen.
Shocking Statistics: America's Income Gap
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
FEC Meeting (2/20/2013) and Chamber Annual Event (2/27/2013) - Catawba County Economic Competitiveness Plan
Future Economy Council Meeting - February 20, 2013
The following is the Catawba County Future Economy Council's monthly meeting for February 2013. The discussion relates to the Chamber of Commerce, local Government, and local Business's strategic Economic Competitiveness plan that has been developed over the past year in conjunction with Ted Abernathy of the Southern Growth Policies Board.
Catawba County Chamber of Commerce's Annual Meeting
The following is the presentation of the Economic Competitiveness plan that has been developed over the past year in conjunction with Ted Abernathy of the Southern Growth Policies Board. The plan should be completed in the next couple of months. This discussion involves the dynamics of the local economy. How we got to where we are and what we need to do to move forward.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
