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<strong><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="color: #000000;">Click <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="http://carolinacrossroads.news/scotland-county-mired-in-depression-part-1/" target="_blank">Here</a></span> to read</span> <span style="color: #000000;">Part 1</span></span>
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Scotland County remains mired in a <strong>Deep Depression</strong>. We're the most economically depressed county in all North Carolina.

Mill and manufacturing operations fled heavily unionized, high cost northern states during the 1940's and 50's. Later, when those same companies discovered that NAFTA made it even cheaper to move operations to China and Mexico, they skedaddled once again.

Those with marketable skills left Scotland County seeking employment elsewhere. Others stayed, hunkering down, hoping for a comeback. Some attached themselves to County, School District and City of Laurinburg governments. This may have been a good move from an individual perspective, but it's been a disaster for our economy.

Today, <strong>Government Employment</strong> stands as the cornerstone of Scotland County's economy. This would be fantastic except that government doesn't actually produce anything; rather it consumes (through the miracle of taxation and fees) that which others have toiled to produce.

Sure, government provides some needed services, but the fact is its inefficiency and corruption places a parasitic drag on what would otherwise be productive economic activity. For the most part, government is a conduit via which the fruits of others' labor gets redistributed to favored friends, political cronies and valuable vote generating demographic constituencies. This time tested <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">model</span></span> <span style="color: #0000ff;">(Abramoff video)</span> has been with mankind throughout history.

Government employee pensions are an especially interesting and unique situation. When employees become 'vested', they often earn the right to move to a new government jobs where they begin qualifying for yet more pensions. <em>'Rinse and repeat'</em> several times, and you can see that by the time actual retirement age is reached, many government workers retire with two, three or even four pension checks coming in each month. Talk about striking gold!

To make matters worse (for taxpayers), today's standard policy is to use 'disability' as a means of further enrichment. How many able bodied persons do you know who receive disability checks each month?

This sweet deal for some has unfortunately destroyed public finances, as skyrocketing pension, benefit and disability costs now eat up an enormous share of public budgets. Is it any wonder County, Municipal and School coffers are running on empty?

As dire as the current situation is, it's <em>'baked into the cake'</em> that things will get demonstrably worse unless we radically change course.

<strong>BLUEPRINT for PROSPERITY</strong>

Fortunately, <strong>the key to success is already in our pocket</strong>. It's up to us to reach in, grab it and turn the lock that opens the door to the prosperity we seek.

We must:
<ul>
 	<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Dramatically reduce expenses</span> of Scotland County Government, Laurinburg City Government and Scotland County Schools.</li>
 	<li>Organically grow 'real' 21st century employment opportunities that provide real living wage, family building jobs. We have the ability to do this.</li>
 	<li>Deliver 'cutting edge' public education, freeing children from the shackles imposed by today's burdensome rules, regulations, curriculum's, policies and politically driven agendas.</li>
 	<li>Banish slavery once and for all, ridding ourselves from cruel and unjust dependence on <em>'institutionalized poverty'</em> designed to ensure that we and future generations remain in bondage.</li>
</ul>
<strong>How do we rebuild prosperity?</strong>

First, we don't need:
<ul>
 	<li>More taxpayer funded commissions, boards, blue ribbon panels, study groups, pedigreed intellectuals, bureaucrats, grants, seminars or retreats.</li>
 	<li>More highly compensated Economic Development gurus trying to bring back the 'good ole days'.</li>
 	<li>More idiotic programs like our 'Certified Retirement Community'.</li>
 	<li>More commercial properties bulldozed to make way for additional taxpayer funded 'sculpture' parks.</li>
 	<li>More multi-million dollar boondoggles like Laurinburg City Council's new 'Colonial Williamsburg' City Hall/Police Department.</li>
 	<li>More arrests of potheads (following months long intensive investigations) so we can build more prisons, jails and lockups.</li>
</ul>
There is no <em>'free lunch'</em>. <strong>Rebuilding prosperity is challenging, but it's achievable if we truly want it. </strong>

<strong>Carolina Crossroads News</strong> understands the mission, knows what it takes to reach the goal and is willing to carry its share of the water. What we can't do is carry your share too.

<strong>Your future is up to YOU!</strong>

"Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act" Dietrich Bonhoeffer

<strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">LINK YOU WANTED: http://henrymakow.com/2016/04/slavery--guilt-as-a-jewish-weapon.html</span></strong>

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<blockquote>"<em>Based on its unemployment rate, median household income, population growth, and property tax base per capita, Scotland is consistently <a id="KonaLink0" class="kLink" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/ap-wire/3568/county-could-lose-tier-status#"><span style="color: #595959;"><span class="kLink">classified</span></span></a> by the N.C. Department of Commerce as a Tier I county — among the 40 most distressed in the state.</em>" <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/ap-wire/3568/county-could-lose-tier-status" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #ff0000;">DIETER - HERE'S PART 1 FOR YOUR REVIEW:</span>

<strong>Scotland is the most economically distressed county in North Carolina</strong>. Unfortunately, that's not breaking news.

We wholeheartedly agree with sentiments expressed by State Senator Tom McInnes, who recently stated: "The way it is right now, we can’t make anybody locate a plant in Scotland County if they don’t want to come here. We’ve got to give them a reason to come here. We’re going to have to work in a different way than we’ve been working..."

Despite longstanding and ongoing attempts by County gurus to bring in new industry, the fact is Scotland County will never again be a manufacturing magnet. Mexico's new and highly automated state of the art plants pay wages of only $2 per hour and No benefits. Even Chinese wages are higher, causing factories there to now relocate to cheaper venues like Vietnam in order to compete. Despite often repeated prognostications, even 'The Donald' won't be able to reverse this trend.

As Senator McInnis continued: "... we’re going to have to work together... to offer 21st century curricula for <strong>the jobs that we have available and not the jobs that we wish we had.</strong>”

America was founded upon the concept of a largely self regulating and self righting <strong>Free Market Economy</strong>. This was by no means perfect, but a great, prosperous and self governing republic was built upon its foundation. We became 'The Shining Light on the Hill' that others looked up to and sought to emulate. Unfortunately, that was a long time ago.

There can be no doubt that Scotland County was destined to experience difficult times when mills and manufacturing began fleeing, first to China and then Mexico, but according to Free Market dogma, things would have eventually righted themselves had market forces been allowed to play out.

That didn't happen, and today, decades later, despite massive application of state and federal grant programs and tax incentives being thrown at the problem, Scotland County remains mired in a Deep Depression. Worse yet, subtract state and federal welfare programs, along with generous USDA subsidies, supports, loans and grants, and Scotland County's economy would be deader as a door nail.

The reasons the Revival never took hold here are easily identified, straight forward, and well understood... not complicated at all. <strong>The question is: Are we going do anything about it or do we intend to mire in this pig slop until there is absolutely nothing left?</strong>

Before we move on, let us share a brief but telling story. After purchasing a former manufacturing plant, we made an appointment to talk with Scotland County's Director of Economic Development. He proved to be friendly, intelligent, well educated, articulate and courteous. He was also highly compensated with a salary of $80k per year, plus a generous benefit package.

We began the discussion with our vision of how we could play a role in assisting the County from its obsolete manufacturing based economic model to a forward looking high tech model, but nevertheless, one that could, with little training, take advantage of the County's existing, but largely unskilled human resource base.

The Director listened politely, but soon enough broke in, stating with crystalline clarity, that unless we were prepared to bring at least 700 jobs to the County (for starters), it wasn't worth his time to continue talking with us. We expressed puzzlement as to that magic 700 job number, wherein he replied that the County was putting the final touches on a project that would bring a large Japanese clutch manufacturing operation to the County that would employ 700.

We weren't quite ready to take no for an answer and inquired who was next on the County ladder that we could talk with. The County Manager was 'the man', but was not presently available. We left our contact information and we assured he would contact us. We never heard back.

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<td width="705">Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.</td>
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<strong>End of Part 1 - Stay turned for
</strong>

Source:

<span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/ap-wire/3568/county-could-lose-tier-status" target="_blank">Laurinburg Exchange</a></span>

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<address>You reach Carolina Crossroads News at (888) 472-7555 or send us an <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="http://carolinacrossroads.news/contact-us/" target="_blank">email</a></span>.</address><address> </address><address>Related Articles:</address><address><a title="123" href="http://restlessboomers.com/will-you-have-enough-to-survive- &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;p&gt;retirement/" target="_blank">123</a></address><address><a title="123" href="http://restlessboomers.com/baby-boomers- reinvent-to-&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;p&gt;retire/">123</a></address><address><a title="123" href="http://restlessboomers.com/will-you-work-until-you- drop/">123</a></address><address> </address>[polldaddy rating="8361352"]

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