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<em><strong>Carolina Crossroads News</strong> is </em>a locally owned and operated <em><strong>Free</strong></em> online digital media serving Scotland County.

Today's <em>beta</em> <em>version</em> launch may contain a few glitches. Over the coming days and weeks you'll notice ongoing development and build-out. Please don't hesitate to report mistakes, technical glitches, problems or suggest improvements.

viewers are encouraged to comment, submit articles, opinions, videos, short stories, art, recipes, notice of community events, etc. Don't feel you need to be a journalist either. Writing skills not everything you'd wish? We're happy to polish things up a bit and make the grammar come out right. Classified and display advertising will be accepted.

CCN's mission is to serve neighbors and friends, to give, not take, to promote healthy, prosperous, safe communities where individuals of all backgrounds, walks of life and persuasions can live, work, worship and prosper in peace and harmony, a place where everyone feels needed and welcome, and if desired, can discover exciting, fulfilling, living wage careers, while taking advantage of our rich and diverse social and cultural heritage.

<strong>CCN is an 'Agent of Change'.</strong> Scotland County is in serious trouble. Far too many individuals, families and businesses are hurting. Present leadership has demonstrated its inability and unwillingness to set thing s right. CCN isn't about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, we're here to effectuate real, meaningful and lasting change.

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This is the first editorial. Others will begin laying the cornerstone and pouring the foundation, clearly articulating the causes and reasons that, despite decades of effort and millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars being thrown at the wall, we're deeper in the hole than ever.

We hope to make many new friends as we go down the path toward real solutions. There will however be plenty of potholes and peril, but you can't make the omeltte without breaking a few eggs.

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Despite decades of generous taxpayer funded assistance, a plethora of well-intentioned programs and numerous economic development efforts, Scotland County remains the most economically depressed in all North Carolina.

Things aren't headed in the right direction either. Folks continue to leave, and many who stay say they do so only because they can't sell out at prices that would allow them to go elsewhere. Many feel trapped.

Crime, including violent crime appears to be gaining the upper hand. Many express fear of leaving the house, even for a short while, afraid homes and apartments will be burglarized during their absence, and they might even come home to a break in in progress. Others express a dread at staying home, fearing armed invasion, assault or worse. It's a difficult and frightening situation.

Q: What do you intend to do, and really, what can you do to turn things around?

A: Whatever it is, we can't do it alone. The community needs to grab the bull by the horns and fight for needed change.

Q: How do you propose to start?

A: We've become convinced that despite the serious nature of our problems, there are workable solutions. First let's identify the problem. It's well know, but many don't feel comfortable discussing it.

Scotland County has an imbalance of <em>takers</em> in relation to <em>producers</em>. In the past, when an area or region lost principal job providers, folks simply picked up stakes and moved on.

Unfortunately, when the mills and manufacturing plants moved out, Scotland County did the worst thing possible. It took advantage of federal subsidies and tax incentives to create Housing Authorities that constructed (Section 8) government housing.

Worse yet, these housing projects utilized brick construction. We all know the story of the Three Little Pigs, and yes, while brick is sturdier than straw or wood, in the case of Scotland County, it sent a clear signal that 'poverty' was here to stay. Our decision to join the <strong>War on Poverty</strong> put in place machinery that guaranteed poverty would not only continue but that it would grow into a virtual industry that in the case of Scotland County now employs hundreds of workers to cater to thousands of 'clients'

This may sound crass, but the truth is Lyndon Johnson's 'War on Poverty' actually reintroduced slavery. To be sure, today's slaves wear velvet chains instead of the heavy iron shackles of yesteryear, but they are chains nevertheless.

We've created an underclass that's completely dependent upon government largess for food, shelter, heat, light, air conditioning, health and other social services and even Obama phones. The only difference between today's modern slavery and historic slavery, is that modern slaves get to sit around instead of having to toils endlessly in the fields. This condition is fundamentally incompatible with freedom, liberty and prosperity.

Scotland County and related government entities have built a veritable industry on serving and perpetuating this underclass

anbeen captured by those who feel comfortable and have a stake in seeing that things stay as they are. Salaries and benefit packages are high, especially when compared to the county mean. Many feel that if they can just hang on long enough, those of us stuck here, can send generous pension checks to their new addresses in Florida and Arizona.

Q: Is there a term to describe this destructive symbiotic relationship?

A: It's called 'Parasitic'. The parasite feeds on its host until its blood and life juices have been sucked dry, at which point it tries to jump onto a new host. This isn't a healthy or sustainable relationship, at least not for the Host.

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A new approach may be needed.