Steve Mensing, Editor
♦We appreciate the tremendous volume of positive email responses to yesterday’s article on the Carolina Thread Trail bamboozle being fought hard around North Carolina. There is simply no call for these “build it and they won’t come” trails that add nothing, but an increased tax burden and replicate what is already in place. Our counties and metropolitan have an enormous amount of preexisting trails, paths, sidewalks and malls where folks can walk, run, hike, or bicycle or even ride horses. People who bother to look at this latest “Save the Earth” ruse see it for what is: another way to pancake the taxpayers and snatch property via eminent domain. Raleigh already beat back forcible annexation–now it needs to annihilate this latest cancer lurking in the cells of alleged progressivism.
Today I’m going to list a number of readings, but before I do I’m going to run through overwhelming case against thread trails.
THE CASE AGAINST THE CAROLINA THREAD TRAIL
• The health-minded already have a cornucopia of places to exercise without adding unneeded trails at great taxpayer expense. Healthy exercise has an enormous quantity of venues throughout Rowan County and its metro areas. If we look around Rowan County and Salisbury we have mile after mile of sidewalks, tracks, public parks, pre-existing footpaths, indoor malls not to mention treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. We have zero need for building thread trails for health purposes.
• It’s a fact that only a miniscule percentage of people ever use thread trails or bike paths. Sad, but true. In some areas of the United States days go by before a lone hiker or bicyclist travels a thread trail or bicycle on a path. More likely someone will mall walk or use an existing sidewalk, track, or park path. No need whatsoever for a an underutilized thread trail. Seriously how many persons do you know travel along the trail from Concord, N.C. to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte? The fact that few people use thread trails should be enough to stop the Thread Trail movement in its tracks.
• After the grant money runs out, the local taxpayer funds the thread trail’s pricey upkeep for trails that people seldom use. Somebody must pay for mowing, fence repair, vandalism, and cleaning up human and animal waste.
• Grossly overpaid directors and CEOs of non profits involved with thread trails, The taxpayers largely pay to pad the leadership pockets of thread Tails through the government’s redistribution of wealth to savvy non profit honchos.
• Property Grabbing with Eminent Domain Maneuvers. If a municipality can no longer grab turf via forcible annexation, why not try covertly grabbing some landowner’s dirt through eminent domain? Check the fine print. Behind much idealism is not only short-term thinking, but a greed fueled “non-profit” who knows all the legal ropes. Know that Gastonia forcibly took over farmland for the thread trail. Learn about property rights and eminent domain:
http://landlaw-nc.com/eminent_domain_faqs.html
• Liability for injuries and deaths occurring on the thread trail. Accidents do happen–this is a fact of life. People get injured, die, get very ill and they often turn to attorneys. The local taxpayer is ultimately liable for these accidents.
• False Hopes. Small businesses are told they will profit from thread trail travelers, but alas only a handful of walkers and bicyclists ever use these trails and are unlikely to purchase anything for the return trip home.
• Health risks. Unlike paths and sidewalks in more urban areas, certain health risks are involved along thread trails. Ticks, rabid animals, and poisonous snakes are found in wilderness areas and even inside metropolitan areas.
• Sanitation. Who is going to pay for the disposal of human waste or even horse manure?
• Criminals prey on hikers, walkers, and joggers on lonely thread trails. Criminals often stalk walkers and runners along thread trails in and around urban areas for muggings, rapes, and stickups. Hiker’s bodies show up from time to time in wilderness areas around the United States. It is far safer to exercise in the more civilized parts of counties and metropolitan areas.
• Security costs for thread trails. The taxpayer foots the bill for security along thread trails. Walkers and runner are easy targets in the “wilderness”.
• The use of “divide and conquer” techniques such as the “Delphi Technique” are employed to ramrod thread trails through any opposition. Frequently used by “progressive” groups to move their agendas through the opposition and create a false aura of popularity, divide and conquer techniques are spotted when attendees are led to separate tables and a recorder (handpicked) jots down the groups alleged choices. Be aware if this shows up at local meetings scheduled for the thread trail meetings. Feel free to call such techniques out.
READINGS CONCERNING THREAD TRAILS
Common misconceptions about eminent domain: http://sogpubs.unc.edu/electronicversions/pg/pgwin09/article4.pdf
What is eminent domain and how can it affect people: http://landlaw-nc.com/eminent_domain_faqs.html
Union County Carolina Thread Trail Master Plan: http://www.waxhaw.com/DocumentCenter/View/54
Washington residents meet to solve issues of crime on trails: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/residents-near-bike-trail-honor-victims-of-violence/2013/06/17/72e30e2c-d506-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html
County Commissioners vote to reject Carolina Thread Trail (May 18th, 2009):
http://rowancountync.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=44
Carolina Thread Trail’s nonprofit tax return for 2012 may be found here:
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/261/528/2012-261528527-098c6271-9.pdf
How to get a copy of a non profit’s financials:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/copy-nonprofits-financial-statements-59130.html
