Conceptually, a welcome wagon is just two things, information and free stuff. The welcome wagon provider gets paid to distribute the free stuff and the new resident looks at the free stuff in order to get to the useful information.
Sometimes it’s useful to just noodle around with a mind map. Here’s a first draft written in FreeMind.
What should I add to it?
There should be a third essay: Why the culture and politics of the district are good just the way they are, and why the new resident should think about the place they left and think about why they left, and get to know the new place before they try to change it.
It seems like the whole point of this project is missing from this first slide!
That said, good to see you doing this.
Emergency preparedness. If you’re a part of the community you are expected to pitch in when the storms hit and the traffic gets snarled or the river rises. Here’s the particular sort of disaster our locale is prone to — earthquake or wild fire or … Here’s what channel to watch, here’s the phone number to call to volunteer, and here’s a list of tools and skills we’d like to have more of: chainsaws and sandbags and CB or Ham radio and cooking outdoors and setting up tents and cots and spare blankets; which old folks can/will watch the kids for other young adults off doing more physical chores; and what to stock your shelter with so you won’t be a burden to others and have a place to hang out while the guv’ment drags its ass out of bed in D.C. to come help…
Some, perhaps, falls under affinity contacts. There should be a social media group already in place enjoying and extolling the virtues of the place. If a rural community, then the social chit chat is about stray livestock, whose kid is taking what beast to the fair. A suburb may organize the patriotic celebration for Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, Independence Day… A city school district may have a backpack drive with school supplies for needy kids — but the group is also watch-dogging admin/teacher ratios at each campus. The Welcome Wagon then invites the newcomers to the group.
The group need to be ready to defend existing practices against reformers. The newcomers may complain about the noise of the gunshots during pheasant season. Or may like the idea of hiring a Doctor-of-Diversity for the school district. Or whatever. Just stand ready to identify these helpful suggestions with the “not here” society. “We’re used to it, we like it, we think that objection is a Californicated confusion, and we ain’t going change it your way on your say so.”
Lex, Pouncer – Suggestion added
All – Signing up for the project is easy, send me a mail at welcomewagon@citizenintelligence.org
A community calendar.
I have an aversion to any sort of cultural pressure, so I would stay a million miles away from any lecturing them on how their ways are stupid and ours are immovable. I am assuming the point is yo provide a real service. Conservatives and libertarians consider their ways of looking at things to be a real service to the individual and the community, so we get that out there as well. So we stress, in those last categories about culture and politics, that we value self-reliance more highly than some other places, but that voluntary community service, especially in times of emergency, is also a value. If you tell them that they are wrong they will likely get their back up. But if you stress how well it has worked thus far, which is a big part of why they wanted to move here, at leastt some will get the point.
Ideally, you want to create a situation in which they embrace these values like new converts, eager to hold to them even more than you do. They will then be better advocates to the next group of arrivals than you could ever be. This is not just speculation. The immigrants to NH rural and suburban areas from other parts of the country seem to have increased the conservatism in those places. The problem is the cities, where people show up for a greater variety of reasons, not all of them good. Also college towns. It is really hard to welcome wagon those folks.
a little history introduction would be good. Not to push a particular viewpoint but to help newcomers know how this place came to be. I was just in Boise Idaho that is experiencing an influx of people from California escaping a high cost of living. They may not realize it was on the oregon trail while the california trail broke off east of Boise.
also the snake river and volcanic soil made it great for growing potatoes and other crops. Some perspective may help newcomers understand their neighbors better.
AVI points out the areas in New Hampshire. I would add to that point that cultural retirees are some of the biggest change agents. They are looking for a picture perfect local (but with coffee shops, trendy stores and a medical center) and their source of income is independent of the local economy. So their sympathy level is very low for people working in the pulp and paper mill down the river or for ice fishing etc. This is different from retirees to florida who want a warm climate and low cost of living to stretch their retirement dollar.
I think every town would benefit from what I call PI News (Private Investigator News). It use to be that reporters really were after the scoop and provided details interesting to their readers. I was reading a local paper in northern NH a few years ago and was enthralled by the crime reports. lots of details of interest to readers. A car crash included the make, model and year of each car, plus the extent of damage (front quarter panel, etc). this was reporting that showed the reporter was actually there or interviewed the parties and did not just get the high lights. Ditto for town meetings, social events and other news. Hiring some PI’s and old school reporter types would help build confidence in locals that the stories were real. Anything just catering to newcomers without the facts would rapidly be distrusted.
When we bought our house in Arizona, four years ago January, I happened across a local blogger who had mapped out 2016 election results. I saw that our house was in a district that voted for Trump, which was nice. Now there is a recall brewing to remove the Mayor of Tucson who is even farther left than the last one. Tucson is a college town with the politics appropriate. It also has a big Air Force base and lots of retirees, so out of the center of the city there is another voting population.
We are, fortunately, a street away from the city limits. Can’t sign the petition but she is an idiot.
@ Mike K – appeal to twenty people to sign the petition for you because you can’t.
James the Lesser – Done
Assistant Village Idiot – You seem to be auditioning for the role of editor for the pieces. I can use that skill set. Sign up.
Dirtyjobsguy – Done
links to websites: ThePolicyCircle.org, 1776unites.com, and other relevant websites–maybe local GOP website?
Jeffrey Carter – How should I relabel “Affinity contacts” to make it clear that those sites would go in there?
@ TM Lutas – I am not, but I will consider it. Sometimes I edit the life out of things, but I am good at picking up problems.
As one of the people who would like to leave CA, I would add a job board, and some info about hiring Silicon Valley employees. The Job board would probably pay for the whole wagon if you charged to run ads. I know there are people in other states who want to hire SV people willing to relocate: I recently interviewed at Michael’s in Irving, TX and I got screened out by HR because I had a few jobs I only lasted 3 years at. Average tenure at a Silicon Valley company is 18 months, average tenure of the companies themselves is only 3 years. It’s hard to be a 20 year man in SV because the companies don’t last that long. My last job the whole company got acquired by Cisco, so it was a case of coming into work one day and finding out that next month I’d be a Cisco employee.
Great project!
I am in Boise, definitely a ton moving here as one of the posts referenced. I think unique cultural touch points unique to an area are a big deal to communicate. For example, my brother and I have thought about campaigns such as “Real Idahoan” Something like an adult Boy Scouts. Social Media friendly. You would get an electronic badge, or real, for various activities, “Fishing Public Waters”, “Hunter’s Safety”, “Camped at a Public Camping Site”, “Helped pull a fellow citizen out of a ditch during the winter”, “Attended My First City Council Meeting”, “Voted”, “Volunteered at local food bank”
Campaigns like this must have a presence, at local fairs, farmers markets,
Shade the activities more toward “cultural” without being politically preachy.
Include information about the schools — that’s so important to parents — and try to tailor coupons to the individual or family. Include opportunities to participate in local groups — PTA, book clubs, Tea Party, etc. And hook them up with business opportunities. Americans for Prosperity has a subsidiary, LIBRE, focusing on Spanish language immigrants, that works to unite a community while offering English language classes, help in setting up legal businesses, learning about American culture, including classic American novels to read, American history classes, how to shop in American grocery stores and how to cook nutritious, healthy foods. In the midst of all these helpful services, new immigrants are learning about American community, instead of government handouts, and forming friendships with conservatives.
Assistant Village Idiot Says:
I am assuming the point is yo provide a real service.
No. Glenn Reynolds’ original original point was to specifically say to those fleeing the blue s**tholes they had created “Don’t even think about turning this place into what you just left. You don’t like our way of doing things? Then keep moving. We hear Oregon is nice.”
If they decide to leave that crap behind, then they get welcomed.
Maybe first ascertain if the scary newcomers are, in fact, liberal.
5.2 million Trump voters here in CA, and that’s not accounting for fraud. So, I figure… 8 million
@TM Lutas – I don’t know how it could be done, but I think one thing which needs to be pointed out is that the residents have a significant history there and the newcomers do not. That does not mean that the newcomers are not welcome, but they need to realize that many of their neighbors may come families with that have been in the area for generations and that that long standing connection needs to be respected.
Matthew McConaughey:
“We’ve earned the right to remind ourselves and educate the newcomers of our value system.”
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/matthew-mcconaugheys-austin-has-one-simple-rule-all-you-gotta-be-is-you/
He’s spoken (most recently on Joe Rogan’s podcast) about putting together such a welcome wagon.
https://austonia.com/mcconaughey-on-rogan-podcast/particle-2
It’d be nice to pilot this in Austin with his help.
I don’t think Lex and AVI are saying contradictory things. DirtyJobsGuy’s history example is a good way to lead into the socio-economic features of the area, which are downstream from the “politics.”
Talk about practical things like school choice, easy business licensing, low taxes, low crime and social disruption. Things people see every day that aren’t political theory. That will likely spur the inward reflection on “there is all this good here, and without the mess we left behind.”
there are some really great suggestions here. I am a writer (copywriter & feature articles) and I would either write or help write or help edit or research. Can send samples.
I see this as more directed project. One of the first comments says “think about why you left, and what attracted you here.” Well, I would take the next step once these things accumulate (or anticipate responses) and lay it out as to what is the cause of those differences.
For example – lower housing prices / larger homes for the money
This can be attributable to fewer zoning restrictions, looser building codes and compliance costs, more open labor market, less restrictive environmental rules against highways and infrastructure projects, etc. (just off the top of my head to show my point. Not necessarily accurate.)
This can be followed up with more detail including studies, etc.
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Also, a hazard map and seasonal / cultural stuff
Churches.
long standing connection needs to be respected
Respected because “respect” – or because the people who have lived in a place the longest have valuable local knowledge which newcomers lack? If it’s the latter, the commenter’s assertion makes sense.
“I think one thing which needs to be pointed out is that the residents have a significant history there and the newcomers do not. That does not mean that the newcomers are not welcome, but they need to realize that many of their neighbors may come families with that have been in the area for generations and that that long standing connection needs to be respected.”
I have known urban liberals who bought homes (or second homes) in rural/semi-rural areas because they wanted to have very large gardens or they enjoyed forms of recreation that required that sort of land. They usually did not respect the people who already lived there, despising their opinions, tastes, customs, and hobbies/sports. Not a good basis for building social cohesion.
This is a fun game: https://ncase.me/polygons/
Its about affinity and why people move. Right up this alley. ;)
” … urban liberals who bought homes (or second homes) in rural/semi-rural areas because they wanted to have very large gardens [but] did not respect the people who already lived there, despising their opinions, tastes, customs, and hobbies/sports. ”
That right there is the difference between refugees and colonists.
A “how things work” booklet would be good. For instance in Texas, newcomers lured in by the “no income tax” story may be shocked and appalled at the “high property tax” reality. It’s probably necessary to explain that tax bills rise along with assessed inflationary property values, even if tax RATES are constant. It’s probably worth explaining that the majority of Texas property taxes go directly to the local public school district, not roads or police or city services. It’s, as they say, “a whole ‘nother country” compared to, say, New York.
Explanations about toll roads versus freeways; or public utilities versus municipal ones; or, when applicable, HOAs/POAs amenities compared to public parks… Anything locals take for granted while newcomers might find , uhm, worth changing.
Where is the updated mind-map draft being published?
As a potential [undecided] transplant, I’d like to offer a few notes.
1st. Establish who is your target audience. This will determine the tone and tenor of the whole project and “essays” you’re proposing.
Is it a migrant, who wants to benefit from your achievements, but brings his own radical-lefty politics, “educating the savages”? Then he is the enemy parasite. Addressing him with “welcome” would be stupid. Addressing him with “welcome” and then proceeding with message “respect our ways and rules” will be passive-aggressiveness, duplicity and not effective, at that – how are you going to enforce compliance with your rules? Cancel the freedom of expression? Hope not. Much more honest would be to say the opposite in the preface: “you are NOT welcome here”.
Is it a refugee, in direct sense – someone on the Right politically, who by definition is sharing your values, an American patriot adherent of American freedoms? He has made a difficult decision of uprooting his life because he is suffocating, surrounded by lefties in every aspect of his existence. He is an ally and a valuable addition to your community. Setting up “subtle” history lessons for these people, teaching them to “shop in local grocery stores”, pointing them to church selection “or else – we don’t like atheists here”, let along setting Private Investigator Services on them would be…unfriendly.
2. Concrete info will be very appreciated. Tax system, municipal structure, a quick outline of state/local building code if they are looking into building a house. Most importantly, sources of jobs – job boards, business registration, accompanying services (accountant, advertiser, R.E., &&&)
3. When describing local taxes or lack thereof, local prices on housing, etc – don’s forget to note the salaries and pay rates are lower, too. A move is rarely “all win” situation financially, it’s a give-n-take.
Rhapsody – The project is about giving away free stuff to those who are coming and steering them away from being ugly transplants. Even those who mean well and are politically compatible want to avoid missteps.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne – I don’t know how to handle that particular topic either.
Thomas – I’ve bookmarked the links as relevant
Judith – Thank you for sending me an email. For everyone else, welcomewagon@citizenintellgence.org is the address to use.
JCP – If you can figure out how to do that without offending a lot of people, I would love to hear it. So far I can’t figure out how to do that.
JBA – Included, thank you.
PenGun – Interesting game. I wonder if the writers glossed over what happens when you exceed 75%. The difference between a setting of 75% and 76% is big but probably doesn’t really help along the political case they’re trying to push.
Tatyana – Establishing a target audience is very important. How would you include your suggestions in a mind map like the one above? Let me know on the version 2 post (coming soon).
Honestly, this is the kind of stuff that people busy themselves with when they see approching doom. Trying to convince their new masters not to treat them too badly. If we simply removed a whole lot of non-whites from the country, it would immediately flip back to 350 EVs as the new norm for republicans. But people resigned to losing are incapable of taking the action required to win. No nation can survive the replacement of its people, yet that’s what this time wasting idea presupposes.
Mr Black – This is an instantiation of a larger project. The domain name on the email welcomewagon@citizenintelligence.org should tell you that it’s not something standing on its own. Citizen Intelligence is about establishing resources for citizens to be effectively engaged in what they think is important.
You are more than welcome to drop me a line to discuss some other instantiation that you think would be something better in your opinion. I’m not exactly clear how an African socialist is worse than a European socialist as a foreign population import but that is definitely not on topic for this article.