Manns Medium

Listening to my local news and wondering, out loud, how someone who has millions of dollars to spend could find themselves millions of dollars in the hole just really did not make sense to me.  Especially since the money that they were spending did not totally belong to them.  I had a hard time understanding how someone trusted to represent those who elected them, could ignore their pleas and cries while pretending to hear them at the same time.  After several days of this and many rhetorical questions later, my wife made one solid suggestion.  She suggested that I either stop complaining or run for office and fix the things I saw was wrong.  As I looked into her eyes, saw that she was serious and felt the faith that she had in me to not only care about the suffering but my ability to figure out a way to stop it, I became convinced that she was right.  It didn’t take much longer for me to begin to conceive of ideas and ways to fix these issues as well as j...

It is not often that a single choice can allow a city to effect history.  It is not often that a city can fundamentally change the way all cities are funded.  It is not often that a simple slight change of course could not only alter the way government works but prove an old adage true.  That a rising tide raises all boats and Rockford, IL has an opportunity to make history and forever be remembered as the city that changes the course of human events. It should not come as any surprise to those who are truly paying attention, the  old way of funding government has ran its course.  It was first thought that an idea of funding from the top down was ideal but that soon failed because of the logistics and the true lack of willingness by those at the top.  Some refer to this method as “trickle-down” economics and even though there are still those who think that if we keep trying it, it will work.  There are many that know better. The other option w...

So many today wonders why this world is going to hell in a hand basket and is often perplexed as to how we can restore it but as evil will have it the solutions that they come up with never works and so frustration sets in and all hope is soon lost.  Well maybe we can help you restore that hope and regain your sense of balance which allows you to now restore the balance to the nation. Nothing makes fewer senses than trying the same things over and over again the exact same way expecting a different outcome but it is something that evil tricks us into believing will work this time and we continue to play it the very same way.  Eventually, someone will have to wake up and smell the coffee brewing but until that happens we shall continue to be evil’s little poodle and keep chasing our tails.  Nothing makes this more clearer for me than an article by Moreh B.D.K. for Counter Current News titled “ British Police Call On Nation To ‘Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife’ As ‘Kn...

Maybe it’s just me but has anyone else noticed that some cities’ seem larger and more difficult to than the federal government’s?  Has anyone else ever wondered why some cities spend so much money with nothing to show for it that actually betters that city or its citizens as a whole?  Maybe it’s me but before we attempt to advise another city or municipality about what they should be doing, shouldn’t we clean up our city first?  I mean that throwing stones and living in glass houses sort of thing. The reason I bring this up is this morning, I unrolled a copy of the Rockford Register Star, our local paper and saw a headline that says Rockford to go ahead on geopolicing.  The article was about finally placing police departments in three different areas of the city instead on one general location.  It spoke about hiring a consulting firm to come in and show them how it will look, buying up homes and buildings and then halting everything because the money was t...

For many of those still searching to hear the word of God, closely pay attention to the voice of a child.  A child that has not yet been tainted by the disease of evil, a child that speaks softly and has more wisdom than most adults who may have existed far too long in this hell-hole of our own creation. I speak about the recent tragedies of children dying like the article titled “ Desperate search for missing two-year-old Noah Chamberlin ends in tragedy as boy's body is found a week after vanishing while on a hike with his grandmother”   found in the Daily Mail or this article titled “ 5-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in Beloit found on WIFR dot com.  Remember back when your child begged you not to fight.  Did you listen or did you allow evil to possess you and wanted to make sure you taught whomever a lesson about messing with you?  Do you constantly tell your children not to take anything from anyone and the true measure of a little boy being a man is when h...

From the Associated Press comes a news story that hits very close to home but sounds so familiar as to make many think that this is the very same story that they have heard before.  The situation may sound the same but it totally about a different child and a different set of parents who must now bury that child all because they thought that their child would never do something that would cause her death in such a grotesque manner as this. The title is “ McHenry County girl dies in Arizona after being shot” and it reports; “ Police say a teenage girl reported missing in Illinois has died in Arizona after being shot.  Phoenix police say 16-year-old Faith Kies of McHenry County, Illinois, died at a hospital Saturday after being shot Friday night.  Police found her wounded inside a home where a man described by police as her boyfriend was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was identified by police as 24-year-old Alexander O'Neill. The shootings oc...

I am sure you have heard the saying, be careful for you wish for.  Well the voters of Illinois are probably regretting their strong support and vote for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner now.  Since taking office, many of the planned projects designed to better equip Rockford to join the 21 st Century have been put on hold as well as programs designed to help those struggling families of the Stateline being cut under the guise of balancing Illinois budget. Never mind that over 3 million dollars, which could have been used to fund many of the programs Rauner is, has or thinking about cutting was used to upgrade the governor’s mansion.  Supporters say that was because that money was slated for that cause so my question becomes hy then is he justified with taking the money slated for those services and using them for other purposes? Classic example is an article found on WREX.com from the Associated Press titled “Democrats to hold hearing on Rauner education czar's sa...

I remember when I was in school, how great my teachers made this nation of America sound and how proud I was to sing those songs like America the Beautiful which lead me to gladly donning that military uniform.  That was then and this is now, my pride still is as strong as it ever was but my fear is now America the Beautiful is now America the Hypocrite.  Thanks to so many who seem to have forgotten what those before us endured to gift us this awesome land of ours and began to look only at themselves when it came to getting as much and amassing as much material things as they can.  They only consider others when it is convenient for them or others are blocking their way up the ladder.  They only consider others when there is something that they need done but are too lazy or ignorant to do it themselves. Classic example, in my State of Illinois, it was reported that the funds for the mentally ill was broke and that services for them would have to be cut in order ...

There was a time, in America, when your best calling card was simply a business card and your reputation was built upon being firm yet fair and treating people as you wished to be treated.  That time seems to have passed us by and now it appears that how you build a reputation is to do and say the most outlandish things that you can.  I remember watching the old western and wondering who the good guy was because that’s what people always wished to be the good guy but today it seems like no one wishes to be the good guy anymore and wear the white hat.  They want to be the bad guy and the big dog on the block which pits immature males in a battle that no one will win.  This disease has now affected our police departments, with the recent unarmed shootings, and our justice system with these current and recent miscarriages of justices that is rampant as we speak.  Case and point is a local article from one of our local channels WREX which reports that “a trial begi...

One must wonder about several things that has grown out of the article from Crown Point, Indiana regarding Darren Deon Vann “a suspect in the killings of seven women in Indiana.  The first was the lack of reporting those missing, if true, after what many states declare as “waiting time”, the second would be as the desire or lack of desire that law enforcement put forth because of the occupation that many of the women had and finally the withholding of that information from civilian authorities if Vann attempted these acts while serving in the Marines.  Was this not placed in a priority position because of their occupation and or because it did not get reported.  Neither of these questions may ever be known but they are worth exploring. It was reported that “Vann, 43, so far has been charged with strangling a 19-year-old woman in a Hammond motel Friday night and officials say murder charges in the deaths of three of six other women found in vacant buildings in Gary ar...

A recent article in our local news about Rockford, IL reports that “Twenty-six Rockford businesses that operate with a liquor license received varying penalties for selling alcohol to minors.  The Illinois Liquor Control Commission Tuesday released the results of a hearing held Sept. 17 at the E.J. Zeke Giorgi Center.”  In this article is speaks of where these businesses were and the fines or penalties imposed whether pending or not.  After reading it, I was glad to hear that there were some enforcement but then another thought occurred to me. The main but missing ingredient to this was parental involvement. Now it should be made clear that you, as a parent, will never be able to protect your children but you can and always should educate them.  Education can come is several different ways, it is not necessarily and only schooling.  Education can come in the form of relaying your wishes of your children never drinking or what to do if they find themselves arou...

I was blown away about a story written by Mike Miller for ijreveiw.com titled “News Anchor Makes Startling On-Air Announcement: He Only Has 4-6 Months To Live,” not because of any of the most thought of reasons like he was brave enough to share it with the audience or he may be seeking sympathy or increasing viewership.  I was blown away because it was only today that I was speaking to my own audience about the miracles average people perform every day. In the article Mr. Miller reports that “Champaign, IL, news anchor Dave Benton, 51, told viewers during a broadcast on Thursday that he has an inoperable brain tumor – and that doctors tell him he only has 4-6 months to live. The born-again Christian said he believes he is in God’s hands: “I am at peace and I know he’s going to take care of the days ahead and that the goal here is to have the best ones possible.” I was blown away because of what the article said toward the end “Stories like this one serve to remind...

Contrary to what some would have people believe, the economy has returned and jobs are popping up all over America.  The issue is people are still feeling less than confident because the unemployment numbers are still high but if one was to take a few minutes and compare the unemployment rate now to what is was before the crash of the economy, they may find themselves surprised by the numbers. Take for example, the job that is being done in Rockford, Illinois by those in the government.  Some time ago, we spoke about how FedEx was about to begin construction for its new facility in this area, then we talked about the construction of two new stores (Aldi’s and Sav-A-Lot) which will soon also start construction here.  Now our local TV station WREX is reporting that “Global aircraft service leader AAR Corporation is opening a new maintenance and repair hangar in Rockford that will create up to 500 new jobs over five years. AAR chose Rockford based on its location, cost ...

ROCKFORD- A local TV Station recently reported that “a regional grocery chain will no longer ask people applying for a job if they have a criminal past.  Jewel-Osco applications won’t have a box to check asking if you have been convicted of a felony”.  It further reported that “According to Jewel-Osco that stopping the cycle of homelessness, joblessness “is one of the reasons a criminal background won’t stop them from interviewing candidates but they will still perform background checks as the final step to employment”. Now this is what I call leadership.  They are not talking about hiring the individual but giving him/her an interview and while that may not seem like much to many, it is a far cry from not even being considered at all.  Mistakes in your past should not limit you to  achieving  goals in the future.  If the future is closed off to you once you make a mistake, what other avenue do you have.  Many people like to jump on that soap...

Rockford’s rich black history began in 1834 when a young 22 year old slave by the name of Lewis Lemon, made the journey from what is now Galena Illinois to what is now Rockford Illinois via the Rock River with his then master Germanicus Kent and a fellow explorer, later turned school teacher/farmer Thatcher Blake. It is also known that approximately 4 plus years later, Lewis Lemon was able to purchases his freedom from Germanicus Kent but that is about as far as it goes.  Very little else is really known about Rockford’s first black founder except the little that can be found about him in some of the old journals and books carefully secured in certain places and of course the fact that he was buried in what is now referred to as Greenwood Cemetery with an inscription on his gravestone that reads “Born slave–Died Free”. Now there are none left to help us discover more about the beginning of this city’s black history regarding this man. Other point of interest that encompasses o...

ROCKFORD, IL To the residents of the west-side of Rockford, nothing was missed more than an elegant restaurant where the atmosphere was welcoming and the food was out of this world.  Well now west-side residents have to worry no more.  Welcome Granny’s Home Cooking Restaurant.  It is located at 3605 Auburn Street and can be reached by phone by calling 815-962-1200.  Their hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 5am – 8pm and Sundays 5am – 3pm.  Trust me when I tell you that the food taste farm fresh for every meal.  There is no such time as wait time between ordering and receiving your meals and the prices will amaze and delight you.  Imagine feeding a family of 4 a full meal including desserts for less than $30.00 in this economy.  The staff is engaged and very enjoyable not to mention treats you with a style of family that only few has ever experienced. I have been there several times and each time I tried a different dish to see if ...

I used to think that it was common knowledge and quite easy to tell if the person in front of you blowing smoke was really blowing smoke or really did mean what they said.  I am becoming even more skeptical now but not toward those politicians who know exactly what to say to get you to vote for them but toward the public whose intelligence about these matters seemed to be more and more diluted. This is why now, I would like to take this time to try and help some of you re-adjust your vision and see past that façade that is placed in front of us to blind us from the real intentions of those who will promise you much and deliver very little.  It is mostly seen in politics but in today’s world, it’s becoming more and clearer in everyday living.  I present to you two major examples of which I speak. First let’s consider the article written by Josh Israel for Think Progress titled “Georgia Congressman Proposes That Poor Kids Sweep Schools for Their Lunch”.  In it...

Dear Rockford Health Physicians ROCKFORD, IL- After coming to you in hopes that you would be able to help me understand my physical pain and especially with my second trip which manifested itself into such a severe headache that I felt my head was going to explode.   It appeared that many there were much more concerned with whether I had any insurance than what was going on.   They asked the questions but never stood still long enough to receive the answers except for one.   Since you appeared to be just as complexes and stumped as I were as to the cause of my suffering, my insistence for an MRI was honored and to my relief there were no bleeding in the brain or busted vessels.   As with the first visit, you subscribed strong headache medication well outside of my affordability range and sent me on my way.   I left there not feeling satisfied but feeling more like some product on a conveyor belt.   It seemed that you were more concerned with getting us i...

Rockford, IL-Starting yesterday 3/29/2012, the Rockford School District Teacher voted to picket to bring attention to the need for a new contract with the Rockford School District.   There are many on both sides who can clearly explain why this walk-off may be necessary but none seem that convincing.   It did cause me to look deeper to try and understand just who may benefit.   I kept coming back to the kids.   Nothing, it appeared, was of benefit to those who should matter more than anything else.   While those teachers, who walked out, stroll the picket line, the kids are left to their own devices or the hasty implementations of working parents plan for them being home instead of in school.   It also occurred to me that the School District really do not appear to have a valid interest in doing all that they can to keep the teachers in the classroom because they are not risking anything at all. Think about the funds that school districts rece...