Manns Medium

There are many residents who would love to see their city grow and become a more productive and rewarding place to live.  Some used to even advertise how great their city or state was on their license plates but this seems not to be the case anymore whether it is a lack of vision by those in leadership or the unwillingness to try something new since change seems to frighten so many.  Now it should be as plain as the nose on our faces that with each passing day, things change and if we are to ever stay atop what is happening around us at any given time, we too must be willing to change.  We are all quite aware that doing the same thing the exact same way expecting change is the real true definition of insanity and if we are willing to accept that premises then why are we surprised what is accepted as normal these days? Back in the day, homeownership was proof of valid income, a six hundred credit score and a willingness to clean up anything that made loan approval boa...

America’s focus in upon the Ebola disease and the damages it could do to this nation but there is a more damming and destructive force which has been running rampant in our communities for years and is only getting worse.  It is the “illusions of grander” disease and it has now become an epidemic.  This disease seems to effect those with a little bit of authority and holds a prominent position within our communities.  It’s a disease that medicine will not fix and can only to erased if given the proper attention from the public. If you are looking for an example, look no further than this article written by Zach Noble for the Blaze titled “ Small Town Deploys ‘Military-Style Maneuvers’ to Collect 75-Year-Old Man’s Debt. ” The article reports that “the tiny town of Stettin, Wisconsin, is home to fewer than 3,000 residents, and one of those residents, 75-year-old Roger Hoeppner, has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the town over how he uses his land, the Milw...

Well here we go again America, just when we started to see some excellent signs of recovery, a group of some of the dumbest smart people in the world takes the wheel and aims us right back toward that economic cliff that we was once dangling from only a few short years ago. According to an article from the Associated Press “new U.S. rules aimed at getting banks to take on more of the risk when they package and sell mortgage securities are being relaxed with an eye to spurring broader home lending.  Federal regulators have dropped a key requirement: a 20 percent down payment from the borrower if a bank didn't hold at least 5 percent of the mortgage securities tied to those loans on its books.  The long-delayed final rules unveiled Tuesday by six federal agencies include the less stringent condition that borrowers not carry excessive debt relative to their income.  The rules, proposed in stricter form in 2011, were mandated by the overhaul law enacted in the wake of th...

If you have ever tried to rent a home or apartment, you know that the most important and often repeated phrase by any landlord is “have to check your credit”.  While this may provide landlords a moment of control and sanity, it violates the rights of potential tenants and lends them to be pre-judged based upon a piece of paper which may or may not be correct.  Lord knows how often you find mistakes on your credit report and the gamut of games you have to play to get it cleared.  This always happens after the fact, however, and the opportunity to relocate, secure and settle your family is lost.  Now the character of that potential renter is damaged, the degree of depression it casts upon that renter is palatable and an inquiry is added which will decrease that all important number which all things are based upon called a score.  But the most damaging thing out of all those is that this act of insanity continues because landlords, far and wide, have been allo...

And hits just keep coming for Mitt Romney and the Romney Team who seems to have bet on the economy getting so bad that the American voters have no choice but to vote Barack Obama out and him in.   Personally I can’t say that I am sorry that the economy is making a slow but steady comeback despite the major lending institutions sitting on trillions of dollars instead of putting country first.   Despite those in Washington so determined to undermine this administration at all cost even if it means sinking the entire nation to do so.   Despite those who just can’t stand seeing a Black man in the White House unless his title is janitor.   Despite those whose hatred of this man has clouded their better judgment and made them so determined to chase him away from Pennsylvania Avenue that they are willing to accept any kind of lie to make them feel better.   For those of us who truly pay attention, we know that the lagging indicator of any policy and this economy i...

When peeling back the layers of an onion, you have got to be very careful for fear that the adage is proven true that it will make you cry.   After doing a little bit more research on Donald John Trump, I began to get the same feeling about him.   Which one do we believe in or which one can we trust.   No one will be able to honestly begrudge the man his enormous success in business but to pledge my loyalty behind him present a different dilemma.   If he is as great as he makes himself sound and can do as well as he would have us all believe, then why are there still major questions about that which he feels most passionate about, Donald Trump? The first layer that needs to be addressed is the certainty of really which party he belongs to or what philosophy he will ascribe.   “Was   Donald Trump   toying with the idea of a presidential run as far back as 2009?   That's when   New York City Board of Elections   filings show The Donald sw...

The article by Derek Kravitz of the Associated Press Real Estate Writer titled Gov't orders 14 lenders to reimburse homeowners should have been something celebrated by all who read it except maybe those who took advantage of this economic disaster and homeowners.   It brought a smile to my face and I finally felt relieved that the government had finally stepped up and done something but as with all other things, there are always those who can not see the forest for the trees. The article sited these lenders and servicers by reporting that “the federal government on Wednesday ordered 16 of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders and servicers to reimburse homeowners who were improperly foreclosed upon.   Government regulators also directed the financial firms to hire auditors to determine how many homeowners could have avoided foreclosure in 2009 and 2010.   Citibank, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, the nation's four largest banks, were among the financial...

In the first two years of his presidency, it appeared sometimes that Obama was the only one working.   Whenever there was something that needed to happen, everyone looked to him to step up to the podium and open his mouth.   I think that this is about to change because now it appears that those selected to help him is now stepping forward.   In an article by Associated Press writer Alan Fram titled Key House Republican praises Obama housing plan , Treasurer Secretary Timothy Geithner is reported to have addressed Congress with a plan to begin reducing taxpayer’s risk in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.   It reported that “the Obama administration's plan to gradually dissolve ailing housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and to shrink the government's role in the mortgage market.”     "Our hope is Congress will work with us to find a consensus for a long-term solution," Geithner told the lawmakers.   "You don't want to run a system where the taxpayer is...