Manns Medium

Can anyone remember how some politicians made it a point to bad-mouth China about how they manipulate their currency and the news media going crazy with stories about how China is taking over this country?  How about those who do not have to try very hard to find a microphone, whining about how slow this economy is growing or those who screamed about how Corporate America is hiding money overseas and sending our jobs over there as well?  Well it appears that Wall Street is not the only ones guilty of selling out this country for tax breaks, oil revenues or other personal considerations according to this article titled “ Mayor, Gorman head to China to raise $25M for Rockford hotel ” by Brian Leaf for the Rockford Register Star, our own mayor is using money from the city to travel to China to sell them a piece of Rockford. The article reports that “ Gary Gorman and Larry Morrissey are Shanghai-bound Wednesday to raise $25 million for Gorman & Company's $67 million plan ...

This may not be what you true patriots wish to hear but it does not mean someone does not need to bring it to your attention.  We see those who so support the flying of the Confederate Flag crying real tears about what they think is an ending to their heritage.  It is not but some would want nothing more than for those who truly believe in that banner to fall for this ploy and be willing to pick up arms and die again for its colors.  Too bad, things that really end only end in our hearts.  If you are truly a lover of the Confederate Flag then you should know that no matter where it flies, on Capitol Grounds, in a museum, in your front yard or attached to your vehicle, the love for that glorious banner will only die if you strike its true meaning from your heart otherwise, it shall live on as long as there are those willing to see it live forever. For those who stand against it and call it a symbol of slavery, racism and bigotry, you are also correct but let us s...

I have always wonder how a “no nonsense” guy like Eric Holder would step down at the Justice Department especially since he does not have a history of ever running away from a fight and recent run-ins with the Republican Senate and House members would certainly constitute a fight.  Today, I think we may just have our answer. We all know that Democrats as well as Republicans enjoy big money donated by big business in order to win in any election, or that is the perception anyway.  Now having taken their money, they feel obligated to try and return the favor in any way possible while in office so holding them accountable, responsible or their feet to the fire is certainly a lost art and one most avoided by our elected officials.  This is also true of the Obama Administration just like all others before them and that shall follow.  Not many have ever been able to navigate this dark and tricky path but I think the Obama Administration may have just found a way. ...

Consider the possibilities that the world’s number one retail store would suddenly have to close stores and those who can see nothing more than a conspiracy saying it is because of the livable wage debate currently raging all over the place?  Could they be right?  According to an article titled “ Wal-Mart suddenly closed 5 stores and laid off thousands of workers and no one knows why ” written for Reuters by Hayley Peterson that may be the ultimate question. The article states that “Wal-Mart suddenly closed five stores in four states on Monday for alleged plumbing problems.  The closures could last up to six months and affect roughly 2,200 workers in Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Florida, CNN Money reports.  Wal-Mart employees say they were completely blindsided by the news, having been notified only a couple hours before the stores closed at 7 p.m. Monday.  All workers will receive paid leave for two months. After that, full-time workers could become el...

For those of you who may not know and ask the question who is Gordon Gekko?  Gordon Gekko was a character made famous by Michael Douglas in an Oliver Stone film called “Wall Street” in 1987 but what made Gordon Gekko more famous was his saying which many have embraced and swear by today.  The character said that greed was good and since then many have been trying to prove this statement.  Most dictionaries define greed as “an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth” and in that regards many say this is what makes it bad and not a good thing.  They say greed makes one selfish and insensitive to the needs of others because they are so consumed with their needs only.  They say that greed leads many to risk their very soul to obtain that high again and again never getting enough of living by a means envied by others.  I must say I agree with many of these takes and know deep within...

Say hello to the newest members of the Islamic State’s desire for a caliphate.  Where is this new caliphate, you ask, well its taking root in your state and local governments as we speak.  What do I mean and where is my proof, well let’s start this off from the beginning, now pay very close attention because there are some serious twists and turns in this journey that if you drift off, you will be lost. It all begins within that beloved book that many of us lay false claim to, we know it as the Bible.  In the beginning, there were those who were seen as privileged and above reproach, these individuals were allowed to make all of the rules and regulations that those they viewed less than them would be forced to follow.  Their intent was never to have those of privilege subjected to the rules that they imposed and they never lost sight of that goal.  There were only a select few who was even able to stand up in front of others and preach the word of God....

It’s funny how so many people have so different reasoning why certain things are happening or have not happened.  I am such a person but instead of using words or ideas expressed to me by others, I use my own personal experience and whether it is not the exact same thing that happens to others, it does give me reason to conjecture and surmise what may later prove to be factual.  Listen to politicians and you will hear that the reason the housing market has not recovered as it should have by now would be because of President Obama, this I now know is a lie.  You will hear Wall Street express to those they carry around in their pockets to convince the public it is because of the Dodd-Frank legislation, this I also know now to be a lie.  The reason that housing has not recovered as it should have is simply the very same reason the economy collapsed in the past, greed, avoidance and selfishness.  Look at AIG, the biggest cause of the economic collapse now pushing r...

Some people are still wondering just what this election is all about.  Many do not see the advantages that they have because for some reason the nation as a whole recovering does not appeal to them as much as how they are recovering.  For some it’s like a slap in the face that when this economy was going over the edge, we all felt it in our hearts and we all reached out to do our part to keep it from going completely over.  Now that it is doing better and even better than those who knew even thought it would, America is still broiled in this confusion of wrong direction or right direction.  People please remember we are not supposed to nor are we designed to agree with every decision made by those we hired to govern but to not embrace the wins as much as we choose to acknowledge the loses is ludicrous.  This mid-term is much more important than many wish us to see.  It is the difference between where we were and where we are.  It is the difference...

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...

The true definition of leadership, selfishness, bravery and courage has been demonstrated by many people but is mostly seen in war movies were the one lone hero is shown jumping on a grenade to save his fellow service members.  I guess that is one act we will not see coming from this congress. No, they much wish to avoid doing the job that they campaigned so hard to secure, the one that they are being paid so much to do.  The one that they claimed they would be better at than the other person.  Congress has and is continuing to derelict their duties but no one seems to mind.  The general public seems to be under the spell and proving an idea that many African-Americans have been saying ever since I can remember.   Growing up, I used to hear “blame it on the black man” so often that I just got used to hearing it.  As I grew older, I finally was able to realize what it meant and fought hard to help as many blacks as I could erase that excuse from thei...

Vice President Joe Biden is credited with bringing this topic to the level it is currently but I think what really flipped the lid was when Education Secretary Duncan spoke.   Two of his top officials and those closest to him have spoke their minds about what they believe and to them I say “good for you” but now all focus is on President Obama and what he will say about his evolution.   Some experts are saying that he needs to step up and define better his actions with his rhetoric.   Some experts are saying stay quiet because you may just motivate the other side enough to lose the 2012 election to Mitt Romney.   Both have good points but what I think is being missed is how the Tea/Republican Party are poised to jump on him as soon as he begin speaking.   They are probably putting their talking points together right now. What really bothers me and should be a caution to so many others is the greed displayed by those on the support of gay marriage.   It ...

After hearing so much about the need for a new tax system and a few unconventional plans like the “999” plan   or the choice of a flat 20% and staying with the current system, I decided that I would give it a shot.     With the reduction in the brackets, standard deductions, estate taxes and the elimination of the alternative minimum tax, I think this plan has something for everyone.   Information from Government Spending in the United States retrieved from www.usgovernmentspending.com , says that the normal federal expenditures is 6 trillion dollars divided as 18% for Healthcare, 15% for Education, 12% for Welfare, 16% for Pensions, 15% for Defense and 24% Discretionary/Remainder.   I have taken this 6 trillion dollar number to use in my calculations and attempting to reach this number in my tax reform plan.   It was also important to take a look at what is reported to be the current breakdown regarding revenue.   This information was retrieved...

Attention America, we can no longer depend on Washington to make right the wrong that has been done to the 99%’s which is why I make the following offers. Seeking investors of two thousand ($2,000) U.S. Dollars to purchase shares of DARROCLEAN TOOTHPASTE and MOUTHWASH.   DarroClean offers benefits that goes far and beyond that of any other toothpaste and mouthwash on the market and will set the standard for those that follow after.   It is non-toxic eliminating the need for seeking immediate medical attention if swallowed.   Its ingredients are essential to the smooth running of the human body, has anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties and one of its main ingredients have been shown to decrease mortality rates. Seeking investors of twenty thousand ($20,000) U.S. Dollars to purchase shares of SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL ROD CONTAINERS (SPURS).   SPURS houses spent nuclear fuel rods in a gel which eliminates the possibility of radiation leakage and makes them safe for trav...

An article by Colleen Long of the Associated Press titled 700 arrested after protest on NY's Brooklyn Bridge , informs us that “Protesters speaking out against corporate greed and other grievances were maintaining a presence in Manhattan's Financial District Sunday even after more than 700 of them were arrested during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge in a tense confrontation with police.   The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza in Manhattan's Financial District for nearly two weeks staging various marches, and had orchestrated an impromptu trek to Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.” How does this compare to the “Arab Spring”?   In Egypt, protestors took to the street without violence to protest their leaders and demand justice.   Occupy Wall Street should be doing the same thing.   The difference is they are not looking to over-throw the government but they are demanding justice because we all know where this economic collapse originated from and...

One of the most recognizable factors which attributed to the recent economic failure was the gambling on Wall Street by those who were suppose to be of a higher standard morally than many.   This failure was more about speculation and the absence of regulation than anything else.   This trend seems to be occurring again with a little help from our news media. It was reported by one reporter that America should prepare itself for high gas prices because of the approaching Irene even though an article by Selam Gebrekidan and David Sheapard of Reuters titled Irene cuts power, oil operations along East Coast reports that even though many energy producers were cutting back the “Trade group National Petrochemical and Refiners Association said on Friday the region's oil terminals held 23 days of gasoline supply and 46 days supply of diesel and heating oil.”   While that may not sound like much too some, it is not cause for rising gas prices.   What it appears to be more ab...

Christopher S. Rugaber of the Associated Press penned this article titled Unemployment aid applications stuck at high level, in which he reports “the number of people seeking unemployment benefits hardly changed for a second straight week, stuck at a high level that points to a slowing job market.   Applications had fallen in February to 375,000, a level that signals sustainable job growth.”   The article goes further to explain that “the report suggests that employers have lost some confidence in the economic recovery, said Neil Dutta, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He pointed to higher gas prices, the Japan crises that have led to a parts shortage and the inability of Congress to agree on a plan to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling as the main reasons. He expects employers will likely add about 150,000 jobs per month for the next few months, a level that would barely reduce the unemployment rate.”   While I am no expert, I am acutely aware of wh...

One would think that as much as Wall Street loved money, they would never let anything pass them by where there was the slightest possibility where they could make a buck without risking a dime which surprises me about this revelation. We are all quite aware of what banks did with the Toxic Assets Recovery Program (TARP) money.   It was used to cover over their gaping holes in the financial reports, pay out bonuses, hide and stash away millions and purchase smaller banks to reinforce their bottom line.   It was implied that the reason for the TARP money was to keep the banks afloat, save the housing market and keep people employed.   While it was used to keep them afloat, it was not used to save homeownership nor keep employees off the unemployment rolls.   Imagine if the banking industry adopted a fresh way of doing business like allowing community banks to take care of their communities while the bigger ones concentrated on investing assisting internationally. ...