(Gun Violence + Young People + Unemployment) x Little Hope = Local Newspaper Obituaries

Rockford has a horrible history of young people being dead at a very, very young age.

(Gun Violence + Young People + Unemployment) x Little Hope = Local Newspaper Obituaries.

As a sophomore in high school in 1976 I started coaching youth baseball during the summer. I went on to coach little kids in baseball for 12 years almost every summer and love each and every ball, strike and out. As a young adult I worked for a local community center in shall I say a “marginal” area of town where gang violence was sadly and tragically abundant.

I became creative and dedicated to finding solutions to the gun, gang and young people doing the wrong things at the wrong times and ending up dead. With the assistance of a local YMCA we created a “Late Night or Midnight Basketball League” targeted for “at risk” young people. The program started at 10:00 p.m. and the basketball games ended at approximately 2:30 a.m.

Proudly for the last nearly 14 years I have been teaching high school business, computers, newspaper, yearbook, accounting to a population that is represented by 85% free/reduced lunches, 7th highest city crime statistics, and 3rd most miserable city to live. Sadly, I have developed a diverse, complicated first hand knowledge of the difficulties faced in difficult times in difficult at best surroundings.

1. Was the program a success? YES
2. Did it reduce gun violence during its offering? YES
3. Did fewer young people end up Dead? YES
4. Was it a long-term program that could make a long-term impact? NO

What this program did show was that given a large, complicated problem of gang/young people having nothing to do in the evening with way to much energy solutions could be discovered.

1. Is there an easy answer to gun violence, gangs, underemployment, unemployment, companies with manufacturing operations in third world countries? NO
2. Is a solution to these impossible? NO
3. Is the solution difficult, complicated, and creative? YES
4. Do I have those answers? YES

patrickfox016@gmail.com

We Can and Should Do Better… All Americans deserve the effort….

Tears of gun violence have become a familiar refrain throughout the United States of America

We Can and Should Do Better… All Americans deserve the effort….

The time has arrived when Americans must realize that we face a new norm economically and employment growth stagnation. We (Americans) have gotten lazy. With the exception of the nearly constant media circus related to cell phones and other electronic devices. Sadly, most if not all the production of those technologies are manufactured in China, Taiwan, Japan or other Asian countries.

Americans have spoken for a second time and chosen the best man for the job of saving Americas bacon for the next 4 years as it relates to job growth and business creation that without fail tends to drive the “mood” or “happiness” feelings of Americans around the globe.

There have been tragic moments of violence in many unsuspecting locations throughout the United States. As a reflex action and in my opinion the least complicated action to be taken gun control was made a priority by our elected few. The time has arrived when “we” Americans must once again get the creative juices flowing yet again and discover a solution not to gun control entirely, but more specifically the reason that violent people need or have the opinion that they need to use a gun to get their issues into the mainstream press.

The United States of America became the incredible country it is now due to forward thinking problem and challenge solvers that were able to take adversity and create viable and inspirational industries that exist today and employee thousands of Americans. I am not blowing smoke, but rather envisioning the United States of America taking another step forward to prosperity for all whom are willing to put in the effort to live dignified existence.

Solutions can be thought of from a wide variety of people. Often times those that are closest to the problem are often blinded by the bright light that often glows from the complicated problems and issues. The solutions have not been easily discovered and formulated. The challenge that remains are for those that can and currently do control the minds and agenda of out nation take the time to contact me to in fact discover the future of our country the Great United States of America.

There is a solution to gun violence, underemployment, unemployment, teen deaths, gang violence, gang growth, mass shootings, gun control, hold ups, school violence, low graduation rates, and other difficulties that inhibit the happiness of Americans. Send an email to: patrickfox016@gmail.com to become a part of the solution rather than a member of the bucket brigade attempting to put out the gun violence by limiting the use of an innate object rather that the spark of that ignites the violence.

Background checks for gun buyers are a good idea…. but…

Background checks for gun buyers are a good idea…. but…

Attention President B. Obama:

I think the idea of mandatory background checks is a good idea regardless of any gun violence that has taken place the last 100 years. Sadly, however that will NOT stop the bad guys from getting the guns and doing bad things to good people. I would love to presume that requiring background checks for guns would eliminate the rampant problems of gun violence, but that will not happen. I own a hand gun and I am proud to say I do. I do not feel any gun owner should be upset about a mandatory background check for any intelligent reason. I think any person raising a stink about a background check needs to get a life and get over their insecurities.

I hope and pray that at some point we (Americans) will sit down and begin to question not the thought of gun control, but rather what motivates the bad guys to pick up the innate object refered to as a gun and use it for violent means. At what point do we stop holding press conferences touting the fire fighting fixes of gun control to reduce gun violence versus the cause of gun violence and how it can and would be reduced?

I have heard it said about the United States of America many of times that we are the greatest country on earth. I happen to believe that in fact we are the one country everyone else look up to. Regardless of our stature, I am 100% confident that in fact “WE CAN TO BETTER”.