(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”.

How To Fix Detroit, Michigan and Rockford, Illinois…. They are broken

Rockford, Illinois once a fiancial star of prosperity in the upper midwest is now on the brink of being the Bedroom Community of the Midwest.

The once proud City of Detroit reflects where so many once Proud American Cities are destine unless “WE” wake up and smell the roses.

How To Fix Detroit, Michigan and Rockford, Illinois…. They are broken.

First of all, I must applaud Detroit, Michigan as they have acknowledged they are in need of repair. Rockford on the other hand continues to stick its head in the sand attempting to make jokes of other peoples opinions of just how horrible it is in Rockford, Illinois.

Much like Detroit, Michigan in its history Rockford, Illinois is a dead city that have had many people with the best of intentions try to save the city from is current “3rd Most Miserable City in the USA” award as judged by Fortune Magazine. However, along the way regardless of blame or unlucky outcomes both Detroit and Rockford share more in common than Rockford is willing to admit.

Some I am sure will say that I am a debbie downer or a buzz kill regarding Rockford, Illinois, but I have solutions for both dead cities that can and will make a difference before it is to late. It is time that both cities stop complaining about the high crime, low education levels, lack of jobs, lack of tax base, lack of hope and begin to disect the causes of each difficulty to have any solution.

The solutions are possible. Detroit has acknowelged a desire to find the answers to save their city. I can help.

patrickfox016@gmail.com

Why Gun Violence? Lets take one state and build a wall around it for those…

Why Gun Violence? Let’s take one state and build a wall around it for those…

It’s been said by some that guns are the reason for gun violence. I would propose the idea that people are responsible for gun violence. It is truly sad that some in our population lack the education, social graces, motivation, mental capacity, or just luck. Some say that these limitations or obstructions to success are self inflicted, thus the blame falls squarely on those that tend to shoot their self in their foot.

I would argue that unless we completely build a wall around an entire state and ship all those covered under the previous categories to live out their lives in chaos within the walls then we need a viable solution to correcting their status.

The time has arrived for innovation, creativity, genius, open-mindedness, and an understanding that until we respect, accept that their exist a major problem within our population gun violence and or violence in our communities, schools, theaters, work places, and homes will not subside but rather heighten in occurrence.

The plan I have created and desire its implementation will do the following:

1. Increase educational levels for undereducated
2. Increase working wage jobs
3. Increase home sales
4. Increase economic activity via taxes derived from employment
5. Decrease Drug Use
6. Decrease Gun Violence
7. Decrease Violence
8. Decrease Domestic Violence
9. Student discipline issues in schools
10. Decrease unemployment
11. Decrease veterans unemployment
12. Decrease baby boomer unemployment
13. Increase industrial tax base for local and state governments
14. Increase skill based education levels
15. Decrease home foreclosures
16. Decrease personal bankruptcies
17. Decrease teen and young adult deaths due to gun violence

Presidential Innovation Fellowship Nominee

I need everyones help. I have been contacted as a Nominee for the Presidential Innovation Fellowship I am very proud. There are several categories of the Presidential Innovation Fellowship Program.

I have a project that I have been working on for my entire adult life that will change the every major city in the United States of America. I will reduce gun violence, cut crime, help educate the uneducated or undereducated, employe our war heros’, create jobs, and do it with no impact to the national debt. I would like to impliment my program as part of the Development Innovation Ventures as participant in the Presidential Innovation Fellowship.

MyUSA | RFP-EZ | Cyber-Physical Systems | Open Data Initiatives
MyData | Innovation Toolkit | 21st Century Financial Systems | Development Innovation Ventures

Development Innovation Ventures
Enabling the US government to identify, test, and scale breakthrough solutions to the world’s toughest problems.

Great ideas and breakthrough solutions come from all kinds of different places, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has recently pioneered a competitive method for sourcing and scaling innovations to drive faster, more cost effective, and more reliable results. It uses staged financing to make small investments in promising approaches and technologies and larger investments when there is clear evidence that the method is producing significant results. It accepts proposals from startup or established businesses, social enterprises, academic institutions or non-profits, both domestically and internationally. Over 2000 proposals have been reviewed and over 40 investments made across the world in a wide range of sectors, with many more under negotiation.

Building on this innovative approach to government financing, there are opportunities to scale this effort to reach millions of people more quickly and ensure that the program structure is sustainable (through either profitability or host country adoption, not long-term donor support). Of particular interest would be supporting enterprises that are scaling through the private sector. In addition, there is a desire among domestic Federal Government agencies to optimize the use of taxpayer resources and further their missions by adapting this model of broad competitions and tiered funding for additional missions, to produce the most cost-effective, evidence-based, and scalable solutions.

Save Lives, Save Children, Make Living Wage Jobs, Create Self Dignity

Save Lives, Save Children, Make Living Wage Jobs, Create Self Dignity. I don’t really think my goals are that difficult to understand. What rule is it that states if one is not an elected official and/or not a President/CEO of a major multi-billion dollar company one can not create and/envision a significant/major solution to gun violence in the USA?

Dead is gaining… we need to slow it down.

It seems that every day when I log into my computer before classes start and my teacher responsibilities begin at Jefferson High School in Rockford, Illinois that CNN.Com highlights or news flashes yet another mass shooting. Early on often the reason or motive appears to be non-existent or missing all together. Sometimes however the media outlet does convey a motive that might include a thin but real motive similar to the magnitude of a property line disagreement, or perhaps a person seeking their 15 minutes of fame. The sad thing is that the list of dead has grown yet again and CNN.com is passing on the grim details for all to read or watch.

It is time that our elected officials focus on the cause or motivation of what exists in the persons mind to make the conscious decision to pick up the gun or knife and commit the deadly life ending crime. As a teacher at an inner city school I recently posed to my students the same question/thought.

It would be simple to propose all sorts of legislation to limit our Constitutional Rights, propose larger jails, employ more police, employ more judges, give money away to not for profits to fix the problem, and/or propose ill advised economic development projects using tax payer money in areas that are predisposed to high crime.

While these solutions make for great NEWS at 5:00 Political ribbon cuttings and the like… they are only a small band-aid on the cut or a cup of water on an already raging fire. The better solution is to determine what created the cut and what ignited the fire.

Living Wage Jobs, Less Gun Violence, Living with Dignity

Living Wage Jobs, Less Gun Violence, Living with Dignity are all charactistics that every American should be assured. Sadly, the class structure as it exists today nearly makes that impossible.

Americas’ financial implosion of 2008 rocked to the core of every Americans existance. Gone were the days when banks had any latitude for underwriting business loans or for that matter home loans.

While some may argue, I feel the vast majority of working age Americans are wanting and willing to work on a daily basis. As a teacher in a inner city high school I hear stories of parents not working because they are better off not working due to wage and hour availabilities. Less than 40 hours thus no insurance and minumum wage jobs thus not living wage jobs. Why bother working if no insurance, not enough pay and no future?

Currently, there are 100’s of American companies manufacturing their products in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and other non Norht American contries. In those foreign countries is in excess of $5,000,000,000.

Granted these countries only play their employees only $3.00 to $4.00 per day, but one must also place a financial cost factor on the time of shipments to that country, ocean transportation costs, bad PR related to their manufacturing on foreign soil.

It is time that we reward companies for returning jobs to America. It is time we reward our unemployed for getting a job. It is time we make it possible for the undereducated to receive their education. It is time that we provide a dignified future for those destine to commit crimes. All this can be accomplished within the framework of the Free Enterprise System.

Unemployed, Underemployed, Undereducated, Un-Family support team, Un-Loving family

For my entire life I have cared about everyone not just the hip or popular but also those that perhaps are not conventional that may flunk the test of Perception is 98% of Reality.

There are those of us that are fall under one if not many of the catelgories of Unemployed, Underemployed, Undereducated, Un-Family support team, Un-Loving family that none the less seek a dignified day to day existance.

I am a strong believer in the Free Enterprise System and not a big advocate of entitlement. What I am trying to do with my blog is to get the attention of the our elected officials to convey that as an innovator, problem solver and entreprenuer that I have devised a plan not to limit 2nd amendment rights we all have but rather instead to limit the needs for the bad guys to have a reason to pick up the innate gun and use it for the wrong reason.