Illinois Review

Sandy Hook parents testify to ban sale of magazines over 10 rounds

SPRINGFIELD - Parents of Sandy Hook, Connecticut children that were killed during an attack by a lone gunsman with high capacity magazines testified in the Illinois Senate Monday for a state ban on the sale of magazines over 10 rounds. 

"People often say there are no words," Nicole Hockley, mother of one of the slain children, said in Senate Executive Committee, said. "But taking action says more. Taking action to prevent your own Sandy Hook 

The person who killed my son carried ten thirty rounds high capacity magazines into Sandy Hook Elementary School - 300 rounds," Hockley told the committee. "In approximately four minutes he shot 154 bullets and killed 26 women and children. In an instant, my precious boy was gone." 

But in the time it took for him to reload between magazine, 11 children escaped from the massacre. 

"If the shooters' magazines had held 10 rounds, instead of 30, forcing him to reload many more times, what additional opportunities could someone have had to disarm him or more children to escape?" she asked.

The legislation banning the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds would cause Illinois to lose 8500 jobs, Jay Keller, representing Illinois' gun makers, said.  

"I don't believe this bill is going to pass constitutional muster," National Rifle Association's Todd VanderMyde told the committee. The gun rights groups have challenged gun control laws in court, and have been awarded nearly $2 million for legal fees over the years.

The Sandy Hook parents held a press conference after the Senate Executive Committee hearing.

Re-Run: High Capacity Magazine PSA (video)

First run on May 6, we had this video requested to be re-run -

Below is the first of several Public Service Announcements MB Studio Productions is producing to demonstrate who gun laws really affect and why they don't work.

MB Studio Productions is using media to support the 2nd Amendment, and is raising money for the production of "Shoot To Thrill," a television show that will promote the positive image of responsible gun ownership.

UPDATE x3: State Medical Examiner confirms tornado death toll up to 51 in OK

UPDATE x3: 8:03 PM - The State Medical Examiner has updated the casualty number to 51. Approximately 100 patients transferred to area hospitals from Moore and Oklahoma City. The city of Moore's population was approximately 55,000 in the 2010 census.

UPDATE x2: 7:17 PM - The Oklahoma Medical Examiner has confirmed is up to 37 dead statewide from the tornado that swept through Oklahoma Monday. The number is expected to rise.

UPDATE x1: 6:43 PM - Fox News is reporting 24 third graders at the Plaza Towers Elementary School are presumed to have died in the school's basement. Reports still coming in ...

MOORE, OK - At least four -- reported now up to eight -- are dead as a result of a mile-wide tornado that stayed on the ground Monday afternoon for about 40 minutes, leaving the city of Moore Oklahoma a path of destruction. Children at two elementary schools have been pulled from the rubble, and the situation is still tense as storms hover overhead.

Americans for Prosperity Townhall in Lombard to Oppose Progressive Income Tax

LOMBARD, IL - Americans for Prosperity - Illinois will host a townhall in Lombard to organize grassroots opposition to the proposed progressive income tax. Tuesday night's townhall at the Lombard Village Hall will feature former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger.

"Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Imposing a so-called “progressive” income tax will hike the tax burden on nearly all Illinois taxpayers,” explained David From, State Director of Americans for Prosperity - Illinois. “The adoption of a progressive tax will further destroy job creation and incentivize the flight of businesses to more friendly states. As Illinois considers this change, our neighboring states such as Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa are debating tax cuts and finding ways to lower the tax burden on their residents. We should follow their example, not raise taxes on the majority of Illinoisans.”

Chicago Teachers Union blocks city hall elevators in school closing protest

CHICAGO - Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 blocked Chicago City Hall elevators Monday afternoon, protesting planned school closings. The Chicago Public School Board will take a vote Wednesday on whether to shut down a proposed 54 city schools, causing the layoff of hundreds of union teachers and workers.

Photo by WLS AM 890 City Hall reporter @BillCameron

Call for protest outside Durbin's office in reaction to his part in the IRS scandal

Following Illinois Review's story about U.S. Senator Dick Durbin pressuring the IRS to scrutinize conservative groups, Republican activist Bill Kelly (photo right) called today for a protest outside the senator's Chicago office tomorrow when other groups are planning to protest IRS offices around the state. ...More HERE

Duffy resolution demands transparent investigation of surveillance company

State Senator Dan Duffy has introduced Senate Resolution 314 condemning Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. and calling for further investigation into a scandal involving the company, Red Light Camera’s, and the City of Chicago.

Redflex operates red light cameras in 38 Illinois municipalities. Since 2003 Redflex has generated more than $300 million in revenue for Chicago. However, the company’s business practices were recently called into question when a bribery scandal emerged in the media.

“The Chicago Tribune has said that this egregious scandal would rank among the largest in the annals of Chicago corruption,” said Duffy. “We need to conduct a proper investigation into this scandal to understand the full depth of the corruption. Red light cameras are already a subversion of due process, and now they’re contributing to the inherent culture of corruption already present in Chicago.”

IRS demanded group provide info on how much time they spent praying

WASHINGTON - Six months after the Obama Administration's inauguration, the Internal Revenue Service told the Coalition for Life of Iowa to detail activities at prayer meetings and how much time they spent praying. They were also asked to explain how their activities - including prayer meetings - were based on scientific or medical facts. 

Please explain how all of your activities, including the prayer meetings held outside of Planned Parenthood are considered educational as defined under 501c3. Organizations exempt under 501c3 may present opinions with scientific or medical facts. Please explain in detail the activities at these prayer meetings. Also, please provide the percentage of time your organization spends on prayer groups as compared with other activities of the organization. 

IRS' Exempt Organizations Specialist Ms. Richards wrote in a June 22, 2009 letter to the Coalition for Life of Iowa after they applied for 501c3 status. The letter also demanded the group reveal the content of any signs they held outside Planned Parenthood clinics:

In a phone conversation with POA it was asked about certain signs that may or may not be held up outside of a Planned Parenthood. Please explain in detail the signs that are being held up outside of Planned Parenthood and explain how they are considered educational.

Illinois Review obtained a copy of Ms. Richard's letter, which also says, "If you do not provide the requested information in a timely manner, we will assume that you do not want us to consider your application further and will close your case."

Arkansas’ Democrat State Treasurer Arrested for Extortion

By Warner Todd Huston - 

On Saturday the FBI arrested two-term Arkansas State Treasurer Martha Shoffner (D-Newport) on charges of “extortion under color of official right,” a violation of the Hobbs Act.

Shoffner has been under scrutiny in Arkansas for a seemingly unexplainable investment she made of state funds. After a legislative audit last year it came to light that in 2011 her office sold 11 bonds that hadn’t matured and then bought similar bonds from the same brokers, resulting in a loss of more than $58,000 of the state’s money.

In December of 2012, state authorities decided to hand over their investigation to federal authorities once it appeared that, along with the failed investing practices, Shoffner had also converted campaign funds to her personal use. ...More HERE

WSJ: Obama's Counsel Was Told of IRS Audit Findings Weeks Ago

The White House's chief lawyer learned weeks ago that an audit of the Internal Revenue Service likely would show that agency employees inappropriately targeted conservative groups, a senior White House official said Sunday.

That disclosure has prompted a debate over whether the president should have been notified at that time.

Senators call Dems on sneaking pro-euthanasia doc to Public Health slot

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Citing a need for a proper, unrestricted vetting and the unwillingness by the Democrat Senate Majority to allow a confirmation hearing on Dr. David Gill’s credentials to become the Assistant Director of the Department of Public Health, State Sen. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) is raising a red flag. LaHood was joined by Senators Sam McCann, Kyle McCarter and Chapin Rose to ask for additional scrutiny by the public.

“This is a blatant attempt by the majority party to hide a controversial appointee from the taxpayers. We have serious questions about the timing of Dr. Gill’s appointment. More importantly, today is the last scheduled meeting of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee so he will be in place until at least the fall before a public-legislative vetting,” said LaHood. “This appointment seems to be nothing more than a political payoff to keep a guy off the ballot, who is considered extreme by members of his own political party. During the 2012 election cycle, the Democratic establishment backed another candidate.”

Illinois one of only 7 states with unemployment higher than one year ago

By Ted Dabrowski & John Klingner - 

Illinois continues to have the nation’s second-worst unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April labor report. The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.3 percent in April, down from 9.5 percent in March, and is still nearly two percentage points above the 7.5 percent national average.

The state’s drop in unemployment was not due to good news – the fall was due to people leaving the work force rather than an increase in employment. Illinois lost more than 2,000 payroll jobs and more than 30,000 Illinoisans left the workforce, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Buyer’s remorse: ObamaCare tax will slam union workers

By Paul Kersey - 

Americans for Tax Reform compiled a list of tax increases associated with Obamacare, and union workers in particular are staring at a whopper in a few years – a hefty tax on premium health insurance plans that could easily cost them $1,000 per year. According to ATR:

Obamacare Tax on Union Member and Early Retiree Health Insurance Plans: Obamacare imposes a new 40 percent excise tax on high cost or “Cadillac” health insurance plans, effective in 2018. This tax increase will most directly affect union families and early retirees, who are likely to be covered by such plans. This Obamacare tax will be levied on insurance policies whose premiums exceed $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family. Middle class union members tend to be covered by such plans in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Editorial: Tighten Link card rules to fight abuse

For state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, this was the last straw: A food stamp recipient in his district used her Link card to bail herself out of jail.

"We are losing a couple billion dollars in fraud and we know that," Bost says of Illinois' Link program, which provides food and, in some cases cash, to needy families. "I've never been one opposed to providing for the needy. There are true needs. But if it's just for the greed, it doesn't matter if it's this or corporate greed, it's got to stop."

Link card for bail money? What's next? Link cards to gamble at slot machines ? Oh, wait ... read on...HERE

Breaking: Obama administration media spying scandal gets worse

The Justice Department spied extensively on Fox News reporter James Rosen in 2010, collecting his telephone records, tracking his movements in and out of the State Department, and seizing two days of Rosen’s personal emails, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The revelations surfaced with President Barack Obama’s administration already under fire for seizing two months of telephone records of reporters and editors at the Associated Press. Obama last week said he makes “no apologies” for investigations into national security-related leaks. The AP's CEO, Gray Pruitt, said Sunday that the seizure was "unconstitutional". ...More HERE

the news ... illustrated: Obamacare & IRS

Gay marriage is not the end of gender issues

SPRINGFIELD - There's a growing sentiment among state lawmakers that they'd "just like to get the gay marriage vote over with, and move on to more important issues like pensions and the budget." After all, they say, only Christian fundamentalists, social Neanderthals and Bible Thumpers care whether gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders are allowed to marry.  

But what if gay marriage impacted the state budget and the taxpayers directly?

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice's "DOJPride Board" gave U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder a list of things he should do in order to prepare for more expansive gay rights. One of those things is to prepare for a type of taxpayer-funded gay reparations for past discriminations.

Under the first suggestion in their March 2013 letter to Holder, they recommend:

1. End and remedy the disparity in employee benefits as soon as possible. 

a. Start planning now for the eventuality that DOMA will be struck down by the Supreme Court, so that equal benefits can be extended to lesbian, gay and bisexual employees without delay. 

b. Ensure that benefits are extended not only to same-sex spouses but same-sex domestic partners, as well. 

c. Ensure that employees who have been discriminated against are made whole and receive benefits retroactively. 

Black pastor calls on Christians to leave the Democrat party

At a time when black pastors in Illinois are imploring politicians in Springfield not to redefine marriage in Illinois, it is interesting to hear Bishop Jackson make a compelling case for Christians to leave the Democrat party

Oberweis: Illinois Senate Week in Review

By State Sen. Jim Oberweis - 

Despite rumors that the Illinois Senate would take up concealed-carry legislation May 17, Senate lawmakers adjourned for the weekend without hearing the right-to-carry measure. However, the Senate debated and passed another controversial bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for some chronically or terminally ill residents.

Illinois Republicans vote Yes, Democrats vote No on Obamacare repeal

WASHINGTON - During last Thursday's vote in U.S. Congress to repeal Obamacare, only one Democrat voted with Republicans in support of overturning the Affordable Care Act, and that one Democrat was not from Illinois.

In the 229 to 195 vote, all Illinois GOP Congressmen - Rodney Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, Schock, Roskam and Shimkus voted YES in support of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's HR 45.

All Illinois Democrats - Enyart, Danny Davis, Duckworth, Rush, Foster, Kelly, Lipinski, Gutierrez, Schneider, Bustos and Schakowsky voted 'No" and Quigley was not present for the vote.

the news ... illustrated: FDR vs. Obama

UPDATE x1: Joe Walsh to join Chicago Protest; IRS Protests Planned Across state

UPDATE x1: Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh will be rallying conservatives and Tea Party members outside the Chicago offices of the IRS at 230 S. Dearborn St. on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 12 noon. Walsh joins thousands of Americans across the country rallying against the abuse of power by the IRS that has been revealed in the last week.

“We’re continuing to read about outrageous behavior by the IRS directed almost exclusively against conservative, religious, and Tea Party groups,” Walsh said. “This is clearly an effort to intimidate groups who hold political views opposed to the president. The effect is truly chilling.”

Tea Party groups around the nation have designated Tuesday, May 21, 2013, as a day to rally against the IRS at local offices.

“This breach of trust by one of the government’s most powerful agencies really calls into question whether it can continue to function,” Walsh said. “If the IRS can’t be trusted to treat Americans fairly — regardless of their political views — then the time has come to abolish the IRS.”

By Ulysses Arn - 

On Tuesday May 21st at noon, frustrated citizens are planning to protest across the nation in front of IRS locations. Tea Party Patriots are urging taxpayers upset about the way the Obama Administration has been harassing and intimidating concerned Americans trying to obey the law and seek tax exemption status for their issue organizations to come out and let Washington DC know the abuse must stop.

Here's a list of confirmed IRS protest locations throughout Illinois:

• 230 S. Dearborn Street Chicago
• 211 S. Court Street Rockford
• 301 S. Prospect Rd. Bloomington
• 2001 Butterfield Rd. Downers Grove
• 2415 West Cornerstone Ct. Peoria
• 5100 River Road Schiller Park
• 3101 Constitution Dr. Springfield

AP CEO says DOJ probe has already had chilling effect on news

WASHINGTON - Associated Press President and CEO Gary Pruitt said Sunday on Face the Nation that the Department of Justice's seizure of the AP's phone records has already set into motion a chilling effect on news gathering.

Pruitt said government informants and sources are now hesitant to talk to AP reporters.

"And if they restrict that apparatus ... the people of the United States will only know what the government wants them to know and that's not what the framers of the Constitution had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment," he said.

The AP has not ruled out initiating legal action against the DOJ. Pruitt's eye-opening 7-minute appearance on Face the Nation is below the fold ...

Ask Peter Roskam: The Truth-In-Tuition Act (video)

Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) released a video about H.R. 2020 the Truth-In-Tuition Act which helps to provide transparency for the ever-increasing costs of higher education.

We've Seen the Effect of "Amnesty" Before

By Edwin Meese III - 

Experts can't always predict exactly how public policy will affect the nation, despite our best efforts. But when it comes to immigration policy, we have tried many of the types of reforms advocated by today's Gang of Eight—so we should consider the effects these reforms had in the past.

In the mid-'80s, many Members of Congress advocated amnesty for long-settled illegal immigrants. President Reagan considered it reasonable to adjust the status of what was then a relatively small population, and as his attorney general, I supported his decision.

The path to citizenship was not automatic. Immigrants had to pay application fees, learn to speak English, understand American civics, pass a medical exam, and register for military selective service. Those with convictions for a felony or three misdemeanors were ineligible.

This should sound familiar, as it's quite close to the path and provisions set forth by the Gang of Eight.