illinoisreview

Sales Tax Hiker Aaron Shepley Appointed GOP Vice Chair of “Community Outreach”

by Cal Skinner

I was wondering why Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley didn't run for re-election as secretary of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee. Now I know.

He has been appointed a “vice chairman of community outreach” by Bill LeFew successor Mike Tryon. If Tryon wanted the local Republican Party to represent what Aaron Shepley stands for, fine. Shepley stands for approval of a minor league baseball stadium, which even the McHenry County Board voted unanimously to kill.

Shepley is probably the biggest tax hiker in McHenry County this year. He led his city council to increase its city sales tax by 75%. (No, you did not misread that figure. It was one percentage point. After July 1st, it will be one and three-quarters of a percentage point.)

Obama: Now It's Personal

by John Ruskin

For months Illinois' Obama refused to show outrage for his pastor's incessant hate speech and anti-Americanism. That is until Rev. Wright's antipathy got personal.

I guess it's good news for the world's tyrants. Hateful, anti-America despots like Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-il, and Mahmūd Ahmadinejād will be safe from a President Obama if they limit themselves to attacking "the other" Americans - metaphorically or physically. Just don't attack Prez. Obama personally. That gets him angry.

Only a son of Illinois politics could be that self-absorbed, self-involved, and egocentric. The politicians in the General Assembly today prove my point.

Teens are going to ...

by Bill Beckman

The April 30 Chicago Sun-Times carried an editorial entitled "Abstain from taking abstinence-only funds". My response to the Sun-Times editor appears below, but is unlikely to appear in the Sun-Times:

Teens are going to...

Teens are going to drink alcohol. Most parents want their children to have accurate information to avoid blacking out, in addition to hearing about abstaining from alcohol. Teens are going to use drugs. Most parents want their children to have accurate information to avoid killing themselves, in addition to hearing about abstaining from drugs.

Open Letter on threat to religious freedom

by Bill Beckman

Pastors and Religious Leaders:

Below is a quote from a Canadian Human Rights Commission ruling explaining why Christian Horizons (CH), Ontario's largest community living service provider of care to some 1400 severely disabled individuals, was found guilty of discrimination.

Michael Gottheil, Human Rights Tribunal adjudicator, delivered the guilty verdict against Christian Horizons (CH). First Gottheil states, "Christian Horizons accepts all persons into its programs regardless of cultural background or religious belief."

It's O...zinga!!

Well, it’s official. There's a new "O" in the 2008 election cycle. This one is Marty Ozinga, who is now the official Republican candidate for the 11th Congressional District. As you can see from the “I Am Not a Politician” ad here in Illinois Review, he is out in full force this week. And his campaign sent out the following email this morning:

Dear Friends:

My name is Marty Ozinga, your Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District.

I'm not a politician – CLICK HERE to find out why.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 30, 2008

GOPUSA Illinois Daily Clips for April 30, 2008 includes news and commentaries on the following topics:

• Obama, Wright, Blagojevich
• Republican Party candidates, campaigns, and events
• Republican Party platform issues including: limited government, individual liberty, free markets, traditional values, etc.
• Illinois, Cook County, DuPage County, and Chicago budget problems and more...

Obama: Once played a uniter, really a divider

Barack Obama's comments Tuesday has put the American black community into one of the most serious and potentially one of the most divisive dilemmas they have ever faced.  Who will they choose to follow:  Barack Obama or Jeremiah Wright?

Sex Education Will Be an Issue This November

From Illinois Family Institute's website: "Sex Education Will Be an Issue This November"

Last week, abstinence education opponent Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) called for Congressional hearings to discuss whether abstinence education is providing medically-sound information and statistically making a difference in our youth's decisions on whether or not to postpone sexual activity.

The abstinence education issue even made its way into Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's town hall meeting a couple of weeks ago in Pennsylvania. Obama said he wanted his daughters exposed to comprehensive sex education rather than "be punished" with an unwanted baby or an STD.

"Comprehensive sex ed" is really a pretty good description of what kids learn via those programs. They learn everything you ever wanted to know about sex and were afraid to ask, as well as everything you didn't want to know about sex but were forced to find out.

Comprehensive sex ed includes hands-on experiments in condom application skills, encouragement to shower together, as well as explicit information about oral and anal "outercourse" as an alternative sex to intercourse, among other numerous sexploits. Frankly, it's almost too embarrassing to describe in mixed company what our kids learn via Planned Parenthood's sex-ed curriculum.

The U.S. Congress allocated $370.5 million to such exploitive sex-ed programs in 2007, while at the same time setting aside only $174 million to teach kids that it's normal and preferable to wait for sex until marriage.

There's more here . . .

IL Senate's Version of Recall Amendment / Recalled Officials Can Run to be Their Own Successors

by John Bambenek

After the fiasco two weeks ago, when the Illinois Senate buried Rep. Franks' recall amendment (HJCRA28), Senator Hendon introduced his own recall amendment in the Senate.  This version (SJCRA70) is substantially similar to Rep. Franks' recall but has a few changes: the ability to recall judges, the Governor and Lt. Governor have to be recalled together, and salaried local officials can be recalled.

Two weeks ago, I testified at the Senate Executive Committee hearing on HJCRA28 and spoke specifically about the ability to recall judges.  There is understandably some concern with this (and rightfully so) that unpopular but legally sound decisions could cause a judge to be recalled from office.  I had proposed that as a prerequisite to recalling a judge, the judicial discipline process in Article VI, Section 15 of the current state constitution be used.  At the time, Senator Hendon expressed that he liked the idea and he has incorporated my suggestion into his current amendment.

Agreeing with Jeremiah Wright

by Cal Skinner

I finally found something I could agree with Barack Obama's former pastor on: “Nothing can get in the way if God wants Obama to be president.”

With that I agree. Do you suppose that the Senate Democrats caved on the income tax constitutional amendment because of Obama's loss of power?  Who voted how is below.