Illinois Review

Update on our Cook County Transparency Efforts

by Tony Peraica

I wanted to take this opportunity provide a quick update on some of the transparency efforts we are promoting on the Cook County Board. Earlier this year, the County Board passed my resolution to put the county check register online. I've also introduced a resolution to form a private sector "Waste Commission"...patterned after President Reagan's "Grace Commission" of the early 1980's. In the brief video below, I provide an update on these transparency efforts:

Let's Party Like It's 1917!!!!

by Matt Gauntt

In 1917, the Bolshevik's took control of Russia and installed Communism. Today, we see the ascension of that paragon of intellect, Al Franken, to the United State's Senate. With Al Franken finally declared the winner in Minnesota and Norm Coleman conceding, the Democrats have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, a commanding presence in the US House and perhaps the most liberal President that we have ever had in the White House.

Via Hotair.com, we have the Ed Schult'z Show with Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos fame and Bill Press of, well, not really any fame. To spare you the horror of having to watch these three, let me sum it up for you. Get everything, right now. Stop talking about bi-partisanship because the Republicans don't matter, and you have no excuses.

Laffer and Moore with Berkowitz

Franken is in

Republican Senator Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race today, ending a nearly eight-month recount and court fight over an election decided by only a few hundred votes.

Time to get serious about taking Burris out and helping re-balance the leftist Congress.

Andrzejewski puts tax records online

Last Friday night, after the normal media rush, Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski sent out a press release linking to his now-made-public 2008 income tax return, setting into motion (by example) his campaign theme of "Every Dime, Online, All the Time." Adam's tax returns can be found at: www.adamforillinois.com 

Adam is advocating that all gubernatorial candidates follow his lead by opening their financial records for public scrutiny online. "Transparency of personal sources of income is a critical ethics policy." says Andrzejewski. "In Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal spearheaded this legislation. After passage, 130 Louisiana public officials from every level of government resigned."

The 37-year-old Hinsdale resident said Illinois has a real need for the same policy as Louisiana's.

Coup Means Never Having to Say They're Commies

by Teri O'Brien

As I noted at the beginning last Sunday’s show, I was caught off guard by the turmoil in Honduras that erupted shortly before air time. Since I had my monitor on CNN, I was misled into believing that a “coup,” as in an overthrow of the legitimate government, had occurred. It’s clear now that this “coup” is exactly like what happened when the militancy exhibited by those mean, narrow-minded, Bible-thumping mouth breathers caused them to start putting all those referenda on state ballots declaring that “marriage is between one man and one woman.”

Obama's chant returns at SEIU capitol rally: "Yes We Can!"

Purple t-shirted Service Employees International Union members are back at the Capitol again, demanding Illinois taxpayers pay more to prevent budget cuts that could include some of their jobs from being cut (how ironic now that Illinois is at the 10 percent unemployment threshold).

CapitolFax Blog has just made this rally YouTube available of those bussed in members at the Capitol rotunda ringing with the Obama chant, "Yes We Can!"  "Yes We Can!" take more taxpayers' dollars! "Yes We Can!" bully our way into anti-tax hike lawmakers' offices. "Yes We Can!" coerce and intimidate with fear tactics lawmakers into taking more out of hard-earned incomes while SEIU members take no cuts themselves. Watch it HERE.

URF calls on Biggins to say "no" to taxes

The United Republican Fund has targeted several thousand emails into Rep. Bob Biggins district today asking his constituents to call and email Biggins and tell him "NO" to any tax increase. The email was the result of an ABC 7 News story in which Rep. Biggins said:

"It will be difficult to come up with a solution that doesn't have a tax increase, but I'm not sure what that tax increase would be. I'm not sure how I would vote on it. In this business you never say never. So I'm not saying never."

According to the URF, "The Democrats have mismanaged state government for six years, destroyed our economy – and now we're considering bailing them out with a tax increase? Tax hikes will make our struggling economy even worse. They'll slow economic growth, threaten jobs and shrink Illinoisans' paychecks even further."

The URF requested that taxpayers call Rep. Biggins at his district office: 630-941-1278. Or email him with a "No tax increase" message here.

U of I Admissions officer looked for red stripe

A red stripe is what mattered on the folders of University of Illinois' applicants, a commission looking into complaints about the admission process discovered at a public hearing yesterday. The Tribune wrote about a former admissions counselor's testimony:

[Abel] Montoya said that when admissions staff were alerted that a student was "Category I," the internal term for clouted candidates, they placed a red stripe on the applicant's folder.

"They had to be important, basically. Or at least important to the person inquiring on their behalf," he said.

How the Nanny State helps you

by Mark Rhoads

Socialists around the world always love to turn more and more power over to government because they insist it is always for your own good and they will keep helping you until it kills you. Now the FDA is considering removing Tylenol and Excedrin from your store shelf because some people are too stupid to read labels and take too many pills and wind up at the hospital ER with liver damage.

If you are not one of those people and you do follow directions when you need a pain killer, it will just be too bad for you since your government wants to take care of you and protect you from yourself because they are supposedly smarter and wiser than you are.