Illinois Review

Biggert endorsed by Operating Engineers Union Local 150

While public sector unions, their demands on taxpayers and Illinois' state budget continues to be at the center of controversy, the Biggert campaign sent out a press release Wednesday afternoon announcing the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 endorsed Congresswoman Judy Biggert and encourages their members to support Biggert over Democrat challenger Bill Foster.

“I’m honored to have the support of the Operating Engineers Local 150,” said Congresswoman Biggert. “Whether building our roads, improving our railways, or working on our gas pipelines, these highly-skilled workers help to maintain the safety of our transportation infrastructure and make great contributions to our local economy. I will continue to work with the Operating Engineers to create an environment for job growth and greater opportunities for middle-class families.”

Illinois Family Institute demands Lou Lang correct mailing

Seems the always liberal State Rep. Lou Lang (photo right) is following the Democrat playbook again this year. While refusing to answer questionnaires himself, Lang is using the policy positions provided by his opponent, Vincent Romano, against him. So says Illinois Family Institute Executive Director Dave Smith.

Smith is upset about Lang's recent mailer says Romano supports a policy that would allow gangbangers to carry loaded guns in neighborhoods, parks and shopping centers. Immediately following this quote, the mailing states that the source for this information is the IFI Voter Guide.

Chicago Teachers Union files suit to stop new pension reform law

CHICAGO - Pension reform the Illinois General Assembly passed in August that would eliminate six digit, taxpayer-funded pensions for teachers union employees is being challenged in court. Wednesday, the Chicago Teachers Union filed a lawsuit to stop the reform measure's implementation. The Tribune reports teachers union members say the reform is illegal and that more tax dollars should be paid in, rather than their retirement benefits reduced:

Under the new law, CPS teachers who go on leave to work for the union will be barred from participating in the public pension plan, which means they no longer can get deals that have long been a staple of the system.

For example, CTU President Karen Lewis, who makes about $148,000, can collect a public school teachers pension worth as much as 75 percent of her union salary averaged over four years.

Even though she hasn't worked for CPS in more than two years, the teachers pension fund bills the district for contributions on her behalf as if she were still earning $82,000 a year as a high school science teacher. The union covers additional contributions required to make up the difference between that salary and her union paycheck.

More at the Tribune

Kids outraged with Crowder's Halloween redistribution trick

A must see - just in time for Halloween ... Comedian Steven Crowder outrages kids with his Halloween redistribution plan.

Walsh responds to Duckworth coverup attempt

CHICAGO - On Monday, The Washington Free Beacon released a breaking report revealing an email (below) from Tammy Duckworth showing what looks like an attempt to cover up the firing of a whistleblower during her tenure at the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The email shows Duckworth acknowledging she "screwed up" in trying to fire the whistleblower, but encouraged her staff to find what they could to justify her decision after the fact.

In a press release, Congressman Joe Walsh responded, "Duckworth's blatant abuse of power in attempting to fire a whistleblower was bad enough. The fact that she then tried to cover it up by encouraging her staff at the Illinois VA to dig up what they could to justify her mistake is even more sickening. An innocent woman had the courage to report illegal political campaigning on taxpayer property and this is what Tammy Duckworth does?"

Schock endorses Schilling in final Peoria plea

PEORIA - With a segment of Peoria in Congressman Bobby Schilling's newly-drawn 17th CD, a popular Congressional colleague, Aaron Schock, endorses Schilling as part of his campaign's closing plea to Peoria-area voters:

Former Deloitte partner sentenced to 21 months for insider trading

From Chicago FBI - 

CHICAGO—A former partner at a major accounting firm in Chicago was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in federal prison for engaging in insider trading after he obtained material, non-public information about publicly traded clients and used the information himself and shared it with a relative to make illegal trading profits. The defendant, Thomas P. Flanagan, a certified public accountant, was a partner in the Chicago office of Deloitte & Touche LLP when he engaged in insider trading between December 2006 and May 2008.

Flanagan, 65, of Chicago, remains free on bond and was ordered to begin serving his sentence on January 15, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. Judge Dow also imposed a $100,000 fine and ordered Flanagan to perform 200 hours of community service after he is released from prison.

Romney tightens race outside Illinois

From NYT: “Race Narrows As Campaign Enters Its Final Week” - The economy continues to be the overwhelming issue on the minds of voters, with about three-quarters selecting the economy as either their first or second most important concern. Another 23 percent named the budget deficit as one of their top two issues. Most voters consider Mr. Romney the better candidate to deal with both of those challenges.

From AP: “Romney, GOP Suddenly Plunging Onto Democratic Turf” - Mitt Romney is suddenly plunging into traditionally Democratic-leaning Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and his GOP allies are trying to put Michigan into play. It's forcing President Barack Obama to defend his own turf - he's pouring money into television ads in the states and dispatching top backers - in the campaign's final week.

Always Right: The state of dysfunction

By Fran Eaton -

"The State of Dysfunction" is the new name for the Land of Lincoln per an October 25th Wall Street Journal editorial. The disgraceful moniker was bestowed after last week's blue ribbon panel report on Illinois' pitiful financial status.

The main culprit? Illinois' out-of-control, $85 billion in unpaid pension obligations.

The report released by former New York Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker said that Illinois' pensions were fairly stable until 2000, when things began going south quickly.

Already beginning to struggle with expanded entitlement programs for middle income and illegal immigrants, Governor Blagojevich's funding holiday in 2006 and 2007 exasperated the state's fiscal woes. Then when the 2008 financial crisis hit the nation, Illinois became essentially insolvent.

Illinois Republican Party issues Halloween warning (video)

The Illinois Republican Party is politicking Halloween by asking citizens to observe their local ordinances regarding Trick-or-Treating hours, and above all, "be on the alert for Democrats who may try to trick you with more debt, higher taxes, more wasteful spending and sucking the blood (money) out of suburban taxpayers with their plan to shift their pension mistakes on suburban homeowners who already pay some of the highest tax rates in the country."

Six days out: new polling on Illinois Congressional races

Some new polling from WeAskAmerica:

ILLINOIS 8 Date: 10/28/12, 1,010 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 3.1%

• Tammy Duckworth (D) - 54.6%
• Joe Walsh (R) - 45.4% 

ILLINOIS 10 Date: 10/28/12, 1,257 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.8%

• Bob Dold (R) - 53.6%
• Brad Schneider (D) - 46.4%

ILLINOIS 11 Date: 10/28/12, 1,303 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

• Bill Foster (D) - 50.4%
• Judy Biggert (R) - 49.6% 

ILLINOIS 12 Date: O10/28/12, 1,313 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

• Bill Enyart (D) - 50.6%
• Jason Plummer (R) - 45.6%
• Paula Bradshaw (G) - 3.8%   

ILLINOIS 13 Date: 10/28/12, 1,360 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

• Rodney Davis (R) - 50.2%
• David Gill (D) - 45.1%
• John Hartman (I) - 3.9%

ILLINOIS 17 Date: 10/28/12, 1,325 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.8%

• Bobby Schilling (R) - 52.0%
• Cheri Bustos (D) - 48.0%

Green Bay Fans Will Give up Packers for Romney--but Not Obama

If Green Bay Packers fans are any indicator of how next Tuesday's presidential election will go in Wisconsin, it could be a landslide for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

Jeremy Segal of Rebel Pundit surveyed and crunched the numbers. He found that out of 106 Packers fans interviewed at Lambeau Field before game time this past Sunday, Romney took 62, Obama 37, and "Undecided" 7.

54% of Obama supporters would not give up rooting for the Packers for the rest of the season if doing so would guarantee an Obama victory. Only 24% would take Obama over the Packers, with 21% undecided.

In contrast, Romney supporters were more eager to see their candidate elected. 54% of Romney supporters would give up the Packers for a season to ensure a Romney win, while only 32% would not, and 13% were undecided.

See Rebel Pundit's video and graphs HERE

Springfield-based polling firms says "no way" Romney wins Illinois

After polling 1,198 likely Illinois voters yesterday, WeAskAmerca says there is no way Obama loses his "home" state. With a margin of error of ± 2.95%, their polling shows:

• Barack Obama (D) - 57%
• Mitt Romney (R) - 41%
• Third Party - 2%

As the firm notes, Chicago and Suburban Cook County each account for about 20% of the vote in the Land of Lincoln. They believe that no matter how well Romney does in the five suburban “collar counties” or downstate, Cook County is not going to abandon it’s Favorite Son.

WeAskAmerica is a new polling firm. This election should prove how good they are.

Tribune comes out against constitutional amendment

Guess who's paying for these Chicago Tribune ads running on numerous political websites and blogs? Follow the clicks back and you'll end up at "We are One" - the public-sector union conglomeration that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from state employees' dues. AFSCME, SEIU, and both teachers unions have refused to negotiate with Illinois lawmakers to address the pension crisis. Read more on the amendment HERE. 

2012 federal election campaign spending to surpass $6 Billion

From OpenSecrets.org - 

The 2012 election will not only be the most expensive election in U.S. history, the cost will tower over the next most expensive election by more than $700 million.

Earlier this year, the Center for Responsive Politics estimated that the 2012 election would cost $5.8 billion -- an estimate that already made it the most expensive in history -- but with less than a week to go before the election, CRP is revising the estimate upwards. According to CRP’s new analysis of Federal Election Commission data, this election will likely cost $6 billion.

Jeanne Ives: A New Headline for Illinois

By Jeanne Ives -

Election season can be overwhelming. There are calls from politicians asking for your opinion, your vote, your time, and, of course, your money. If you turn on the television, open your mailbox or sign on to Facebook you will find no end to the mud-slinging and finger-pointing. If that isn’t enough for you, there are countless editorials, blogs, and websites dedicated to political discourse. Most people can’t wait for November 7: the day all of the campaigning will die down.

As a candidate for State Representative, I know that I will not have this reprieve. If I am elected, November 7 is the day the real work will begin. Therefore, I review everything I can get my hands on. My campaign staff has even gotten in the habit of forwarding me articles and reports (as well as the occasional YouTube video) regarding Illinois’ political climate.

Supply without demand: Illinois public schools hire while enrollment drops

By Josh Dwyer, Illinois Policy Institute -

There are too many people working in America’s schools. From 1950 to 2009, the amount of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees grew 386 percent while the amount of public school students only grew by 96 percent, according to a recently released report from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Unfortunately, Illinois follows this trend. From 1992 to 2009, total staff at public schools grew at more than twice the rate of the state’s student population – 27.8 percent versus 14.3 percent. Teaching staff grew at 1.5 times the rate of the student population – 14.3 percent versus 21.5 percent. And administrators and other non-teaching staff grew at 2.5 times the rate of the student population – 14.3 percent versus 35.9 percent.

More HERE

Conservatism is calling! (video)

Sandy Gives Lame Stream Media a Temporary Excuse for Benghazi Blackout

By Teri O'Brien -

Before Hurricane Sandy made landfall, the tv geniuses who analyze and enlighten us speculated about the impact that the storm would have on the One's re-election prospects. Would he benefit from looking "presidential?" Would Gov. Romney "strike the right tone" in the aftermath?

I'm not sure whether it will help or hurt either candidate, but I know one group who should be breathing a sigh of relief is the national media. They know that every day more Americans catch on to their role in Obama's 2008 con game. The genuine article, the cold, calculating, crypto-Communist community organizer is a far cry from the pragmatic, pro-active, post-racial problem solver that they presented as this rising star "Barack Obama." Still, they hoped that they could keep up the con for 8 or 9 more days. Then, as we heard on last Sunday's show, Denver reporter Kyle Clark asked Barack Obama some very embarrassing questions about what happened in Benghazi on 9/11/12; specifically, whether the 4 murdered Americans were denied help during the attack, and whether it's fair to tell Americans we have to wait for the results of an investigation that will completed after the election.

Man with bionic leg to climb Willis Tower Sunday

CHICAGO - Sunday, a 31 year old Washington amputee will climb to the top of the 103 floor Willis Tower with the help of a bionic leg developed by Chicago researchers. IT developer Zac Vawter lost his leg in a 2009 motorcycle accident, but using a prosthetic limb, he's run marathons. He's also been working with researchers to advance a new bionic leg that responds electronically to his brain's instructions.

Vawter is featured in an Associated Press story Wednesday in numerous national newspapers, leading up to Sunday's challenge at Willis Tower. The hour-long climb will be the leg's first public test and will be part of a "Skyrise Chicago" fundraiser for the Center for Bionic Medicine.

The Center is part of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the same world-renowned facility where U.S. Senator Mark Kirk began recovering from partial paralysis following a stroke in January.