Illinois Review

National legal immigration group: With Republicans like Rauner, who needs Democrats?

SPRINGFIELD - Friday, a national immigration group defied Governor Rauner's claim earlier this week that Illinois is not a sanctuary state. 

"ALIPAC finds Governor Bruce Rauner's comments ... to be false, disingenuous and dangerous ..." William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC told Illinois Review.

In an effort to unite his Republican base, Rauner said Wednesday, "...We can have issues where we can disagree, and by the way, I'm adamantly against illegal immigration and we are not a sanctuary state, and we'll never be one. I oppose that. But, you know what? We gotta unite."

Governor Rauner and his advocates have insisted for a year that Illinois is NOT a sanctuary state - despite the bill he signed last year forbids local law enforcement from being in direct contact with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency about persons that are in the country illegally that law enforcement is releasing from local imprisonment. 

Illinois AG Lisa Madigan signs onto Democrat demand to rejoin immigrant families

CHICAGO - Illinois' Attorney General Lisa Madigan signed on along with 17 Democrat attorneys general that filed a multi-state lawsuit Tuesday challenging the federal administration’s policy of forced family separation on the U.S. southern border.

“The federal government’s separation of children from their parents at the southern border is an atrocity that has already had profound consequences for families in search of a better and safer life,” Madigan said. “The inhumane and illegal separation of families must end and all of the impacted children must be reunited with their parents.”

In response to the Democrats' lawsuit, federal Southern California Judge Dana Sabraw - appointed by George W. Bush - ruled for immediate changes in handling the minors entering the US with their parents through locations other than designated ports of entry.  

Teachers unions respond to Janus decision

WASHINGTON - The Illinois Federation of Teachers say the Janus decision "isn't going to break us." The Chicago Teachers Union blamed Governor Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: 

Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery released the following statement:

SCOTUS gerrymandering decisions will encourage more map manipulation, CHANGE Illinois says

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois' constitution doesn't provide for voters to directly determine public policy as referenda do in states like California, but voters will be the only way to make drawing Illinois' maps fairer, but that's the only recourse available to Illinoisans after the decisions the US Supreme Court released Monday. 

According to Jeff Raines, Communications and Engagement Director of CHANGE Illinois, “The Supreme Court’s position on gerrymandering this term will only encourage entrenched politicians to manipulate the maps in 2021, cementing their mistaken belief that their personal and party gain outweighs the constitutional rights of the American people. It’s clear that we can’t rely on the courts to save us from this nefarious political practice. It’s going to take people power to end gerrymandering in Illinois and around the country.”

Raines confirmed there are two pathways to get a fair maps amendment on the ballot. First, the citizens' advisory petition and second, the General Assembly placing constitutional amendments on the ballot after a 3/5ths majority vote.

After revelations IRS was urged to ruin Tea Party groups, Illinois leader calls on Trump to oust instigator

WEST SUBURBS - IRS officials were challenged in a 2013 meeting to audit tax-exempt groups so much that it would become "financially ruinous,” documents obtained and released by legal group Judicial Watch show. The person making the suggestion was Republican US Senator John McCain's staff director at the time, Henry Kerner.

Notes taken by IRS staff of that April 30, 2013 meeting with IRS head Lois Lerner show the comments in context as follows:

Henry Kerner asked how to get to the abuse of organizations claiming section 501 (c)(4) but designed to be primarily political. Lois Lerner said the system works, but not in real time. Henry Kerner noted that these organizations don’t disclose donors. Lois Lerner said that if they don’t meet the requirements, we can come in and revoke, but it doesn’t happen timely. Nan Marks said if the concern is that organizations engaging in this activity don’t disclose donors, then the system doesn’t work. Henry Kerner said that maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous. Nikole noted that we have budget constraints. Elise Bean suggested using the list of organizations that made independent expenditures. Lois Lerner said that it is her job to oversee it all, not just political campaign activity.

One of the Illinois-based groups the IRS chose to audit was West Suburban Patriots, co-founded by Carol Davis. Davis told Illinois Review the notes Judicial Watch discovered confirm suspicions she's had for years.

Raoul blasts anonymously-reported anti-gay comments made by Rauner-backed candidate 18 years ago

SPRINGFIELD - Democrat candidate for attorney general Kwame Raoul released Monday a digital attack ad on his Rauner-backed opponent Erika Harold citing anonymous source reports of an interview during the 2000 Miss Illinois pageant Harold eventually won.

The anonymous sources say "the room stopped" when Harold supposedly said if given the choice to send a foster child to either a gay couple and an abusive heterosexual couple, she'd pick the abusive couple. Harold says she doesn't remember saying it, but admits that her view on the issue has "evolved." She now "strongly supports" same sex couples adopting and foster parenting children.

Roskam lone IL GOPer to oppose Goodlatte immigration bill

WASHINGTON - A conservative response to America's long-simmering immigration dilemma was defeated narrowly in the US House Thursday, and many were surprised that one of Illinois' leading Republicans voted against the measure - veteran Congressman Peter Roskam.

Roskam, who is normally a dependable Republican conservative vote, joined the Democrat delegation from Illinois and voted "No" on Congressman Bob Goodlatte's H.R. 4760.

Illinois taxpayers fund nearly 20,000 retired teachers' six-figure pensions

US News photo

CHICAGO - There's a growing moan about Illinois' property taxes being some of the highest in the US. But property taxes aren't determined for the most part in Springfield - most property taxes are determined by your neighbors - the people that fill school boards, park district boards and city councils. Even fire protection districts and mosquito abatement authorities. 

And how do they affect property taxes? By being very generous with tax dollars to those that work for the boards such as teachers, park district employees and a myriad of others. 

It's not easy or comfortable to hold your neighbors accountable for taking more and more of the funds you manage to accumulate by your hard work. But that's exactly the reality of what Open the Books' found Adam Andrzejewski found needs to be done to begin digging out of the mess the state is in. 

Thorner/O'Neil: Time to hold church leaders responsible for parishioners' politics

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Prior to Obama’s election in 2008, the Democrat Party removed God from their Party platform.  However, party leaders apparently believed they may have made a political mistake and decided to reinsert God during their 2012 convention via a voice vote. This happened during a break time in which far fewer delegates were present.  Those who witnessed this odd procedure on TV at the time pronounced the process as laughable. After three separate vote attempts, it was obvious the delegates did not want to include God in the party platform.  Nevertheless, the convention’s frustrated chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, pronounced that the “ayes” had won, even though an immediate eruption of “boos” from the delegates indicated otherwise.  

That the Democrat Party had taken God from their platform was surprising to many viewers who were unaware their Party had changed from the one they embraced in the past.  Even today there are Democrats who remain unaware that their Party now supports abortion, homosexual marriage, massive illegal immigration, and a myriad of other issues they would certainly not approve of, neither would America's forefathers.

Sexual orientation in state's headline news

CHICAGO - How one prefers sexual intimacy is moving to a place of priority consideration in Illinois, according to current news headlines:

• "Does Lori Lightfoot have a path to victory in crowded race for mayor?" A black lesbian is expected to announce her bid for Chicago mayor on Thursday - promoting her sexual preference as one reason she'll get substantial support in a multi-candidate race.
• "Gay rights advocates want Illinois schools to be required to teach LGBT history" The Illinois General Assembly is considering making it mandatory for public school students to study figures notable in US and Illinois history, based on their sexual preferences.
• "Aurora approves city's first gay pride parade for June" And the state's second largest city - Aurora - will be celebrating non-heterosexual lifestyles in its first public parade on Father's Day, 2018. 

The Illinois Human Rights Act protects persons from discrimination based on an array of reasons - including, most recently, sexual orientation. It says:

"Sexual orientation" means actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender-related identity, whether or not traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth. "Sexual orientation" does not include a physical or sexual attraction to a minor by an adult. 

Will Rauner Pull the ILGOP further left? State Central Committee Elections Next Test

2016 Illinois State Convention platform committee meets | McHenry Co Blog photo

CHICAGO - Illinois Republican voters were split 51 to 49 percent between a liberal Republican incumbent governor and a conservative state representative in the March 20th primary. The results revealed a dramatic contrast between the party leaders and the GOP base.

In the wake of a party-dividing primary that is still a sore spot among those voters committed to the conservative party platform, another test of the party's future will be April 18th. That's when county precinct committeemen gather to pick who will represent them on the State Central Committee. Party activists are expressing concern.