SPRINGFIELD – As the number of test results increase, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced Wednesday (4/1) 986 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 42 additional deaths.
Continue reading "986 new COVID cases in Illinois; 42 additional deaths" »
A substantial number of Illinois Review readers are small business people that may need information on how to access the federal government's $2.2 trillion relief package signed into law last week. The Federalist provides this quick review:
Included in the federal government’s $2.2 trillion relief package to blunt the economic damage caused by the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic is $300 billion in aid for America’s small businesses and their employees...
Small businesses that employ 500 employees or fewer are eligible for a 100 percent federally guaranteed loan through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses can borrow up to 250 percent of their average monthly payroll expenses, up to a total of $10 million. If they keep all of their employees, the entirety of the loan will be forgiven, effectively making the loans into grants.
More details on how to apply, whether or not you're eligible and other important factors are included. Worth the time to check out. HERE: The Federalist
A sample application form is HERE
By David E. Smith, Exec Dir of Illinois Family Institute -
In the midst of the COVID-19 craziness, it is alarming to recognize there are many who are willing to use our current health crisis for their own gain and/or agenda. As these snollygosters and media types grandstand, I cannot help but think of Rahm Emanuel’s infamous quote, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
Ironically, Emanuel first used that phrase in 2008 during the nation’s financial crash and then again last week in response to our nation’s coronavirus emergency. Is it a repackaging of one of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, in which he writes “in the arena of action a threat or a crisis becomes almost a precondition to communication”? I’ll let you decide.
The truth is, the board and staff here at IFI are deeply disturbed to hear the incessant petty partisan criticisms of the Trump Administration by political leaders and media pundits who only seem interested in stoking anxiety and exacerbating division among the American people. In that regard, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker has made a name for himself as one of the nation’s chief nitpickers over the last several weeks.
The rest of the commentary HERE.
By Andy Schlafly & Nancy Thorner -
Hydroxychloroquine is an approved medication that China, India, and various researchers have recommended for treating the Chinese coronavirus. So why can’t numerous Americans exposed to the disease obtain this or other promising treatments as people in China and India can?
Liberal regulators impede access to this medication, abbreviated as "HCQ," in the United States. Democratic Nevada Steve Sisolak issued an executive order Tuesday prohibiting use of HCQ to treat coronavirus outside of hospitals, despite Sisolak being neither a physician nor playing one on television.
And he is not the only liberal impeding treatment of coronavirus.
Continue reading "Schlafly & Thorner: Liberals Impede COVID-19 Treatment" »
It is unlikely conservatism will overcome the Left's dominance of the news media. But if conservatives want their truths told, they will have to create more content, resist censorship, find sources of revenue, and claim their place in social media. There is reason for optimism.
More HERE
CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday announced plans to temporarily convert part of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who don’t require intensive care. The additional capacity at McCormick Place will build on efforts taken by the State and City to aid in the response to COVID-19 related cases by relieving pressure on the hospital system by freeing up beds for more patients with severe COVID-19 cases in anticipation of the surge in positive COVID-19 diagnoses to come.
“Based on science, data, and the guidance of health experts, our approach to fighting this virus is two-pronged: suppress the spread and increase hospital capacity to meet the need,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “A critical component of increasing our capacity is identifying and building out additional facilities across the state to support our existing hospitals and healthcare system. In partnership with the City of Chicago and the U.S. Army Corps we are planning to increase capacity, so we’re prepared to treat patients and save lives.”
Continue reading "Illinois to open 3000-bed care at McCormick Place for COVID-19 patients" »
NOTE: Illinois Review offers a platform for conservatives to share ideas, information and opinions. Opinion pieces are not to be considered Illinois Review's position or opinion on topics our gracious contributors submit to share with our readership. We encourage responses and comments in support or opposition.
By Hank Beckman -
When I was in fourth grade, my family sat in front of the television one October night and listened as the president told us that the Soviet Union had snuck nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles away.
It was one of the first big news story of my life, and it made a significant impression. It sounds a little morbid now, considering the gravity of nuclear war, but it seemed so exciting, what with the newspapers running graphics showing which cities were in range of the missiles, the excited conversations among the adults on the block, and the Nuns at Resurrection Grade School leading us in prayers for our country and our president.
(They would have no doubt urged prayer for any president, but this particular president being the adored John Kennedy might have been responsible for saying an additional Rosary or two)
Continue reading "Beckman: We're Americans. We've got this." »
NOTE: Illinois Review offers a platform for conservatives to share ideas, information and opinions. Opinion pieces are not to be considered Illinois Review's position or opinion on topics our gracious contributors submit to share with our readership. We encourage responses and comments in support or opposition.
By Nancy Thorner -
Climate change panic is causing us to destroy our ability to produce efficient and affordable energy, endangering the energy grid needed to power civilization, throwing hundreds of thousands out of work, and causing social havoc for future, if not dubious, environmental gains.
The current hysteria of the Covid-19 panic is causing society to shut down in front of our eyes. Our entire way of life is being upended, if not suspended. The difference between it and Climate Change is merely the speed with which we are willing to pay a price. More here and here
Continue reading "Thorner: Is the Coronavirus Eroding Our Freedom?" »
The most ubiquitous phrase popularized by the coronavirus epidemic, “social distancing,” carries connotations of shunning or anti-social behavior. The isolation of the elderly particularly tugs at our heartstrings. The widely shared photo of 88-year-old Dorothy Campbell speaking through a nursing home’s window to her 89-year-old husband, Gene, poignantly depicts the deep-seated need for human contact amid the obstructions of anti-virus protocols.
But distancing in a time of global pandemics preserves life. As such, it should be seen as a form of “applying love through prudence,” writes Dustin Siggins at FoxNews.com. “And in doing so, it offers an amazing opportunity for those who care about the elderly to find new ways to love them.”
Continue reading "How to turn social distancing into love" »
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congressman Darin LaHood (R-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act —Coronavirus (COVID-19) relief legislation by voice vote. This is the third legislative relief bill Congress has passed to deliver support for states, small businesses, workers, and health care professionals on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response.
“Central and west-central Illinois are feeling the impact of the COVD-19 outbreak, as schools close, businesses shut down, our health care system feels strain, and people lose jobs. This uncertain time requires Congress to take swift and decisive action to support workers and families. The CARES Act will stabilize an uneasy economy, put money in the hands of families and workers who need it most, support Illinois’ unemployment program, and deliver resources to health care workers and hospitals on the front lines fighting to combat the coronavirus.
Continue reading "Cong LaHood comments on CARES Act, explains key points" »
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Friday announced 488 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including eight deaths. Approximately 86% of fatalities are among patients 60 years of age and older.
Thursday, Illinois reported 673 cases and 330 Wednesday.
The numbers are to be expected to go up as more and more Illinoisans are being tested for COVID-19. However, as the number of confirmed cases dramatically goes up each day, the daily number of fatalities has thus far not paralleled the case increase.
Bureau, Henry, and Iroquois counties are now reporting cases. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,026 cases, including 34 deaths, in 40 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to 99 years.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US Congress passed via voice vote the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide relief to families, small businesses and hospitals impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The bill provides direct payments of $1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for couples, and $500 per child. It expands unemployment benefits for workers who are self-employed or are independent contractors, and funds loans to businesses so they can continue paying employees. The CARES Act also includes critical funding for hospitals, local responders, PPE, veterans’ health care, and treatment and vaccine research.
Continue reading "Congressman Bost explains his support for CARES Act" »
SHELBYVILLE – The shutdown of small businesses throughout Illinois is creating panic and uncertainty and State Representatives Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) and Chris Miller (R-Oakland) say Governor JB Pritzker needs to present a plan for bringing businesses back online. (Halbrook (r) Miller (l) in photos)
The two downstate lawmakers said in a statement Friday, “When this crisis first emerged, there was a great deal of uncertainty. We did not know how widespread this disease would be and we did not know what parts of the country would be the most affected. It made sense at the time to shutdown large gatherings and to ask people to stay home.
SPRINGFIELD – Thursday, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced they are taking additional steps to address the unprecedented volume of unemployment benefit claims the department has fielded as a result of COVID-19.
To date, the department has taken several steps to improve the unemployment benefit claims process via the online portal and the call center.
Continue reading "Illinois upgrades unemployment claims process during COVID19 surge" »
PLAINFIELD - The ways Illinoisans are working together to help each other get through this historic, mind-boggling time amazes even the most cold-hearted skeptic. People are stepping up - at a safe distance - to help each other in various ways.
Thursday, State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), many of his staff and Our Helping Hands volunteers helped pack and distribute food to their Will County community.
Continue reading "Illinoisans unite to help COVID19 needy" »
The political world is increasingly saying “no” to policies that make energy less available, more expensive, less reliable, and more intrusive in our lives.
Fossil Fuels Booming
Compared to 1988, when global warming first became a political issue, U.S. fossil-fuel consumption has grown by 13 percent despite generous government subsidies to ethanol, solar, and wind power.
In fact, growth in carbon-based energies in the last 30 years almost matches the total production of these three subsidized renewables, reports the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Overall, the market share of carbon-based energy is a robust 80 percent in the United States and 85 percent globally.
More HERE
UPDATE x1: Governor Pritzker announced Wednesday Illinois would be extending its tax filing date to July 15. (more below)
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Trump Administration has delayed the 2020 federal tax date to July 15th due to the coronavirus chaos, and although several other states are following the Feds' lead, Illinois thus far has not.
State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) broke through the silence on the topic Wednesday, calling on Governor Pritzker to extend the State Tax filing date now and questions why he hasn’t already done so.
Continue reading "UPDATEx1: Pritzker extends 2020 state tax filing date " »
NOTE: Illinois Review offers a platform for conservatives to share ideas, information and opinions. Opinion pieces are not to be considered Illinois Review's position or opinion on topics our gracious contributors submit to share with our readership. We encourage responses and comments in support or opposition.
By John F. Di Leo -
When Republican members of Congress joined the Trump administration to work on a proposed stimulus plan to address the Wuhan Flu epidemic – a relief package for employers that had to close the doors for a shutdown, and for citizens on layoff as a result – the House Democrats refused to participate, smugly saying “We’ll write our own bill.”
In a single weekend, they presented an 1119-page COVID-19 relief bill of their own, and it was a doozy. Chock full of pork for the House Democrats’ special interests, it included union giveaways, student loan write offs, institutionalized vote fraud techniques, and more. A veritable wish list of American statists that they could never pass in normal times, so they threw a Hail Mary pass in the hope that they might sneak it through in an emergency.
Most shocking, perhaps, was the list of Green New Deal elements that the Pelosi bill included. One after another, it looks like a laundry list provided by Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’ puppeteers: mandates for airlines to “offset” their harmless “carbon emissions,” a push for airports to destroy perfectly functional equipment, yet another new commission for the “study” of the utterly discredited theory of global warming, and more. 1119 pages of this stuff.
Continue reading "Di Leo: Laundry Lists, Stimuli, and Pop Culture Propaganda" »
