Illinois Review

Trump to prolife marchers: Any legislation that weakens protection of human life, I will veto

WASHINGTON DC - Second Lady Karen Pence, husband Vice President Mike Pence appeared at the 2019 March for Life in D.C. Friday, and via a video, President Donald Trump conveyed that he will veto any legislation that "weakens the protection of human life." 

Pritzker signs new state gun shop law into effect

SPRINGFIELD - Within days of his inauguration, Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker kept his promise to gun control advocates that supported his campaign last November. Thursday, he signed into law a measure many of them worked to enact for decades that would require an additional layer of bureaucracy for gun dealers within Illinois.

“Gun violence isn’t an issue facing one city, or one region, or one group of people — it affects us all, and I want to thank all those tireless advocates who didn’t rest until our state took commonsense action to prevent gun trafficking,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

Illinois' most job-producing sector? Government

SPRINGFIELD - How is Illinois' job market doing? Unemployment is up and government - yes, government - created the most job growth over the last month, the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Thursday.

In December, Government gained 6,300 jobs, Leisure and Hospitality 4,600 and Trade, Transportation and Utilities 2,800. The industry sectors with payroll declines included Information (-1,000) Financial Activities (-700) and Construction (-600).

“It’s clear there is room to both grow the Illinois economy and create opportunity for working families,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker's new Deputy Governor Dan Hynes.

Di Leo: Facts, Politics and the Media

 

By John F. Di Leo - 

As schoolchildren, we were told “Thank Heaven for the First Amendment!” Our free press ensures that we know what’s going on, and guarantees that we can make informed choices on Election Day.

It’s a wonderful idea… but is it really possible?  Was it ever, really?

Let’s consider just a few stories now in the news, and how they are being reported by reputable sources in the mainstream media… issues like the border wall, the Supreme Court, and the government shutdown.

Another GOP state rep freshman rejects state pension

FOX LAKE – A growing number of Illinois Republican lawmakers have decided to reject state pensions over the past few years. In one of his first actions after taking office, State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) joined their ranks by rejecting the pension, as well. 

A small business owner and fiscal conservative, Weber said his decision reflects a personal commitment to fiscal discipline and his conviction that being entrusted as an elected official should be a public service and not an incentive for personal financial gain.

 

Thorner: Leftist Bill Ayers calls for open borders at Pro Life counter demonstration

Leftist Bill Ayers demanded open borders among abortion advocates - Photos by Mark Weyermuller

By Nancy Thorner -

While thousands of Life advocates gathered to celebrate Life and science last Sunday, leftist radicals such as Chicago's Bill Ayers used the impromptu sidewalk bully pulpit to call for abortion rights and open borders. 

Standing in front of a sign declaring "Abortion Saves Lives," the 74 year old Ayers blasted the Trump Administration's call for a wall between Mexico and the U.S., and demanded open borders. This is the same Bill Ayers that was born in Oak Park, Illinois, to become an organizer of the 1960s anti-war radicals Weathermen (later known as the Weather Underground). A longtime friend of former President Barack Obama, Ayers is now retired from his teaching position at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Education.

IDOT: Get ready for weekend snowstorm; think twice about travels

SPRINGFIELD — Under the Pritzker Administration, Illinois drivers may expect much more interaction from the Illinois Department of Transportation. IDOT issued a warning Friday that a winter storm will make travel a challenge throughout much of Illinois, with some areas possibly receiving up to 8 inches of snow.

"Motorists should be prepared for high winds and colder temperatures persisting through the weekend, causing drifting and icing even on treated surfaces," the warning says. Also, drivers should think twice about traveling this weekend, and slow down if they do.

Are Norway and Sweden Socialist?

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the new face of the progressive left, says she wants socialism as it is practiced in Norway and Sweden, not as it is or was practiced in the Soviet Union, Cuba or Venezuela.

Talk about cultural appropriation!

Ocasio-Cortez, like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) before her, knows not to claim an actual socialist country as an exemplar. During the primary season of the election of 2016, Sanders famously said, “I'm not looking at Venezuela. I'm not looking at Cuba. I'm looking at countries like Denmark and Sweden.” He was then schooled as to the Nordic model of capitalism.

Ocasio-Cortez, who claims that, for her, naiveté is a virtue, is just going down the same path Sanders went down. While it may be entertaining to see her say the same stupid things he said, it may be more productive to follow the evolution of “socialism.”

More HERE

Poll: Progressive Hollywood Still Seen as Bastion of Sexual Harassment

Nearly one year after the surge of the #MeToo movement, the 2019 awards season is set to provide a platform for entertainers to speak out on issues such as gender inequality and sexual misconduct. Polling shows that while adults think that celebrities using their platforms to speak out against such topics is creating positive change generally, a roughly equal number feel that nothing has changed in Hollywood in the past year.

More HERE

Comp Mendoza praises state worker raises; announces $8.2 B in unpaid bills

CHICAGO - According to State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, as of 8:00 AM Wednesday, Illinois is over $8 billion behind in its bills. The exact number is $8,267,622,579.09, mounting from 102,680 unpaid vouchers. 

But evidently, that's no big deal, because Mendoza was delighted that Illinois' new Governor J.B. Pritzker announced an additional obligation for Illinois taxpayers on his first day in office.

Better Government Association spots Jesse White's $11.5M taxpayer-funded tumble

CHICAGO - Secretary of State Jesse White promised his renowned tumbling foundation would raise $10 million to build an athletic facility in partnership with the Chicago Park District. By the time the ribbon was cut on the facility five years ago, White's part of the building cost shriveled down to little, and unbeknownst to taxpayers, their obligation exploded.

The Better Government Association's recent investigation into how the Jesse White Community Center and Fieldhouse located in White's own 27th Chicago Ward was paid for is stunning. They found while White's foundation ended up raising only $650,000, taxpayers in Chicago and Illinois covered the rest of the millions White failed to raise.

Republicans Kinzinger, Davis respond to "stupid" ongoing government shutdown

WASHINGTON - Last week, two of the five remaining Republican Congress members from Illinois voted with the Democrats and against President Trump to fund departments involved in the ongoing budget dispute.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) called the shutdown "stupid" in a Facebook post Tuesday:

Beckman: Never underestimate the power of anecdotes in public discourse

Emmitt Till's mother's determination to share her son's story changed history 

By Hank Beckman -

Fox News house liberal Geraldo Rivera gets a little testy when someone dares to bring up the subject of Americans losing their lives to illegal aliens.

As he explained recently when Sean Hannity raised the issue on his television program, it was “It is grotesquely unfair...grotesquely unfair to use these anecdotes to make a political point.”

Chicago March for Life sets new record in 2019

By Nancy Thorner & Mark Weyermuller -

Chicago's annual March for Life was held last Sunday, and despite a snowstorm blanketing the region hours before, organizers say this year's gathering set a new record for participation - in excess of 8000 people.

U.S. to Withdraw from Universal Postal Union

The U.S. government has started the process of withdrawing from the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

The UPU is a 193-member international body established in 1874 to facilitate mail delivery between countries. The organization also oversees the rates national postal services charge for handling each other’s mail.

The UPU requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to charge other nations’ postal services less than its standard handling fees, called “terminal dues,” for shipments to the United States from certain foreign countries, including China. The discounted fees give foreign companies shipping goods from those countries an unfair cost advantage over U.S. companies that ship goods, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders stated on October 17. The subsidized rates also hurt the U.S. Postal Service because it costs USPS more to handle the packages than the fees the UPU allows it to charge, Sanders said.

During the year-long withdrawal process, the Trump administration will seek to renegotiate those UPU rules, said Sanders.

More HERE

Fossil Fuels Continue to Benefit Humans

Contrary to assertions made in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) most recent report, it’s time to praise and expand the use of fossil fuels, not restrict them.

The IPCC claims the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 to avert climate disaster. However, such a wrenching energy transformation is unrealistic, undesirable in the extreme, and, thankfully, unnecessary.

More HERE

Illinois College invites students to 'get a lesson in social justice' by playing Monopoly

Augustana College in Illinois will host a daylong event on Jan. 16 during which students will learn about a variety of topics, from "microaggressions" to "privilege."

One opportunity students will have to learn about "privilege" involves them playing the classic board game Monopoly.

More HERE

Rhoads: Scam, Spam, Robo War on Your Phone

By Mark Rhoads -

In 2017, the U.S. Health Department reported that more than half of all phones in the U.S. had switched from landlines to cell phones for their primary phone service. There is no good news here because the remaining landlines are overwhelmed by robocalls and other estimates are that more than half of all cell phone calls in 2019 will be spam or scam calls.

Because there is a limit to the numbers that carriers can block if they offer that service, your landline or cell phone is under constant attack and your internet service and social media is also under constant attack from malware schemes.

Pritzker's "Age of Aquarius" descends on Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois' new Governor J.B. Pritzker spelled out his lofty hopes and dreams for the state for the next four years during his inaugural address Monday. Those listening from beyond the Democrat-packed State Convention Center could almost hear the soothing voices of the 1960s Fifth Dimension with "Let the Sun Shine - Let the Sun Shine In - the Sun Shine In ... " in the "Age of Aquarius." 

The state of Illinois would join the efforts to preserve the Earth as we know it by signing onto elements in the Paris Climate Accord. The state's budget would not be balanced on the "starving, sick and suffering." LGBTQ rights would fly as rainbow flags - celebrating love, not hate and prejudice, in Illinois neighborhoods.

Students would be able to hoist unreasonable higher education debt. Guns would be controlled - creating statewide safe zones for children. Politicians will be kinder and gentler. Those that want recreational marijuana will be able to obtain it legally. 

Pritzker suggested the whole state will all live in harmony and understanding. Sympathy and trust will abound. The state's Leftist Democrats will be in full control.

Background music as you read the Governor's speech entitled "Possibility and Promise" in its entirety:

J.B. Pritzker sworn in as Illinois' 43rd Governor

SPRINGFIELD - Shortly after noon Monday, Illinois has a new governor, making the state fully controlled in all branches by the Democrat Party. J.B. Pritzker is Illinois' 43rd governor. Pritzker was accompanied during swearing in by wife M.K. and their two children.  

Attorney General Kwame Raoul

Fifth-term Secretary of State Jesse White

Re-elected State Comptroller Susanna Mendoza, who is now running for Chicago mayor

Re-elected State Treasurer Michael Frerichs