Illinois Review

Thorner: Heartland 35th Anniversary Benefit Featuring Glenn Beck

By Nancy Thorner - 

The Heartland Institute celebrated its 35th Anniversary October 4 with a benefit dinner at the Cotillion in Palatine, Illinois. Frank Lasée is president of Heartland. The theme of the evening was Stopping Socialism, Increasing Freedom.

The gala event, attended by 400 guests and friends of The Heartland Institute, featured Glenn Beck, a leading American media personality, political commentator, author and co-founder of Blaze Media, a multiplatform news and entertainment network available on television, radio, and the Internet. Because of Beck’s focus on warning Americans about the tremendous dangers of Socialism, perhaps the greatest threat this nation has ever faced, Glenn Beck was honored as the recipient of the Heartland Liberty Prize for 2019. 

Opening Remarks

The event began on a sober note when Heartland Institute Communications Director Jim Lakely opened the evening noting the passing of three men whose lives were dedicated to the role of liberty:

Frank Resnik (1942 - 2018)

Chuck Lang (1945 - 2018)

Lee Walker (1938 - 2018)

Resnik was a former board member from early on in Heartland’s life in the mid-1980s, and Lang was a long-time board member who died shortly after being elected the chairman of the board of The Heartland Institute.

Rev. Cory Brooks, a black conservative Republican pastor on the south side of Chicago, presented a heart-felt tribute to Lee Walker, describing Lee as a “man of courage and great character. He was honest, respectful, caring, and always responsible.”

Rev. Brooks and Lee Walker grew up poor and black on the south side of Chicago. Brooks, in remembering Walker, laughingly and lovingly compared him to a Bozo the Clown inflatable punching bag he remembered having as a child. “Although Bozo could be knocked down, as Lee had often experienced in his life, something on the inside of Lee always caused him to bounce back up with a smile on his face.”

Kids Have Constitutional Rights, Too!

Loveland High School student Nathan Myers recently did what many Colorado kids do: He ventured into the great outdoors for some target practice with his mom.

Myers also did what many kids of his generation are inclined to do: He posted videos of his adventure to social media. In the posts, which you can view here and here, Myers shares a few shots of handguns in their cases and a video of himself firing a gun into the wilderness.

Myers’ enthusiasm for exercising his Second Amendment rights ended up getting him in trouble with his local government school.

“A report had come into the police department about the video, and they were told Nate was a threat,” Rally for Our Rights reported. “After showing the videos to the police officers and explaining that they’d simply gone on a mother-son outing to train with their legally owned firearms, the police stated that they had done nothing illegal and were well within their rights. They also determined Nate was not a threat to himself or anyone else and went on their way.”

Despite local law enforcement’s determination that Myers was simply exercising his constitutional rights, Nate’s mother received a call from the Thompson Valley School District informing her that her son was considered a “threat” and that he wasn’t allowed to return to school. The school wouldn’t even provide Nate with the work he would miss while he was suspended.

More HERE

The Lights Are Out in California, And That Was the Plan All Along

The California blackouts are the result of bad policy and poor forest management. Chuck DeVore writes:

To better understand how we came to today’s blackout, it is useful to look to the past. When the gold rush led to modern California, early photographers chronicled the landscape. In George E. Gruell’s 2001 book, “Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849” the wildlife biologist depicted a California countryside of grassland with isolated stands of pines and oaks. The native Americans in the region frequently used fire to shape the landscape to increase the food available for them, as not a lot of sustenance grows on a dense forest floor.

In this environment of frequent fire, brush was thinned, and the first pine branches started just out of reach of a typical low-intensity grass fire. But with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Americans came a thriving economy and the order of government. Trees were useful and valuable, and therefore harvested. Fire was a threat to towns and cities, and thus, suppressed.

The Responsibility of Business

The Business Roundtable (BR), a group of chief executive officers (CEOs) of some of America’s largest corporations, recently released a statement claiming that businesses have a broader purpose than simply making profit.  By contrast, in a famous essay economist Milton Friedman argued that the social responsibility of business was to increase its profit.  The BR statement may perhaps be pure public relations.  Still, should we regard profit as less important than other potential business goals?

Answering this depends on the nature of profits.  In the market, all transactions are voluntary.  No business, however large, can compel anyone to buy their product, work for them, or loan them money.  Profit must be earned by producing valuable goods or services.  Customers will only buy a product that delivers more value than comparably priced goods, or similar value for a lower price.  Workers will only work if the pay and conditions compare favorably to other jobs.

In a market economy, profit cannot be made through exploitation.  Some people unfortunately do not have very good alternatives.  Many Americans do not consider a minimum wage job attractive; the person willing to work for $7.25 an hour is better off, given their other options.  We might lament the lack of better alternatives but any better opportunity is an improvement.

More HERE

40 Days for Life: International

A former abortionist gives his thoughts about the corrosive nature of operating as an abortionist, and about the growing 40 Days for Life movement.

BREAKING: More aborted fetus remains found in Klopfer's Mercedes-Benz stored in Dolton, IL

DOLTON IL - Late abortionist Ulrich Klopfer not only stored the remains of 2200 aborted babies in his Crete Illinois garage, he also stored 50 or so in the trunk of one of his eight Mercedes-Benzes found in Dolton IL Wednesday. 

The Northwest Herald reports: 

The most recent fetal remains were found in the gated lot of a business in Dolton, said Deputy Chief Dan Jungles of the Will County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators were aware Klopfer rented space at the business to store eight Mercedes Benzes and met with his family Wednesday to open the vehicles, Jungles said. Remains were found in the trunk of one of the cars, he said. There appeared to be the remains of at least 50 fetuses, Jungles said.

More HERE.

UPDATE: Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill released the following statement Wednesday afternoon: 

“Today we were notified by authorities in Illinois that family members this morning found additional fetal remains as they continued to sort through the late doctor’s belongings,” Attorney General Hill said. “We have dispatched investigators to Illinois to gather facts, but we anticipate simply adding these remains into the protocol we have already set up for dealing with these disturbing circumstances.”

State Rep Wehrli calls for ethics investigation of Justice Anne Burke

NAPERVILLE—Wednesday State Representative Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) filed a complaint with the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board (JIB) and asked for an immediate investigation into Justice Burke’s refusal to recuse herself from cases where her family received a financial benefit from parties in cases before the state's highest court.

The complaint was filed in response to a media report that the justice failed to recuse herself in at least ten cases that involved clients of her husband Alderman Ed Burke's law firm.

“Ethics laws exist for a reason, and every elected official, from library board trustee all the way up to Justices of the Supreme Court, have a responsibility to avoid any appearance of impropriety,” said Wehrli. “In order to maintain transparency and preserve ethical standards, officials must step away, not only when a clear conflict of interest exists, but also when the appearance of a conflict exists. Justice Burke’s decisions against recusal in these ten cases casts a cloud of doubt over every one of those rulings."

State rep calls for repeal of 18 cent gas tax

CHICAGO - He's one of the feistiest GOP members of the Illinois House and he's one that is ever-hopeful of change. And despite it being near-impossible to make happen, Thursday he will hold a press conference in downtown Chicago, calling on the legislature to repeal the 18 cent a gallon gas tax imposed on Illinoisans July 1st. 

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn of the northern suburb East Dundee says the recent capital program that 18 cent gas tax hike was supposed to fund could have been corruptly maneuvered. And why does he say that could be the case - here in Illinois? 

Not deterred by being unable to stop the gas tax back in May, Skillicorn called for a repeal of the gas tax because of yet another FBI investigation into Chicago area Democrats - this time, Sen. Martin Sandoval, the "architect of the recent massive gas tax increase."

The fishy-smelling Burkes: an IL Supreme Court chief justice and her felony-charged hubby

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois' next Supreme Court chief justice has been the topic of several online discussions since last month's announcement that the wife of a Chicago alderman facing federal charges would soon hold the highest judicial position in the state. 

On October 26th, Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke will become the Court's chief justice. 

Her husband, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke, disassociated himself recently from his law firm after the feds tossed his way 14 charges. Burke is well-known as the "Mike Madigan of the Chicago City Council" - and dictator of the city's notorious 14th Ward.

For years, a Burke approval was necessary for any Democrat seeking judicial office. 

But the Burkes' blatant power is getting just a little too much for some. Maybe even a little embarrassing - because only a few complained publicly about the set up. That was until WBEZ's Dave McKinney wrote Tuesday:

All I Want to Do Is Make Cookies

Most small businessmen have enough problems improving their product, marketing and meeting payroll. When Uncle Sam and his state and local cousins get involved, life and business invariably get harder. Common sense regulation benefits everyone. But there is a level of regulation that benefits no one – except bureaucrats. In this video, Joseph Semprevivo, founder and CEO of Joseph’s Lite Cookies, gives his not-so-sugar-coated account of how the government too often hinders much more than it helps.

State Rifle Association calls for public comment Monday on proposed freedom-endangering rules

SPRINGFIELD - Monday is the last day for public comment on proposed rules implementing a new state law that would "shut down as many federally licensed firearm dealers as possible," the Illinois State Rifle Association says. 

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) already licenses and closely monitors all federally-licensed firearm dealers, while strictly enforcing any violation of federal law. "SB 337 is not only unnecessary, but it expands mandatory regulations and red tape in order to force the closure of most firearm dealers (and prevent prospective owners from opening new ones)," the ISRA is telling its members.

For example, the proposed rules would require licensed firearm dealers to install security systems rivaling those of most FDIC-insured banks and casinos. "Another particularly expensive proposal would require the installation of license plate-reading cameras in parking lots 24 hours a day, seven days a week," the statement said. "That would not only require each dealer, regardless of how small the business, to purchase and install expensive high definition cameras complete with night vision or strong lighting. Expensive storage for the video data would be required as well, assuming such bandwidth is even available within our smaller communities." 

HUD Proposes Rule Defining Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is proposing a regulation  amending the agency’s “Interpretation of the Fair Housing Act's Disparate Impact Standard” adopted during the Barack Obama administration in 2013.

The title of the proposed rule refers to business practices alleged to have a discriminatory effect on persons in a class—such as race, sex, or disability—protected by federal civil rights laws.

The new rule, proposed on August 19, would provide more certainty for developers, mortgage lenders, and home insurers, says HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

“This proposed rule is intended to increase legal clarity and promote the production and availability of housing in all areas while making sure that every person is treated fairly under the law,” Carson stated in a press release on August 19.

More HERE

Illinois launches campaign to protect infants from sleep-related deaths

CHICAGO - While Illinois has become one of the most dangerous for unwanted babies before they are born, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, other state agencies, hospitals and even the PACE bus system are launching a public relations program Monday to protect infants from sleep-related deaths. 

Illinois is now the Midwest's most open to abortions through the last weeks of pregnancy, and offers taxpayer-funded abortions.

However, state officials are concerned that unsafe sleep is a leading cause of death for children 1 year old and younger. In 2018, 143 infants in Illinois under the age of 1 died because of being put to sleep unsafely, including 61 in Cook County.

Group Asks Supreme Court to Weaken Legal Authority of Administrative State

The administrative state is going to court again. A case involving a tax refund claim disallowed by the Internal Revenue Service will provide an opportunity for the Supreme Court to reconsider judicial deference to agency interpretations of laws. In other words, writes Matthew Vadum, the Court is being asked to end judicial bias in favor of the government:  

The Washington-based New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a petition for certiorari, or review, with the court in hopes of overturning the so-called Brand X doctrine that the Supreme Court articulated in its 2005 decision in National Cable and Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services.

The Brand X legal doctrine is unfair because, “if you ever find yourself in federal court suing a federal agency or being sued,” it requires deference to the federal agency interpreting the law if there is any ambiguity in the statute, Mark Chenoweth, executive director and general counsel of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, told The Epoch Times.

American History: LGBTQ Illinois Edition

By Nicole Russel, The American Spectator - 

A new Illinois law requires Illinois schools to teach kids of all ages about the contributions of the LGBTQ community, the Chicago Tribune reported last month. Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed the Inclusive Curriculum Law August 9; it mandates that public schools teach students as early as possible about contributions lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have made to U.S. state and national history. The details about why it passed and who passed it demonstrate just how much the LGBTQ lobby is targeting children to focus on a specific ideology, excluding others — with taxpayer dollars.

Rossi: Shh... it's a secret. The US Economy is booming. Pass it on ...

By Randy Rossi - 

Compare the amount of news coverage relentlessly attacking our president for a whole host of issues to the amount of positive news coverage of our great economy since President Trump was elected. The newest jobs report just came out and we now have the lowest unemployment in 50 years. Fifty years!

The unemployment rate is now at 3.5% and we have more open jobs than people to fill them. That has led to a wage growth of 2.9% compared to an inflation rate of 1.7% which means that American’s wages are growing faster than inflation giving all Americans more money to spend. That’s a good thing right?

Shouldn’t we be celebrating this great news as a nation?

Europe has discovered wealth taxes don’t work. Illinois politicians still in the dark.

Europe has discovered wealth taxes don’t work. And that should save us the trouble of having to repeat the experience, writes Chris Edwards:

 [T]he number of European countries with Sanders- or Warren-style wealth taxes has fallen from 12 in 1990 to just 3 today, and those 3 countries have cut their rates in recent years. The Europeans found that wealth taxes induced widespread avoidance, evasion, and capital flight. They raised little revenue and became riddled with exemptions.

The economists helping Sanders and Warren design their plans are doing the candidates a disservice by feeding them fairy tales about government revenues. Sanders claims his tax would raise $4.35 trillion over 10 years (about $435 billion a year), while Warren claims hers would raise $2.75 trillion over 10 years (about $275 billion a year).

Is the Media Misleading You about Vaping?

Over the past few weeks, the fake news media and ignorant politicians have shamefully perpetuated a myth that “vaping” is responsible for more than 500 hospitalizations and seven deaths. This is completely false, misleading, and downright disgraceful.

However, the CDC goes on to state, “Based on initial data … we know: Most patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC.” And here is the crux of the matter, which the media has completely downplayed and ignored: the vast majority (if not all) of the recent hospitalizations are due to people consuming unsafe and illegal substances with a completely safe and legal vaping device.

More HERE

3 GOP House members join Illinois Dems supporting bank access to pot money

CHICAGO - It's only a matter of a few months now before Illinois will be dealing with the challenges of easy-access and legal cannabis throughout the state. 

Marijuana for those who have medical needs wasn't enough for Illinois - there is too much quick money to be made. 

So here Illinois goes ...with the help of three GOP Congress members: Mike Bost (12 CD), Adam Kinzinger (16 CD) and Rodney Davis (13 CD).

Ives steps forward with health care proposal

WHEATON - In 2018, voters were concerned about health care, and because Republicans hesitated to present a plan to navigate wisely out of Obamacare, they lost the majority - including two important congressional districts in Illinois: the 6th and the 14th.

At least that's what the message was - The GOP lost the majority because health care was ignored. 

So that avoided "health care" issue - uncorrected and getting more complicated nationwide day by day - is at the top of 6th CD Republican primary candidate Jeanne Ives' agenda.