Illinois Review

Chicago GOP Chairman resigns, endorses Chris Cleveland as successor

Chicago GOP introduces 2014 candidates. Adam Robinson (far left), Chris Cleveland (at podium)

CHICAGO - After three years at the helm of the Chicago Republican Party, Chairman Adam Robinson notified committeemen Wednesday night that he's stepping down. He threw his support and hopes for the Chicago GOP's future behind his vice-chairman, 43rd Ward Committeeman Chris Cleveland.

Robinson said he's resigning because 2016 will be a crucial year for the Republican Party, and his growing business and family demands are limiting the time he has to devote to the Chicago GOP.

"In short, this upcoming election cycle requires that our organization's Chairman by 100% available to work on our party's behalf," Robinson wrote. "I simply do not have the bandwidth to execute this role to its fullest potential, and this election is far too important for that to be acceptable."

Pleased with the Chicago GOP surpassing their 2014 goal of obtaining 21% of the Chicago vote for Republican Bruce Rauner in the gubernatorial race, Robinson said "Chris Cleveland has been instrumental in this effort, and he has my full support to carry on this effort and finish out my term as Chairman."

He called for a committeemen meeting May 7th, when they will pick his successor.

Disabilities to be issue in Illinois' 2016 U.S. Senate campaign

Mark Kirk heads for U.S. Senator Floor - Politico photo

WASHINGTON DC - Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) is challenging U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) in 2016, and after Senator Kirk told Washington press that he plans to use his disability to get votes, it appears Duckworth plans to focus on her battle injuries as well.

Kirk told Politico in March he will "tout" his stroke to make a comeback:

Unlike his fellow endangered Republicans, Kirk believes he can offer something unique that could cut through party lines: his physical condition. He plans to make his recovery a centerpiece of his campaign, presenting himself as an inspirational and sympathetic figure who’s overcome a debilitating physical setback.

“I can hopefully be a powerful example for people who have gone through this,” Kirk said recently in an interview in his Senate office.

Duckworth made an issue of her war wounds in a Tweet Wednesday:

State Senator LaHood visits with Illinois homeschoolers

SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) addressed hundreds of Illinoisans that attended the annual Christian Home Educators legislative day at the State Capitol on April 29.

Christian Home Educators have been an annual fixture at the Capitol on what legislators and staffers fondly refer to as the “Cherry Pie” Day since the mid-1980s. The signature cherry pies have been a notable feature of the home education movement's legislative day.  

Senator LaHood is shown with the Scott and Janell Berger Family of Peoria, who attended the rally and day of action. Left to right: Bryce, Savanna, Morgan, Janell, Scott. In front, are Reece, Rosabella, Rochelle, and Brooke Berger.

Where's Weyermuller? With Congressman Bob Dold at City Club Lunch

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Congressman Bob Dold (IL-10) spoke this week at City Club of Chicago's public policy luncheon.

Illinois' 10th Congressional District represents the North Shore, mostly in Lake County including Winnetka, Glenview, Northfield,  Glencoe, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Glenview, and up to parts of Waukegan. The odd shape of the district leads some to say it was gerrymandered to favor Democrats, yet a Republican current holds the seat.

Professor Paul Green introduced the congressman as somebody who had won the district, lost the district, and then won it back again. Congressman Dold started his remarks by saying it was much better winning. He was recently appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee. He indicated in his remarks that he wants congressional oversight on the Iran arms deal while also touting his strong support for Israel. 

Transgender Student Petitions Round Lake High School for Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

ROUND LAKE, IL - A Round Lake High School student claiming to be "transgender" student has started a petition demanding school principal Donn Mendoza provide gender-neutral bathrooms for all students.

The female student, who goes by the male name Jonas Valentine, says "he" came out as transgender in January. "He" is now claiming the school has failed to accommodate "him" and that school administrators and teachers have isolated "him".

“I was open about it to all of my teachers and any other staff members that needed to know,” Valentine says. “I asked them to call me Jonas and refer to me in male pronouns.”

"His" gym teacher asked "him" to speak to Principal Mendoza regarding bathrooms and locker rooms. Mendoza accommodated Valentine by having "him" use the teacher's locker room. But Valentine now claims the accommodation has isolated "him".

“They said students felt 'uncomfortable' with me in the normal locker room and bathroom. At first I felt like it was fair to the students, but now I'm realizing how unfair it is to myself.”

$75,000 a Year from Uncle Sam

From Bill Bonner's Diary of a Rogue Economist comes the following:

13 steps to financial well-being... 

1. Don't get married to her 
2. Use your mom’s address to get mail sent to 
3. Guy buys a house 
4. Guy rents out house to his girlfriend who has two of his kids 
5. Section 8 will pay $900 a month for a three-bedroom home 
6. Girlfriend signs up for Obamacare so guy doesn't have to pay out the butt for family insurance 
7. Girlfriend gets to go to college free for being a single mother 
8. Girlfriend gets $600 a month for food stamps 
9. Girlfriend gets free cellphone 
10. Girlfriend gets free utilities 
11. Guy moves into home but uses mom's house to get mail sent to 
12. Girlfriend claims one kid and guy claims one kid on taxes… now you both get to claim head of household at $1,800 credit 
13. Girlfriend gets disability for being "bipolar" or having a "bad back" at $1,800 a month and never has to work again 

This plan is perfectly legal and is being executed now by millions of people. A married couple with a stay-at-home mom yields $0.00 dollars. An unmarried couple with stay-at-home mom nets: 

$21,600 disability + 
$10,800 free housing + 
$6,000 free Obamacare + 
$6,000 free food + 
$4,800 free utilities + 
$6,000 Pell grant money to spend + 
$12,000 a year in college tuition free from Pell grant + 
$8,800 tax benefit for being a single mother

= $75,000 a year in benefits

Skillicorn: Prevailing Wage Is A Bum Deal For The Collar Counties

By Allen Skillicorn - 

The so-called "prevailing wage" sets a minimum hourly wage for skilled labor based on the cost of living for each of Illinois’ 102 counties. We would all agree the cost of living is lower in rural versus urban areas. The average family can buy a much larger home for the same amount of money in McHenry, Kane, Grundy, and Kendall Counties versus Cook County.

As it turns out, Illinois’ Prevailing Wage Law is a bum deal for these collar and ex-urban counties like McHenry, Kane, Grundy, and Kendall because residents still have to pay Cook County wages for all public projects.

Rhoads: Demagoguery by Default

By Mark Rhoads -

President Obama offered some perfectly sensible and proper comments about the Baltimore riots during his news conference at the White House on April 28 with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. But after the carefully-considered and thoughtful remarks concerning the senseless violence, the hyper-partisan Democratic President could not resist one more random cheap shot out of the blue at Republicans that made no sense at all in context.

The President said this. "Now, I’m under no illusion that out of this Congress we're going to get massive investments in urban communities." 

Did President Obama ever ask Congress for "massive investments in urban communities" whatever that is supposed to mean?  No, he never has.  Did he ever ask for that "investment" when his party controlled both Houses of the Congress from 2009 to 2011?  The answer is no again.

The President appears to have a cheap shot default button that he cannot control. That is why he will never have any truly bipartisan legacy that he can be proud of and he is apparently not interested in his legacy in any case. Like a child who displays a temper tantrum when he does not get his way, even after six years in office, President Obama must always blame former President George W. Bush or GOP members of Congress for any failure of his own policies.

Thorner: Abortion could be a winning issue for Republicans

By Nancy Thorner -  

With the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade and its companion case Doe v. Bolton establishing "constitutionalized" abortion in all 50 states, the United States is one of the most permissive in its treatment of abortion. It ranks with China, North Korea and Canada as the only countries in the world that permit abortion for any reason after fetal viability. 

Wishing to spread the message of the Reagan Revolution, the Republican Assembly of Lake County (RALC) annually sponsors  a Reagan Day Dinner. The Republican Assembly of Lake County is associated with the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. The first Republican Assembly was founded in 1934 in California.  Ronald Reagan called the Republican Assemblies "the conscience of the Republican Party," while others have called them "the Tea Party” before there was a Tea Party.  

This year, RALC's Reagan Day Dinner's featured Chicago area's own Clarke D. Forsythe, senior counsel of Americans United for Life  and author of "Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade."

Ronald Reagan would have been pleased to welcome Clarke D. Forsythe to the podium.  

In 1983 Reagan wrote an article, "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation," in which the president said  "Abortion concerns not only the unborn child, it concerns every one of us," and further wrote, “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life—the unborn—without diminishing the value of all human life.” 

The Government Takeover Of Everything--Blurring Lines, Erasing Accountability

By Adam Andrzejewski - 

U.S. Post Office beta-tests grocery delivery; ObamaCare required state-by-state health information exchanges are spun-out into non-profit organizations; Indiana Governor Mike Pence attempted to start a state-run news agency

In many areas of society government is crowding out, invading and undermining the private sector.  And as the boundaries are erased, unaccountable elite power is centralized. In a nation whose founders trusted the genius of regular people vs. the power of consolidated government, citizens are increasingly finding the democratic process less impactful.

In an extreme example unfolding now, the U.S. Post Office is trying to stem the billions of red ink losses by competing against private enterprise in the grocery delivery business.

Approved last fall by the Postal Regulatory Commission, USPS started a San Francisco beta-test grocery delivery service by partnering with local grocery stores. This move is even stranger because the federal government itself hasn’t been exclusively using the post office on its core business of mail delivery:  $17 billion of federal money was spent with FedEx FDX -0.78% and UPS since 2000 (source: OpenTheBooks.com). So if the federal government can’t trust USPS to delivery mail why should we ask them to deliver milk and eggs?

More HERE

Roskam Leads Moment of Silence for Nepal on House Floor

Rauner rallies with Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watchdog Group

Governor Bruce Rauner poses with Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch Executive Director Travis Akin and supporters from all across the state at the Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch Rally in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Fed up with seeing Illinois transformed from the “Land of Lincoln” into the “Land of Lawsuits,” small business owners and concerned citizens traveled to Springfield today to lobby their legislators to pass common sense lawsuit reforms that will reduce the abuse of Illinois courts by aggressive personal injury lawyers and in turn help create jobs here.

The meetings with legislators were part of the “Rally for Lawsuit Reform” hosted by Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW), a grassroots, non-partisan legal watchdog group. Participants kicked off the day with a meeting with Governor Rauner to tell him personally why they support his proposed lawsuit reforms and to encourage him to keep fighting for these reforms in the face of intense opposition from the personal injury lawyers’ lobby.

Rauner has proposed lawsuit reforms that will stop personal injury lawyers from shopping around for the friendliest court jurisdiction, even if the lawsuit has nothing to do with that jurisdiction.

Illinois Rep. Hultgren Honored by Nation’s Manufacturers

WASHINGTON DC - Illinois Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14) was recognized by the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) for defending and promoting American manufacturing through his legislative leadership. At an event at Abbott Diagnostics in Lake Forest, Illinois, NAM awarded Hultgren the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence based on his votes in the 113th Congress on issues critical to manufacturing and demonstrate support for policies that enhance the ability of U.S. manufacturers to succeed in the global economy.

Ten percent of all Illinois workers are involved in manufacturing and 12.4 percent of Illinois’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is attributable to manufacturing, making up the largest share of Illinois GDP.

“Manufacturers are a backbone of Illinois’ economy, employing more than 27,000 workers across my district alone,” said Hultgren. “Manufacturers in my district produce and send their products throughout the country and the world. It is important to level the global playing field so our own manufacturers can compete against their international competitors—and succeed. I will continue to defend the interests of our nation’s manufacturers to ensure my constituents have quality jobs and a stable, prosperous economy.”

Five file for 18th CD special election to pick Schock successor

SPRINGFIELD - Five candidates - two Democrat and three Republican - filed petitions with the State Board of Elections Tuesday to succeed former Congressman Aaron Schock, who resigned March 31 from his 18th Congressional District.

The Republicans include State Senator Darin LaHood of Dunlap, Donald Ray Rients of Benson and Mike Flynn of Quincy.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer on Islam in Politics

With the influence of Islam ever increasing, Dr. Erwin Lutzer of Moody Church says the Christians must be ready of the challenges and opportunities that are coming our way.

Independent Map Amendment to be tried again in 2016

Former Tribune Company CEO Dennis FitzSimons announces new effort\Photo via Twitter

CHICAGO - What do former Tribune Company CEO Dennis FitzSimons, former White House chief of staff Bill Daley, Rev. Byron Brazier of Chicago's Apostolic Church of God and former Playboy CEO Christie Hefner have in common? They all want Illinois to change the way it draws its legislative and congressional district boundaries.

The array of Chicago notables are forming the board of directors for "Independent Maps Amendment," an 2016 initiative that would change the way Illinois now determines districts.

DuPage GOP lands Rand Paul for its Lincoln Day Dinner

LISLE, IL – The DuPage County Republican Party announced that U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) will be the keynote speaker for its 54th Annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

“We’re very excited for U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s visit because it will officially launch the 2016 Presidential Primary for DuPage Republicans,” said Darlene Ruscitti, Chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party. “For that and many other reasons, we are especially honored to welcome Kentucky’s junior senator to our County.”

Top Legal Scholar: Lisa Madigan is Wrong on Local Right-to-Work

By Jacob Heubert / Illinois Policy Institute - 

To help revive Illinois’ economy, Gov. Bruce Rauner has been promoting the idea that local governments should be allowed to create “employee-empowerment zones,” giving private-sector workers the right to choose whether to pay fees to a union – a right that Illinois workers currently don’t enjoy, but which most Illinoisans believe they should have.

On March 20, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued an opinion attempting to shoot down Rauner’s proposal, claiming that local Right-to-Work ordinances would violate federal labor laws. In Madigan’s view, federal labor law allows state governments to enact statewide Right-to-Work laws but preempts local governments from passing their own laws allowing workers to opt out of union fees.

In some circles, Madigan’s opinion was treated as the last word on the issue.

“I guess that’s that,” said state Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, one of the legislators who requested the opinion from Madigan.

But Lisa Madigan’s opinion on federal law is merely that: one very political person’s opinion.

And now one of the nation’s top legal scholars says she’s all wrong.

At Forbes, Richard Epstein, a professor at both the University of Chicago Law School and New York University School of Law, said Madigan has fundamentally mischaracterized federal law.

More HERE | Image Source

McDermed: Shouldn't taxpayers know how their money is being spent?

Rep. Margo McDermed with former State Rep. Renee Kosel 

By State Rep. Margo McDermed -

I recently passed legislation out of the Illinois House to address confidentiality clauses in public body severance agreements. These agreements use taxpayer funds, either in part or in whole, and as such should be subject to transparency. Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent. It has become especially clear in the last few years that there is abuse and scandals which occur that take advantage of such confidentiality clauses. My bill, should it become law, would place all settlement and severance agreements under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

Representative Kosel, my predecessor, attempted to pass similar legislation in the previous General Assembly in response to the Metra severance agreement scandal which gave former CEO, Alex Clifford, over $700,000. Her bill unanimously passed the House, but unfortunately died in the Senate.

Turning America into a Battlefield: A Blueprint for Locking Down the Nation

By John W. Whitehead - 

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.—President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

A standing army—something that propelled the early colonists into revolution—strips the American people of any vestige of freedom. How can there be any semblance of freedom when there are tanks in the streets, military encampments in cities, Blackhawk helicopters and armed drones patrolling overhead?

It was for this reason that those who established America vested control of the military in a civilian government, with a civilian commander-in-chief. They did not want a military government, ruled by force. Rather, they opted for a republic bound by the rule of law: the U.S. Constitution.

Unfortunately, with the Constitution under constant attack, the military’s power, influence and authority have grown dramatically. Even the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which makes it a crime for the government to use the military to carry out arrests, searches, seizure of evidence and other activities normally handled by a civilian police force, has been weakened by both Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who ushered in exemptions allowing troops to deploy domestically and arrest civilians in the wake of alleged terrorist acts.

Arn: Augustana Professor Says Have Empathy For Baltimore Rioters

By Ulysses Arn - 

Augustana College political science professor Dr. Christopher Whitt talked to KWQC TV Tuesday about the ongoing violence and riots that have gripped Whitt's hometown of Baltimore, Maryland following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody for an apparently severed (nearly) spine.

Whitt said that people should have empathy for the rioters and looters in Baltimore who have been throwing large bricks at police, cutting fire hoses, and burning cars and businesses.

Rhoads: Common Sense is Don't Run

By Mark Rhoads - 

On Aug. 9, 2014 robbery suspect Michael Brown confronted and ran away from Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri and he was killed in the confrontation. On Dec. 13, New York City Police officers tried to arrest Eric Garner for a minor crime when he resisted arrest and a choke hold might have led to his death. On April 16, 2015, Freddie Gray, a suspect with multiple prior arrests for drug distribution, ran from Baltimore Police officers and later died of complications from a back injury while in custody.

Serving Veterans and The Families: The Vital Role in Civil Society of Veterans Service Organizations

Ebola Outbreak and Response: Assessment of Initial U.S. Actions

Illinois Has Left $1.3 Billion On Table By Not Taxing Benefits of Currently Retired Teachers and Administrators

By Ted Ballatine / Pension360 - 

By not taxing the 91,000 currently retired TRS members with ten or more years of service, the state has so far left $1,323,862,729 in revenue on the table, according to Pension360 calculations.

Of the 41 states that tax income, Illinois is one of only three that exclude pension benefits from its income tax, and one of only two states that includes a blanket tax exemption for all retirement income, including Social Security and private pensions.

Advocates of the policy, including unions, senior associations and some lawmakers, say it gives much-needed tax relief to retirees, and encourages seniors to spend their retirement – and their money – in the state.

But it comes at a cost: billions in lost tax revenue for one of the most cash-strapped states in the country.

Jindal Warns Corporate America to Stop Bullying People of Faith

By Warner Todd Huston - 

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warns that corporate America is teaming up with the anti-Christian left to attack our religious liberty. He made his comments at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Spring Kickoff on April 25.

Martire proposes tax hikes and refinancing state debt to fix budget problems

Ralph Martire|Image Source

CHAMPAIGN, IL - During a forum held at the Champaign Public Library Monday night, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability's Ralph Martire said the state budget problems can be fixed with four simple steps - steps that focus on more revenue, not budget cuts:

• Re-amortize its pension debt from a 30-year payback to 43 years, and level annual pension payments at about $7.3 billion. They're scheduled to be $6.8 billion in the next fiscal year.
• Increase the personal income tax rate from the current 3.75 percent to between 4.25 percent and 4.5 percent. The rate was 5 percent until Jan. 1.
• Expand the sales tax to include consumer services.
• Start taxing retirement income on a graduated scale.

The News-Gazette reports Martire said "if you do those thing, the problem will be solved," and the state will have $4 billion to spend.

Counties and municipalities embrace more local control, reject state funding cuts

CHICAGO - Mayors and county board chairmen throughout Illinois are discussing the governor's reform ideas, and although some say the governor's proposals are worthy of consideration, most are soundly rejecting his call for a $600 million budget cut for local municipalities. 

Dozens of suburban mayor rallied against the proposed cuts in Chicago Tuesday, and a website has been set up to encourage citizens to write letters to Springfield. The website "Protect My Town" voices concern about funds being cut for essential services such as police and fire protection, snow plowing, garbage pickup, road repairs and programs for seniors and children.

"The proposed 50% cut in this funding will result in losses of millions of dollars for many municipalities, causing a drastic reduction in operating revenue," the site says. "Municipal officials are committed to fighting against higher property taxes, painful cuts in front-line services, police and fire layoffs and delays to needed infrastructure repairs in your town."

On the other hand,a growing number of local municipalities are interested in issues Rauner's Turnaround Agenda proposes, giving them more local control. The agenda suggests allowing municipalities to enact union-free right-to-work zones, limit collective bargaining for public employees, eliminate prevailing wage demands, and reform the state worker pension system.

As local councils consider the proposals, unions are organizing and appearing at the meetings.

Who should define marriage - the people or the courts?

WASHINGTON DC - The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether states should have the right to define marriage, or if a federal policy should supersede individual states.

Heritage Foundation says that despite more than 50 million Americans voting for laws affirming the definition of marriage as one man and one woman, courts have overruled public opinion in 26 states.

Illinois is one of the eight states that redefined marriage in the legislature - a close vote that took place in the closing hours of a session with crucial votes of legislators not returning.

Heritage Foundation's graphic shows the public polling:

Foster: Why I am suing Aaron Schock

By Howard Foster - 

I am the Plaintiff in a class action against former Congressman Aaron Schock. I contributed only $500 to Schock for Congress in 2012, but I thought I was giving my money to the “breath of fresh air” in the dreary and often corrupt Illinois Republican firmament. We really needed it then after the George Ryan scandal, and what seemed to be an endless string of pay-to-play politicians losing their bids for state office. 

But within months of my contribution, Schock began to advocate for liberalized immigration reform, which is a nonstarter as far as I’m concerned. So I made no further contributions to his campaign. But now we know he never was different from the rest. He was a corrupt money machine. He didn’t hand out state contracts like Ryan, but he was all about raising and spending big money rather than any ideals. And he was quite good at it. Thousands of people with money to give to an up and coming congressman wrote checks to "Schock for Congress" because they thought he would move up the ladder and be able to win statewide. The House leadership moved him up to a sinecure position as a reward for his nonstop fundraising. 

Suburban mayors meet with manufacturers to discuss common concerns

GLEN ELLYN - Mayors are always looking for new businesses to add to their municipalities’ tax base and manufacturers prudently weigh cost of doing business when they choose where to build or expand their companies.

Last Wednesday at the College of DuPage, thirteen DuPage and Cook County mayors met with 70 manufacturing CEOs to discuss mutual challenges and carve out solutions. The Technology and Manufacturing Association (TMA) based in Schaumburg hosted the event.

During the afternoon’s issue forum, panelists discussed Cook County’s property tax classification system, the state’s infrastructure condition and the prevailing wage mandate.

Businesses in Cook County commonly pay two and a half times more in property taxes than similar facilities in surrounding counties, TMA President Steve Rauschenberger said.  

TMA President Steve Rauschenberger, Illinois Policy Institute's Michael Lucci, Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig, CHOOSE DuPage representative, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson, Atlas Tools' Zach Mottl

Billionaire Sam Zell buys into Rauner's Turnaround agenda

CHICAGO - Forbes #318 billionaire Sam Zell appears to be a believer in Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's Turnaround Illinois agenda.

Illinois Board of Election records show on April 17, Zell donated $4 million to Rauner's individual expenditure PAC, through which the governor says he intends to leverage support in the state legislature.

Sam Zell and his wife Helen donated to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's 2015 campaign, as well as numerous Democrats and pro-abortion advocacy groups. They also gave to several Republicans over the years, including Bill Brady's gubernatorial bid in 2010 and Governor Rauner's 2014 campaign.

In its 2015 billionaire listing, Forbes says Zell is worth $4.9 billion and mentions Zell's investments in Equity Office Properties Trust and the Chicago Tribune:

Ted Cruz: "There is a liberal fascism going after Christian believers"

WAUKEE, IA - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Saturday said Democrats had gone to extremes in their persecution of Christians.

“Today’s Democratic Party has decided there is no room for Christians in today’s Democratic Party,” The Hills reports he said at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Waukee, Iowa.

“There is a liberal fascism that is going after Christian believers,” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate continued.

“It is heartbreaking,” Cruz argued. “But it is so extreme, it is waking people up.” 

Cruz' whole speech at the summit is viewable HERE. More at The Hill

Illinois State Senator spent $50k from campaign coffers on non-campaign travel

EAST ST LOUIS - State Senator James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis) was serving in the Illinois General Assembly when former Congressman Aaron Schock was serving in the other state legislative chamber. Both of them are being criticized for spending thousands in campaign donations for worldwide travel instead of campaigns. 

But the similarities between Schock and Clayborne end there.

D.C. media turned up the heat so high on Schock that he resigned from his congressional seat March 31st. A federal investigation is underway. In contrast, Senator Clayborne shrugged off questions about the $50,000 his campaign records show he spent on travels with "Campaign dollars are donations. They're not public dollars."

In addition to the $50,000 spent on travel, Clayborne  - who is key partner in an East St. Louis law firm - also reported spending $42,000 from his campaign coffers on limousine hires while traveling over the last 11 years to committee hearings in the Chicago area.

Clayborne accused the local Fox affiliate of "trash journalism" for reporting the expenditure.

Small Business Owners Caucus forms in Illinois House

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Small business now has a stronger voice in Springfield, thanks to State Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, and State Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, who recently formed the bi-partisan Small Business Owners Caucus in the Illinois House of Representatives. 

“Small business is the backbone of our state and local economy, accounting for over 60% of all new private-sector jobs created in America each year,” Rep. Wheeler said. “This new bipartisan caucus will bring together small business owners from every region of Illinois to formulate policy reforms that will make our state more competitive and help to attract and retain quality Illinois jobs for Illinois families."

The 20-member Small Business Owners Caucus has been created to bring together state legislators who are current or former small business owners to share similar entrepreneurial experiences. Activities will include caucus-backed legislative proposals and supporting individual caucus members' legislative ideas, as well as holding subject matter focused business discussions with the constitutional officers, agency directors, legislative leaders and pro-business organizations. Various business groups have already come forward with ideas of establishing an annual scorecard of pro-business legislation and nominating annual champions of the business community.

Rauner threatens first veto to be on PARCC testing bill

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner is threatening his first veto, and it would be to stop an effort allowing parents to opt their kids out of taking new federally-mandated tests that have stirred controversy around the nation. 

Rauner said earlier this month that he is "a little worried" about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing linked to the Common Core curriculum. When U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan threatened any state not participating in the testing with loss of federal dollars, his tune changed.

Now administration sources are saying Rauner is prepared to veto a measure that would not punish school districts if parents chose for their kids to skip the PARCC tests.

Rauner asks reporters to cover his agenda, refuses to answer questions

CHICAGO - Illinois' Governor Bruce Rauner asked for business writers and editors to help him get the word out about his Turnaround Agenda, but refused to answer any of their questions. 

During Saturday's closing session of the Society of Business Editors and Writers' annual conference, the governor spoke for 15 minutes,  and then instead of taking questions from the audience, he exited immediately after his keynote address. 

His unwillingness to ask questions irritated the audience to which he appealed for help in promoting his plans for Illinois. Medill Reports:

Don't Judge Blacks Differently

When whites riot, the public rightly labels them as criminals. When blacks riot, the public considers them to be protestors with legitimate grievances. Is this different standard fair? Or is it an example of a new form of racism cloaked in low expectations? Chloe Valdary, a black student at the University of New Orleans, explains.

MSNBC's Toure: Comedians Should ONLY Make Fun of White Men

By Warner Todd Huston - 

Toure Neblett of MSNBC says that comedy isn't funny unless it is only making fun of white men.

Over 1,000 Attend Memorial 5K For Villa Park Teen Killed By Illegal Immigrant

By Ulysses Arn - 

On Sunday more than 1,000 people took part in a 5K run/walk at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, IL to raise money for scholarships in memory of late Willowbrook student Emilio Perez.

Perez was killed in March of last year by a hit-and-run driver who struck him as he walked along the side of Interstate 88 near Joslin, IL. Al Perez, Emilio's father, and other family spent six months traveling from Villa Park to the Quad Cities putting up fliers and billboards seeking any information on the driver who had fled the scene of the accident.

In September Al Perez's persistence in looking for that one piece of information that would lead police to the person that had killed his son paid off when a tip to Crime Stoppers lead police to Maria Romero of Rockford, who it turns out is an illegal immigrant. Romero is currently facing criminal charges in Rock Island county and is being held on a federal immigration detainer.

Bill To Legalize Raw Milk Passes the Illinois House

SPRINGFIELD, IL - By a unanimous vote of 109-0, State Rep. Peter Breen's (R-Lombard) bill (HB 2690), has passed the Illinois House. The legislation allows the sale of unpasteurized milk at Illinois farms. Sales of unpasteurized or "raw" milk had been occurring in Illinois under a decades-old statute, but due to more recent changes in state law, raw milk sales had been inadvertently made illegal.

Because current law provides misdemeanor criminal charges for raw milk sale, Illinois residents have been forced into underground transactions to purchase the milk. This legislation would remedy the defect in current law and allow individuals to purchase and sell raw milk in the open.

“This is both a pro-business and pro-freedom initiative," said Breen. "Consumers and farmers shouldn't be considered criminals for buying and selling unpasteurized milk. Folks drink locally-produced raw milk for a variety of reasons, whether for health reasons, for the taste, or just to support small farmers. We should be promoting wholesome natural alternatives, not criminalizing and condemning them.”

The legislation was supported by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, which promotes local food production throughout the state. The bill was initially opposed by some in the public health community. However, after extensive negotiations, Breen secured consent of all interested parties. The bill now moves to the Illinois Senate.

Thorner and Hasty: May truth prevail at Pope's Major Summit on Climate Change

By Nancy Thorner and Elvira Hasty - 

The Climate Change issue may very well represent the biggest deception in the history of mankind - one sold to gullible individuals and elite multimillionaires. The same wealthy globalists that have exploited our economies have also taken advantage of the scientific ignorance of our populations.

The Vatican will host a major conference on climate change this week on Tuesday, April 28, featuring some of the world’s leading climate scientists including an opening address by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The conference, Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, will also feature Jeffrey Sachs, a prominent American economist and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. 

This event is just the latest in what many are calling Pope Francis’s “green agenda.” He has become an outspoken advocate on environmental issues, saying acting on climate change is “essential to faith”  and calling the destruction of nature a modern sin. He has vowed to only increase pressure on world leadersafter his disappointment with the Lima climate talks. He is hoping that his encyclical will influence the climate talks in Paris at the end of the year. 

Rhoads: Vulgar is Not Cool

By Mark Rhoads - 

Most of our parents taught us that being vulgar is not funny, not hip, not clever, and not cool.  But listen to the "hip" President Obama at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner that draws immature laughter from the narcissistic and self-important class of news media and politicians.  This is what passes for clever humor inside the beltway.

Debate over Clean Power Plan and Illinois economy heats up

SPRINGFIELD - A vast majority of Illinoisans believe their state can have a clean environment while enjoying a strong economy, a recent poll commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said.

The NRDC is expecting hundreds to gather at the Illinois State Capitol on Earth Day 2015 to emphasize that eight in ten support Illinois developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution. Nearly two-thirds of those in the survey said they support the Clean Power Plan to nationally limit carbon emissions, a press release said Tuesday.

“Earth Day is a reminder that we face daunting environmental issues—climate change chief among them—but this polling makes clear that Illinoisans are open to leading the way to fixing them and profiting from the solutions,” the NRDC said.

But those participating were probably not informed that if the Clean Power Plan advocated for by the NRDC goes into effect, it could cost Illinois around 29,868 jobs, according to a Heritage Foundation study released this week.

Lipinski, Roskam, Hultgren warn against Illinois' proposal to oppress free exercise of religion

SPRINGFIELD, IL - A bill that would force pro-life health care providers to promote and participate in abortion, SB 1564, passed the Illinois Senate this week, and now moves to the House. The bill would also violate federal law, a bipartisan letter from Members of the federal Illinois delegation says.

Congressional members of the Illinois delegation Peter Roskam, Dan Lipinski and Randy Hultgren say in the letter that SB 1564 does more than “gut the conscience protections currently enshrined in [Illinois law].” The bill would “stand in stark contrast to the requirements of superseding federal law, including the Church Amendment, the Coats-Snowe Amendment, and the annual Hyde-Weldon Amendment.”

And it could cost medical facilities in Illinois badly-needed federal assistance. They write that “such legislation could seriously imperil funds for healthcare programs, including reimbursements under Medicare and Medicaid.”

Illinois House members Ives, Sandack outraged over College of DuPage scandals [video]

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois Channel interviewed State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) and State Rep. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) about the problems discovered at the College of DuPage. Ives credits College of DuPage trustee Kathy Hamilton with exposing alleged malfeasance among the board.

Things like this happen when newly-elected board members fear repercussions from other more experienced board members.

"You have to become intellectually curious and then have the courage to ask the right questions," Ives told Illinois Channel. 

Former Illinois state rep gets five months prison time for bribery conviction

CHICAGO - Former State Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) was sentenced to five months in jail after being convicted for bribery.

Smith accepted a $7,000 bribe in 2012 shortly after he was appointed to the Illinois House. He took the money from an FBI informant who negotiated a deal between Smith and a fictitious day care center that supposedly needed a state grant. He'll begin his sentence on July 31st.

The Chicago Tribune's editorial board argued with the judge's sentence, saying, 

Thorner: Might 'Three Strikes and You're Out' derail Bush's candidacy? (Part 2)

By Nancy Thorner - 

Can a conservative reformer whose last name elicits a presidential dynasty be elected president, or might, as the baseball analogy goes, “Three strikes and you're out" be the call many voters will make when considering Jeb Bush as their 2016 presidential candidate choice?

The three strikes analogy refers to the positions held by Jeb Bush on the issues of amnesty, Common Core, and climate change.

Decriminalizing pot, locating adult entertainment and limiting license reader records moves

A bill decriminalizing the act of possessing 15 grams of cannabis is moving ahead in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Tickets could soon be issued for marijuana possession and information obtained by license readers could soon be limited in Illinois. Both proposals are headed to the Illinois Senate.

A bill that restricts using information grabbed by law enforcement license readers to only certain law enforcement uses, prohibits transfer to private third parties and allows law enforcement to keep the information for no more than 30 months moved to the Illinois Senate.

House Bill 3289, sponsored by Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) passed the Illinois House with a vote of 75 to 24.

Another bill that would decriminalize cannabis possession passed the Illinois House with a 62 to 53 vote.  HB 218 is sponsored by House members from both sides of the aisle including Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy - Ron Sandack - Michael J. Zalewski - Ed Sullivan - Pamela Reaves-Harris, Kenneth Dunkin, Lou Lang, Robert F. Martwick, Carol Ammons, Will Guzzardi, Arthur Turner, Christian L. Mitchell, Mary E. Flowers, La Shawn K. Ford, Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr. and Barbara Flynn Currie.

Among other things, the proposal provides that the possession of 15 grams or less of cannabis is a civil law violation punishable by a minimum fine of $55 and a maximum fine of $125. 

O'Brien: Obama Regime Operating in the Shadows to Conquer the U.S. from Within

By Teri O'Brien - 

Beginning with the March 1, 2015 edition of The Teri O'Brien Show, (listen here) and continuing  on subsequent episodes, we've been reporting on the Obama Regime's covert efforts to conquer racist, imperialistic Amerika from within through the "Task Force for New Americans.".

Obama and the Left believe that it's time for big-time payback to all the aggrieved "people of color" who have suffered (including the slaves who they constantly remind us built the White House) so that the United States can be the affluent, super power it has been for way too long. Third World people suffer in miserable conditions while white people in the U.S. live in comfort. (Minorities continue to be part of the Oppressed and Downtrodden, of course.) That will not stand!

Since the U.S. isn't a Third World country (yet), the Obama answer is to bring the Third World to the U.S. Like termites working behind the walls to completely destroy the structure of the building, these Leftist vermin never rest.