Illinois Review

Di Leo: Where in All the Oceans is our Sea Freight?

By John F. Di Leo - 

As this terrible year of supply chain disruptions continues to worsen, we struggle to understand certain impossibilities.

Why pay higher prices for worse service?

Why can’t we end this crippling dependence on Chinese goods?

And today’s question: how is it that there are more ships in the Pacific than ever before, but less capacity, so the cargo we need still doesn’t move?

The Biden/Harris regime is proposing all sorts of illogical ideas, usually based on fines and surveys… because if penalties and questions are the things that politicians fear most, then surely penalties and questions can magically double the size of our ports and rail yards to ease the congestion at our many sea freight bottlenecks. Right?

Well, actually… No. 

UPDATE x1: State Rep Niemerg reaffirms religious rights in vaccine choice with proposed Freedom Act

UPDATE x1: State Rep. Adam Niemerg went on record with Illinois Review Friday morning - the audio is below. 

DIETERICH IL - Discriminating against anyone for their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine would be illegal under legislation State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) has introduced.

“Our leaders are using the pandemic as an excuse to strip Americans of their rights,” Niemerg said. “We cannot allow this abuse of power to continue.”

The Freedom Act (HB 4239) makes it unlawful for any person, public or private institution, or public official to discriminate against any person in any manner because of such person's refusal to obtain, receive, or accept a COVID-19 vaccination contrary to his or her beliefs. The legislation also prohibits a public official, guardian, agency, institution, or entity to discriminate based on vaccine status and the measure allows an individual to file a lawsuit in the event their religious rights are violated.

“The rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution are not conditional,” Niemerg said. “They are innate. I wish that House Bill 4239 were not necessary. I wish that our state’s leaders would respect our rights as citizens but sadly that is not the case. My legislation is necessary and is essential for the preservation of our Right of Conscience. I need the help of concerned citizens to put pressure on the leaders in the House and the Senate to do the right thing by passing the Freedom Act.”

Those who've signed onto the bill include Rep. Adam Niemerg, Joe Sosnowski, Chris Miller, Brad Halbrook, Dan Caulkins, Blaine Wilhour, Paul Jacobs, David Friess, Andrew S. Chesney, Randy E. Frese, Thomas Morrison, Dave Severin and Dan Ugaste -  all Republicans.

House Bill 4239 has been introduced and awaits assignment to a legislative committee. Rep. Niemerg encouraged Illinoisans concerned about the Freedom Act to call their state lawmakers.

Rep. Niemerg spoke with Illinois Review and answered more questions we had ... a short 5 minute interview here: 

IR Interview with St. Rep. Adam Niemerg

The Center Square: Working-age Illinoisans continue to flee state

(The Center Square) – Working-age Illinoisans continue to relocate to other states.

An analysis by the University of Illinois Extension looked at demographic trends and revealed the number of people aged 25 to 39 in Illinois decreased, one of the few states in the country to see a decline. Illinois also lost population in the 40 to 59 age group.

“The U.S. population actually grew in the prime working age, young adult age cohorts, 25 to 29, 30 to 34 and 35 to 39 year olds,” said Zach Kennedy, community and economic development state specialist for the U of I Extension.

Kennedy said possible reasons for the age group to leave are job opportunities, Illinois’ high taxes, weather, and something he calls “brain drain.”

India and China Set Aside Differences to Resist Carbon Imperialism

India and China have come together to resist the common enemy of carbon imperialism despite a sour relationship that has included a deadly border skirmish.

At the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, leaders from the developed West were hellbent on imposing on developing nations harsher measures to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. However, India and China, with the support of few other lower-to-middle-income countries like Iran, successfully resisted the pressure. The reason for their dissociation is simple: The energy reality of the countries demands more, not less, burning of fossil fuels.

While the COVID-19 pandemic dominated global headlines during 2020-21, the 2.6 billion people of India and China were engrossed in border news. In June 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops. China revealed that four of its soldiers died during this medieval-style fight between 500 soldiers involving traditional gear like spiked clubs, iron rods, and batons wrapped in barbed wire.

More HERE

Di Leo: Willie Horton and the Democratic Party's Greatest Fear

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on Willie Horton and Michael Dukakis, Darrell Brooks and the city of Waukesha, and the modern Democratic Party's campaign to eliminate public safety once and for all...

At seventy years old, Willie Horton is serving multiple lifetime sentences in a Maryland prison.  His case was once famous enough that we can be reasonably certain that this recidivist monster will never again be released to commit another crime.

The nation is safe from Willie Horton.  

But the Democratic Party should not be.

More HERE, in the American Thinker. 

(photo: Darrell Brooks, the alleged perpetrator of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attacks)

 

 

 

 

Could hyperinflation become the new normal?

A few months ago, when prices began to spike throughout the U.S. economy, Americans were told not to worry, it was just a temporary blip.

On several occasions, President Biden and high-ranking officials in his administration claimed the current bout of inflation was “transitory” and would subside sooner rather than later.

Yet, as the months tick by, inflation is getting worse, not better.

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In October, the rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, reached a 30-year high of 6.2 percent.

Unfortunately, the rate of inflation is likely to remain on an upward trend, based on current fiscal and past monetary policies.

More HERE

Parker: Build Back Better — Wasting Trillions

By Star Parker -

As Democrats regroup to try to pass their $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, pressure grows for shining the light of fiscal responsibility on all this.

Given President Joe Biden’s crashing approval ratings, there is some hint that the American people smell a rat.

One sign of the smell of that rat is the alarming escalation of the rate of inflation to where it hasn’t been in over 30 years.

Let’s start with the announcement from the Treasury Department a week ago that the revenue measures built in to finance the $2 trillion in spending will not only not add to the nation’s existing fiscal deficit but will reduce it.

The headline from the Treasury department reads “Preliminary Estimates Show Build Back Better Legislation Will Reduce Deficits.” The document shows an estimate of $2.151 trillion in revenue raising measures against $2 trillion in spending.

However, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business has its own model, overseen by a professor with extensive experience in the Congressional Budget Office and the Treasury Department. According to the Wharton model, Build Back Better will add $500 billion to the federal deficit.

Treasury says the Build Back Better cuts the deficit by $151 billion. Wharton says it increases it by $500 billion. Not exactly a trivial difference.

Who do we believe?

More HERE

These 10 Defensive Gun Uses Undercut NY’s Logic on Restrictive Firearms Laws

The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month in a major Second Amendment case challenging New York’s restrictive framework for approving concealed carry permits.

During the arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood defended the fact that officials more strictly apply the discretionary framework to residents in urban areas of the state, who receive carry permits at disproportionately far lower rates than residents in more rural areas.

Underwood explained that this was a perfectly reasonable display of discretion, as residents in more densely populated urban areas enjoy a greater police presence than those in less-densely populated rural areas.

Chief Justice John Roberts cut right through Underwood’s logic, saying: “If the purpose of the Second Amendment is to allow people to protect themselves, then it’s implicated when you’re in a high-crime area. It’s not implicated when you’re out in the woods. … How many muggings take place in a forest?”

Roberts is correct: The Second Amendment is premised on the natural right of self-defense, the need for which is greatest where the risk of crime is highest.

More HERE

Fisher: Analyzing What Could Be a Historic Supreme Court Term

By Paul Fisher - 

The Supreme Court is hearing the most important Second Amendment case in a generation.

The Supreme Court term that began in October promises to be one of the most significant terms in many years. Below, I describe the most significant cases. In coming weeks, I will go into more detail about each of these cases and the impact and implications these cases have. As the Court issues its opinions, I will discuss the opinions and any concurrences and dissents.

More HERE

Federal Judge Halts Biden Shot Mandate for Health Care Workers

UPDATE x1: November 30, 2021 - A federal judge in Louisiana temporarily halted all healthcare worker vaccine mandates throughout the nation.

More information to come ...  from Liberty Counsel - Biden’s Shot Mandates Continue to Bite the Dust - Dec 1, 2021

This week, three federal judges have blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 unlawful shot mandates for federal contractors and health care workers. 

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction yesterday against Biden’s shot mandate regarding federal contractors for three states. U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove blocked the order at the request of the three attorneys general of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The states sued Biden arguing that the mandate for companies that do business with the U.S. government violated the U.S. Constitution. 

In his ruling Judge Van Tatenhove stated, “The question presented here is narrow. Can the president use congressionally delegated authority to manage the federal procurement of goods and services to impose vaccines on the employees of federal contractors and subcontractors? In all likelihood, the answer to that question is no.”

More HERE.

Here's what happened earlier this week: 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Health care workers in 10 states who don’t want to take the COVID-19 shot will be pleased with a federal judge’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. St. Louis-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp halted implementation and enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 shot mandate for thousands of affected health care workers.

Judge Schelp granted a preliminary injunction that applies to certified providers of Medicare and Medicaid and suppliers in each of the suing states: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

17th CD GOP candidate Esther Joy King releases "Battle-Ready" campaign ad

See whole map at fivethirtyeight.com  

EAST MOLINE - With hopes of winning a Trump-favoring central Illinois district in 2022, 17th CD GOP candidate Esther Joy King released her first campaign ad for next year's election. The incumbent - Democrat Cheri Bustos - has announced she's retiring, so the 17th CD seat will be open in 2022 in a conservative district with likely strong headwinds for Republican candidates. 

“With less than a year to go until the midterm elections, Illinois Democrats just put the final seal of approval on their corrupt, gerrymandered maps drawn for one purpose: to protect the Left's control of Washington and Illinois," King said in a statement.

"The Corrupt Springfield Democrats' desperate power-grab changes nothing. Since Day One, my campaign has been about fighting for the people of Northern, Central, and Western Illinois and protecting our communities from the radical Left-wing agenda. As a battle-ready leader, I am ready to double down for our generation's fight against socialism and keep America strong and free.”

The newly-drawn 17th congressional district includes much of the northwestern part of Illinois - an area considered "highly competitive" by political prognosticators. 

Davis to run for Congress again in 2022

TAYLORVILLE -- Despite political rumors that he might run for Illinois governor in 2022, Rodney Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, announced Tuesday he is choosing to run for re-election to Congress in the newly-drawn 15th Congressional district, which includes his home in Taylorville and much of the district he currently represents. He is the only incumbent member of Congress who resides in this district following the Congressional redistricting process.

Davis' announcement leaves only Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller as not yet announcing her re-election plans for 2022. The newly-drawn districts place her in the Democrat-intended situation of having to challenge a Republican US House colleague in a 2022 primary.

“My family and I are excited to announce that I am running for re-election to Congress,” Davis said in a statement. “I’ve been proud to fight hard for and work on behalf of central Illinois families in this district for many years, both as a member of Congress and as a staffer to my good friend and mentor, former Congressman John Shimkus.”

Thorner: Why Is Vermont, the most vaccinated state, grappling with another Coronavirus surge?

By Nancy Thorner - 

Keep in mind that you’re not considered “fully vaccinated” until two weeks after your second injection. If you got your second dose a week ago and end up in the hospital with COVID symptoms, you’re counted as "unvaccinated."

The case rate in Vermont is FAR higher now than it was in the fall of 2020, when no one had gotten the “vaccine.”  Vermont health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says the surge is occurring primarily among unvaccinated people in their 20s and children aged 5 through 11 — which is obviously another ruse, given that the shots are just now being rolled out for 5- to 11-year-olds. 

Dr. Levin also tries to blame the delta variant, but delta has been around for months already, first case of delta in Vermont was identified in mid-May 2021.  

Op-Ed by Mark Curran: Lake County's Shanes, Filenko bad for Illinois

Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes 

An Op-Ed by Mark Curran, former Lake County sheriff and candidate for Illinois Supreme Court - 

The day that Fox Lake Sargent Joseph Gliniewicz took his life, Lake County made national headlines.  

George Filenko – recently featured at a press conference with Illinois Supreme Court candidate Daniel Shanes – was the Commander of the LCMCTF -- the Lake County Major Crime Task Force -- that day. Created in response to a need for investigative resources for police agencies in Lake County, the LCMCTF has had one of the worst reputations in the country for wrongful convictions.

To stop inflation, cut government spending

Price inflation has rapidly eclipsed COVID-19 as an economic concern, and with good reason.  To combat the problem, it's important to be clear about exactly what is causing it.

Federal fiscal policy — taxes and spending — and regulation have an enormous effect on the value of money.

The current situation has everyone on edge.  Consumer prices rose by 6.2 percent over the past 12 months, the worst increase since 1990.

Unleaded gasoline costs 57 percent more than it did a year ago.  Home heating bills are expected to be 54 percent above last winter's, used cars and trucks cost 26.4 percent more, the average price of a one-bedroom apartment has increased by 20 percent, and house prices rose at a 17.3-percent annual rate in October.

"Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.9 percent," the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.  That means that the average person's inflation-adjusted earnings decreased over the past year.

More HERE

Senate Democrats Approve Former Eco-Terrorist to Run the U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The U.S. Senate confirmed Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on a strict party-line vote of 50 Democrats in favor or the nominee, and 45 Republicans opposed, in early October.

Stone-Manning’s nomination was nearly derailed during hearings designed to vet her by Republicans who argued she was unqualified to serve as BLM director because of her involvement with the eco-terrorist group Earth First! and her past involvement in “tree spiking.” Spiking is dangerous act of sabotage in which metal spikes are nailed into trees making them unsafe to log. Unnoticed tree spikes have injured loggers in the past when saws they were using struck the spikes, causing the saws to explode.

More HERE

Prager: Irrational Fear More Deadly Than COVID-19

Dennis Prager -

The most famous words of Franklin Roosevelt, America’s longest-serving president, were, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

One wonders if any world leader would or could say that today. We live in the Age of Fear.

All of my life, I thought love and hate were the two most powerful human emotions. But owing to recent events, I have changed my mind.

I now understand that for most people, fear is the strongest emotion. In fact, I’ve come to realize that it is possible to get people to do anything if you instill enough fear in them. Specifically, irrational fear.

Fear of COVID-19, for example, is rational. But media and governments induced irrational fears. That’s why millions of healthy people stayed indoors for a year or more, why a vast number of people wore masks while walking or sitting alone outdoors, and why so many parents did not allow their young children to play with other children for a year or more, even though the COVID-19 mortality rate among children was considerably less than the flu’s mortality rate among children.

More HERE

OP-ED from Dr. Jane Orient: The FDA’s Gut vs. Your Child’s Heart

Loyola image

By Jane M. Orient, M.D. - 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set up a flimsy, or fake, barrier to reaping multi-billion-dollar profits from COVID-vaccine boosters or pediatric shots.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted 19-to-0 in favor of Moderna boosters for high-risk adults. “The data itself is not strong, but it is certainly going in the direction that is supportable of this vote,” stated Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He admitted that his vote was based largely on a “gut feeling rather than truly serious data.”

He must know that “authorization” is likely followed by “no jab, no job” mandates—or pressure to inject children.

Americans should look at the truly serious data for themselves. Even non-experts can ask: Are fewer people dying now that we have these amazing vaccines.

Stossel: Prove You’re Needed!

By John Stossel -

“Why does Louisiana have the right to stop me from doing what I love to do?” asks Ursula Newell-Davis in my new video.

Newell-Davis has helped people. She’s a social worker who’s worked with kids with special needs for 20 years. She’s really good at it.

“She helped teach me how to talk to people,” says Kamal, who never had friends before.

His mother adds, “She explained to me things that I didn’t understand about my kids.”

Newell-Davis helped many families like hers. Her clients are ecstatic about her work.

Now she wants to help more kids by starting her own business focusing on “respite” work. “Respite” means acting as backup to a primary caregiver. They fill in for a few hours or days to give a parent a break.

“Someone that can go in and teach their child a different skill,” Newell-Davis says.

She has a college degree, a master’s degree and a social work license. But Louisiana bureaucrats won’t let her do respite work unless she can prove “there is a need for an additional HCBS provider in the geographic location for which the application is submitted” and “the probability of serious, adverse consequences to recipients’ ability to access health care if the provider is not allowed to be licensed.”

What!? Why?

“Louisiana wants to limit how many agencies they have to regulate,” says Newell-Davis. “That makes it easy for the state.”

Easy for the state? Yes, that’s the actual reason.

More HERE

IL Dem Majority Leader Greg Harris to step down for next generation of Democrats

CHICAGO - Saying "it's time," 66 year old State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) announced Monday that the "younger leadership" needs room to exercise their political muscle, so he's not running for re-election in November 2022.

Harris, an openly gay lawmakers, is proud of making Illinois one of the earliest states embracing same sex marriage, he told Crain's. 

"...[A]s the highest-ranking openly gay person ever to have served in state government, he says his proudest accomplishment was serving as chief sponsor of the bill allowing same-sex marriage in the state, an action that came years before the U.S. Supreme Court mandated that nationally," Crain's political reporter Greg Hinz writes Monday. 

What does that mean for the Democrat super-majority in the Illinois House under the leadership of State Rep. Chris Welch, who just took over within the last year?