Illinois Review

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

The Bad Economics of Soaking the Rich

By Matthew Pinna -

Recently, Paul Krugman of the New York Times published a column in defense of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments to CNN’s Anderson Cooper that a 70% top marginal income tax rate would be needed to fund her Green New Deal. Chiefly among his other points was his belief that her plan—high taxes and all—is actually economically well-informed.

Hypothesizing whether or not AOC even understood the economics behind her statement as he says she does is irrelevant; although we can probably come to certain conclusions about the same Congresswoman who said that healthcare costs are driven partly by “funeral expenses,” a bigger point can be made here than just speculating over the intelligence of the Left’s newest darling.

Krugman’s main thesis on the role of government can be condensed down to a rather simple statement: government exists primarily to maximize societal welfare and reduce inequalities, taxing those better off than others to a certain high point, where doing any more would be counterproductive. That isn’t to say that those being taxed aren’t losing up until that point and are quite happy with their situation, but rather, it is past that “optimal rate” that their losses start to outweigh the marginal gains of wealth redistribution.

Judge blocks employer birth control coverage options in Illinois, 12 other states

CHICAGO - Although Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will be relieved of duty Monday shortly after noon, the impact her participation in a multi-state lawsuit to force employers to provide free birth control services to their employees will continue. 

Sunday, U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam temporarily blocked Trump administration rules allowing employers to refuse to provide free birth control from taking effect Monday in 13 states - and because Madigan signed onto the lawsuit, Illinois is one of the states to which the ruling applies.

Thorner/O'Neil: Mainstream Media's Self-Imposed Death Knell

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Do most Americans trust our nation’s media sources? President Trump has repeatedly made it clear he does not trust most of them for either accuracy or fair reporting.  Evident is that the Trump White House and the mainstream media have not enjoyed the same cozy relationship as did the previous administration.  What makes this a particularly problematic situation is that some media sources use every opportunity possible to report unfavorable information that harms our President's reputation.  While that may appeal to specific audiences, it has a detrimental impact in general on the United States, as the World watches, listens, and uses quotes from these media sources to discredit and damage our nation’s reputation and strength world-wide.

Wake Up and Smell the Debt

For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, the movie “Dr. Strangelove: or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” was a wakeup call to the threat of nuclear annihilation. Today, the debt crisis poses a different kind of threat, but one that seems to have disappeared from public debate. Citizens and elected officials have become unconcerned about public debt because Keynesian economics continues to dominate public discourse.

More HERE

Survey: Illinois' Sen. Durbin One of America’s Least Popular Senators

According to the latest edition of Morning Consult’s Senator Approval Rankings:

• Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the most popular senator for the 11th time in a row.

• Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) saw 10-point drops in their net approval, the worst in the chamber.

• Dick Durbin (D-IL) made the list of the bottom 10.

Madigan taps openly gay state rep for new Majority Leader

CHICAGO - State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) broke through a ceiling this week when he became Illinois' first openly gay and HIV-positive lawmaker to assume the powerful political role of Illinois House Majority Leader. 

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan tapped Harris to succeed former longtime Majority House Leader Barbara Flynn-Currie - Madigan's faithful, relentless Democrat floor leader - who retired at the end of last session.

Harris' appointment was not received well by Illinois Family Institute executive director David E. Smith, who said the Democrat Party's veer to the Left is becoming more and more prominent.

Illinois ranks 46th in federal dollars return. So blame the Republicans.

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo / Illinois Gov-elect J.B. Pritzker

NEW YORK - Illinois isn't last on the list of federal dollars return - it's 46th.

Get ready to hear about this list a lot in the near future as states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut make it well known they're not happy that they're not getting back from the feds something close to what their state taxpayers are sending in.

Illinois' dollars return isn't as bad as those four East Coast states, but it's almost as bad.

Rep. Steve Reick Launches Coffee & Conversation Tour

WOODSTOCK— As part of continuing constituent outreach throughout the 63rd Legislative House District, State Representative Steve Reick is launching a new series of “Coffee & Conversation” events at local coffee shops and restaurants in northern McHenry County.

The first event takes place next week on Saturday, January 19 at the Windhill Pancake Parlor, 3307 W. Elm Street in McHenry. Rep. Reick will have a few tables reserved for guests between 8:30 and 10:00 AM.

“I’m inviting people to come and join me at a local coffee shop near their homes so we can talk about the issues that are important to them,” said Reick. “I’ll buy the coffee and listen as my constituents talk about their priorities and concerns.”

More US voters say too little being done to stop illegal immigration

Underground tunnel between Mexico and California found three months ago

WASHINGTON - It's not just conservatives that are frustrated with lawmakers allowing human trafficking, dangerous drug flow and burdening taxpayers with the cost of sheltering those in the U.S. illegally, a new survey says Friday. 

In the midst of a government shutdown over disagreements about building a border wall, two-out-of-three voters still think illegal immigration is a serious issue, but nearly half of voters think the government isn’t working hard enough to stop it.