Illinois Review

Durbin: Republicans Should Approve Loretta Lynch Because Of Selma Anniversary

WASHINGTON DC - Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin suggests that Republicans “should be more sensitive” towards U.S. Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch (an African-American) because of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the events in Selma, Alabama.

More from Western Journalism

Medical pot lawsuit claims Illinois broke rules when awarding licenses

CHICAGO - A medical marijuana business has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Agriculture claiming the department didn't follow its own rules when it chose companies to grow pot.

A company - PM Rx - filed the complaint late Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. PM Rx applied for a cultivation center license in a region that includes Ford, Iroquois and Kankakee counties. Cresco Labs won the sole license to grow marijuana in that district.

PM Rx CEO Andy James said Wednesday that scoring procedures weren't followed and background checks weren't completed. James says the process wasn't fair and his company wants to see proof that applications were evaluated according to the law and the regulations.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction and an order that the applications be re-scored.

Catherine Kelly, a spokeswoman for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said the administration will participate fully in any judicial review of the medical marijuana license selection process, and has already taken steps to fix the process begun under former Gov. Pat Quinn.

Chicago Charter School teachers ready to unionize

CHICAGO - Last week, a group of Chicago charter school teachers announced their intentions to organize with Chicago ACTS Local 4343, and MoveOn.org is hosting a petition drive to push Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to back the effort. The website says:

"...[M]ore than one hundred courageous educators at the Urban Prep and North Lawndale College Prep charter school networks are standing up to be heard, to advocate for the needs of their schools and their students, and to be treated fairly. They seek to join Chicago ACTS Local 4343, which already represents 800 members working at 29 schools covered by union contracts.

Along with Chicago ACTS Local 4343, these educators are calling for commitments from their schools’ executives not to interfere with the staff’s right to organize, and to accept the decision of the majority of over 200 teachers and staff at these schools. And we are asking Mayor Emanuel to stand with us."

Mayor Emanuel's runoff opponent Cook County Commissioner Chuy Garcia was on hand at the press conference (third from right in photo).

Schakowsky, A Jew, Decides To Skip Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress

CHICAGO (CBS) - Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Jew and strong supporter of Israel, will be skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s politically sensitive address to a joint session of Congress.

“As a Jew, support for Israel is in my DNA,” she said in a statement.

As such, she said, her decision to boycott the March 3 speech was difficult. She went on to say the “ill-advised” invitation made to the prime minister by House Speaker John Boehner threatens Israel’s security and the nation’s bi-partisan support in Congress.

An Israel Supporter Who Won’t be at the Prime Minister’s Speech. My Statement: http://t.co/p6dnDLVrcB

— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) February 25, 2015

More HERE

Emanuel faces April 7th runoff against Garcia

CHICAGO - Even with President Barack Obama's in-person endorsement last week, Chicagoans decided Tuesday they wanted Mayor Rahm Emanuel to work a little harder to earn his re-election. Voters didn't provide Emanuel a 50 percent plus one majority to avoid a runoff in Tuesday's primary. Emanuel garnered 45 percent of the vote, with Jesus "Chuy" Garcia coming in second with 34 percent.

Tuesday's numbers mean 55 percent of the voters had no problem picking someone other than Emanuel, a significant message that Chicagoans aren't happy with their incumbent. Garcia, a former state senator, is backed by the Chicago Teacher's Union and SEIU membership. The non-partisan runoff election is April 7. 

Where's Weyermuller? Just Heard Voting Booth Selfies are Illegal

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Various news agencies in Chicago area are reporting that selfies are illegal. Specifically, taking a photo with your ballot in a voting booth may be a class 4 felony. It could result in a jail term of 1-3 years. 

The Illinois Policy Institute explains it: 

"To be fair, the purpose of the law may have been to prevent corruption. An unscrupulous electioneer could bribe people to vote for a given candidate and demand photographic evidence to confirm voters held up their end of the bargain."

While I didn't vote today in Chicago, I did some amateur poll watching. This included a trip to Graceland Cometary to find some of those infamous "dead voters."

Forced Blood Draws, DNA Collection and Biometric Scans: What Country Is This?

By John W. Whitehead - 

“The Fourth Amendment was designed to stand between us and arbitrary governmental authority. For all practical purposes, that shield has been shattered, leaving our liberty and personal integrity subject to the whim of every cop on the beat, trooper on the highway and jail official. The framers would be appalled.”—Herman Schwartz, The Nation

Our freedoms—especially the Fourth Amendment—are being choked out by a prevailing view among government bureaucrats that they have the right to search, seize, strip, scan, spy on, probe, pat down, taser, and arrest any individual at any time and for the slightest provocation.

Forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases—these are just a few ways in which Americans are being forced to accept that we have no control over what happens to our bodies during an encounter with government officials.

Why the IRS Obamacare Handouts Should Lose at the Supreme Court

On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in King v. Burwell, the latest challenge to Obamacare. This case involves the insurance exchanges created by Obamacare and the IRS’s interpretation of a provision of the law that authorizes tax credits for health insurance purchased through an exchange “established by the state.” When 36 states chose not to establish their own exchanges, the federal government stepped in and created federally run exchanges in those states. The IRS then extended the tax credits for insurance purchased through the federally run exchanges – an interpretation that directly violates the plain language of the law. The Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether the IRS’s interpretation may stand.

Ex-Homosexual Warns Against Banning Conversion Therapy [video]

Stephen Black of Restored Hope Network changed his sexual orientation as a young man and believes others should have the right to do the same. Some Springfield legislators disagree and are looking to pass HB 217 that will ban conversion therapy for minors.

French press service fakes Gaza flood story--media anti-semitism revealed

By Warner Todd Huston - 

On Feb. 23 the French press service AFP claimed that "part of the al-Mughraqa village in Gaza were flooded on Sunday after Israel opened the gates of a dam along its border with the Gaza Strip." The press service, though, had to disavow its own story when it was revealed that the video is of flooding from rain and that the area doesn't even have any damns to have been opened by the Joooooos. AFP lied to smear Israel. Plain and simple. Above is the original AFP report that it pulled and tried to send down the memory hole.

2015 Index of U.S. Military Strength

The 2015 Index of U.S. Military Strength is a path-breaking, comprehensive research project, to be published annually, which assesses the ability of the United States Armed Forces to provide for the common defense.

Taking its place as a flagship publication alongside Heritage’s Index of Economic Freedom and Index of Culture and Opportunity, the Military Strength Index analyzes the U.S. military’s status in capacity, capability, and readiness against an enduring strategic benchmark: the ability to fight and win two major regional contingency operations simultaneously. The publication further looks at how evolving threats and opportunities around the globe contribute to and influence this ability.

Finally, the 2015 Index of U.S. Military Strength provides individual analysis of overarching security themes such as how to think about National Security, the implications of prioritized national security policies like the Asia-Pacific pivot, and the critical roles played by strategic enablers such as the United States’ nuclear weapons capability and Special Operations Forces.

Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown Lawyers Speak out about Al Sharpton

Project Veritas has released a new video showing how the families and attorneys of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown really feel about Rev. Al Sharpton. Additionally, local clergy and others express their opinions about how Sharpton exploits tragedy for personal gain.

CNN's Cuomo Defends O'Keefe's Video below:

Monetary Policy Based on the Taylor Rule

Many economists believe that rules-based monetary policy provides better economic outcomes than a purely discretionary framework delivers. But there is disagreement about the advantages of rules-based policy and even disagreement about which rule works.

Illinois bill could deny doctors freedom of conscience

SPRINGFIELD, IL - New proposed legislation in Illinois would compel health care providers who may deny care for reasons of conscience or religious belief to provide patients with information about where to find treatment.

The bill (SB1564) is sponsored by state Senator Daniel Biss and co-sponsored by state Sen. Michael Noland. Biss and Noland say the new law would still allow health care providers to assert religious objections, but would require them to provide material information to patients despite those objections.

Critics argue the bill essentially denies doctors and health care providers the right to exercise their First Amendment religious freedom by requiring them to provide material support and assistance for things such as abortion or abortifacients - drugs that cause abortion.

The bill also requires that any refusal to provide health care cannot impair the patient's health, subjectively defined by the state or the patient.

The bill seeks to change the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, under which an appellate court ruled three years ago that the religious beliefs of the provider trump the patient's needs.

Defying public opinion, President vetoes Keystone XL Pipeline

WASHINGTON DC - As expected, President Barack Obama sent back to the GOP-led House and Senate an effort to authorize the Keystone XL Pipeline Tuesday, despite the endorsement of major Obama supporters' like the AFL-CIO and 60 percent of the American public.

UPDATE: Illinois Congressman John Shimkus responds below the fold

More than 60 percent of the public and nearly half of Democrats support the pipeline, according to a March 2014 Pew Research Center poll.

The Laborer’s International Union of North America and the leader of the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, both support it, saying it would create union jobs. 

"Anything that makes sense and creates jobs and is sound environmental policy as well, we will be doing it. [With respect to] the XL pipeline, there’s no environmental reason that it can’t be done safely while at the same time creating jobs," AFL-CIO's president Richard Trumba said in 2014.

Former Republican Governor Jim Thompson retiring from Winston & Strawn

CHICAGO - Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson announced today that he will retire as senior chairman at Winston & Strawn on Jan. 31, 2016.

Considered the antithesis of a conservative Republican, Thompson parlayed his time in elective office into chairman and then senior chairman of the powerful law firm, which boasts revenue of $741M in 2014.

"Gov. Thompson has played a key role in Winston's enduring growth and success," firm chairman Dan Webb said in a statement. "Without his leadership and countless contributions, the firm would not be what it is today. We owe him a great deal of gratitude for his dedication and service."

No federal charges filed against Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin shooting

WASHINGTON DC - The Justice Department announced Tuesday that the independent federal investigation found insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida.

Prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, officials from the FBI, and the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service met Tuesday with Martin’s family and their representatives to inform them of the findings of the investigation and the decision.

Obama campaign tech alumni launch Chicago-based startup

CHICAGO - A group of tech gurus from Obama’s 2012 campaign have launched a Chicago-based company called Modest, which allows retailers to create apps that lets customers make purchases through their mobile devices. 

According to The Hill, the company is led by Harper Reed (photo above), the Obama campaign’s former chief technology officer. Dylan Richard, the campaign’s director of engineering, is chief technology officer. Another senior engineer on the campaign, Clint Ecker, is a programmer at the new company.

In an interview with Ars Technica, Reed said the company is meant for users who do not have the resources of the Obama campaign.

More HERE | Image Source

American Stair steps across border to set up shop in Indiana

ROMEOVILLE - After nearly 60 years in Illinois, the American Stair company announced Tuesday they're stepping east to Hammond Indiana and taking 135 jobs with them.

With the help of Indiana's Regional Development Association, American Stair will invest $3.8 million into updating their new home. RDA will contribute $1.725 million to the project, the RDA Chief Operating Officer Sherri Ziller told the NWITimes.com.

Of that amount, $1.35 million will help American Stair purchase a 72,000 square foot vacant building on Calumet Avenue. The other $375,000 will go toward needed repairs and upgrades.

Indiana and Hammond's economic climate were keys to sealing the deal, according to Hammond Director of Planning and Development Phil Taillon.

“We have been working very hard negotiating with different Illinois companies over the past several years and in the end, American Stair realized the economic outlook in Indiana, and specifically in Hammond, is very bright”, Taillon told the paper.

Florist to lose life savings says "It's not about the money, it's about freedom"

WASHINGTON - When Washington State's attorney general sued a grandmother florist for refusing to provide flowers for a same sex wedding ceremony, few thought the case would end up endangering her life savings and her livelihood. 

But last week, a Washington court ruled against Barronelle Stutzman for acting consistent with her Christian faith. Barronelle referred a longstanding customer to nearby florists because she could not in good conscience create custom arrangements and provide wedding support for his same-sex wedding.

This ruling prevents Barronelle's case from going to trial and makes her personally responsible for paying any damages and attorney's fees incurred by the same-sex couple and the State of Washington. Everything she's worked to build, including her home, her family business, and her life savings are now at risk.   

Group lists 10 Reasons to Oppose PARCC testing

SPRINGFIELD - The House Education – School Curriculum and Policies Committee will take testimony Wednesday on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test mandate. The test assesses how well students are learning the Common Core curriculum. 

A parents' group called "PARK the PARCC" set up a Facebook page and is encouraging parents and taxpayers to support State Rep. Will Guzzardi's HB 306, which allows students to opt out of the PARCC testing.

There are 10 reasons, the group says, to oppose the PARCC assessment mandate:

Thorner: Find out why states are rejecting Common Core at upcoming event

By Nancy Thorner -

Common Core is a failed system both legally and academically. See here for "Common Core State Standards for Illinois." The System grew out of "No Child Left Behind", established during the administration of President George W. Bush.

In 2010 forty-three states, finding it difficult to meet the onerous requirements of NCLB, were receptive to the Obama administration's bribe-like waivers which granted exemptions from the NCLB requirements, but with this condition. The states had to agree to adopt standards (sight unseen and in exchange for the waivers) that were “common to a significant number of states.” Guess what? The only standards that satisfied this commonality requirement were the Common Core standards.

Legally, the U.S. Department of Education violated several federal laws by imposing curriculum nationally.  Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution there is no lawful role for the federal government in education.  Accordingly:  "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

University student charged with sexual assault re-enacting "Fifty Shades of Grey" scenes

CHICAGO - A University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) student was charged on Monday with aggravated criminal sexual assault after re-enacting scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey.

Mohammad Hossain, freshman studying bio-nuclear engineering at UIC, committed the crime on Saturday, Feb. 21, after bringing a 19-year-old female, also a UIC student, to his dorm room, USA Today reports.

How will the proposed state revenue cutbacks affect your town's budget?

SPRINGFIELD, IL - As part of his effort to get the Illinois state budget under control, Governor Bruce Rauner proposed a cutback on the amount state government sends to local and municipal governments. In his budget speech, Rauner said:

While the state tightens its belt, so too must local governments and transportation agencies.

The amount of money transferred to local governments has grown 42 percent over the past decade. The state currently transfers $6 billion every year to local governments. Those governments are currently sitting on more than $15 billion in cash reserves.

The reduction in local government sharing in this budget is equal to just 3 percent of their total revenue.

Along with this modest cutback, our turnaround reforms will reduce unfunded mandates, and give local governments and voters the tools to save hundreds of millions of dollars through consolidation, employment flexibility and compensation restructuring.

Rauner emphasized that the amount he proposed cutting back would be equal to three percent of the local governments' total revenue. He suggested the local governments find ways to cut their staffs, and he would work to alleviate some unfunded mandates at the state level.

Those three percent cuts have sent mayors and county clerks into a frenzy. Local news medias are focused on what their municipalities will lose if this facet of the Rauner budget is adopted. 

Sen. Biss Wants 2 Hours of Free Campaign Air Time For All Candidates, Every Election

By Ulysses Arn - 

SPRINGFIELD, IL - State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) has introduced legislation (SB0037) that would give all state and local candidates in Illinois two hours of free campaign air time in the month before any election on public broadcast and educational channels. Biss told WCIA that "If everyone's already on TV for a couple of hours, that becomes a baseline that reduces the value of all the other time that's put in and all the other funds that are raised.”

Rauner fills two vacancies on University of Illinois trustees board

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Governor Bruce Rauner nominated Ramon Cepeda and Jill Smart for openings on the University of Illinois’ Board of Trustees.

Name: Ramon Cepeda

Position: Board of Trustees - University of Illinois

Cepeda is a graduate of UIC and is currently a senior vice president at Northern Trust, where he has worked since 2007. He oversees the commercial real estate group he created in 2010 and works as the managing director of the wealth management division.

Cepeda worked for LaSalle Bank (now Bank of America) as the first vice president in the commercial real estate group before going to Northern Trust. 

Cepeda graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a degree in criminal justice. He was also selected as a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow in 2011.

Name: Jill Smart

Position: Board of Trustees - University of Illinois

Jill Smart is a graduate of U of I and worked as an adjunct professor, and she was a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Smart also has nearly 35 years of experience in human resources. 

Cleveland: Tomorrow's election: What's a Republican to do?

By Chris Cleveland, 43rd Ward GOP Committeeman - 

It's traditional for a ward organization to publish a palm card with our picks in the municipal election. Here goes:

For Mayor:

• Rahm Emanuel NO
• Chuy Garcia NO
• Bob Fioretti NO
• Willie Wilson NO
• "Doc" Walls NO

For Alderman:

• Michele Smith NO
• Caroline Vickrey NO
• Jen Kramer NO
• Jerry Quandt NO

Ives & Murphy: No Laughing Matter

House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton 

By State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) and Kathleen Murphy - 

Heading into the 2016 Budget Address, no one expected that Governor Rauner’s plan to scale-back Illinois’ oversized, outdated, underperforming state government would receive a warm welcome from Democrat Party leaders, who have spent decades colluding with special interest groups and expanding their own power. However, as there is a certain amount of pomp and circumstance surrounding the address, we might have expected some decorum from those on whom the cameras were fixed.

As the pro-business governor described the severity of our state’s fiscal crisis, Senate President John Cullerton could barely contain his condescension – laughing mockingly as the Governor outlined cuts to state programs. His cuts are necessary after over 12 years of reckless spending under the leadership of one party.

The state’s fiscal circumstances today, for example, put low-income families at risk of being denied day-care they had come to count on, because the very same liberal politicians who claim to lookout for the little guy failed to considered the sustainability of the program; and failed to take responsible measures to fund the program.

Biss introduces bill to limit government use of license plate readers

CHICAGO – Using automatic license plate readers to trace the location of a car at a particular time is unregulated in the state o fIllinois, and State Senator Daniel Biss (D-Chicago) wants the state to establish guidelines. 

“ALPRs can play an important role for law enforcement,” said Senator Biss when he filed the bill. “But like any tool, it must not be used in an unchecked fashion. This measure proposes modest guidelines that will ensure that this law enforcement tool does not evolve into a broad surveillance system.”

ALPR systems consist of cameras mounted on police cars or a pole, where the cameras scan and “read” the license plate number of every car that passes.The plate number is recorded and stored with the precise location. The plate number is then compared against police and other government databases.

Where's Weyermuller? Getting Ready for a Chicago Election 2015

By Mark Weyermuller - 

I was thinking about voting Tuesday in the Chicago elections for mayor and alderman. Since moving to the suburbs years ago, I have kept my Chicago apartment/office as a second residence. As far as I can tell, I could vote as long as I declare this to be my residence 30 days ahead of Election Day. 

There is new case law in Chicago, which I have studied. It appears if you leave your wife's wedding dress at a house, you can claim residency even if somebody else lives there, even a renter. I like to follow the law, so this is what I have done. This, of course, was done with the current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Someday I might want to run for mayor.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee calls for taxing sweets, more activity

WASHINGTON - Sugar- and fat-laden diets and unlimited television viewing are causing U.S. health care costs to soar, so public policies should be put into place to squelch Americans' unhealthy choices, a new report from the Obama Administration's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee says.

Changes the committee recommends includes imposing higher taxes on soft drinks and high sugar-sweetened beverages, making food health labels easier to read, restricting unhealthy food advertising for young children, youth and adolescents, and making drinking water more accessible. They also suggest incorporating incentives and restrictions on food choices for those using the WIC program, as well as funding more public education campaigns on nutritional values.

"Our Report highlights the major diet-related health problems we face as a Nation and must reverse," the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee writes in their 571-page report. 

Hacker gets bitcoin ransom from suburban police department

MIDLOTHIAN, IL - Police are warning businesses and organizations to back up their computers. The village of Midlothian's police department paid a $500 ransom in digital bitcoin to a hacker in January, files show.

The police department was hit with a form of computer virus called Cryptoware, said Calvin Harden Jr., an IT vendor who works with the village.

Black Middle Schooler: "President Obama, Do you really love America?" [video]

"You don't love America, President Obama," says 12 year old Georgian C.J. Pearson on a YouTube that went viral over the weekend. "If you loved America, you wouldn't try to take away what Americans have worked for their entire lives." 

In the YouTube, the conservative youngster -- whose parents are Democrats -- backs up former Mayor Rudy Guiliani's controversial declaration that President Obama doesn't love America. He goes on, "I hope someday others will be willing to speak out for your downright hatred for America."

Video below:

States debate conversion therapy for minors

LGBTQ support group meeting | Source

CHICAGO - While the Illinois General Assembly considers State Rep. Kelly Cassidy's legislation banning counselors from offering conversion therapy for minors dealing with sexual orientation issues, the state of Oklahoma's legislature moved in the polar opposite direction last week.

Five state lawmakers signed onto Cassidy's bill last week, bringing the number of co-sponsors up to 10, including Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy - Sara Feigenholtz - Mike Smiddy, Ann Williams, Deborah Conroy, Will Guzzardi, Linda Chapa LaVia, Scott Drury, Christian L. Mitchell, Robert F. Martwick and Laura Fine. HB 217 will be heard in the House's Juvenile Justice & System-Involved Youth Committee, of which Cassidy is the Chairperson. 

In Oklahoma, Rep. Sally Kern and Sen. Josh Brecheen introduced HB 1598, the Parental and Family Rights in Counseling Protection Act, to protect the right of parents and families to seek counseling from a mental health provider and/or faith-based counselor to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) and/or sexual/gender identity confusion. 

If Obama Loves America, Why did He Transform It?

From Investor's Business Daily - 

"We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America," candidate Barack Hussein Obama said on Oct. 30, 2008, just before his election as our 44th president. Was it just rhetoric?

Many no doubt thought it was, chalking it up to boilerplate election-eve hot air. But now are we seeing — some would say tragically — what he meant.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is being raked over the coals for saying he doesn't really believe the president loves America, and he probably didn't do himself or the Republican any favors by saying that. Democrats seem to be having a field day with his blunt remark.

But can the case be made? If you love something, do you seek to fundamentally transform it while endlessly summarizing its flaws?

This is the president, after all, who sat for two decades in the pews of Trinity United Church, where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright ranted that we should be saying not "God Bless America" but "God damn America" and that 9/11 was just one of America's chickens "coming home to roost."

Alaniz: The Tyrant can always find excuse for his tyranny

By Jesse Alaniz - 

In Aesop’s fable of "The Lamb & the Wolf," a hungry wolf observes a lamb drinking water from a brook and then confronts the lamb for muddying up the water though the water is running down stream away from the wolf. The wolf then accuses the lamb of telling lies about the wolf the previous year, though the lamb is only six months old.

The wolf then rushes the lamb, justifying that whether the lamb’s lies were about him or his brother is inconsequential, and eats the lamb. The moral is written “The unjust will not listen to the reasoning of the innocent. The tyrant can always find an excuse for his tyranny.”

Israel's Legal Founding

When the state of Israel was founded in 1948, it was done so with the approval of the United Nations. But today, Israel's enemies routinely challenge the legitimacy of its very existence. So, under international law, who's right? Israel? Or its enemies?

Rhoads: And the Oscar Goes to the Bottom

By Mark Rhoads - 

The over-produced Oscar Show gets worse every year as it races itself to be more childish and less classy as befits too many of the narcissistic imbecile producers of the show. The invited audience members might giggle to their own idiotic delight, "wasn't it just too hilarious and brave of Neil Patrick Harris to spoof the Birdman movie by walking on stage in only his underwear briefs?" Well, no, it wasn't actually. In fact it was just plain stupid. What a sad commentary on American culture for the rest of the world to watch on TV. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should re-think the entire premise of the show to demonstrate some self respect for the industry in pretends to honor.

Arn: Bloomington Mayor Censured After Attacking Blogger

By Ulysses Arn - 

Last Friday night the Bloomington city council voted 9-0 to approve a resolution essentially censuring Democrat Mayor Tari Renner after he went on an angry tirade against local Tea Party blogger Daine Benjamin.

On Feb 10th Benjamin wrote about the previous nights Bloomington city council including noting that Illinois Wesleyan University student's were in attendance one of whom was friends with Renner's son on social media.

That prompted Renner to write the following comment to Benjamin's blog:

Durbin grabs $13.4M taxpayer-funded grant to expand newborn home visit program

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wants more new moms in Illinois to be visited by the Department of Human Services. He announced this week a $13,415,508 federal grant to expand home visiting services to Illinois women during pregnancy and with their newborn babies.

The funds will support HHS’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program). In 2013, the Illinois Maternal and Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant program (MIECHV) provided 13,050 home visits to 944 children from birth to five years of age. 

If the program's home visitation outreach increases up to 1000 children in 2015, the program will cost taxpayers nearly $13,500 per child.

Where's Weyermuller? Supporting Scott Davis for 44th Ward Alderman

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Scott Davis is a Republican running for one of the 50 aldermanic spots in the heavily democratic Chicago. He is running in the 44th Ward in the Lakeview neighborhood, which includes Roscoe Village, Wrigley Field, and the north edge of Lincoln Park. 

Davis is a project manager at a software company downtown by day. The rest of his time is committed to politics, activism and work in the community. He is the 44th Ward Republican Committeeman and very active throughout the city. The red light and speed camera programs have also been a big issue, as he wants to eliminate them. 

Illinois moves to limit parental choice, religious exemptions for vaccines

SPRINGFIELD, IL - After 12 babies and one adult associated with a Palatine day care center came down with the measles over the past month, State Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) moved this week to limit parental authority regarding vaccinating their children. 

Senator Mulroe introduced legislation Friday that would require any parent who objects to a vaccination to request an exemption from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The parents would need to submit an objection form to the government with a notarized "religious exemption statement" from a recognized religious official. 

All the babies that acquired measles in the Palatine daycare center were too young to have received the MMR vaccine, most often given at 12 to 14 months. The adult that exposed them to the measles had not been vaccinated.

Currently, Illinois parents may exercise their first amendment right and cite personal religious exemption regarding vaccines. Doctors may also exempt children for medical reasons.

All states have medical exemptions. All states but Mississippi and West Virginia have religious exemptions, although the way they administer varies. Seventeen states, not including Illinois, have personal conscientious exemptions for childhood vaccines.

Myths and Facts about PARCC in Illinois

CHICAGO - The advocacy group "Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education" is finding a common ground with parents, taxpayers and conservatives that oppose Common Core's nationalized curriculum standards and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing for grades 3 through 8 and high school.

While the Illinois State Board of Education's Chairman James Meeks and the State School Superintendent Christopher Koch insist students cannot opt out of the new statewide PARCC testing, "Raise Your Hand" says what Meeks and Koch are not giving the whole story. They provide more information in their "Myths and Facts about PARCC in Illinois":

Where's Weyermuller? At the Republican Jewish Coalition Meeting

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York was the featured speaker Thursday night at the "Relaunch Event" for the Republican Jewish Coalition. The meeting was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Northbrook. It was standing room only, with about 150 members and guests in attendance. 

Zeldin, just 35 years old, graduated from State University of New York at Albany going on to law school at Albany University. He served in military intelligence in the U.S. Army then served in a tour in Iraq with an infantry battalion and became a paratrooper. He still serves in the army reserves as a Major. This new freshman to Congress is the only Jewish Republican member in the House of Representatives currently. There are 29 Democrats but Zeldin expects that to change in 2016 with many new Republicans. 

 

Brauer moves to IDOT, GOP leaders to pick another House replacement

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Several weeks ago, Illinois Review reported that rumors were swirling that shuffling was about to take place, moving lawmakers to plush Rauner administration jobs. A second move took place this week. 

After serving 12 years in the Illinois House, Republican State Representative Rich Brauer resigned this week to join the Rauner Administration as assistant secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Brauer, whose district is based in northern Springfield, submitted his resignation Wednesday, launching another search for a House replacement. Wednesday, State Rep. Avery Bourne was sworn into succeed State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, who resigned  his 95th District House seat to head up the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 

Brauer's replacement will be picked within 30 days by GOP county chairmen. whose votes are weighted according to how many votes Brauer received in 2014 in each county. Tazewell County's share is 17 percent, Sangamon County's is 48 percent, Logan County's is 23 percent and Menard County's is 12 percent. 

Thus far, one name circulating is Congressman Rodney Davis's district office chief of staff Tim Butler. He worked at Springfield's St. John's Hospital before joining Davis' staff in 2013. He also served as Congressman Ray LaHood's district office COS and campaign manager before joining Davis. 

Rauner makes picks for Transportation Dept, Workers' Comp Commission

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Friday afternoon, Governor Rauner's office announced the following appointments to the Department of Transportation and Workers' Compensation Commission:

Governor works to prevent another expensive drop in Illinois' credit rating

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Not only is Governor Rauner dealing with left-wing howling about his proposed budget cuts, he's also trying to keep the ratings bureaus from once again lowering the state's rating.

The newly-installed Republican has been on the phone with the three main credit rating bureaus, working to keep them from lowering Illinois' rating and hiking the state's borrowing costs. 

"He stressed he is intent on solving the years of financial recklessness that put us in this fiscal crisis," the governor's office told Reuters.

Illinois' credit ratings at A3 and A-minus are the lowest among the 50 states and due to negative outlooks are tipping toward triple-B, a low investment-grade rating level rarely assigned to states.

Thorner & O'Neil: Population control behind UN's Agenda 21

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O'Neil - 

Obama and UN seek to transform

The following commentary by Ben Zycher on the United Nations’ top climate change official, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), tells how the goal of UNFCCC is to “intentionally transform” the world's economic development model. In Christina Figueres own words, spoken on February 4th:

This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model.  This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for the last 150 years; since the industrial revolution.

Instead of focusing on the central issue which is addressing the cost effectiveness of the global warming issue, the main focus continues to be on the nearly irrelevant causation issue. Neither does Christiana Figueres seem to understand that a transformation of the "economic development model" is a repository of consequences unintended but predictable; foremost among them, the impoverishment of many millions of people.

Di Leo: Confessions of an American Extremist

By John F. Di Leo - 

I cannot tell a lie: I am an extremist.

As an amateur actor, I have certain beliefs that I hold dear. I detest drama and tragedy; I really only like comedy, both musical and non-musical. I believe the stage is for laughter and song, for tap dances and pratfalls. I won’t spend my money buying tickets to see a sad show, and I certainly don’t like to waste eight weeks of my life rehearsing to perform in one.  Many would call these views extreme.

As a trade compliance manager, I have spent my career – my “day job,” if you will – trying my best to help importers and exporters obey the often complex laws of domestic and international trade. From Country of Origin marking regulations to Free Trade Agreement qualification tests, I have been accused of worrying too much, of being too cautious, of insisting on accuracy in Customs documentation with too much rigidity. But I stand with Founding Fathers George Washington and Alexander Hamilton in advocating ever-stronger international commerce, proudly championing both imports and exports in line with Jack Kennedy’s adage, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” But an errant shipment must be stopped and fixed rather than be allowed to cross an ocean mis-marked, undeclared, or undervalued. Some would call this rigidity in support of the law "extreme."

Avery Bourne sworn in amidst questions

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Without fanfare and amid the governor's budget address on Wednesday, State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Litchfield) was sworn into office representing Illinois' 95th House District. Bourne was picked by GOP county chairmen to succeed former State Representative Wayne Rosenthal, who now heads the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

“I can’t begin to describe what an honor it is to take on the job of serving as State Representative for the people of the 95th district,” Bourne said. “I’m going to hit the ground running today, and work as hard as I can to bring the values of the people of Macoupin, Christian, Montgomery and Madison Counties to the Capitol. It will be the privilege of my life to serve the people of my district and the people of Illinois.”

Joining in the ceremony to swear in the 22-year-old Washington University law student was House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who expressed his confidence and support for Bourne.

“Avery will bring a lot of energy to our caucus and she’ll offer a fresh perspective on the issues," said Durkin. "She will be a strong representative for her district. Her future is very bright and we are proud to welcome her.”

Bourne's appointment has been a topic of heated discussion this week among those in the 95th district. Ten candidates presented themselves before the county chairmen, some of which had been on the ballot before, and had the strong backing of their communities. Some are concerned that Bourne may have difficulty getting re-elected in 2016 because of her thin resume and lack of political experience.