Illinois Review

Knight: The Fake War on 'Fake News'

By Robert Knight - 

The Democrats and their friends in the media are vigorously looking to expose "fake news" in the wake of their disastrous election defeat in November. Good for them.

The trouble is, they're looking in the wrong places. They need to head to the nearest mirror.

The sheer amount of propaganda generated by the "mainstream media" for left-wing causes has been simply stunning. We knew the media were overwhelmingly liberal, but they outdid themselves this past election cycle, going foaming-at-the-mouth rabid against Donald Trump and swooning for Hillary Clinton.

They are still shocked, shocked that the American people disobeyed them and rejected their candidate and thus spared America more Obama-style socialist rule and government-enforced cultural chaos.

Moore: Illinois among the nation's ten "Loser" left-wing states

Illinois is one of the nation's ten blue states that voted for Hillary Clinton in November. That's not good news for the state, says economist Stephen Moore, who says "blue states are in a depression."

By Stephen Moore - 

People are leaving the Hillary-supporting states in droves.

When I say the blue states are in a depression, I don’t mean the collective funk they are in because they lost the election to Donald Trump.

I’m talking about an economic depression in the blue states that went for Hillary. Here is an amazing statistic. Of the 10 blue states that Hillary Clinton won by the largest percentage margins — California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut — every single one of them lost domestic migration (excluding immigration) over the last 10 years (2004-14). Nearly 2.75 million more Americans left California and New York than entered these states.

They are the loser states. They are all progressive. High taxes rates. High welfare benefits. Heavy regulation. Environmental extremism. Super minimum wages. Most outlaw energy drilling. The whole left-wing playbook is on display in the Hillary states. And people are leaving in droves. Day after day, they are being bled to death. So much for liberalism creating a worker’s paradise.

Sen. Tom Cotton on Military Service and Today's Youth

Roskam celebrates North suburban women's GOP club 75 years

Club President Peggy Sieber with Congressman Peter Roskam 

By Nancy Thorner - 

In early December, the Women's Republican Club of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff celebrated their 75th year at a luncheon keynoted by Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-08). Roskam's news from D.C. following the election of Donald Trump as president was upbeat and encouraging for the ladies. 

Roskam, in his fifth term in the U.S. House, sits on the Health Subcommittee and chairs the Oversight Subcommittee - a key watchdog post with jurisdiction into the spending and operations of tax-writing and healthcare programs within the federal government.

Roskam quipped that, on election night it looked like the media was "passing a kidney stone."  When Congress resumed its sessions the week following the election, Roskam described his Democrat congressmen colleagues as looking "thunder struck and bewildered." 

Current board and current and several past presidents of Women's Republican Club

How the Minimum Wage Hurts Young People

The minimum wage is supposed to help entry-level workers, right? So why do many young people lose their jobs when the minimum wage is raised?

Batinick: The day I cried for my state

By State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) - 

The last two years have not been the State of Illinois' finest. We've been mired in a seemingly endless political battle, a rudderless ship drifting in stormy seas. While I have felt almost every emotion from frustration to despair I never felt as disappointed as I did December 1, the day we passed a bill that places the profits of one company ahead of the needs of families, taxpayers and job creators in Illinois. Driving home from Springfield that evening I literally cried for my state.

The week after Thanksgiving, legislators gathered in Springfield for a three-day session. For 72 hours, legislators and staff were consumed with SB 2814. What was this important piece of legislation that took priority over passing a responsible budget for the State of Illinois? It was a bill to "bail out" a multi-billion dollar company. Yep - the General Assembly voted to subsidize a profitable Fortune 100 company with a special deal that will make them even more profitable by raising the cost of electricity for every consumer.

I strongly opposed SB 2814. From the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep, I spent all my time reading, talking to experts, and trying to convince my colleagues to vote against this bill that benefits one company at the expense of every homeowner, renter and small business that pays for electricity. After nearly a dozen amendments were added, the bill ultimately passed. But its passage isn't what brought me to tears. It was the process and lack of priorities that did. 

Baby Jesus Goes to Springfield

Where's Weyermuller? Celebrating Christmas with President-Elect Donald Trump in Wisconsin

By Mark Weyermuller - 

President-Elect Donald Trump continued  his "Thank You Tour" with a stop in Wisconsin last Tuesday evening, and I made the trip to cover it in person.  The event was held at the state fairgrounds just outside of Milwaukee. Some are calling the series of events a "victory lap." My crowd estimate was around 5000, with people parking up to a mile away.

The President-Elect was joined on stage by Vice President Elect Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Congressman Paul Ryan, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Governor Scott Walker, State Senator Scott Fitzgerald, and Congressman Sean Duffy.  The background behind the podium included six Christmas trees.

 

The evening started with a prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem.  Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke led speeches celebrating the Trump victory then turning on the attacks against the media, Democrats, along with mocking people especially those who talk about Russian hacking.

Should Trump Help Americans By Moving Jobs Out Of D.C.?

Kyle Sammin of The Federalist doesn't think Donald Trump's trade changes and tariff plans will effectively and quickly change the jobs' climate in the Midwest, despite the president-elect raising expectations for new life in the manufacturing sector. 

The way to boost jobs in the Midwest, Sammins writes, is to "Drain the Swamp" by moving federal government jobs out of the D.C. vicinity ... federal agency jobs is the key, he says in this piece:  

"Christmas everyday" for personal injury attorneys in Illinois, report says

SPRINGFIELD – It's really not news. It's an ongoing story that Illinois continues to be a magnet for lawsuit abuse and remains home to three of the nation’s worst “judicial hellholes.”

At least that's what the annual “Judicial Hellholes” report released Thursday by the American Tort Reform Foundation says.

The survey shows that “Christmas comes but once a year for most of us, but for the personal injury lawyers who have turned Illinois courthouses into their own personally profitable playground, it’s Christmas every day,” said Travis Akin of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW).

Trump's Interior Secretary nominee says he will uphold Teddy Roosevelt's ideals

NEW YORK - President-elect Donald J. Trump tapped U.S. Congressman Ryan Zinke from Montana to join his cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, a press release from the Trump campaign said Thursday.

Zinke said as Interior Secretary he will uphold Teddy Roosevelt's belief that America's treasured public lands are ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.’

West Dundee teen honored for success on NBC's "The Voice"

Riley Elmore and State Rep Mike Tryon

CRYSTAL LAKE - Retiring State Rep Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) appreciates good music - after all, when he's not at the Capitol, he's often found jamming with fellow lawmakers in their "Boat Drink Caucus" band. So it wasn't a big surprise that he would give special notice to a Dundee Crown High School student in his district that appeared this year on NBC's "The Voice." 

“I was watching when Riley did his blind audition on 'The Voice,' and his talent almost knocked me out of my chair,” said Tryon. “Such strong vocals coming from a 16-year-old was certainly a surprise. What didn’t surprise me was that two of the four judges wanted him for their team and that he eventually advanced far into the competitive 11th season of the show.”

Di Leo: President George Washington, Patriot to the End

 

By John F. Di Leo -  

Reflections on the anniversary of the death of General Washington

On December 12, 1799, General George Washington, at 67 years of age, was still a busy and healthy man. 

Despite the snow and ice that day, he rode around his holdings at Mount Vernon, as was customary, checking on the ongoing projects, such as improvements to the main building and consideration of improvements to outbuildings, along with everything else that a busy plantation must do in the winter. 

Even when the land shuts down for the season, there’s still work to do, when you make your own clothes for your staff of hundreds, when you cure your own meats in a smokehouse, when you make your own fabric for bedding...

The General operated Mount Vernon almost as a self-contained, self-sufficient city. They laundered the clothing and prepared the food for hundreds of people, and he truly made an honest effort (unlike many other plantation owners) to treat his mostly enslaved staff as well as possible. 

The business had suffered considerably due to its CEO’s absenteeism in service to his country: eight years away fighting the War of Independence from 1775 through 1783… one season away presiding over the Constitutional Convention in 1787… another eight years away as first President of the United  States from 1789 through 1797.  He always left good, trusted people in charge while he was gone, with clear instructions… but if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, so there was always much to be corrected whenever he returned.

Five things to know about Trump's pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

NEW YORK - Conservative criticism of Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State is beginning to mount, as Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal White House correspondent Fred Lucas points out with five things conservatives find problematic about Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson:

1. Russian Ties 

Tillerson worked out a deal five years ago with the Russians that provided access Arctic oil for Exxon Mobil. Lucas writes:

After Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, Exxon Mobil halted the deal because of U.S. sanctions, which Tillerson opposed, saying, “We do not support sanctions, generally, because we don’t find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively, and that’s a very hard thing to do.”

 2. Opposition from social conservatives

Tillerson's company directly supports Planned Parenthood, and as national chairman of the Boy Scouts, Tillerson was instrumental in opening the organization to homosexual activists, Lucas writes:

What they're saying about Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy

NEW YORK - The Trump campaign is very pleased with the support they're getting for picking former Texas Governor Rick Perry as their nominee for U.S. Secretary of Energy.

While to no surprise the Left isn't as enthused about the pick, the Trump campaign sent out this collection of positive quotes Wednesday:

Bill Richardson, former Energy Secretary and former Governor of New Mexico:

“Governor Perry is a sound choice, because you need a strong leader with political stature and a megaphone for the job, and Rick has both.” (New York Times) 

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI): 

“Governor Perry's record of job creation and work to help unleash America's energy potential makes him a great fit to lead @ENERGY”  (Twitter)

Former Texas gov Rick Perry Trump's pick for Dept of Energy

Former Governor Rick Perry at Trump Towers d(New York Times photo)

 

NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump is planning to nominate former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) to lead the Department of Energy, a transition official tells The Hill.

 

If the Senate confirms Perry as secretary of Energy, he would oversee a department whose main missions include research on emerging energy technologies, regulating energy efficiency, managing the nation’s nuclear weapons and building nuclear reactors for Navy vessels...

 

Perry would replace Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist who has been Energy secretary under Obama since 2013. Moniz’s predecessor under Obama, Stephen Chu, was also a scientist, so Perry would break the tradition Obama set to put scientists in charge at DOE.

 

More on The Hill

 

Jesse Jackson Jr files for divorce

CHICAGO - Monday, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr filed for "dissolution of marriage" from Sandi, his wife of 25 years.

The once-political power couple has been through a rough three years. Jackson served 23 months in federal prison before his wife, a former Chicago alderman, entered for the one year prison sentence she is now completing. 

Sandi and Jesse Jackson both pleaded guilty in August 2013 to various schemes relating to the looting of his congressional campaign fund. The former South Side 7th Ward alderman and the former 2nd Congressional District lawmaker each went to prison for diverting $750,000 from campaign funds for their personal use between 2005 and 2012.

The former congressman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit false statements and mail and wire fraud, his wife to filing a false federal income tax return.

More HERE.

Schock pleads not guilty to 24-count indictment

SPRINGFIELD — Former Rep. Aaron Schock pleaded not guilty Monday to two dozen counts of felony corruption, including wire and mail fraud, falsifying federal campaign forms, stealing government funds and filing false tax returns.

Schock has maintained his innocence since federal prosecutors handed down a 24-count indictment in November accusing the disgraced former Illinois lawmaker of using his campaign accounts and congressional office to pocket money and purchase goods worth thousands of dollars.

UPDATE: Atheist Rob Sherman killed in Marengo plane crash

UPDATE 4:10 PM - McHenry County coroner confirmed Friday afternoon that the pilot killed in the crash was Rob Sherman. 

MARENGO - The owner of a plane that crashed into a Marengo, IL cornfield, killing the pilot, over the weekend is longtime atheist activist Rob Sherman of Poplar Grove, local news sources are saying. 

Sherman, who ran in the 5th Congressional District as a Green Party candidate this past election, is the national spokesman for the American Atheists and a board member of the Experimental Aircraft Association in Schaumburg.

Thorner: Electoral college endangered with calls for Constitutional Convention

By Nancy Thorner -  

Our Founding Fathers created the Electoral College after much debate and compromise, but it has provided stability to the process of picking presidents. Though the winner of the national popular vote typically takes the presidency, that vote failed to determine the winner in four elections: 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. Add also 2016. 

The Electoral College and how it should operate in electing a president is defined in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of our U.S. Constitution. As such our Founding Fathers set a high bar for amending the Constitution, a process that doesn't even require the approval of the president or Congress, but only the approval of state legislatures.  

The Electoral College is not a place but a process.  As a process the Electoral College consists of 1) the selection of the electors, 2) the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, 3) and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. Our Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.

The Sexiest Man Alive

What makes a man sexy? What makes a man...a man? Is there something about being the "bad boy"? Or is it more about predictability and reliability?

Rhoads: Media Creates Confusion with Careless Language

By Mark Rhoads - 

Intelligence officials in The Obama Administration believe that Russian Intelligence might have been responsible for hacking the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee in an effort to release damaging information that would harm the Clinton campaign.

There is no way to know how many voters might have been influenced in the blizzard of email leak stories in the last weeks before Nov. 8.

Improving Information Access in North Korea

What can be done to the help the North Korean people in their struggle with a totalitarian government? Get information into the country. The North Korean people, writes Olivia Enos, are hungry for it: “One report found 16 percent of North Koreans accessed computers, one-fourth of the population listened to radio broadcasts, and 42 percent of defectors reported access to DVD players. […] There may be as many as 100,000 privately owned computers in North Korea, but there are an estimated two million government-owned computers, many of which elites in Pyongyang use. These elites can access the Intranet, a government-monitored form of the Internet, and some especially trusted elites enjoy full access to the Internet.” The best way for the South Korean government to defeat Pyongyang’s information firewall is not to impose its own monopoly on disseminating information into the North. Enos writes that the South Korean government should grant private organizations access to AM frequencies for the purpose of broadcasting to the North: “Interviews with defectors reveal that (1) North Koreans have limited access to NGO broadcasts, but upon leaving North Korea they realized that NGO broadcasting was more relevant than government-run broadcasts; and (2) North Koreans prefer entertainment-oriented broadcasts to the analytical and often demeaning news broadcasts disseminated through government programming.”

More HERE

Regulatory Reform 101: A Guide for the States

How to do regulatory reform: States whose economies are stuck in second gear may want to consider the possibility that too much regulation is weighing down entrepreneurs and start-ups. How can lawmakers get regulation right? James Broughel has written a guide to regulatory reform for states. He notes that states need to have both retrospective reviews of regulations and processes in place to ensure new regulations deliver benefits that are worth their costs. In the former category, states may want to consider targets for cutting back on the number of rules, pay-as-you-go limits for rules, requiring the elimination of old rules in order to create new rules, independent review commissions, and sunset requirements. In the later category, states should consider regulatory budgets, economic analysis requirements, and requiring review of rules by outside parties before they take effect.

More HERE

Born to Hate Jews

How do devout Muslims born in the West feel about Jews? How do they feel about Western values in general?

Climate Costs in Context

Apocalypse not. Oren Cass puts the estimates of cost of projected global warming into perspective: “The DICE model, which estimates the highest cost in percentage terms, provides a concrete illustration. It estimates that, without climate change, global GDP would grow from $76 trillion in 2015 to $510 trillion in 2100. With climate change of 3.8°C, it estimates that global GDP in 2100 would instead total $490 trillion—a $20 trillion cost but one that still leaves the world 6.5 times wealthier than today. Nor does that $20 trillion impact strike suddenly. Rather, as temperatures increase and impacts worsen, costs rise as well. Economic growth each year is slightly lower than it would otherwise have been but never is reduced by more than one-tenth of one percentage point. And economic growth continues despite the climate change: the climate-change-impacted world of 2105 is already wealthier than the no-climate-change world of 2100. This, again, is the highest-cost estimate of those considered by the Obama administration.”

More HERE

The Economics of NATO Expansion

Adding European nations to NATO has not increased the European contribution to NATO. Write David Grantham and Christian Yiu: “After the last expansion in 2009, NATO’s defense expenditures per capita increased 2 percent, and spending per square kilometer decreased by 11 percent[.] […] In 1990, the 14 European members of NATO spent around $314 billion on defense, but in 2015, the 28-member organization spent only around $227 billion on defense (before adjusting for inflation). According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, while European membership in NATO nearly doubled, defense spending by member states decreased 28 percent. That means the United States picked up the tab. NATO says in a discussion of indirect funding that ‘the volume of the US defense expenditure effectively represents 73 per cent of the defense spending of the Alliance as a whole.’ […] Europe’s combined GDP and population is $19.79 trillion and 552 million, compared to $17.95 trillion and 323 million for the United States.” [Internal citations omitted.]

More HERE

A Taiwan reset?

President-Elect Trump’s phone call with Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen has been criticized as a reckless provocation of China—a potential signal that the one-China policy of the United States might change. In fact, writes Walter Lohman, there are many aspects of the United States-Taiwan relationship that can and should be changed that do not amount to abandoning the one-China policy: “U.S.-Taiwan relations operate under a number of restrictions derived from the three communiques with China that form the basis of America’s one China policy. Some of them are a necessary part of honoring America’s decision in 1979 to formally recognize the People’s Republic of China. Many are not. The restrictions range from the symbolic, yet seemingly arbitrary—like the circumstances under which Taiwan’s Washington representative is permitted to use its historic residence, Twin Oaks, or display its flag—to more critical areas, like interaction between U.S. and Taiwanese military officers. Building on Trump’s phone call, the incoming administration should review the range of restrictions on interaction between the two countries with an eye to loosening them.”

More HERE

Loss of General Kelly's son in Afghanistan behind moving comments

WASHINGTON - Few things are more moving than thinking about the sacrifices American families have made for the cause of freedom. It was clearly the case Thursday when CNN's Wolf Blitzer played for Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger as he listened to retired General John Kelly's comments about Gold Star Families.

Kelly, who lost his own son fighting in Afghanistan, will be serving the Trump Administration as the head of Homeland Security. He said parents who've lost children in battle  can say, "It was my boy or my girl that stood their post and did their duty into eternity ..." 

Giuliani pulls out of contention for Trump's Sec of State

NEW YORK – Despite appearing with President-elect Donald Trump numerous times on the campaign, former New York City Mayor Giuliana announced Friday he'll be staying in the private sector.

During a meeting the two held on November 29, 2016, Mayor Giuliani removed his name from consideration for a position in the new administration, a campaign press release said Friday.

President-elect Trump said, "Rudy Giuliani is an extraordinarily talented and patriotic American. I will always be appreciative of his 24/7 dedication to our campaign after I won the primaries and for his extremely wise counsel. He is and continues to be a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date." 

Mayor Giuliani will remain a Vice Chairman of the Presidential Transition Team led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, which is making historic progress in bringing highly qualified people into the administration.

Di Leo: Patriotism, Celebrity, and a Danger to the Republic

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on the death of Senator John Glenn

On December 8, 2016, a left-wing politician, long-since retired, died of old age.  

Politicians die all the time, so it shouldn’t really be a big deal. America is a political nation, with hundreds of thousands of elective offices from city council and park board to governors and presidents, so politicians, both currently serving and retired (either intentionally or forcibly) die every day.

But this was no ordinary politician.  Former U.S. Senator John Herschel Glenn died, at the ripe old age of 95, and was immediately lauded by all sides, for his military service in WWII and Korea, his courage in accepting the role of a Mercury program astronaut, and his 24 years in the United States Senate, representing the state of Ohio.

The fact that he represented Ohio, of all places, might be the most telling aspect of this story.

Crowd cheers after Navy admiral blasts Kaepernick's national anthem protest

CHICAGO - San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick ignored the pleas of Chicago police and military veterans last Saturday, asking the quarterback to respectfully end his ongoing protest and stand during the National Anthem before his team played the Chicago Bears.

During the anthem's playing before Sunday's game at Soldier Field, Kaepernick continued his demonstration

But U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris took note of Kaepernick's "taking the knee," and during a speech during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony Wednesday blasted the protest without saying Kaepernick's name. The crowd went wild.

US admiral: Those honored at Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary "never took a knee" when they heard national anthem https://t.co/KafhXQdvfd pic.twitter.com/XzYZlB67BF

— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) December 7, 2016

Trump campaign says nominee Scott Pruitt will reverse EPA's anti-energy agenda

NEW YORK – Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will be Donald Trump's pick to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a cabinet-level position. 

“For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency has spent taxpayer dollars on an out-of-control anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of jobs, while also undermining our incredible farmers and many other businesses and industries at every turn. As my EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, the highly respected Attorney General from the state of Oklahoma, will reverse this trend and restore the EPA’s essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe,” said President-elect Donald Trump. “My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity."

Rauner repeats, "No budget. No pay"

SPRINGFIELD - Six Democrat lawmakers that filed suit for their paychecks being withheld until a balanced budget is passed should drop it.

"They should be putting pressure on their leaders to pass a balanced budget," Governor Rauner said in a video released on Facebook Thursday afternoon.

Rhoads: Scott Pruitt Drives Liberals Crazy

By Mark Rhoads - 

The announcement by President-elect Donald Trump that he intends to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Director of the EPA has sent many global-warming scientists and their liberal allies into fits of hysterical frenzy.

The reason is that Pruitt has dared to challenge what many scientists claim is the "overwhelming scientific consensus" that all climate change is caused only by human activity. The problem I have always had concerning that so-called "consensus" on human causes of climate change is that intellectual honesty always allows for dissent and for an open mind to consider new research data.  In 2015, Pruitt was one of 24 state attorneys general to sue the EPA for going beyond legitimate authority of Congress regarding Clean Air regulations proposed by the EPA. Pruitt is not even the most vocal of that group of EPA critics and yet liberals are terrified of him as EPA Director because he is so articulate in his criticism. 

Trump's election was "soul-crushing" for Obama advisor

CHICAGO - Chicago native Valerie Jarrett has been at President Barack Obama's side as one of his closest White House advisors for the past eight years. Her power and influence is rarely mentioned, but there's no question she was fairly confident the Obama Administration's policies would continue with Hillary Clinton as Obama's successor.

Except a wrench was thrown into their plan by voters in America's Heartland (except her deep blue hometown and state) when they elected Donald Trump November 8th.

Trump's win was devastating, Jarrett told a group this week. Actually, she said "soul-crushing" and "like a punch in the stomach."

Orland Park pastor named D.C. group's "Defender of Freedom"

ORLAND PARK - A southwest suburban church's new pastor will uniquely be honored Thursday night with the D.C.-based Freedom Alliance's "Defender of Freedom" Award for 2016.

Stone Church in Orland Park's Lead Pastor Wes Modder is being recognized for "his faithful service to our nation and unwavering commitment to protect religious freedom," Freedom Alliance says in a press release.  Modder starting serving the local congregation in October.

A recently retired Navy chaplain, Pastor Modder ministered to some of America’s most elite warriors, including U.S. Navy SEALs. He also became an example to other military chaplains facing increased bureaucratic hostility in the nation's Armed Forces.

“We are pleased to recognize Chaplain Modder for his distinguished military career as well as his ministry to combat warriors and those who serve our country,” said Freedom Alliance President Tom
Kilgannon. “Chaplains are crucial to the emotional and spiritual well-being of our fighting force and Wes Modder was among the best in the military’s ranks. His courage in defeating politically motivated attacks on him and his faith ensure the ability of other chaplains to minister according to their beliefs.”

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Modder, “and humbled to stand in the company of those to whom it has previously been given. I’m fortunate to have been able to serve my God and my country at the same time and minister to courageous young men and women who wear our nation’s uniform.”

Trump will nominate WWE co-founder to "go to the mat" for small businesses

NEW YORK – President-elect Donald J. Trump continues his effort to reverse the Obama Administration's anti-business trend by bringing into his administration those from outside the Beltway.  Wednesday, Trump's transition team said he plans to nominate World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon to serve as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, a cabinet-level position.

"My America First agenda is going to bring back our jobs and roll back the burdensome regulations that are hurting our middle class workers and small businesses. To help push our agenda forward, I am pleased to nominate Linda McMahon as the head of the Small Business Administration," said Trump said in a press release.

"Linda has a tremendous background and is widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives advising businesses around the globe. She helped grow the WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment] from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly-traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide. Linda is going to be a phenomenal leader and champion for small businesses and unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit all across the country."

“Our small businesses are the largest source of job creation in our country,” said Ms. McMahon. “I am honored to join the incredibly impressive economic team that President-elect Trump has assembled to ensure that we promote our country’s small businesses and help them grow and thrive.”

IL GOP jabs possible Dem gubernatorial nominee, three more lawmakers

CHICAGO - Wednesday, the Illinois Republican Party added Chicago Democrat Chris Kennedy and three state legislators to its list of Madigan flunkies on the party's new BossMadigan.com website.

Over the summer, Chris Kennedy earned a glowing endorsement from Mike Madigan after secretly meeting with him, but ran away when pressed by reporters.

“Mike Madigan endorsing a run for governor by Chris Kennedy tells you everything you need to know about Chris Kennedy,” said Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe. “Chris Kennedy secretly kissed Mike Madigan's ring months ago because he knows Madigan is the real boss.”

The IL GOP's specific critiques poked at Kennedy, as well as Democrat House members Fred Crespo, Deb Conroy and Jay Hoffman:

Trump taps Iowa Governor Branstad for Ambassador to China

NEW YORK - President-elect Donald J. Trump announced Wednesday his intent to nominate Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa, the longest-serving governor in American history, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China.

Gov. Branstad's relationship with President Xi Jinping dates back to the mid-1980s, when President Xi was a young county official seeking a closer relationship with Iowa's robust agriculture sector.

“Governor Branstad’s decades of experience in public service and long-time relationship with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders make him the ideal choice to serve as America’s Ambassador to China,” said President-elect Trump in a press release.

Skillicorn refuses legislative pension, plans to introduce ban for state office pensions

DUNDEE - State Representative-Elect Allen Skillicorn (R- Dundee) not only filed paperwork refusing to participate in the legislative pension system, he intends to push that would eliminate pensions for all future full and part time Illinois politicians. 

“Public service is an honor, that’s why I don’t believe any politician should receive a pension. Politicians should not be above the law or have special rules apply just to them. Illinois legislators should lead by example," he said in a statement.

Naperville North students hospitalized after eating drug-laced gummy bears

NAPERVILLE - Parents of Naperville North High School students should talk to their kids about making "healthy choices" when 14 were taken to Edward Hospital Tuesday after consuming gummy bears that may have been laced with a harmful substance.

Yet another hike: ICC grants ComEd 5 percent rate increase

CHICAGO - Exelon has had a great week in Illinois - first, it nabbed a $5.3 billion state government subsidy over ten years to keep two Illinois nuclear plants operating and the day before, the Illinois Commerce Commission granted Exelon's ComEd a 5.07% rate hike with little notice.

The ComEd rate hike is expected to generate approximately $127,499,000 in annual revenue, the Illinois Commerce Commission's press release says. 

Residential customers should expect a $2 monthly hike in addition to the 25 cent hike with the bailout, which will to show in January 2017's billing.

​​​ComEd’s 3.8 million customers are located in northern Illinois, including the Chicago metropolitan area. The service area extends to the Wisconsin border to the north, the Iowa border to the west, the Indiana bo​rder to the east, and Iroquois County to the south (roughly Interstate 80).

Emanuel meets with Trump

NEW YORK - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told reporters about his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at New York's Trump Tower Wednesday morning:

.@ChicagosMayor @rahmemanuel speaks to reporters at Trump Tower. #elevatorcam pic.twitter.com/vjdaTyaKdP

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 7, 2016

DePaul lines up alongside Mayor Emanuel to provide sanctuary for immigrant students

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city council will have an ally in the threatened battle from the incoming Trump Administration over the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

DePaul University's President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. wrote in an email to students Wednesday that students without legal immigration papers should not be concerned, because the university will actively protect them from the "new presidential administration."

"A number of you have inquired about what potential changes in immigration policy could mean for some of our community as a new presidential administration prepares to take office," Holtschneider wrote. "DePaul has always welcomed students regardless of their citizenship status, and we will keep our commitment to undocumented students who choose this university for their education."

He then assured DePaul students that the university administration does not keep records that indicate a student's documentation status.

Governor, GOP leaders and power players boast job-saving Exelon bailout

PORT BYRON – Governor Bruce Rauner Wednesday signed Senate Bill 2814, the Future Energy Jobs bill, at a ceremony at Riverdale High School in Port Byron. The bipartisan legislation ensures the Quad Cities and Clinton power facilities remain open for another 10 years, saving thousands of good-paying jobs, while protecting working families, seniors, and thousands of other high-quality, good-paying jobs throughout the state by capping residential and business energy rates.

“When this legislation was originally drafted, it was a Christmas tree loaded with special interest goodies that would have skyrocketed energy costs on families and businesses across the state,” said Governor Rauner. “So we needed to find a balance, because I was unwilling to gamble with these communities, gamble with thousands of good paying jobs and gamble with our energy diversity. While this legislation isn’t perfect, it allows us to protect jobs, ratepayers and taxpayers.”

Before Governor Rauner’s involvement, the legislature was poised to pass a massive bill with demand rates that could have skyrocketed energy bills for consumers. Governor Rauner laid out a pathway for a deal with his statement of principles which outlined any energy agreement should preserve jobs while protecting ratepayers and taxpayers.

Rauner signs Exelon bailout into law

CLINTON - Illinois two endangered nuclear power plants in Clinton and Quad Cities are safe for now, as Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Wednesday morning a bill that bails out the nation's biggest power company. 

Exelon tweeted out this photo of the signing, with Republican and Democrat lawmakers looking on.

Not everyone is pleased with this development.

Why TIME Magazine picked Trump for 90th Person of the Year

NEW YORK - TIME Magazine's 90th Person of the Year was revealed Wednesday, and their pick is President-elect Donald Trump. Second pick was Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Why Donald Trump, who they dub as "President of the Divided States of America"? 

TIME's Nancy Gibbs explains that in their opinion, Trump is a populist with no political experience, but who was able to tap into a frustrated American public and connect directly with them via rallies and the Internet. What he will do as the nation's commander-in-chief is unknown, saying his opinions change with his moods. She then writes:

His supporters and his critics will discover together how much of what he said he actually believes. In the days after the election, everything was negotiable: the wall became a fence, “Crooked Hillary” is “good people,” and maybe climate change is worth thinking about. Far from draining the swamp, he fed plums to some of its biggest gators. Were his followers alarmed? The critics were hardly reassured: nearly half of Americans expect race relations to worsen, and many women fear that his ascent comes directly at their expense. Trump prefers to talk about the alienated workers who flocked to his rallies and believed a billionaire could be their tribune—“I love them and they love me”—and avers that his every action will be on their behalf. But can he devise a New Deal for workers in the age of automation, renegotiate trade deals and reopen factories while simultaneously elevating many of the same people who profit from the trends he denounced?

For reminding America that demagoguery feeds on despair and that truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it, for empowering a hidden electorate by mainstreaming its furies and live-streaming its fears, and for framing tomorrow’s political culture by demolishing yesterday’s, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year.

More HERE.

Chicago aldermen snub Trump for spotlighting city's violence

CHICAGO - The Democrat-controlled city of Chicago once again is making national news - this time over honorary street signs bearing the name of the President-elect.

From the Washington Examiner:

Rep. Ives: IL rewrites energy policy and bails out biggest US nuclear power company

By State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) - 

Merry Christmas from the Illinois General Assembly who could not focus on the task at hand - putting a balanced budget together - but had time to bailout a multi-billion dollar company.  Sitting in the Governor’s office, is a rate hike bill wrapped up in ComEd red and white paper, an Exelon blue bow on top, and placed appropriately under the artificial green energy Christmas tree.  It will be a good Christmas for millionaire CEOs, certain highly skilled workers and renewable energy advocates.

SB 2814 contemplates significantly rewriting energy policy and returning our market-based energy policy instituted in 1998 back to a more regulated, government directed production and consumption model in a protectionist appeal from large energy companies.  Various energy proposals have surfaced over the last 18 months with the primary driver of the legislation coming from Exelon.  Exelon is a major supplier of power to both Illinois and the PJM base load capacity market through their operation of six nuclear power plants.