Illinois Review

Illinois Dems move Left more than ever during session's last days

SPRINGFIELD - As the session concludes, it just doesn't get much better than being a Leftist Democrat lawmaker in the state of Illinois.  

During the concluding days of the current legislative session, the Democrat majority voted to make state income taxpayers pay 33 percent more than they do now. But they also successfully passed out of the House and Senate some of the nation's most socially-radical public policy bills, including the following:

State Sen. Kyle McCarter says Springfield wasting time [video]

In response to a bill about improper use of re-sold school buses, McCarter said that they're wasting time when they should be focusing on the budget.

Thorner/O'Neil: Will special counsel Mueller become a thorn in Trump's side?

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Democrats have implied and worked hard to prove their supposition of Russian influence in our election; specifically whether anyone on the Trump team had engaged in inappropriate and/or illegal interaction with the Russians.

Democrats have continually indicated there is such a possibility, and although after months of investigations, not a shred of proof has been provided.  Yet, leading Democrats continue to demand there be further investigations into the matter.  It is like  looking for a “needle in a haystack,” searching for something that is either exceedingly small or possibly non-existent.

Roskam asks Treasury Sec Mnuchin about BAT and Iran

WASHINGTON DC - Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) inquires about border adjustment tax issues and about the problems of American companies selling commercial aircraft to the terrorist nation of Iran.

Abortionists describe in gruesome detail the abortion procedure, YouTube censors [video]

SPRINGFIELD - Pro-abortion lawmakers in the Illinois Senate and House voted in May to force state taxpayers to pay for Medicaid and state employees' procedures to selectively end their pregnancies. Some of those procedures are done at Illinois' Planned Parenthood facilities.

Someone should show the abortion advocates so giddy last week about the bill's passage the latest video from the Center for Medical Progress in which abortionists describe in gruesome detail how they perform late term abortions. 

But YouTube took it down as of Friday morning - viewers see "The video is unavailable." 

UPDATE: The CMP video is now available on LiveLeak HERE. Attorneys for David Dalieden have been contacted. Their response will be published as soon as available.

Akin: New Report Shows Personal Injury Lawyers Gaming the System for Profit

By Travis Akin - 

Illinois has long been known as the “Land of Lincoln,” but due to aggressive efforts by personal injury lawyers to game the system to their advantage, Illinois has been turned into the “Land of Lawsuits.”

Illinois was ranked the third-worst state in the country for legal fairness, according to a report from the respected Harris Poll company, and our state is home to three of the worst “Judicial Hellholes” in the country, as ranked by the American Tort Reform Association.

Prager U: Is Organic Food Worth the Cost? [video]

It may not line up with the successful marketing campaign that has convinced the average person that organic is always better. It just may not be ...

Mathieson: Does your child need a job? Illinois partners with Microsoft to help

By Nancy Mathieson -

Just when it seems there is no good news coming out of Springfield…. well, there is. Illinois has partnered with the Internet of Things Talent Consortium (IoTTC) to provide affordable Data Science training for students of all ages.

Illinois has acknowledged it needs an Information Technology (IT) industry workforce for the future. This new collaboration with IoTTC will provide affordable, state-of-the art online training for individuals interested in working in the Information Technology industry.

Cook County municipalities opt out of paid time off, minimum wage hike mandates

Niles business owner Paul Prikos supported opting out of Cook County ordinances

NILES - More Cook County municipalities are on the verge of opting out of county mandates to pay higher minimum wages and provide 40 hours of paid time off - bolstering a quiet, but effective movement that is sending a stern message to their Cook County Board: "Enough with making it harder and more expensive to run a business!" 

Average Illinois family to pay state $1125 more, thanks to IL Dems tax hike

SPRINGFIELD - If you're able to tuck away $1,125 by skipping Starbucks and walking more in 2017, looks like that money won't be safe, because the Illinois Senate Democrats voted Tuesday to hike the average Illinois family's taxes just that much in 2017.

Here's the scoop from the Illinois Policy Institute: 

Di Leo: Of States and Sects - When the Powerful Appear Powerless

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on the War on Terror, in light of the Manchester Arena Bombing

On Sunday, May 22, 2017, President Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia addressed a gathering of the political leadership of some 50 muslim-majority nations… and on Monday, May 23, an ISIS-inspired jihadist detonated a nail bomb in Manchester, England after a concert, killing over twenty innocents, injuring sixty more.

Whether intended to be a response or not, this terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena must be directly assessed in light of King Salman's speech yesterday in Saudi Arabia… because it hammers home the special challenge of this war.

In a pointed and well-received speech, the king of Saudi Arabia – a leader in the Arab world – called for an end to the use of terrorism as a religious tool, essentially repeating the order of General al-Sisi’s famous New Year's Day speech in Egypt two years ago. The king's speech was directed at politicians; the general's speech was directed to clerics. The general's speech fell on deaf ears; the king's was apparently accepted by the politicians.

Kindt: New Casino Bills will take $ Billions from Illinois Education

A hearing will be held in the Illinois House Executive Committee Wednesday morning on SB 7, meaning the approval of the Democrat leadership and expediting the bill to the Illinois House floor.

Commentary/Op-Ed by Prof. John Kindt -

Passing the Illinois Senate on 5-17-17 and pending in the House, Senate Bill 7 would authorize a Chicago Casino Development Authority (CCDA) as a government unto itself via a “perpetual” license with all owned or “leased” property tax exempt. CCDA is legislatively designed to be a self-governing entity with extensive and abusive government powers which would be virtually impossible to regulate or revoke. Furthermore, the license fee for the Chicago casino is set at $50 million while the legislature has heard repeated testimony that the Wall Street value of such a license is over $1 billion.

Thorner: California health study stirs concerns about cellphone radiation

By Nancy Thorner -

In a breaking news story on March 3, 2017, the CA Department of Public Health, in a widely distributed report, released a draft document outlining health officials' concerns about cellphone radiation exposure after keeping it under wraps for over seven years. For those who have denied the hazards of cell phone usage in the past, this study cannot be ignored.

Apple is nearly 40% more valuable than the city of Chicago

Photo: MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images

If Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook wanted to, he could make the Windy City his new corporate headquarters—all of it.

Technology companies have grown so large that they’ve surpassed the economic value of major American cities, according to data from Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, which compared company market capitalizations to metropolitan gross domestic product.

At current levels, Apple Inc’s market capitalization of about $803 billion is 38% larger than Chicago, which had a real GDP of $581 billion in 2016. Apple isn’t the only one to top Chicago, either. Google parent Alphabet has a market capitalization of $657.9 billion, making its pockets about 13% deeper than the home of deep-dish pizza.

More HERE

New Enforcement Legislation Worth Watching: Davis-Oliver Act

WASHINGTON - All too often, American citizens and police officers lose their lives to illegal aliens who shouldn't have been in the country in the first place. The newly introduced Davis-Oliver Act is named after two such California law enforcement officers, Placer County Detective Michael Davis, Jr., and Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver, who were both murdered by a criminal illegal alien. A new bill would ensure that state and local law enforcement officials would always have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says. 

The legislation was introduced May 15, 2017. As of Monday, no members of the Illinois congressional delegation have signed on in support of the measure. 

Well-connected state lobbyist pushes for Capital City casino

SPRINGFIELD - Once an analyst for House Speaker Mike Madigan, Springfield lobbyist Christopher Stone is now focused on building a casino in the state capital's historic downtown, next to the Old State Capitol.

Stone's hope, says publicist Ryan Keith, is to "inject this idea in the final days of the legislative session for any possible push for gambling expansion." 

The effort is to develop Springfield's downtown, where vacant office space and storefronts abound - 40 percent of those buildings generating no property taxes. 

Trump 1st sitting US President to pray at historic Western Wall

#Trump visits the Western Wall.#TrumpInIsrael pic.twitter.com/bqOX1oocAd

— Aüd™ (@CodeAud) May 22, 2017

From reports:

Trump, wearing a yarmulke, placed his right hand on the wall and swayed slightly back and forth with his eyes closed. He was flanked by his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, and Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a white folded up note, and placed it into a crack in the wall.

First Amendment groups sue St. Louis over law providing special, protected class status to abortion proponents

ST. LOUIS, MO - A home for pregnant women, a group of Catholic grade schools, and a for-profit holding company and its owner have come together to sue the city of St. Louis for violating their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and speech, among other federal and state laws. Archbishop Robert Carlson, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Sarah Pitlyk, and Peggy Forrest of Our Lady’s Inn will speak at a press conference on Monday, May 22, to address the lawsuit.

Thorner: Sen. McConchie reviews Illinois' budget crisis with GOP women's group

By Nancy Thorner -

State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) spoke on Saturday, May 6 at Lake Forest's Gorton Community Center, sponsored by the Women's Republican Club of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff and the Libertyville, Moraine, Shields, West Deerfield, and Vernon GOP Townships.  

Senator McConchie discussed pending state legislation, with special emphasis directed to the perilous condition of Illinois and how Illinois can avoid becoming the first junk rated state. 

Knight: ACLU Employs Ex-Cons to Canvass Voters

By Robert Knight -

Not content with filing nuisance lawsuits all over the country, most of them aimed at thwarting the Trump administration, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is plunging into local political campaigns.

In Philadelphia, about 40 ACLU ex-con canvassers like Mike Twiggs, 59, who served 41 years for murder, knocked on doors and distributed literature keyed to the Democratic primary election last Tuesday in which voters selected newcomer Larry Krasner as the district attorney candidate. Mr. Twiggs was featured in a May 16 Politico article about the ACLU's new initiative.

Illinois lawmakers sing state song while Illinois burns [videos]

Does the Minimum Wage Prevent Poverty? [video]

Does the minimum wage help Americans who are in financial straits? No. In fact, it makes their lives worse.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives "We need to remove Frank Mautino" [video]

The Auditor General is under investigation for reporting spending more than $247,000 on fuel and car repairs over 16 years via his campaign fund.

Rep. Wheeler demands AG Madigan enforce Illinois budget law

CHICAGO - When Attorney General Lisa Madigan was sworn into office in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, she vowed to uphold the Illinois Constitution. Madigan announced this week she would run for the office again in 2018 - possibly setting a term record for the office. 

AG Madigan has raised few Chicago media eyebrows over the years - ever turning a blind eye to political corruption in a state that has for years ranked in the top four most corrupt states in the nation.

And that corruption is costing taxpayers - billions. 

Hultgren: Thank a Police Officer

U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) delivered a statement on the House floor thanking local law enforcement officer during National Police Week.

Following are Rep. Hultgren’s prepared remarks:

Illinois one step closer to industrial hemp

SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois Senate approved the Industrial Hemp Bill on May 4, which would allow the Illinois Department of Agriculture to license farmers to grow industrial hemp (marijuana) as authorized under the 2014 farm bill.

The bill now awaits an expected passage in the House.

Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Illinois Farmers Union initiated SB 1294 and have collaborated with the Illinois Environmental Council and Illinois Farm Bureau in a coalition of farm and environmental interests to bring hemp (marijuana) back to Illinois.

State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Chicago Heights, sponsored the legislation, which quickly garnered bipartisan support with chief cosponsor state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Jacksonville.

Hemp general refers to strains of Cannabis sativa that have been bred for fiber, oils and topical ointments, nutritional benefits and a wide and growing variety of other purposes. Marijuana is a slang term used to describe strains of Cannabis sativa specifically bred for the potent resinous glands (trichomes) that grow on the flowers and some leaves (buds).

More HERE

Iowa defunds Planned Parenthood; IL moves toward taxpayer-funded abortion

SPRINGFIELD - While the majority in the Illinois Senate and House leads an effort to force Illinois taxpayers to pay for ending lives of the state's next generation, states to the east and west, are closing Planned Parenthood clinics.

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-West Dundee) says the passage of HB 40 - a measure that would force state taxpayers to fully fund Medicaid and state employee abortions - sets Illinois in direct conflict with the national trend away from abortion. He says with the state being in such dire financial straits, the measure will not only offend morally-conscious taxpayers, but deny others are dependent on state programs for their needs. 

Republicans call on AG Madigan to enforce balanced budget requirement

SPRINGFIELD - Imagine this: Lisa Madigan picking up the phone and saying to the Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan,"Dad, how can we work things out for the budget to be balanced this time?" 

That's exactly what Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) and 39 other Republican House members think should happen. 

Thorner: Koch Brothers' Money Funds Pro-Con Con Agenda

Editor's Note: The following is the columnist's opinion, not necessarily Illinois Review's.

By Nancy Thorner - 

Less than a year before his untimely passing, Justice Antonin Scalia called it a "horrible idea" to hold a constitutional convention. 

Phyllis Schlafly was always strongly against allowing a constitutional convention to rewrite our Constitution, as with her fight against ERA in the 70's.  In the September 2013 Issue of The Phyllis Schlafly Report, Phyllis equated Con-Con to “Mischief-Making about the Constitution” and sets forth good advice against an Article V Convention.

Once a congressman, Wiener's now sex offender and admitted felon

NEW YORK - Democrat former Congressman Anthony Wiener cried before the judge Friday when he pleaded guilty to federal charges of transmitting sexual material to a minor. He could face two years in prison - sentencing is set for September, USA Today reports.

Illinois considers adding more casinos to help fill budget gap

SPRINGFIELD - Desperate state lawmakers are looking everywhere possible to find additional revenues for the state budget - even to the point of ratcheting up what was once called "sin taxes" - making money off of participants' destructive behavior. While they're not calling it "sin" anymore, Illinois' gambling and "medical" cannabis industries are the new places tax dollars are hiding. 

The Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems (ILCAAAP) is one of the only voices left in Springfield dedicated to fighting the expansion of society-approved "sins" and the legislature's obsession with making money off of them. Their job is a tough and thankless one. 

JB Pritzker calls on Congress to initiate Trump impeachment proceedings

CHICAGO - Late Wednesday afternoon, a Democrat candidate for Illinois governor followed the example of GOP President Donald Trump and announced to his own 14,000 plus Twitter followers: 

This week, reports of Pritzker's own embarrassing property tax scam hit leftist Chicago papers. His finger pointing at the president is from the old Democrat playbook - deflection. Look over there!!

Thorner/Ingold: Media whispers transmit Trump tales worldwide

By Nancy Thorner and Ed Ingold -

Do you remember the game of Telephone, where someone would hear a statement, then pass to the next person, whispering what he thought he heard into her ear? The game concluded by comparing the last story to the starting version. The results were always widely different.

While this game provided some amusement over human fallibility, it also provided a life lesson on the reliability of hearsay, even eyewitness testimony. What we have now is the game of Telephone in Washington DC and throughout the media. This time it is for keeps.

GOP Congressman Kinzinger joins Democrat call for special prosecutor

WASHINGTON DC - One GOP member of the Illinois congressional delegation is climbing on the Democrats' call for special prosecutor to investigate possible ties between President Donald Trump and the Russians. 

IL GOP releases ad tying Pritzker property tax scandal to Madigan

CHICAGO - It's possible that downstate Illinois Review readers may not have heard about the ruckus over Democrat gubernatorial wannabe J.B. Pritzker's property tax scam, saving the Hyatt Hotel billionaire heir $265,000 in property taxes. But it's not likely.

It's been a big story in the Chicago area that the Pritzker's bought up the million dollar property next door, disconnected the toilets and had the residence declared "uninhabitable," saving him loads on his annual tax bill. 

McSweeney moves measure ending mailing requirement about Lt Gov office elimination

SPRINGFIELD – Tuesday, the Illinois House approved legislation sponsored by State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills)  to end the requirement for the Secretary of State to mail out information about a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the Office of Lieutenant Governor.

Where's Weyermuller? Frustrated with Chicago's Bag Tax

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Chicago needs to bag the bag tax. Earlier this year, the city council here implemented a seven cent per bag tax on each one given out for free by merchants within the city. Shopping bags have been free with a purchase since the beginning of time.

Rep. Reick explains his opposition to proposed coal tar sealant ban

SPRINGFIELD - On his way to Springfield Sunday afternoon after visiting his 84 year old mom in Kankakee, State Rep. Steve Reick (R-McHenry) explained a bill that would ban coal tar sealants on driveways.

Proponents say the bill is pro-environment. Rep. Reick confesses the reasons why he plans to oppose the measure in the third episode of his "Riding Shotgun" video series.

Thorner/O'Neil: Democrats and Leftist groups threaten nation's sovereignty, survival

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O'Neil - 

Having lost the House, Senate, presidency and most gubernatorial races, one would think Democrats would wake-up to the realization that the public rejected their Liberal message to consider what they might change to be more aligned with the American public.

That is not what Liberals have decided to do. What they have chosen to do instead may be a shocking revelation and possible wake-up call for many of our citizens. There is substantiated evidence proving specific Liberal leaders, a variety of special interest groups, and over one hundred Leftist, socialist organizations are all part of a conspiracy to create and fund a shadow government.

Illinois Hall of Fame: William Van Horne

By Mark Rhoads -

Many years ago I created an Illinois Hall of Fame for both this website and the website of the Illinois State Society of Washington, DC. William Cornelius Van Horne is an example of someone who was famous in his own time but who is mostly forgotten now.

What's a Quarter-Life Crisis? [video]

You've heard of the midlife crisis. But have you heard of the quarter-life crisis? It hits millions of young professionals like a brick. Former White House Press Secretary and Fox News host Dana Perino knows exactly what it feels like. She also has some great advice for how to get through it.

The Constitution protects criticism of the government—even when the criticism contains math

Oregon’s State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying fined Mats Jarlstrom $500 for the unlicensed practice of engineering. His transgression consisted of researching how red-light cameras work and then pointing out that the cameras misuse the standard mathematical formula for timing traffic lights. He is in fact an engineer—just not a state-licensed engineer.

Regardless, Oregon is violating Jarlstrom’s constitutional rights, explains the Institute for Justice’s Sam Gedge: “Criticizing the government’s engineering isn’t a crime; it’s a constitutional right[.] […] Under the First Amendment, you don’t need to be a licensed lawyer to write an article critical of a Supreme Court decision, you don’t need to be a licensed landscape architect to create a gardening blog, and you don’t need to be a licensed engineer to talk about traffic lights. Whether or not you use math, criticizing the government is a core constitutional right that cannot be hampered by onerous licensing requirements.”

Gedge and the Institute for Justice are representing Jarlstrom in a lawsuit against the state board. [Institute for Justice]

Get out of Paris

If the United States continues to participate in the Paris Climate Agreement, it will suffer significant damage to its constitutional system and to its economic well being, write Christopher Horner and Marlo Lewis:

“To claim he properly committed the U.S. to the Paris Agreement, President Obama pretended that way back in 1992, when the Senate consented to ratification of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, it also authorized unknown future executives to commit the United States to undertakings of far greater cost and risk. […] [I]t is inconceivable that when the Senate ratified the UNFCCC in 1992 it gave future presidents carte blanche to make costly and prescriptive legislative commitments without obtaining the Senate’s advice and consent.

What's Wrong with E-Cigarettes? [video]

Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative to cigarettes? Could they help millions of smokers quit smoking? If so, why would anti-tobacco activists oppose e-cigarettes?

Brady serves as coal-mine canary with his proposed "Grand Bargain 2.0"

SPRINGFIELD - Republican state Senator Bill Brady - once the favorite of social conservatives when he ran twice for Illinois governor in 2010 and again in 2014 - has now willingly stepped in as a tax-hike canary in the Illinois Republican coal mine by making a daring call for tax hikes in the governor's newest "grand bargain" budget proposal.  

And it's not just one tax hike the Bloomington senator wants Illinoisans to inhale along with him, it's two or maybe three new ones with little in return.

Rauner muddies the waters more on his abortion stance

CHICAGO - On a radio show Friday, Governor Bruce Rauner muddied his position on HB 40 all the more.

Before being elected, Rauner assured abortion advocates in Personal PAC that he supported a woman's right to choose abortion. Then he led a group of social conservative lawmakers to believe he would veto HB 40, which would force state taxpayers to fund abortions for women on Medicaid or working for state government.

Chicago area high school students show new interest in manufacturing careers

SCHAUMBURG, IL - Hundreds of machining projects made by Chicago area high school students were on display Thursday night at Mazak Corporation's Midwest Technology Center where the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) held its annual Precision Machining Competition. Parents, instructors and company representatives were on hand as students learned how their work rated in comparison to their peers and explored possible job opportunities with area manufacturers.

Di Leo: The Spoils of War – Learning Lessons from a French Election

By John F. Di Leo - 

The May 7 Presidential election in France gained the notice of American media far more than any other French election in fifty years. The American press is notorious for its poor coverage of world affairs, so the rare times that the MSM does choose to shine their light on a foreign country, it merits comment.

Modern Educayshun [video]

"We don't ask questions - Questions are offensive!" - Take a few minutes to watch "Modern Educayshun," a video you may have missed that may be more relevant today than when it was first posted two years ago.

WARNING: Don't watch too close to bedtime. It's a nightmare - because as a satire of our current education system, it's closer to reality than it has ever been before. 

Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings [video]

Why does it seem as if America's college campuses have totally lost it? Well, because they have. In short, feelings now rule facts, and victims are heroes. But here's a fact: If you're a college student in the United States, you're almost certainly NOT a victim. Ben Shapiro explains why.