Illinois Review

Di Leo: Cook County Residents Rejoice at a Deus Ex Machina

By John F. Di Leo - 

Life in Chicagoland, and the unfulfilling refreshment of a temporary stay…

For all we like to say about the great culture of ancient Greeks – for all intents and purposes, they invented theater, you know! – they were really just as human as the rest of us.  Sometimes, no matter how well the story was going, they wrote themselves into a corner.  There was just no way to resolve the situation and end the play.

So what did they do?  They rigged up a contraption to lower Zeus down from the sky and utter some final judgment from Olympus that would resolve the conflict, punish the villains, send off the hero with a deserved bow, and save the poor playwright from having to come up with yet another convoluted act for us all to suffer through.

They called this technique a Deus Ex Machina – literally, “God from the machine.”   When not only the cast and crew, but even the writers, are all stuck without an option, they call on the Heavens to save them.  And sometimes it works.  On the stage, anyway.

So it was in Chicagoland on Friday, June 30, in Cook County, Illinois, as the businesses and residents of one of America’s largest metro areas faced the last day before a massive new tax, ranging between thirty and seventy percent, was to kick in on almost all non-alcoholic beverage purchases.  And they prayed for salvation from the heavens, in the form of a judge, Daniel Kubasiak, who might, just might, issue at least a temporary stay on this outrageous new tax.

Thorner: Illinois' $15-per-hour minimum wage proposal is just 'Pie in the Sky'

By Nancy Thorner -  

With the multitude of financial problems facing Illinois, legislators still had time to pass a $15 minimum wage bill now on Rauner's desk following the Senate's approval on May 31, 2017.

Presently Illinois is facing junk bond status and is in danger of entering a financial death spiral, with an unpaid backlog of bills now $14.6 billion and growing.  Illinois also has the worst pension crisis in the nation.  Junk status for Illinois would increase the cost of borrowing, worsening the deficit and making it even harder for taxpayers to dig out of the hole. Illinois is even late in paying utilities bills for its own capitol city of Springfield. 

Rhoads: What If Harry Truman Had Twitter?

By Mark Rhoads -

Many Republicans like myself wish that President Donald Trump would keep off Twitter because his early morning tweets so often create new self-inflicted problems and distractions for parts of his policy agenda that we agree with.

I don't defend Trump's  personal attacks on Twitter, but I do think some context might help provide historical perspective. Other presidents have also been very insecure about media criticism such as LBJ and Richard Nixon. But an Illinois native once sparked the personal intemperate anger of President Harry Truman. 

Where's Weyermuller? Watching Wilmette "Opt Out" of $13 Minimum Wage

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Tuesday night, the Village of Wilmette voted 6-1 to "opt out" of a new mandatory minimum wage law of $13 per hour. The village board meeting lasted over four hours with a large amount of public comment. Roughly 87 towns and villages have voted to opt out of the county mandate. Most of these towns are considered "home rule" - a complicated legal term in which local governments can make their own laws.

Last week, Des Plaines voted to "opt out" in a similar meeting lasting over four hours. I attended this meeting and wrote this story.  

Senate Minority Leader Chris Radogno announces retirement

SPRINGFIELD - After leading the Illinois Senate Republicans for eight years, Senate Minority Leader Chris Radogno (R-Lemont) announced Thursday that she would retire Saturday. 

Rhoads: Fads for Climate Change Scientists

By Mark Rhoads - 

On July 9, 1971 The Washington Post reported that in 60 years the world could face "a disastrous new ice age," according to a "leading atmospheric scientist." The scientist was Dr. S. I. Rasool of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Columbia University.

Later the environmental science community led by England's University of East Anglia would refer to "global warming" until that data became suspect and now the preferred term is "climate change" to explain any "pause" in warming data and shut up any dissent from scientists who do not agree with the prevailing opinions.

Rauner threatens to keep IL General Assembly in extended special session

Ives Op-Ed: In the End, what will Speaker Madigan and the Dems' Machine gain?

By State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton)- 

As I sit through the Special Session charade, the gears grind to a halt in Illinois: Downgraded to one notch above junk status. The subject of a national debate over state bankruptcy. And a signature away from another massive – and futile – tax hike.

Many wonder what the play will be for House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Chicago Machine in the end. What benefit really does he reap if he and his cronies preside over a bankrupt state after the 2018 election? Sure, they will get to redraw the election maps without interference after the 2020 census and secure their power structure for the next 10 years, but for what?

Project Veritas exposes CNN's anti-Trump agenda: Russia story a "nothing burger"

ATLANTA - News with an agenda. It's all about ratings. It's no longer a public service. It's all about what gets the "clicks," the "hits," and what attracts public attention.

Wednesday, CNN commentator Van Jones admits in an undercover video that CNN's Russia story is a "nothing burger." 

That's what CNN is about, or so CNN Producer John Bonifield said in an undercover video released Tuesday by James O'Keefe's Project Veritas. There's "no real proof" - feeding their audience a false narrative about Trump and the Russia controversy. 

"You're being watched, mainstream media. You're on notice," O'Keefe says in video.

Illinois teen with rare condition meets with Vice President Pence over health care dilemma

Christine Chalkey shares with White House officials obstacles caused by Obamacare

WASHINGTON DC - An Illinois teen and his mother met with Vice President Mike Pence and presidential advisor KellyAnn Conway this week to explain firsthand how the Affordable Care Act has made his health care more complicated and expensive. 

Jake Chalkey, 18, and his mother Christine - that live 100 miles southwest of Chicago in Streator - met Pence and Conway at the White House with several others from throughout the nation that have been detrimentally affected by Obamacare.

Where's Weyermuller? Protesting Cook County's new penny-per-ounce pop tax

By Mark Weyermuller -

Soda pop will get a lot more expensive starting this Saturday, July, 1, 2017.

The Cook County Board under the direction of their president Toni Preckwinkle voted to impose a penny per ounce "beverage tax" on all drinks that contain sugar and/or sugar additives. This includes Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Kool-Aid, Snapple, Lipton Green Tea, Gatorade, and various juice boxes, to name a few. There are over 1000 drinks that will now be taxed more in addition to the local sales tax. 

Thorner/Ingold: Chicago mayor, Illinois officials demand more climate hysterics

By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold - 

On Thursday, June 1, 2017, Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, negotiated by President Obama and 195 countries in Dec. 2015, which elicited howls of protests from the likes of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel and others eviscerated Trump for refusing to honor Obama's commitment, a treaty which Obama declined to submit to the Senate for ratification. 

Di Leo: Burdens of Taxation? Cook County's new soda tax just a drop in the bucket

By John F. Di Leo - 

On July 1 – barring a court order or a last minute act of legislative wisdom or fear (at this point, we’ll take either) – Cook County will implement a “Soda Tax,” a brand new penny-per-ounce beverage tax on non-alcoholic drinks that exceed certain threshold of either regular or diet sweeteners. It will capture virtually all regular and diet soda pop, most juice drinks, and either many or most other flavored drinks, such as sport drinks, frappucinos, sweetened or diet iced teas, lemonade, etc.

Much has been said and written about the outlandish nature of this tax. Charged in addition to already record-setting state and local sales taxes, the penny-per-ounce Cook County soda tax will range from 25 to 50 percent of the price of the beverage, a simply unprecedented rate of taxation for such a product. (As just one example, this author regularly buys a 24 pack of Diet Dr Pepper for $5.88; the new tax will be an additional $2.88 on that case, a 49% tax rate).

The news of the day, however, gives us an opportunity to study other aspects of this case besides the confiscatory nature of the tax itself.  On Tuesday, June 27, very much at the proverbial eleventh hour, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, joined with many grocery stores and other retailers, filed suit against the County on the grounds that this tax is unconstitutional under state law.

Rhoads: JFK vs Modern Democrats on Rights

By Mark Rhoads - 

In his 1961 Inaugural Address, President John F. Kennedy said, "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."

I doubt that many "progressive" Democrats in 2017 could agree with that statement by a Democratic icon of 56 years ago. JFK had studied the ideals of the founders of the nation but most modern Democrats are ignorant of those ideals.

Cook County, A Soda Tax, and the Death of an Economy

By John F. Di Leo - 

Contemplations on the new Cook County Soda Tax

Cook County, Illinois - the home of America’s fourth largest city - Chicago, is, like many metro areas, broke. So, as many jurisdictions do when broke, they imagine a need to raise tax rates. 

The one they have chosen for July 1, 2017 is a soda tax, in addition to any applicable sales tax, which in Illinois can be as high as ten percent ad valorem already. This new “soda tax” is not just on soda, but on any beverage that is sweetened with either sugar or artificial sweetener (so it applies to both regular drinks and diet drinks), from soda pop to children’s juice boxes, from bottled iced teas to sports drinks. And the price will not be ad valorum (a percentage of the price) as we’re accustomed; it’s a penny per ounce.

So if you buy a package of 10 x 6.75oz juice boxes for your children’s lunches, there’s another 67.5 cents for the county on top of the $2.00 for the juice. If you buy a large Coke or Diet Coke for a dollar at McDonald’s or some other restaurant that 32oz drink alone will add another 32 cents to the bill. And if you buy a 24-can case of pop at the grocery store, which usually costs between six and nine dollars around here, that’s another $2.88 in taxes for that case.

Despite gains, Illinois' cities have yet to erase the job losses of the recession

From Illinois News Network - 

Illinois' cities are mostly gaining jobs but have yet to erase the losses of the recession. 

The Illinois Department of Employment Security released a more detailed look at the state's unemployment situation. All but one metropolitan area had their unemployment rate drop. However, five of those 14 areas have fewer jobs than they did a year ago.

Many metro areas, especially Chicago, have gained jobs compared to last May, but the rest of the state still lags behind. The Second City gained 24,600 jobs since last May. The state in total gained only 200 more jobs than that. 

Lawmakers blame poor policy decisions for Illinois' near-worst income growth

By Michael Carroll / Illinois News Network - 

Nearly every state in the union has outpaced the rate of personal income growth in Illinois since the recession set in a decade ago, according to recent economic data.

The personal income figures for all U.S. states have rebounded to surpass pre-recession levels, the Pew Charitable Trusts reported last month, but Illinois’ 0.8 percent annual rate of income growth was the second slowest pace nationwide, just ahead of Nevada. By contrast, North Dakota had personal income gains averaging 4.5 percent a year.

More HERE

Reeder: Rauner Falters

By Scott Reeder - 

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Before taking office, Bruce Rauner pledged to lower our income tax rate during his first term.

It was a lie, wrapped in a prevarication, enveloped with deception, packaged in falsehood and bound up with a fabrication.

The people of Illinois have been hoodwinked, fooled and tricked. Again. 

We elected a man who is not true to his word. And last week, he said he wants to jack our taxes up from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

4.95 percent?

Cut Crime By Repealing Useless Occupational Licensing Regulations

Instead of “banning the box” to help ex-cons find a job, just get rid of unnecessary occupational licensing. There is a movement to ban employers from asking if a job applicant has a criminal history. The idea is to help ex-cons get back into the workforce so that they don’t return to a life of crime. Hans Bader points out that there is a better solution than rely on forcing employers to be ignorant of an applicant’s criminal past: 

North Korea Must Pay Massive Price For Otto’s Murder

Options for dealing with North Korea: North Korea has killed an American, Otto Warmbier, and it holds three more Americans as prisoners. What can the United States do? Rebeccah Heinrichs: 

“Families of the hostages might call for restraint. But Otto’s fate demonstrates that unless the United States forces Pyongyang to assess it is not in its interest to harm them, we have no reason to think their fate will be better than Otto’s.”

Heinrichs recommends:

Illinois Police Give a Warning on Marijuana Legalization

Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel predicts that legalized marijuana will put more drugged drivers on Illinois roadways and cause more headaches for Illinois than all its tax revenue is worth. The chief was not allowed to testify during a recent legislative hearing on pro-marijuana legislation. He outlined his opposition to legalization in an interview with the Illinois Family Institute.

Supreme Court to Slants: Rock On!

It’s not the government’s job to decide what speech is disparaging. On Monday the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot engage in viewpoint discrimination when it issues trademarks. In a case brought by the Asian-American rock band, The Slants, the Court struck down a provision of federal trademark law (the Lanham Act) that bars the registration of trademarks that disparage “persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt or disrepute.” Ilya Shapiro writes that this is the right decision: 

“Fundamentally, this somewhat unusual case […] shows that government can’t make you choose among your rights. The Lanham Act’s disparagement clause placed an unconstitutional condition on those who consider the use of an edgy or taboo phrase to be part of their brand: either change your name or be denied the right to use it effectively. Whether you’re a musician, a politician, or a sports team—the Washington Redskins’ moniker will now be safe—it’s civil society (consumers, voters, fans) who should decide whether you’re being too offensive for polite company.”

More at Cato Institute

Why Is Healthcare So Expensive?

The Affordable Care Act was supposed to lower healthcare costs, but it has done just the opposite. Why? Because it ignored the realities of how markets work.

Senate health care bill misses opportunities to fix Obamacare problems

Edmund Haislmaier, Robert Moffit, and Marie Fishpaw write: “[A] major weakness of the Senate bill is that, unlike the House bill, it does not create enough incentives for continuous coverage—either directly or by permitting states to use the waiver process to adopt such provisions on their own. Such provisions are important to limiting the adverse selection and gaming effects that have driven up premiums under Obamacare.

“The Senate bill should be strengthened by at least expanding the waiver process to permit states to experiment with different approaches for incentivizing continuous coverage.”

And while the Senate bill also improves the Medicaid setup, it doesn’t go far enough in addressing the weaknesses of the program. Haislmaier, Moffit, and Fishpaw recommend:

Ted Dabrowski talks property taxes with State Rep. Jeanne Ives

Rep. Roskam asks USTR Lighthizer about anti-Israel BDS movement

Illinois Home Education Makes the Grade

Illinois Tea Party shows spark of life in face of another income tax hike

SPRINGFIELD - While liberals in Illinois are giddy about appearing to have successfuly suffocated the state's angry Tea Party movement through IRS manipulations and Leftist Media collaboration, a spark of smoldering Tea Party frustration reached the surface earlier this week.  

It was when Illinois Tea Party leader Denise Cattoni posted a warning to those state lawmakers and the governor himself, which Tea Party activists actively supported into office in 2012 and 2014, when the anti-tax movement was at its height nationwide: 

Rep Batinick reports on special budget session

SPRINGFIELD - Leftist media isn't interested in hearing from the Illinois legislature's conservatives - and there are plenty of energetic and passionate conservatives in Springfield. Instead of giving up, lawmakers like State Rep. Mark Batinick, State Senator Kyle McCarter, State Rep. Allen Skillicorn and others have been taking their messages directly to the people on Facebook via videos. Here's one from Rep. Batinick this week:

Reps Skillicorn and Ives talk need for property tax assessment resolution

SPRINGFIELD - Two of Illinois' most conservative and thoughtful lawmakers took time to explain what's going on in Springfield this week concerning a major concern among Illinois property owners: the unbearable burden of paying some of the nation's highest property taxes.

State Reps. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) and Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) explain:

Syverson's plan for bipartisan barbecue summit appears to have failed

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) appears to have failed in his plan to bring together Democrat and GOP senators on a mutually-agreeable budget plan at a bipartisan barbecue in Springfield this week.

At least if the summit was successful, we haven't learned of it yet.

Where's Weyermuller? Visiting with Illinois GOP Congressmen

By Mark Weyermuller -

The event was called "Cocktails with Congressmen." Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider hosted the reception and fundraiser. He was joined by Congressmen Mike Bost, Peter Roskam, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, Darin LaHood and Governor Bruce Rauner on Monday, June 19, 2017 at Gene and Georgetti Steakhouse in Rosemont.

Di Leo: Springfield – The City That Banned Capitalism

By John F. Di Leo - 

Perhaps we should begin by acknowledging the fact that the headline isn’t exactly true.  Springfield is a reasonably normal small town in the American Heartland, with a normal enough distribution of conservatives, liberals and moderates.

But Springfield is ruled by Chicago, the King Kong of Illinois politics, which, for all its good points (and yes, there are many), simply can’t help being utterly destructive to everything within reach.  And because of its size, its reach is far-ranging indeed.

So, while Springfield, as the seat of Illinois government, theoretically rules Illinois, Chicago’s powerful and virtually unanimous Democratic legislative delegation rules Springfield.

And the more desperate Chicago gets, confronted with fleeing residents, disappearing employers, and an increasingly impatient and demanding grubber list, the more Chicago acts like King Kong in the movies, smashing everything in sight, a danger to friends and enemies alike.

St Rep Steve Reick's firsthand report on special session [video]

SPRINGFIELD - Rep. Steve Reick's (R-Woodstock) first year as a state lawmaker has been memorable, including the latest development - a 10 day special session to bring together the first state budget in three years.

Illinois tax hikers plan phone-in tax hike demand next Tuesday

SPRINGFIELD - Groups that depend upon tax dollars to pay their employees and provide their executives' salaries are organizing a phone in to the State Capitol next Tuesday. 

"Join the R[espect] B[udget] C[oalition] for a statewide call-day on Tues, June 27th to demand an #ILBudgetNow with new, permanent revenue," a Tweet says. 

Illinois Policy Institute calls for lawmaker pay delay until budget passage

CHICAGO - If you didn't do your job for three years in a row, would you still have one? Probably not - except maybe if your family owned the business ... or if you were an Illinois lawmaker. 

But not everyone's shrugging their shoulders in frustration and defeat over the ridiculous state of finances Illinois finds itself in. Illinois Policy Institute is calling for an all out pushback on stubborn Democrat lords - those that refuse to work with Republicans to make systemic changes in order to head the situation towards correction.

While the Chicago media is blaming Governor Rauner for not being a pushover and acquiescing with Lord Madigan's demands, Illinois taxpayers are applauding Republican efforts to get to the root of the issue.

What self-respecting Democrat would WANT to be governor under The Boss?

Chicago Tribune's political opinion writer John Kass has everyone in stitches with his latest column raising the question about why any self-respecting Democrat would spend his or her raised funds to run for governor in Illinois. It's a fair question - sure, one could be elected in a Blue State, but he or she would be a fool to think he or she would actually be allowed to run the executive branch as he or she sees fit. 

For Pete's sake, the only person that actually does run the state of Illinois has run it for over three decades - House Speaker Mike Madigan (who is also the Illinois Democrat Party's longtime chairman - who else?). 

Op-Ed: Illinois' Fiscal Dumpster Fire Is a Lesson

Gov. Rauner called it a "banana republic," then proceeded to capitulate to Democrat demands

By Allyne Caan / Patriot Post - 

If you recently bought a lottery ticket in Illinois, the odds are stacked against you — way against you. The Land of Lincoln has gotten itself into such a financial pickle that it may not even be able to pay out lotto winnings, meaning the chance of striking it big would be, literally, zero.

Years of fiscal mismanagement have finally caught up with Illinois, and the state is now facing $130 billion in unfunded public pension liabilities and nearly $15 billion more in debt. And because of certain court-ordered payments the state is required to make, the Illinois comptroller recently sounded the alarm that mandated bills will equal 100% of the state’s monthly revenue. In case the obvious needs emphasis, this is a problem.

It’s so bad even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner didn’t mince words. “We’re like a banana republic,” he said recently. “We can’t manage our money.”

Thorner: Do Billionaires Control Political Parties on Both Sides of the Aisle?

By Nancy Thorner - 

Is it right for billionaires, whether Democrats or Republicans, to have so much clout and influence over individuals and organizations within their respective political parties? 

The Koch Brothers come to mind as big donors for Republican and Libertarian organizations and individuals, while Soros and the 200 organizations he funds are part of a force which is dead set on trying to destroy the Trump presidency.

Prager University: Why You Love Capitalism

Do you use an iPhone? Watch Netflix? Listen to Spotify? Then you love capitalism and can't stand big government. How do we know?

Not even the lottery is safe in Illinois' broken down financial state

 

 

Illinois is grappling with a full-fledged financial crisis and not even the lottery is safe – with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner warning the state is entering "banana republic" territory, Fox News is reporting today.

Facing billions in unpaid bills and pension obligations, the state is hitting a cash crunch that is rare even by Illinois standards.

A top financial official just warned 100 percent of the state's monthly revenue will be eaten up by court-ordered payments. Rauner is calling a special session of the Democrat-led General Assembly in a bid to pass what he hopes will be the first full budget package in almost three years.

And Illinois will – literally – lose the lottery if the budget fails. 

More HERE.

Thorner: Higher Property Taxes, Lower Home Values and Increased School Spending Plague Illinoisans

By Nancy Thorner -

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Illinois averaged more than 40,000 permits for new single-family houses per year prior to the so-called Great Recession. Compare that to 2016 when Illinois issued just over 10,000 single-family houses permits. The 75% drop observed is the worst in the nation. 

Record-setting 13 attending military academies from IL District 14

CAMPTON HILLS — U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) is proud to announce that a record number of students from the 14th Congressional District, 13 cadets in all, have been selected to attend the United States military service academies beginning July 1.

Where's Weyermuller? Watching Des Plaines "Opt Out" of $13 Minimum Wage Law

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Cook County recently passed a new law requiring all employers to pay a minimum wage of $13.00 an hour by the year 2020. As of today, over 60 villages and towns in the county have voted to "opt out" of this law, which goes into effect July 1st.

Di Leo: Money is Fungible ... Especially in Cuba

By John F. Di Leo -

Reflections on the Trump Administration's changes to our Cuba policy

In 1959, following six years of organized Marxist-Leninist rebellion, mostly run by Fidel and Raul Castro and their partner Che Guevera, the Battista government of Cuba was overthrown and Fidel Castro claimed dictatorial powers, which he eventually turned over to his brother Raul, in 2008.

The Castros spent their sixty years not only oppressing their people – robbing, raping, beating, imprisoning, torturing, and killing, as all communist governments do – but they also spent those years, particularly the years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, spreading violent revolution across the third world.  They spent thirty years as the might, partnered with the Kremlin’s money, leading revolutions in Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.

In all those years, many other formerly communist governments have changed people and philosophies. The Soviet Union broke up, and many of its former vassal states have embraced free markets and free people.  Several others outside the Former Soviet Union have as well… but Cuba never did.  Cuba is still run by Raul Castro, the mass murdering enforcer of the 26th of July Movement of the 1950s. 

Governor Rauner: A budget compromise I can sign

SPRINGFIELD - From the Old State Capitol, Governor Bruce Rauner told Illinois taxpayers Tuesday evening that a "compromise" budget proposed by Senate Republicans was one he could sign. The legislature will return Wednesday for a special-called 10-day session to come up with a budget agreement before the new fiscal year starts July 1.

Broadcast live on Facebook, Governor Rauner said "Last week we reviewed a compromise budget plan that I can sign - one that we can all support."

If that happens, it would be the first state budget agreed upon by the Democrat majority and the Republican governor since he was sworn in in January 2015.

Rhoads: When Diversity is a Code Word for Coercion

By Mark Rhoads - 

Billy Bean was an openly gay former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres. Since 2014 Bean has worked as vice president and special assistant to the MLB Commissioner with the unofficial title of "Ambassador for Inclusion."  Who can argue with the idea of inclusion?  Bean's specific mission is to "support diversity" and support the "LGBT Community" at all levels in organized baseball.

Township businesses file class action lawsuit after skyrocketing property taxes

Shutterstock Photo

Business property owners in a downstate community have filed a lawsuit with the county after their property taxes skyrocketed by up to 400 percent in one year. 

The class action lawsuit on behalf of the more than 500 business properties in Mattoon Township claims the county hired an inexperienced assessor to update their property values, which hadn't been updated since 2000. If true, this would violate state law.

Plaintiff Robb Perry says they're seeking nearly $1 million that was collected in higher taxes last year in a federal class action suit.

"It's not because we're just whining about taxes," he said. "This is just ungodly wrong. It's just wrong."

Perry said Coles County reassessed the one township and left the others, leading to massive hikes on Mattoon businesses, while others actually dropped.

More HERE

Emoluments Lawsuits Are a Monumental Distraction

The Emoluments Clause lawsuits have no merit. A number of citizens and organizations, as well as the District of Columbia and Maryland, have sued alleging that President Trump has violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Those lawsuits, writes Ilya Shapiro, are “frivolous,” “nonsense,” and “a waste of time and resources”:

“[T]he Emoluments Clause is a stopgap against the risk that foreign powers will try to curry favor by bribing U.S. officials with gifts and other baubles. (Maybe even titles of nobility, which are prohibited for all Americans by another constitutional provision.) To be sure, a politically motivated decision by a foreign government to give preferential permitting or land acquisition terms to a Trump construction project could be a favor worth millions of dollars. 

“But is booking suites at a Trump hotel or holding a conference at another Trump facility really a bribe? So long as payments are made at market rates – not ‘here’s 100 million dollars for a room with a view’ – I don’t see how they could. Whatever the Emoluments Clause protects against, arms-length business transactions ain’t it.

“Indeed, to hold to the contrary would be to disqualify businessmen with a diversified portfolio from the White House. That can’t be the case; George Washington himself was a wealthy landholder who engaged in business with foreign nationals.”

More at Cato Institute

When Transparency Really Means Tyranny

When you hear the word "transparency," what comes to mind? Maybe words like openness and honesty. But David French, Senior Writer for The National Review, shows how progressive activists, under the guise of "transparency," are ruining the lives of many good Americans.