Illinois Review

Di Leo: When Twenty Deportations Aren’t Enough

By John F. Di Leo - 

The news of the day concerns a repeat offender, so we will begin with the news, then move on to the analysis:

Sergio Jose Martinez, age 31, having been deported twenty times previously, was arrested in Portland, Oregon on July 24, having broken into the home of a 65-year-old woman, where he raped and beat her, then stole her car, a 2011 Toyota Prius.

LBGT students force Art Institute of Chicago Professor to resign

Michael Bonesteel says he resigned from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago after a “small cadre of militant LBGT students with an authoritarian agenda” created a “toxic environment” that led to him losing his health insurance.

Bonesteel claims that several transgender students took issue with the materials he presented in class, as well as his lack of trigger warnings, and filed formal complaints against him for harassment.

The school allegedly responded by cutting back his course-load to the point that he no longer qualified for health insurance benefits, and forced him to get rid of all controversial subject matter in his remaining courses.

More HERE

Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Wants More Taxes for Illinois

This past weekend, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy was quoted in the Journal Standard proposing a “basket of taxes”. And just days ago, Kennedy told the 40th Ward Democrats that “we need to broaden” the income tax.

Thorner: Free Market Road Show Examines the World After Brexit and Trump

Free Market panelists Matt Kibbe, Stephen Hicks and Barbara Kolm at Heartland Institute

By Nancy Thorner - 

The Heartland Institute was honored on July 18 to host a stop in Arlington Heights, Illinois on the 10th Annual Free Market Road Show (FMRS), which toured several capitals of Europe this spring. The FMRS is organized by the AEC Austrian Economic Center in cooperation with more than 100 leading think tanks and universities, as well as international partners such as the Liberty Fund, Global Philanthropic Trust, European Students for Liberty, Ruefa, and the F.A. v. Hayek Institute.

The program began in 2008 with the plan to export the ideas of Austrian economics and the success stories of Austrian reforms in the early 21st century throughout the region.

The 2017 FMRS brought together leading business people, outstanding scholars, and policy experts to discuss the aftermath of two historic events: Great Britain’s “Brexit” decision to leave the European Union. and the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. Europe’s political elite as a whole was convinced that Brexit could not happen. In Brussels, most people mocked Brexit supporters and portrayed them as being on the political fringe.

Reick: Chicago Messes Its Bed, Then Asks Us To Clean It Up

By State Rep. Steve Reick - 

The big issue in Springfield this week is the school funding bill, SB 1, which contains the new funding formula for schools. The governor claims, and he’s right, that the bill contains a provision that, in effect, diverts money from education to bail out the Chicago Public School pension system. Therefore, even though he’s willing to sign a bill containing the new funding formula, he’s not willing to sign bill containing this poison pill provision.

It’s being said that even though we’ve passed a budget, unless SB1 is signed by the governor, schools cannot open in the fall. I don’t agree with that, and I’ll tell you why shortly. However, before we get into the meat of the bill, I thought it’d be a good idea to give you a little bit of history about how the CPS pension system ended up in the condition that it’s in.

Berg: Illinois Job Growth Is....Slow

By Austin Berg, Illinois Policy Institute - 

Illinois’ jobs growth was worse than every neighboring state, and half the neighboring state average from June 2016 to June 2017, according to a new report. Data released July 27 by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, reveals Illinois’ jobs growth from June 2016 to June 2017 was 0.9 percent, compared with a national average of 1.5 percent.

The greater Chicago area fared far better than the rest of Illinois with 1.2 percent jobs growth, but still lagged behind the national average. The rest of the state saw just 0.2 percent jobs growth.

Brownback Nominated as Religious Liberty Ambassador

President Donald Trump will nominate Gov. Samuel Dale Brownback of Kansas to be Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Department of State.

In the ambassadorship, Gov. Brownback will lead the Office of International Religious Freedom, which is under the umbrella of the State Department and charged with promoting religious freedom as a foreign policy objective. The Office of International Religious Freedom monitors religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommends and implements policies in respective regions or countries, and develops programs to promote religious freedom.

Mr. Brownback has been Governor of Kansas since 2011 and served as a U.S. Senator and a U.S. Representative in the House of Representatives from Kansas. While a member of the Senate, he worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Read press release HERE

Climate Change & the Christian

Despite Being Broke, Illinois Still Wants to Spend More Money on Abortion

Shapiro slams 'snowflakes' at Capitol Hill hearing

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and comedian Adam Carolla testified on Capitol Hill Thursday about their experiences with today’s college student

The hearing, called by the House Oversight Committee, aimed to “identify the harms of infringing on the right to free speech on college campuses” while seeking “recommendations on how to encourage and protect First Amendment rights” from a panel of experts, including Shapiro and Carolla.

More HERE

ILGOP Releases Video – “Get Back to Work”

Today, the Illinois Republican Party released a digital video that they argue highlights Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan refusal to honor the Illinois Constitution and send the education funding bill to the Governor’s desk.

Illinois Pastor Delivers Opening Prayer in U.S. House

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) delivered a statement on the House floor recognizing Pastor Scott Poling of Harvest New Beginnings Church in Oswego, Illinois for delivering the opening prayer on the House floor today.

Following are Rep. Hultgren’s prepared remarks:

Where's Weyermuller? At Navy Pier, watching Chicago Teachers' TIF Protest

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Another day, another protest. In Chicago, somebody is always complaining about something. Tuesday it was the Chicago Teachers Union. They were complaining about $55 million dollars that Mayor Rahm Emanuel used to renovate the food court at Navy Pier. The group displayed "golden hot dogs" as a symbol of the project. 

Navy Pier's food court was renovated with TIF money. Tax Increment Financing is a special funding tool used by the City of Chicago to promote public and private investment across the city.  The protests claim that Emanuel is "laundering" that money to Navy Pier rather than blighted neighborhoods of Chicago. Navy Pier is considered the largest tourist attraction in Illinois. The protesters referred to it several times as a "tourist trap" in their talking points. 

Di Leo: Transgender Issues and the US Military

By John F. Di Leo -

The people whining about the Administration’s latest decision – formally returning to the exclusion of "transgendered people" from the military - apparently don't understand what the military is for.

The Armed Services are not a corner bakery or grocery store. They’re not a school or customer service center, a factory or shopping mall. The military is not a social justice experiment.

The military is a collection of government departments, constitutionally chartered to do certain things that only the government can do (as opposed to things that are better done by the private sector): keeping our borders secure, engaging or defending against foreign threats, etc.

In the same way that your local police and fire department issue enlistment guidelines for potential applicants, there are certain conditions to meet, for anyone who wants to join up: physical ability, youth, training, mental health, etc. They perform physical and mental health checks to judge the applicants against these standards; people who don’t measure up simply cannot join.

Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican?

The south used to vote Democrat. Now it votes Republican. Why the switch? Was it, as some people say, because the GOP decided to appeal to racist whites? Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, explains.

Governor Rauner calls General Assembly back into special session for school funding

CHICAGO - Frustrated that the Democrat leadership drags its feet in moving to his desk a bill that passed the legislature May 31st, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner called all lawmakers back to the State Capitol Wednesday. 

“Democrats have been holding this bill since May 31. Our families and students cannot wait any longer,” Gov. Rauner said. “We must act now, which is why I’m calling lawmakers back to Springfield for a special session. Our schools must open on time.”

Thorner/O'Neil: Immigration: An Issue of Importance to all Americans (Part 2)

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Disagreements regarding Immigration issues have always existed; however, they have become particularly divisive recently. It is therefore wise to review our national history on the subject for more clarity as to what our wise forefathers thought on the subject.   America’s Founding Fathers did not encourage unlimited immigration, but neither did they prevent or discourage it by any federal legislation.  They believed most decisions should be left to individual states to regulate.

George Washington indicated that immigration should be limited to “useful mechanics and some particular descriptions of men or professions.”  Thomas Jefferson saw the new government as a unique combination of the freest elements of English law and political custom. He was concerned that unrestricted immigration of people from foreign lands unacquainted with the principle of representative government might undo the careful work of our Founding Fathers.

“Yet,” he said prophetically, “from such we are to expect the greatest number of immigrants.”

Government's ability to seize your property grows under Trump

Law enforcement’s ability to seize your property without a criminal conviction grew last week.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced an expansion of the ability of law enforcement agencies around the country to receive funds through the use of civil asset forfeiture.

Civil asset forfeiture is the practice of law enforcement agencies seizing assets they believe have been used to commit a crime, including cash believed to have been obtained in illegal drug transactions. Property owners need not be convicted or even charged with any crime in order to have their assets seized.

Many states have passed reforms to limit the practice, but even in those states, agencies could still receive forfeited assets when they assist in a federal investigation. In 2015, President Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder had required law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant or file charges in order to seize assets. Those limited protections have now been reversed by Attorney General Sessions.

16th CD conservative voices frustration with Kinzinger

ROCKFORD - The longer GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-16) is in office, the further he moves from conservatives in his home district. 

At least that's what Rockford conservatives like Michael O'Toole think, and why O'Toole says he won't be voting for Kinzinger's re-election in 2018. 

Di Leo: A Debt of Honor to Illinois Creditors?

By John F. Di Leo - 

Let’s begin with a quick refresher: In July, 2017, the Democrat-dominated legislature of the State of Illinois, a state already suffering the loss of 95,000 residents per year, voted to override its governor and increase both the business and personal income tax by a third.

To be specific, that’s a 32% increase in the individual income tax, and a 33% increase in the corporate income tax…thereby adding to a regulatory and tax structure that’s already so crippling, it’s driving out people and businesses at a rate faster than any other state, even states as famous for such flight as California and New York.

Yes, there is voter fraud in Illinois, new database shows

Election officials at Illinois' state and several county levels shake their heads and refuse to cooperate with a new commission President Donald Trump established to scour the nation's voting rolls.

There's no problem here, and we're not cooperating, Cook County Clerk David Orr said in statement. The Illinois Board of Elections - headed now by prominent Republican Party official Bill Cadigan - echoed Orr's position. 

Still, a newly released voter fraud database includes over 100 individuals in Illinois that have been convicted of criminal activity surrounding the state's election process.

O'Hare worker seeking to "bury unbelievers alive" requests charges dismissed

CHICAGO - A Bosnian Muslim refugee and her five associates charged with attempting to provide support to ISIS invoked an unusual defense, according to ABC7 Chicago.

Mediha Medy Salkicevic has claimed that her support of ISIS constituted “legitimate warfare” and that she was waging war against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, just as the U.S. government is doing by supporting Syrian rebels.

Salkicevic was working for a cargo company at Chicago’s International O’Hare Airport when she was arrested in 2015. Investigators allege she said she wanted to “bury unbelievers alive” and kill infidels.

Rauner's prolife communications staffer gets support from prolife group

UPDATE: Since publication, Illinois Right to Life has notified us that we missed their early support of Ms. Carl. We stand corrected. Their comments are below.

CHICAGO - While as a whole Illinois' prolife movement remained silent when a new communications staffer for Governor Rauner was under attack from Democrats and pro-abortion Leftists, Brittany Clingen Carl finally found outspoken support from Illinois Family Institute's Laurie Higgins.

Chicago media - hysterical over sudden staff changes at the governor's office - searched the internet for anything that would embarrass the governor's office about those changes. They believed they hit a jackpot when they found Carl's pro-life comments on a blog she wrote for prior to her taking the job with Governor Rauner. The scandalous comments were found on a conservative blog called "Reclaiming Feminism."

Ives warns: Suburban taxpayers teed up to bail out Chicago's $17B school debt

WHEATON – Friday, State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) called on Governor Rauner to veto SB1-- a bill that she says would reroute state school funds to pay down Chicago Public Schools’ massive debt, resulting in higher suburban property taxes.

“This bill would enshrine into state law that suburban taxpayers bail out corrupt and mismanaged Chicago Public Schools (CPS) over the next generation,” Ives said.

Earlier this week, Rauner promised to veto segments of the measure when the Senate sends it to his desk.

Thorner & O'Neil: Keep America the nation our forefathers gave us (Part 1)

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O'Neil -

President Barack Obama publicly stated:

Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation – at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

The President’s statement seems to indicate a change has happened in America. However, the facts indicate the President misspoke, as they do not verify his claim when one considers the percentage of each of these religions in the United States are compared to the vast majority who identify as Christian.

Stand for Children pushes for Rauner to sign education funding bill

CHICAGO - The education activist group "Stand for Children" is calling on Governor Rauner to sign into law education bill SB 1. Governor Rauner said this week that while he agrees with 90 percent of the bill, he plans to amendatory veto the measure because it includes what he considers an unfair partial bailout of Chicago Public School teachers pension fund. 

If the governor were to amendatory veto SB 1 like he says he will, the Illinois General Assembly will be asked to override the veto, requiring a three-fifths vote that would demand Republican support in the Illinois House.

What if your boss took away your last raise?

SPRINGFIELD - From an Illinois taxpayer's Facebook post Friday morning, as paychecks begin to reflect Illinois' latest 32% state income tax hike: 

If your boss took away a well-earned raise weeks after it appeared on your paycheck, you'd be upset and demand justice. Why should it be any different when Illinois lawmakers vote to take away your raise with another state income tax hike?

It's time the people of Illinois take these tax hikes just as personally and respond with righteous indignation. After all, politicians are taking your hard-earned money to make up for their poor judgement in spending and favoritism to their buddies. 

Thoughts? 

Pregnancy Centers Win Second Injunction against Illinois Abortion Referral Mandate

CHICAGO — A federal court ruled this week that a law the Illinois General Assembly passed and Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law last year, the measure will be withheld from enforcement because it restricts free speech rights.

Mathieson: The Big Myth of Health Care. Busted

By Nancy Mathieson

As the U.S. Health Care debate rages on, we now know Americans view health care services and what we’re paying for them in many ways. You rarely hear a consumer say they have exactly the health care they need, or their services are a bargain. It’s a brand-new world from a generation ago, when the cost of care wasn’t a huge portion of the family budget or a regular source of consumer outrage.

What has changed? According to Dr. Kevin Wacasey, a physician at the Colleyville Medical Clinic near Fort Worth, Texas, the dominance of the insurance industry over you and your health care provider has created a cultural sea-change in how we view health care. Unlike other items we purchase (and health care is undeniably a large purchase), we no longer comparison shop, haggle on prices, or demand services before we walk away.

Former Chicago Republican tributes friend and Clinton adversary Peter Smith

Peter Smith's death was ruled a suicide, and that should be believed, friend says

BOCA RATON - Larry Horist, who now lives in Boca Raton, Florida was a conservative Republican that for years was active in Chicago political circles. Last week, he wrote a tribute on his Facebook page about an old friend that found his way into headlines when he was found dead in a Minneapolis apartment. 

The person Horist wrote about was Chicagoan Peter Smith, who had just told a Wall Street Journal reporter he tried to obtain Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers in the last weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith's death in May was ruled a suicide last week and launched a conspiracy theory that Horist says should be ignored. 

Cook County Clerk blasts fellow Dem county assessor: There is a property tax crisis

CHICAGO - A leading Cook County Democrat showed a ripple in the state's seeming impenetrable Democrat force this week when Cook Clerk David Orr issued a statement concerning questions being raised about his fellow Democrat Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios' property tax values.  

Orr is also upset that Assessor Berrios has made promises of process improvements, but they haven't come to fruition. But it should be noted Orr has already announced he's not seeking re-election after 26 years of holding the office.

We'll let Clerk Orr speak for himself so it doesn't appear we're coming up with "fake news": 

IL House Dems flaunt those misguided GOP budget votes

CHICAGO - While those 15 Illinois House Republicans continue to defend their decision to betray taxpayers and vote to support a 32% state income tax hike, Illinois House Democrats are delighted that those Republicans gave them "bipartisan" bragging rights on passing a budget. Nobody can just point to the Democrats as tax hikers.

They're taking their message to Twitter and dragging those poor Republicans along with them. 

Time to fire Mrs. Madigan, who gifts select TV stations with taxpayer dollars?

(Chicago Tribune photo)

CHICAGO - Sure, Illinois is $15 Billion behind in bills to doctors, hospital and clinics, among other taxpayer- funded public services - but guess where $7.3 million of your hard-earned state income tax dollars have gone?

Thanks to House Speaker Mike Madigan's wife Shirley and the Illinois Arts Council, 21 television stations throughout the state have millions more dollars to spend - despite already sitting on millions in assets.

Those media recipients certainly must be grateful to you, Illinois taxpayers. That's why they provide such balanced political news coverage, right?

Rauner calls on Senate to send school funding bill; plans to amendatory veto

MT ZION – Monday, Governor Bruce Rauner called on members of the Illinois Senate to send him Senate Bill 1, the education funding bill - and told them to expect an amendatory veto that the governor's office says would result in higher state funding for almost every school district in Illinois.

Rep. Ives: Hidden Budget Items Cost Illinois Taxpayers Even More

Posted on Rep. Jeanne Ives' (R-Wheaton) website Monday, July 17, 2017 - 

The 583-page state budget bill that most legislators were given only 45 minutes or so to read before having to vote on it contains several “hidden” provisions that will cost taxpayers and local communities millions of dollars above and beyond the income tax hike that was passed the same day in a separate bill. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most egregious hidden costs in the state’s new budget:

IR Op-Ed: Rauner begins major office staff renovation; panic spreads among Springfield insiders

SPRINGFIELD - While Illinois' historic Governor's Mansion undergoes major renovation, Governor Rauner has commenced with an historic office staff remodeling. 

Springfield insiders are in panic mode, according to the spokesman for Springfield insiders, CapitolFax's Rich Miller. Referred to by many newly-elected newbies as Illinois' own "Swamp," Springfield is facing its first real challenge in decades.

After he was betrayed by 15 Republicans when they jumped ship to uphold Democrat Speaker Mike Madigan's out-of-balance budget and again when 10 of them stuck with Madigan against his budget veto, Governor Rauner is taking the logical steps any businessman would take when the previous plan failed.

The governor's starting over again - this time with a thorough rejuvenation of his office staff.

Where's Weyermuller? At 5K Race To End Homelessness with Team Patlak

By Mark Weyermuller -

Over 2000 people showed up last Saturday morning to run in a 5K race to benefit  "A Safe Haven."  The 7th annual race was held at Montrose Harbor on Chicago's lakefront.  

 

Thorner: What it means to be "Liberal" and the nightmare such thinking wrought

My brief experience as a left-leaning, radical liberal feminist came about quite unexpectedly when in a dream I found myself rallying with other feminist radicals, holding a pink sign that read, “I stand with Planned Parenthood,” and making demands that Trump make federal payments to Planned Parenthood.

"Angry Illinoisan" takes IL GOP lawmakers "back to the future"

Someone's got a sense of humor about Republicans helping to override Governor Rauner's budget veto last week. An anonymous person has set up a Facebook page identifying himself as the "Angry Illinoisan."

One of Angry Illinoisan's creations is an adaptation of a "Back to the Future" clip. It features Governor Rauner, some of the ten Republicans that betrayed the governor with State Rep. Steve Andersson at the wheel, and several Republican onlookers that chose to stay firm and reject Mike Madigan's budget.

Those Republicans voted for an unbalanced budget that includes a 32% income tax hike, a 5 cent per gallon gas tax hike, doesn't address unpaid bills and deepens the pension debt by cutting pension payments. 

Di Leo: The Bastille, Mob Rule and Emptying of Prisons

 

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on big city life on Bastille Day…

Every year on July 14, the French celebrate Bastille Day, the beginning of the end for the Bourbon monarchy, and, ostensibly, the rise of the power of the people.

Even here in the United States, an ocean away, with only the slightest connection to the French people and culture, we enjoy the day as an unofficial holiday. We drink French wine, enjoy brie and crackers, and sing Le Marseillaise (in the original French, of course).  It’s an excuse for a sale, for a party, for a festival.  As long as we don’t dig too deep.

But when we do dig deep… when we do take a moment to think about what happened to France in the 1790s… we cannot help feeling the horror of an age in which a city lost control to madness… and if we dig just a bit deeper, we may find painful similarities to our own time and place.

IPI launches new 'Forgotten Illinois' video to raise money for flooded area

From Illinois Policy Institute:

The families of Lake County are now working tirelessly to rebuild their communities in the wake of massive flooding. And they need our help.

We’ve decided to release this special edition of our “Forgotten Illinois” series in order to raise money for flood relief efforts in northern Illinois. You can make a secure donation here: https://www.illinoispolicy.o­rg/donate/flood-relief-for-lake-county/. Every dollar will go toward Lake County residents in need.

The people of Round Lake and Lake County at large are an inspiration to us all. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

IL Rep. Roskam leads House Panel to Unanimously Vote to End IRS Forfeiture Abuse

The House Committee on Ways and Means unanimously voted for my bill to end IRS forfeiture abuse and it is now on its way to the full House. Here is my opening statement:

Trussell: Why I left the Donkey Plantation Party

By Stephanie Trussell - 

I left the Donkey Plantation Party because I'm tired of waiting for Big Gov crumbs to drop.

I want more. Much more.

I wish I could take credit for coining the appropriate nickname "Donkey Plantation Party" for the Democrat Party. I heard it first on one of my favorite radio shows: Joshua’s Trail radio show out of Detroit. Elder Levon Yuille and his fearless roundtable are my North Star. They are Christian black conservatives that don’t suffer fools well. I love it when black Leftists call in, eager to label them traitors to their race. A verbal blood bath commences every time.

I escaped the Donkey Plantation after discovering conservative talk radio in 1993. Since my departure, I have become obsessed with trying to understand how Democrats continuously maintain over 90% of the black vote given they are the party that enslaved us, Jim-Crowed us, poll-tested us and these days they oversee urban plantations.

Obamacare fails; premiums skyrocket as insurers withdraw

In 2018, 44% of counties will have zero or only one insurer participating in Obamacare exchanges, according to a new CMS projection. (It’s in line with recent analyses from The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well.)

So what does that actually mean for millions of Americans?

Democrats running for governor support Madigan tax hike

Gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, who supports the Madigan tax hike, with Hillary Clinton

CHICAGO - Friday, hard-working citizens will get their first weekly paycheck sans the 32% state income tax hike a majority of House Democrats and 15 Republicans supported last week. And when they cash their checks and go to the nearest service station, everyone in Illinois that drives will pay an additional five cent per gallon gasoline tax. 

But not only did those lawmakers celebrate the tax hike, Democrats who've declared they want to be Illinois' next governor are excited about Illinois' taxpayers tossing more into the state coffers.

The IL GOP points out:  

Northern Illinois' Fox and Des Plaines Rivers could hit record flood levels Saturday

ALGONQUIN - After being hit with over five inches of rain Wednesday, rivers in northern Illinois could reach record levels Saturday. Schools, businesses and residences are dealing with power outages and flooded basements.

Governor Rauner will visit the areas affected by Fox and Des Plaines River flooding Friday, while local officials deal with emergency conditions. The rivers could hit record levels Saturday before receding.

The Algonquin Township Highway Department placed the following video on their Facebook page:

Thorner & Ingold: Twitter users claim Trump violated their 1st Amendment rights

By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold -

As reported recently in the Los Angeles, Twitter users are claiming their 1st Amendment rights were violated after they were blocked from reading Trump’s personal account (@realDonaldTrump, not the official @POTUS account) after criticizing him on his policies.

In response, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of seven Twitter users who say their rights were violated. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, names Trump, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and White House director of social media Dan Scavino as defendants.

And what about that new 5 cents per gallon gas tax hike?

SPRINGFIELD - As reviewers get a chance to scour Illinois first budget in three years, they're finding how Illinois Democrats (and a few Republicans) not only raised state income taxes by 32% and kicked the can down the road on the state's impending pension disaster, but hiked the state's gas tax yet more.

Rockford's Q98.5 writes about the budget's 5 cent per gallon tax hike: 

New budget threatens to deepen pension debt

SPRINGFIELD - While most Illinois income taxpayers are already upset about the 32% tax hike that will show up in this week's paycheck, that's not all that taxpayers will be frustrated about in the budget that passed with the support of 15 Republicans and the governor's veto that was overridden with the help of 10 Republicans. 

The 2017 Madigan budget that was so celebrated by state workers and Leftist organizations last week is paying less into pensions - and that will show up shortly, as the funding gap widens. All those state workers, teachers and law enforcement that are counting on generous pensions to provide relaxed golden years may be all the more disappointed when that reality sinks in, says Crain's Joe Cahill in Tuesday's "New budget threatens to deepen pension debt."

Thorner: Schlafly's most powerful office in the world

By Nancy Thorner - 

Donald Trump is the most powerful man in the world, so technically, the U.S. Presidency is the "Most Powerful Office in the World."  But what if you were told of another public office that (ultimately) chooses who will be President and virtually every other elected official in the U. S.?  If that were true, wouldn't that office (ultimately) be the "Most Powerful Office in the World”?

Conservatives take pride in their knowledge of the Constitution and the outward forms of American Government. Many can quote the Founding Fathers, such as, "The least governed are the best governed" (Jefferson) and "Government is like fire, a useful servant but a deadly master" (George Washington), etc., but the bottom line is, many conservatives know next to nothing about the real system of American government, which isn't the fairy tale that has been taught in school and colleges over the past few decades.