Illinois Review

Ives taps Rich Morthland as GOP ballot running mate

Former State Rep. Rich Morthland

SPRINGFIELD - State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) reached out to friends and supporters Saturday, asking them to circulate petitions to gather the needed 10,000 signatures needed to get on the March 2018 GOP primary ballot, challenging incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner. 

Illinois law requires gubernatorial candidates to run as teams with their lieutenant governors, so the petitions revealed Ives' pick. The name on her petitions is former State Rep. Rich Morthland, from the Quad Cities part of the state. He served one term - from 2011 to 2013 - in the Illinois House. 

Who is Rich Morthland, and how will his views blend with the gubernatorial candidate's? 

Former Governor Pat Quinn now wants to be IL Attorney General

CHICAGO - At one time or another, he's been Illinois' treasurer, lieutenant governor and governor. Now he wants to succeed retiring Lisa Madigan as Illinois' attorney general. 

Former Governor Patrick Quinn will reportedly appear before Cook County Democrat leaders this Friday, asking for their endorsement for attorney general. 

Manafort accused of money laundering, refusing to register as foreign agent, evading taxes

D.C. - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort turned himself in to federal authorities Monday morning. Speculation is that former FBI director Robert Muller hopes to use the indictments to squeeze information from him concerning the 2016 Trump campaign. 

"Paul Manafort was a lobbyist for Putin-backed forces in Ukraine, and he allegedly covered it up by disguising payments and refusing to register as a foreign agent — which is required by law. Along the way, Manafort allegedly didn't pay taxes on this income. Manafort’s partner Gates is named in the indictment, too," the Washington Examiner reports.

However, the accusations stem from Manafort's dealings years before President Trump declared his interest in launching a campaign. 

Thorner & O'Neil: When Media Becomes Part of the Problem

Former National Public Radio CEO Ken Stern left D.C. to find how the rest of the  country thinks

By Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O'Neil - 

It should not be a surprise that Democrats are using every opportunity possible to criticize President Trump and members of his administration; this is what the opposition party often does. This can be beneficial to our country when it provides opposing viewpoints and forces both governing bodies to defend their positions by providing facts and examples. The public would like to think these elected men and woman who have altruistic motives and are equipped with logic, superior intelligence, and facts enabling them to make wise decisions.

However, we are reminded of this quote by H.L. Mencken:

"Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed and are right."

Ives announces via email

State Rep. Jeanne Ives is in to challenge incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner, according to an email sent out Saturday afternoon ... 

 

From: Jeanne Ives <jeanneives@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 28, 2017 at 1:21 PM
Subject: Ives for Illinois
To: Dear Friends,

 

Today my team and I are taking the first step towards restoring commonsense in Illinois. I have started circulating petitions to place my name on the ballot for Governor of Illinois.  I have selected as my Lt. Governor Rich Morthland, a farmer, former state representative and community college professor from the Rock Island area.

Illinois Channel interviews GOP lawmaker Jeanne Ives about possible gubernatorial run

UPDATE: Apparently, Ives has picked former State Rep. Rich Morthland as her LG. The petitions are now online. Radio talk show host and Illinois Opportunity Project head Dan Proft's Prairie State Wire exclusively revealed the petitions Saturday morning. 

SPRINGFIELD - Who is State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton)? Why is her name in a buzz about challenging Republican Governor Bruce Rauner in next March's IL GOP Primary? 

Illinois Channel's Terry Martin offers this first in-depth interview from a non-Rauner funded news source that provides a one on one insight into Ives' thinking about the need for a viable conservative candidate in 2018. 

Brinkman's Books: A Man And His Presidents: The Political Odyssey of William F Buckley Jr.

Ever wonder what books would provide a good foundation for conservative political thinking? Illinois conservative Daniel Brinkman is offering his insight to Illinois Review readers with the first of several thoughtful reviews of books he thinks would strengthen conservatives:

A Man And His Presidents: The Political Odyssey of William F Buckley Jr. 

By Alvin S. Felzenberg

Yale University Press 448p, May 2017

By Daniel Brinkman -

William F Buckley Jr. first met Ronald Reagan at a Beverly Hills event. WFB was the keynote and Reagan was to do the introduction. The event began rather poorly as the microphone had not been turned on and the balcony level control room was locked. “Reagan exited the room through the window, walked a foot wide ledge to reach the control room several feet away and entered through a window he broke with his elbow, minutes later to the delight of the audience the microphone was on and the program proceeded.” So began a great friendship that thrived for the next 35 years. 

Crisis pregnancy center teaches 7th grade public schoolers the "4 Types" of sex

OKLAHOMA - A Christian crisis pregnancy center in Oklahoma is responsible for publishing and distributing a sex education program that has area parents and taxpayers up in arms. 

Within the program's outline, 12 year olds were introduced to four different types of sex: mutual masturbation, oral, vaginal and anal.

The photo above of the students' handbook was taken by the parent of a 7th grade student - and a public school teacher herself. She posted it on Facebook with these comments: 

Rauner's campaign war chest doubles size of Democrat hopefuls'

Illinois Campaign for Political Reform shows Republican Bruce Rauner has raised campaign funds at more than twice the amount of his most well-funded Democrat hopeful J.B. Pritzker has raised.

But even more stunning is that Rauner shows $65 million on hand while Pritzker shows only $7 million on hand. 

Will those numbers intimidate anyone from the conservative majority of the IL GOP from giving a serious challenge to the incumbent governor? Time is running out to circulate petitions.  

Madigan fails; Rauner's effort to allow right-to-work freedom survives IL House

SPRINGFIELD - A measure making right-to-work ordinances on a local level to be a class A misdemeanor in the state of Illinois was shot down in the Illinois House this week.

With 67 Democrats and 51 Republicans in the Illinois House, Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan needs every one in his caucus plus four Republican defectors to override any bill veto penned by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner.

Illinois Dems call for military funding cuts; GOP lawmaker mom defends serving sons

Washington Post photo

SPRINGFIELD - Four Democrat women in the Illinois House proposed a resolution this week calling on the Trump Administration to cut military spending and instead provide clean drinking water, schools, medicine and solar panels to other countries. 

Democrats State Rep. Laura Fine, candidate for lieutenant governor with Senator Daniel Biss State Rep. Latisa Wallace, former Planned Parenthood director State Rep. Robyn Gabels and State Rep. Camille Lily all agreed that the president, the top four U.S. Congressional leaders and the Illinois congressional delegation should stop an effort to move $54 billion from "human and environmental spending" to reinvigorate the nation's military. 

While the women's proposal passed the Human Service Committee along party lines, when HB 544 got to the House floor, one House member - a military mom and a former West Point graduate herself - stood up to defend her sons and the military as a whole. 

Chicago GOP chairman stands up to Rauner's bullying tactics

Chris Cleveland | Photo by DNAInfo

CHICAGO - Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago GOP and a conservative leader in the party, wrote to the IL GOP's State Central Committee this week, expressing the frustrations the conservative base is having with the party's direction and Governor Rauner's bullying tactics within the party ranks. 

State Central Committee member,

 

I'm writing to alert you to a problem with the Rauner campaign's use of state party resources, and to problems within the state party generally.

 

A few days ago, a Chicago GOP staffer was informed that he could no longer use a desk within state party headquarters. We had put him there a few days a week so we could coordinate our activities with the state party. In the past, the city GOP has frequently supplied volunteers for state party-backed candidates.

 

The reason they offered was a press report that I was under consideration as Rep. Jeanne Ives running mate. (Jeanne and I have talked, but as of this moment she has not yet made a final decision, and she has a number of very good candidates to choose from.)

Thorner: GOP could win 9 Dem House seats in 2018, grab Madigan's majority

By Nancy Thorner - 

The hope for Illinois' future lies in non-voting white males and minorities, Illinois Policy Institute's CEO John Tillman told Republican women in the well-to-do settings of Chicago's northern suburbs earlier this month.

Energizing those voters that President Donald Trump got to the polls in neighboring states could help to gain nine seats in the Illinois House that would grab the majority from longtime Democrat king pen House Speaker Mike Madigan, Tillman said.

Combat Veteran Running for State Senate in the 54th District

In a press release, Rafael Him, Republican from New Baden, announced he is running for the Illinois State Senate in the 54^th District. Him is a 22-year combat veteran and serves on the Clinton County Board along with having served as a trustee for the Village of New Baden. He said his experiences in the Air Force taught him accountability, teamwork, leadership and a passion for mission accomplishment.

From his campaign press release:

Forgotten Illinois: Metropolis

D.C. Comics and the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce designated Metropolis, Illinois, as Superman’s hometown in 1972. And the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution of its own to make the same designation.

Shortly after the Illinois General Assembly designated Metropolis the official hometown of Superman in 1972, the New York Times mentioned that the city was bleeding jobs, and young people were fleeing for greener pastures.

Fast-forward more than 40 years, and the problems are the same. The hope placed in a superhero is also still there.

Akin: Illinois Needs Lawsuit Reform

By Travis Akin - 

Indiana has dubbed itself, a “State that works.”

Here in Illinois, it seems as though whenever there is a list of state rankings, the news is seldom good for the State of Illinois. In fact, it is usually just the opposite.

Chief Executive Magazine released a report earlier this year ranking Illinois the third worst state in the nation for business. In the report, one CEO noted, “Illinois is becoming a worse state to do business in all the time. Other businesses are leaving Illinois, which affects our customer base.”

The Veto Session is underway and lawmakers have the opportunity to do something to improve the state’s business climate.

Why Are Restaurants' Profit Margins So Low?

Restaurants are a big part of many Americans' lives. They are also a massive part of the U.S. economy. Watch this short video to learn five things you didn't know about the restaurant industry.

Di Leo: Washington D.C. and the Problem of Time

By John F. Di Leo - 

“We have plenty of time.”

When we’re young, everyone thinks we have time… plenty of time.

We tell our children to study, to eat, to exercise, to learn, and they look at the clock, and they look at their parents, and what do they think? “What do those haggard, grey-haired grown-ups know? I’m a kid; I have plenty of time.”

The same continues as we age. In our twenties, we date for fun and put off marriage; there’s still plenty of time. In our thirties, we spend our money on houses and vacations rather than saving for retirement; there’s still plenty of time. 

Only later, often much too late, do we realize there wasn’t time after all, and we should have focused on what mattered, and made it happen, when we were young, and had energy, rather than letting those golden opportunities pass us by.

IL Senate Overrides Rauner Veto - makes right-to-work ordinance a misdemeanor

With no debate, the Illinois Senate today voted to make enacting right-to-work ordinances on a local level a class A misdemeanor. They would put elected officials behind bars before allowing right-to-work in Illinois.

Rauner ILGOP Staff Deny Republicans Access to Party Headquarters

CHICAGO - In a press release today, the Chicago Republican Party expressed disappointment that a staffer has been denied access to Illinois Republican Party headquarters. The Chicago GOP staffer was told by a Rauner staffer that he could no longer use a desk within the office.

According to the press release, the reason the IL GOP offered is a press report that Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, is under consideration as a running mate for State Rep Jeanne Ives. Ives is considering a gubernatorial bid.

"We're disappointed the governor's team would do something like this. We're running candidates in Chicago, and the city and state parties need to coordinate so they're not left out in the cold," said Cleveland. "The governor should be above such petty retribution."

If The Media Covered Planned Parenthood Like It Covers Guns

Remember how CNN used that AR-15 animation recently to incorrectly demonstrate a bump-stock by showing an adjustable butt-stock? What if they covered the actions of Planned Parenthood with the same vigor?

How the Sexual Revolution Became the Relationship Revolution

America’s Slide Towards Loneliness

By J.G. Maggio

The recent passing of Hugh Hefner seems to have opened a floodgate of positive sentiment for the Sexual Revolution – at least in certain quarters. Some commentators even speak about the Sexual Revolution as if it’s a nostalgic occurrence of the past. But it’s not an occurrence of the past. The Sexual Revolution is, unfortunately, still very much with us – as are its disastrous consequences.

According to its advocates, the Sexual Revolution was supposed to make people’s lives more pleasurable, more fulfilling, and happier. But this hasn’t happened. In fact, the opposite has happened. Thanks in great part to the Sexual Revolution, Americans today are more isolated, lonelier, less happy . . . and suffer from higher levels of depression.

So why did millions of Americans buy into a cultural shift that would ultimately be so harmful? Because, to a great extent they were deceived. That deception began with a manipulation of the language.

Rauner uses Madigan and popularity of other governors in new ad

It Adds Up: Trump’s Plan to Cut Taxes Will Grow Federal Revenue

By Peter Ferrara, The Observer - 

While Donald Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ unified tax reform plan involves some backtracking from original proposals, it is still just what is needed: a large, even historic, pro-growth tax rate cut based on the same model as the enormously successful Kennedy and Reagan tax cuts. The plan aims to reduce America’s hopelessly outdated corporate tax rates. It proposes to cut the federal corporate rate to 20 percent, leaving the total rate at close to 25 percent, counting state taxes.

READ MORE

PragerU Takes Legal Action Against Google and YouTube

LOS ANGELES — Prager University (PragerU) has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to stop Google and YouTube from unlawfully censoring its educational videos and discriminating against its right to freedom of speech. 

The lawsuit cites more than 50 PragerU videos which have either been “restricted” or “demonetized” by Google/YouTube. The PragerU videos range on various subjects presenting a conservative point of view, and include a video by noted Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz on the founding of Israel. PragerU previously compiled a complete list of their restricted videos here, which includes: “Why America Must Lead,” “The Ten Commandments: Do Not Murder,” “Why Did America Fight the Korean War,” and “The World’s Most Persecuted Minority: Christians.” 

In correspondence cited in the filing, Google/YouTube made it clear that the censorship of certain videos was because they were deemed “inappropriate” for younger audiences.

Gun Rights Are Women's Rights

The right to bear arms isn't just a constitutional issue -- it's a women's rights issue. Author and commentator Katie Pavlich explains why guns are the great equalizer between men and women.

American Gadara

By James Kushiner - 

On a fine spring day in Charlottesville, Virginia, about eight years ago, I was having lunch with two professors from two different universities. While I knew them both as friends, they had never met each other, and during that lunch they discovered they had one unhappiness in common. Each professor's career had suffered at the hands of university authorities because they were both traditional Christians and had published their views in Touchstone. So, no tenure for one, no new job for the other. So much for academic tolerance!

I had just come from a visit to nearby Monticello, home of American founder Thomas Jefferson. Though Jefferson was not an orthodox Christian, he, like most if not all of his fellow countrymen, had no problem with Christians holding office in the government or teaching in universities. Yet the current attitude and belief of many of today's professors, politicians, and media elites is that religion should be kept out of public sight and silenced in the public discourse about consequential matters, including morality.

Prayer is Changing Hearts and Lives in the Abortion Crisis

Jason Plummer enters race to replace Sen. Kyle McCarter

Photo: BND

A former lieutenant governor candidate is now running for the state senate.

Jason Plummer, of Edwardsville, confirmed on Facebook he is seeking the seat being vacated by state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, who said he is not running for re-election.

“I am running for the 54th State Senate District because it is my home and Southern Illinois needs a strong, conservative voice who will get the job done, protect our communities and defend our values,” Plummer said on his campaign Facebook page.

Plummer is the fourth candidate to jump into the Republican primary for the 54th state senate district. Also running are Rafael Him of New Baden, Ben Stratemeyer of Centralia, and George Barber, the Greenville University men’s basketball coach.

More HERE

Rauner launches campaign kickoff video

Christianity now world's most oppressed faith community

From the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission:

Christianity is "the world's most oppressed faith community," and anti-Christian persecution in the worst regions has reached "a new peak" claims a new report by Aid to the Church in Need.

"In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed and their impact," notes the report, "it is clear that the persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history. Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution." The report is "Persecuted and Forgotten?"

Military Families Want More Flexibility in Education, Survey Finds

By Teresa Mull, School Choice Weekly - 

Military families sacrifice so much for our country, and it turns out they sacrifice more than average to secure their children a quality education. On securing a suitable education for their children, EdChoice.org reported “military-connected parents’ reported activity levels consistently surpass what we observed of current and former school parents in our 2016 national survey of the general public.”  Isn’t it time we gave the people who serve and defend our nation some safe, happy learning options that meet their children’s needs, so there’s at least one area of their life that doesn’t require more sacrifice?

READ MORE

Rhoads: Irish Stamp Honors A Mass Murderer

By Mark Q. Rhoads -

My Confirmation name is Patrick to honor my mother's great-grandfather, Francis Patrick Kelly, who came to America from Ireland in 1871. I was always proud of her family's Irish roots until Oct. 10 when I saw that the Irish Post Office issued a commemorative stamp to honor the 50th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara.  Many stupid explanations have been offered by the Irish Post Office including the fact that a very distant ancestor of Che Guevara was born in Galway in 1715. I wrote a letter of protest to Mr. Brian O'Brien, the Consul General of Ireland in Chicago, just to point out that a truly great Irish statesman, Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847), once famously said that "Nothing can be politically right that is morally wrong."

Thorner: Islamist Religion as Dictated by The Generous Qur’an, Islam’s Holiest Book

By Nancy Thorner - 

The Des Plaines chapter of Act for America held an event on Monday night, October 9, 2017, on the true nature of Islam at The Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, IL.  

The panel featured three outstanding guests.

1) Phil Haney, a DHS whistle blower and former counter terrorism expert in President Obama's administration and also the author of the book, See Something Say Nothing.

2) Anni Cyrus, a survivor of Sharia law abuse after her parents sold her into marriage at age 14, where she was imprisoned, abused and escaped to America. She now advocates for women and girls suffering under Sharia law.

3) Usama Dakdok, an expert on Islam and author of an accurate, modern English translation of the Qur'an, Islam's holiest book, without any sugarcoating. Usama was born and raised in Egypt as a Christian.  His first language is Arabic. 

Sara Schmidt introduced each guest as head of ACT Chapter in Des Plaines.

Did FDR End the Great Depression?

Did FDR help end the Great Depression? Did his New Deal improve an otherwise hopeless economy? Lee Ohanian, Professor of Economics at UCLA and consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, explains.

Trump Cuts Clean Power Plan, Boosts America’s Prospects

By H. Sterling Burnett, Breitbart - 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a notice in the Federal Register that it is rescinding former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan. This action serves as further evidence the gridlock in the DC swamp has not slowed President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back ineffective and extremely costly climate programs and regulations. The Clean Power Plan was the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s effort to move the United States away from the use of fossil fuels, beginning with coal, to fight climate change. With that gone, next on the agenda should be the Endangerment Finding.

READ MORE

How a Teachers Union is Protecting a Violent Antifa Radical

By Teresa Mull, Washington Examiner - 

Yvette Felarca is the militant Berkeley Unified School District teacher whose mugshot has been appearing in the news a lot lately for her violent behavior at Antifa-led riots. But this is only the latest incident for her. She has been a toxic presence at her workplace for years, court records show, and yet she remains employed at taxpayer expense. Petitions calling for Felarca’s dismissal have been circulating for some time, and most people don’t even know half the story.

READ MORE

State Central Committeeman to IL conservatives: We are fools not to back Rauner

On Illinois Review's Facebook Page over the weekend, Evanston Township GOP Chairman Blair Garber expressed his support for Illinois National Committeeman Rich Porter's views as circulated in a letter to IL GOP State Central Committee members and published in Illinois Review last week.

Garber, who is also a member of the IL GOP State Central Committee, picked up Committeeman Porter's theme of sticking behind Governor Rauner, saying, "So long as Bruce has the best chance of winning we are fools not to back him and I say that even after these last two bills which I’m outraged he signed..."

Illinois Attorney General sues Trump over canceling ACA subsidies

CHICAGO - Despite a federal court order saying the Affordable Care Act's subsidies are unconstitutional and should cease and desist, Democrat attorney generals from 18 states and DC signed onto a lawsuit demanding they be continued. 

The court agreed with the Trump Administration that former President Obama's executive order forcing government-funded subsidies was taking the nation's purse strings out of Congress' hands. 

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a statement as to the position her office is taking: 

Durbin cautions Dems not to "overdo" their Leftness

(CNN) reports that Sen. Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate, said in a radio interview Sunday that his party could lose to President Donald Trump in 2020 if they "overdo it" and become too liberal.

The Illinois senator was asked on a local Chicago radio program about comments made by Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, which the host characterized as a warning to fellow Democrats that if the party becomes too liberal, they would give Trump another term.

"We need to be balanced," Durbin said on "Connected to Chicago" on WLS-AM on Sunday. "She's right about that. And as downstater like her, I understand she represents a challenging district. We don't give up on our values, but we better be sensitive too that there are people with more moderate views, and people who may disagree with some parts of the Democratic platform as they as they are presented. We've got to be open to that possibility.

 

The rest of the story HERE.

The "Anti-Hate" Group That Is a Hate Group

The Southern Poverty Law Center bills itself as a watchdog of hate groups. But is this just a cover for its true aims? Journalist and author Karl Zinsmeister explains.

Letter to Editor: Good things happening in US, despite what Fake News says

TO THE EDITOR:

In today's Bizarro World of politics, guests have only to pronounce, “Trump is crazy!” to get airtime on national TV. Meanwhile, while recalcitrant Dems in the Senate slow the appointment process (Republicans gave Obama his appointments PDQ), good things are still happening in DC. You won't hear it covered on mainstream media, however.

Univ. of WI rejects plaque accusing Lincoln of mass murder

The University of Wisconsin, Madison is ignoring a student government demand for a disclaimer on an Abraham Lincoln statue accusing him of complicity in the death of 38 Native Americans.

Several student activists insisted without substantiation that Lincoln "played a huge role in the massacre," but Chancellor Rebecca Blank countered that Lincoln actually played a "restraining role" in the matter.

More HERE

Harvard’s Bogus ExxonMobil Study

By Tim Benson, American Thinker - 

Harvard University’s Naomi Oreskes and her post-doctoral fellow, Geoffrey Supran, are co-authors of a new, highly controversial study claiming that energy giant ExxonMobil purposefully misled the public on the dangers of climate change. Usually, scientists at least try to hide their biases and political motivations in their published research, but Oreskes’ hatred of the fossil fuel industry is evident here.

READ MORE

Is Big Brother Trying to Enforce Climate Orthodoxy?

By H. Sterling Burnett, Climate Change Weekly - 

When a journalist, activist, scientist, or government watchdog suffers repercussions in Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or China, no one is surprised. People are shocked however when those in political power attempt to quash open debate over topics of public importance in the United States – and, to a lesser extent, in other Western countries. The government of Canada just wrapped up an investigation against organizations and individuals who publicly communicated their skeptical views about human-caused catastrophic global warming. The good news is that Canada’s “Commissioner of Competition” dropped the case. The bad news is that such an investigation could last 14 months in what is supposed to be a free society.

READ MORE

IL GOP National Committeeman to state central committee members: It's all Speaker Madigan's fault

Some of the Illinois Republican Party longtime elite are saying that because Donald Trump lost Illinois by 16 points, what Republicans in other surrounding states are pushing is irrelevant and maybe even detrimental to the Illinois Republican Party. It's ridiculous for the conservative wing to be upset by Governor Rauner's promotion of the Leftist social agenda because what those new state laws represent are really meaningless and don't change a thing.

What's important though is that all the divisions and factions in the state party are Speaker Mike Madigan's fault and Republicans must work together to succeed.

That's what one member of the 10th CD IL GOP Old Guard is telling State Central Committee Members, as an email sent out Thursday entitled "Chess and Illinois Politics" from Richard Porter, the Illinois GOP's National Committeeman, says.  By the way, he also served as general counsel to Governor Rauner’s
transition and continues to provide advice on key legal issues confronting the state of Illinois.

Leaked to Illinois Review.com for our readers information is the email as we received it, via a credible and respected source:

Di Leo: The Soda Tax: A Single Victory, or a Blueprint for the Future?

By John F. Di Leo - 

In November, 2016, the Cook County Board of Confiscators created a new tax on most non-alcoholic beverages – punitive, astronomical, and unconstitutional.

Virtually everything that could be wrong with a government policy was wrong with this one, and the community reacted with unexpected force. County commissioners reported receiving more complaints about this issue than on any other issue in their careers. Despite a united front held by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle through the summer 2017 implementation, the resolve of her members soon withered as the real effects of the hated tax began to be felt. In the end, it was repealed after less than three months of actual collection, and will be gone completely when the clock strikes midnight on December 1.

The question for us is therefore, do we pat ourselves on the backs and enjoy the victory, or do we double down, and put the lessons of the beverage tax to work in other areas of public policy?

Former DuPage County lawmaker out on bond for retail theft

LOMBARD - Former GOP state representative Sandra Pihos was arrested for retail theft on September 26, a local newspaper says. She's out on a $1500 bond, awaiting a court hearing on November 5th. 

As if Illinois doesn't have enough problems, lawmakers want to legalize recreational marijuana?

Effingham's Medical Cannabis Clinic

SPRINGFIELD - State lawmakers could vote on two bills when they return to the Capitol later in October that would make recreational marijuana usage legal in Illinois and set up a marijuana tax system to feed Illinois' insatiable appetite for more of its citizens' dollars. 

"OPPOSE HB 2353 and SB 316 to legalize and tax marijuana," an Illinois group concerned about out-of-control illegal drug use expansion said Friday. (And note, this is all happening despite the fact federal law still considers marijuana illegal.)

But maybe legalizing marijuana isn't all rainbows and unicorns? A new report released this week about the impact of Colorado's marijuana use gives chilling statistics about increase in traffic deaths and marijuana-related hospitalizations: 

Thorner: Schlafly family opens doors to conservative icon's childhood and private residence

Schlafly residence in Ladue, Missouri

By Nancy Thorner - 

Admirers of the conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly were given a rare glimpse into her childhood through the eyes of a family member and into her private adult life spent in her Ladue, Missouri home during the recent Eagle Forum conference held in St. Louis.  

Her cousin eight years younger shared insight into her early years while two of her six children opened her home to visitors.