Illinois Review

New petition drive calls for Kifowit resignation

CHICAGO - After an outburst on the Illinois House floor this week that ended with Democrat House member Stephanie Kifowit suggesting she would create a disease-ridden concoction that would cause State Rep. Peter Breen's "loved one" to suffer and die, Illinois Review asked Facebook readers if Kifowit should resign. 94% said she should resign. 

Illinois Citizens for Ethics is not willing to overlook Kifowit's actions. This week, they're calling on House Speaker Michael Madigan and the Democratic Party of Illinois to demand Kifowit's resignation. They created a website "Kifowit-is-unfit.com" reviewing the floor debate video and asking for signatures of those that join their call for her resignation.

Di Leo: Perfect Timing for Corrections in International Trade

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on the latest summit in the southern hemisphere…

The heads of state of the USA, Mexico and Canada signed the new NAFTA 2.0 – the USMCA – early Friday morning in Buenos Aires, as they prepared to meet with more world leaders for the latest G-20 summit.   But despite that happy signing ceremony, it’s the rougher aspects of the trade wars of 2018 that weigh heavily on everyone’s mind.

Some would assume that these trade wars are all of Donald Trump’s making, but they would be mistaken. 

• Great Britain’s challenges in extricating itself from the European Union are of Brussels’ making.
• The American loss of much of our manufacturing, especially of steel but not remotely entirely of steel, is of the making of 50 years of union-and-statist American burdens.
• The flaws in existing free trade agreements are of their original negotiators’ making.
• And our special challenges with Mainland China today, as we lead the effort to try to reclaim the world’s manufacturing from a single country bound and determined to dominate the world economy, have too many causes to list (though that list must begin with American capitulations in the 1970s).

Two quiet issues – barely addressed in the news media on this side of the Pond – are the questions of whether the USA and Great Britain will manage to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement, and whether the USA and the European Union will do so as well.

Brinkman: The Rise and Decline of Illinois' once-dependable DuPage Republican Party

Pate Philip behind Everett Dirksen during DuPage County GOP's 1960's rise (Illinois.gov)

By Daniel Brinkman - 

It was the mid 1970s and a young Nancy Louise serving as regional patronage chief for the Illinois Republican Party heard from one of her co-workers that there was a county chairman way up in DuPage who had events that drew crowds of over 3,000 paid attendees. She naturally didn’t believe it and needed to see for herself. As she rode up Route 59 about a quarter of a mile from the venue, she saw a line of people patiently waiting to get into the event. One of the finest political organizations in the country was getting its start. Little did she then know, she would eventually become Mrs. James “Pate” Philip and be at the center of this massive enterprise he was well on his way to putting together.

DuPage would eventually rise to be the second largest Republican County in the United States. On the day he retired as the last Republican in this State to lead one of its legislative chambers, Pate received a call from then President George W Bush asking him to stay on a little longer as DuPage GOP Chair. Such was the stature and regard this bastion of Republicanism was held in.

Time for new conservative leadership as abortion numbers climb higher in Illinois

CHICAGO – New abortion stats emerged this week, showing Illinois' numbers rising to nearly 40,000 annually.

Not only are more expectant mothers coming into Illinois to abort their babies because their states are passing more and more restrictions on abortions,  Illinois taxpayers began picking up the tab for Medicaid abortions last year. The numbers are certain to be higher in 2018.

Abortion advocates celebrated by calling Illinois a "reproductive rights haven." 

What Are Association Health Plans?

Health care is one of the biggest concerns for most Americans, yet many are unaware of the benefits of one of the most useful health options available: Association Health Plans. The Department of Labor may soon allow small business to participate in these health plans. What will this mean for you? Watch the video from Job Creators Network to find out!

The intellectual maverick behind Brazil’s conservative wave

The recent victory of the conservative populist Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential elections brought the name of the philosopher Olavo de Carvalho to the center of Brazilian political debate. Many have since stated that Carvalho is an intellectual precursor to the populist candidate – as someone who was able to reshape the Brazilian political discussion in ways that cleared an intellectual path for Bolsonaro’s electoral victory. It is not a coincidence that when Bolsonaro gave his victory speech, Carvalho’s best-selling book The Minimum You Need to Know not to be an Idiot (2013), was in plain sight.

Carvalho’s influence over the Brazilian new right is indubitable. Many of his disciples supported Bolsonaro since the beginning. Some of them were elected to the Congress in the conservative wave that shifted Brazilian politics. So how was Carvalho able to provide public debate in ways that helped bring Bolsonaro to power?

First and foremost, Carvalho provided a political philosophy capable of structuring conservative ideas in ways that undermined the intellectual hegemony of the left.

More HERE

Thorner: Lying protects doomed-to-fail system of Globalists

By Nancy Thorner - 

A New York Times commentary published on November 21, 2018 by Turkish professional moderate Mustafa Akyol proclaimed that True Islam Does Not Kill Blasphemers. It's unlikely that anyone laughed upon reading the headline, because people who know the truth and care about the truth are unlikely to be subscribers to the New York Times

In response to Mustafa Akyol's apologetic New York Times Islam article, The Washington Standard on November 27 had this suggestion for Akyol:

Here is a quick test of whether what Mustafa Akyol says is true or not: let him go to Pakistan, or Iran, or Afghanistan, or Saudi Arabia, or Somalia, or Sudan, or any other country that implements Islamic law, and tell the Islamic authorities there that true Islam does not kill blasphemers.

EU Risks Dangerous Blowback by Undermining Iran Sanctions

Europe wants to help an enemy. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China are working on creating a “Special Purpose Vehicle” that would facilitate trade between Iran and other states and avoid U.S. sanctions. It will work only to feed Iran’s ambitions, writes James Phillips:

By colluding with Russia and China to evade U.S. sanctions, the EU seeks to appease Iran, keep it in the flawed 2015 nuclear deal , and deliver a symbolic diplomatic slap to the Trump administration.

But the SVP [Special Purpose Vehicle] and other measures such as EU’s updated Blocking Statute are not likely to meet Iran’s demands for remaining in the nuclear agreement. These measures may marginally reduce the impact of U.S. sanctions on trade, but they will not satisfy Tehran’s need for substantial foreign investment and technology transfer.

Why Poor People in the Freest Nations Have Incomes 8x Higher Than Poor People in the Least Free

More economic freedom, more democracy. Evangelos Andreou:

The Democracy Index is an annual report by the Economist Intelligence Unit that ranks 167 countries according to their commitment to democratic values such as electoral process, pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture.

Out of those 167 countries, only 19 countries are classified as “full democracies,” most of which are found among the top 30 countries in the Economic Freedom of the World Report (with the exception of Sweden and Iceland, which rank 43th and 59th respectively and are both still market-oriented economies with strong rule of law). This correlation works both ways: Most authoritarian countries (with the exception of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) are also economically unfree, belonging either in the third or fourth economic freedom quartile. So, sorry friends of the left: greater economic freedom is empirically associated with more political rights and civil liberties, and vice versa.

State Rep. Breen responds to Democrat colleague's "sincere apology" for death wish

SPRINGFIELD - Wednesday, Democrat State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit personally and publicly issued an explanation of her comments on the State House floor Tuesday, in which she wished death upon State Rep. Peter Breen's family.

Despite calls for her resignation, censuring and/or dissent, Kifowit responded with a "sincere apology" after saying Tuesday evening that her words had been misconstrued.

Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady paints blue skies over State Capitol in upcoming session

SPRINGFIELD - Despite Republican lawmakers losing an historical number of seats to Democrat majorities in the Illinois Senate and House during nasty campaigns, Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady said he anticipates being able to work on several efforts in the upcoming legislative session. 

In an interview with WGN radio's Steve Cochran, Brady said "Our work is to work with the Democrats, to work with Governor Pritzker to make whatever policies we can work on together for the people of Illinois."

Brady said he was not surprised so many of Governor Rauner's bill vetoes are being overridden this week - and in many cases, Republicans are voting with the Democrats to overrule the governor's stance on legislation.

Why would that happen? Cochran asked. 

Bill was careful with his wording.

Nativity scene returns to IL State Capitol

SPRINGFIELD - Since 2007, every year a group of Springfield residents has organized and funded a nativity scene to be displayed in the Illinois State Capitol's rotunda. The Springfield Nativity Scene Committee, founded by the late Daniel Zanoza, celebrated the season's start at the Capitol Wednesday.

Local pastors, activists and state lawmakers participated in the annual ceremony. Thomas Brejcha, an attorney with the Thomas More Society that has represented the committee over the years and fought for their right to display the nativity scene, expressed his thoughts about the legalities of the display.

Chicago's Thomas More Society appeals to US Supreme Court in defense of prolife journalist's 1st Amendment rights

CHICAGO - Chicago's Thomas More Society responded Wednesday to the Ninth Circuit Federal Court refusing to dismiss Planned Parenthood's lawsuit against videographer David Dalieden. According to a press release, the non-profit legal group is appealing to the US Supreme Court on behalf of Dalieden's First Amendment rights. 

Attorneys from the Thomas More Society asked the United States Supreme Court to review a decision of the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals that denied their motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood against pro-life videographer David Daleiden. Daleiden is the 29-year-old undercover journalist who exposed Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of aborted babies’ body parts, who now finds himself under attack by Planned Parenthood and much of the abortion industry.

The Thomas More Society is asking the high court to apply California’s Anti-SLAPP statute to dismiss Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit and vindicate Dalieden. The statute gives defendants the ability to quickly end Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, known as “SLAPP” lawsuits.

Thorner: Deep State cancer thrives unchecked at federal levels

By Nancy Thorner -

The idea that a "Deep State" exists inside the federal government rose to prominence during the first 100 days of President Trump's administration. An ABC News/Washington Post poll of 2017 showed that nearly half the people in America believe a Deep State — defined as “military, intelligence and government officials who try to secretly manipulate government policy” — is working behind the facade of the constitutional U.S. government.

Although to many a reference to the Deep State is of recent origin, this is far from new. Upon realizing the special status of people who are mainly anonymous and for whom it is nearly impossible to fire, it becomes inevitable that a cancer would metastasize in the shadows, free from the sunshine’s power as a disinfectant.

UPDATE x1: Democrat lawmaker wishes death upon GOP colleague's family in House floor debate

UPDATE x1: Rep. Kifowit apologizes ... (See below)

SPRINGFIELD - During a heated discussion on the Illinois House floor Tuesday, Democrat State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit said she'd like to make a "broth of Legionella" to serve Republican House floor leader Peter Breen's "loved one."

Kifowit's comment sparked heated reaction from Breen's colleagues, in addition to IL GOP State Chairman Tim Schneider calling for Kifowit's resignation Tuesday night. 

"Today, Illinois Democrats sunk to a new low, when Democratic State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit wished death upon family members/loved ones of her Republican colleague, State Rep. Peter Breen. Kifowit should be ashamed of her remarks," Schneider said. "Since Rep. Kifowit has refused to apologize to Rep. Breen, she should resign from office, as these remarks are unfit for someone serving  public office."

Gender Pay Gap at Uber? Nope

Since when did gender equality mean that women should fall to the level of men in working long hours, and pursue money at the risks of speeding and picking drivers up in questionable locations?

In a recent article, Cody Cook, et al. examine a detailed dataset covering more than a million Uber drivers. While the difference in earnings by gender among Uber drivers is large, “we are able to completely explain the pay gap with three main factors related to driver preferences and learning: returns to experience, a pay premium for faster driving, and preferences for where to drive.” p. 39

More HERE

California’s Forest Fire Tragedy

How environmental laws turned forests into tinderboxes. Richard Epstein writes:

 [The National Environmental Policy Act] was originally conceived as a device to encourage collaboration among government officials and various public and private groups to achieve its ends. But in 1971, Judge J. Skelly Wright of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals added a new dimension to the equation in Calvert Cliffs’ Coordinating Committee v. United States Atomic Energy Commission, which held that, in light of NEPA’s strong environmental mission, any private party could bring an action in federal court to review any administrative approval of a proposed project. He then celebrated this development in no uncertain terms: “These cases are only the beginning of what promises to become a flood of new litigation—litigation seeking judicial assistance in protecting our natural environment.”

Declines in Adolescent Smoking Accelerated As Vaping Rose, Suggesting the FDA's Campaign Is Fatally Misguided

Anti-vaping policy may undermine anti-smoking efforts. Jacob Sullum writes:

In the midst of a federal campaign against underage vaping, a new study finds that downward trends in smoking among teenagers and young adults accelerated as e-cigarette use rose. The findings, based on data from five national surveys, suggest that the official panic about the “epidemic” of e-cigarette use by minors, which has led to restrictions that affect adult access to vaping products and government-sponsored propaganda that exaggerates their hazards, is fatally misguided.

Midterms Killed Obamacare Repeal

In the wake of the 2018 midterm elections, the future direction of health care policy in the United States remains at the forefront of the political landscape, with Obamacare sure to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Exit polls consistently showed health care was the number-one issue on voters’ minds, indicating the topic will be debated widely for the next two years. Citizens and lawmakers will be focusing on issues such as Medicaid expansion and work requirements, the Trump administration’s reforms providing alternatives to Obamacare, proposed changes to Medicare drug pricing processes, and the Democrats’ push for socialized health care.

More HERE

From $15 per hour minimum wage to DACA support, women's group announces legislative priorities for 2019 session

SPRINGFIELD - With Democrats in total control of Illinois' three branches of state government, the leftist group "Women Employed" published their top priorities for Governor-Elect JB Pritzker to sign into law. In many cases, they seek the same legislation Republican Governor Bruce Rauner resisted over the past four years. 

The group's list of demands - from a $15 per hour minimum wage statewide to support for DACA recipients - will weigh heavily on Illinois business owners already paying some of the nation's highest property taxes. 

Women Employed expect to participate in enacting with a Democrat super majority in the Illinois House and Senate, and a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion the following:

Opinion: Why criminal justice reform is uniting our country

By Mark Vargas - 

Criminal justice reform is not a conservative issue or a liberal issue – it’s an American issue. In fact, a majority of Americans – Republicans and Democrats alike – overwhelming support prison and sentencing reforms. Here’s why.

Did you know that the U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world? Think about that. The U.S. incarcerates more people than North Korea, Russia, Venezuela and Iran combined.

Did you know that hard-working taxpayers pay $40 billion annually to keep inmates in prison?

Thorner: Global warming or global cooling? Which crisis is upon us?

By Nancy Thorner - 

In something that sounds out of science fiction, an article dated November 23, 2018, spoke about how Harvard and Yale scientists are proposing dimming the sun as a way to tackle climate change.  The method would involve spraying sun-dimming chemicals into the Earth's atmosphere.   

But what is the real story about "climate change"?  Professor Valentina Zharkova broke her silence on November 6, 2018, with remarks at the Global Warming Policy Foundation in October 2018:

“Zharkova was one of the few that correctly predicted solar cycle 24 would be weaker than cycle 23 — only 2 out of 150 models predicted this.  Her models have run at a 93% accuracy and her findings suggest a Super Grand Solar Minimum is on the cards beginning 2020 and running for 350-400 years. The last time we had a little ice age only two magnetic fields of the sun went out of phase. This time, all four magnetic fields are going out of phase.”

We should be preparing for the worst weather in centuries -- not global warming, but global cooling.

Chicago's DePaul Univ. course examines social media and 'attacks on women and queer people'

DePaul University will offer a course, titled, "Sex, Gender, and Social Media" during the winter quarter.

The course will examine how social media serves as a new outlet through which people can launch “public attacks on women and queer people.”

More HERE

Election Slaughter for Climate Activism

This month, voters throughout the country inflicted a bloodbath on climate activism and climate-activist political candidates.  Voters rejected the two highest-profile climate-activist ballot initiatives, severely punished Republicans who joined the congressional Climate Solutions Caucus, and sent home the Democratic climate activist most heavily supported by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.

More HERE

Don’t Blame Climate Change For California’s Fires

Irrational environmentalism caused California’s environmental disaster.Chuck DeVore writes:

Much of California’s southern coast is covered by brush known as chaparral. As the Wikipedia entry on chaparral correctly notes: “In its natural state, chaparral is characterized by infrequent fires, with intervals ranging between 10–15 years and over a hundred years … These plants are highly flammable during the late summer and autumn months when conditions are characteristically hot and dry.” [...]

Politics and Sports: Keep Your Hands Off My Football

Sports has a unique ability to unite our communities and our nation. Until recently, that is. How did sports get so politicized? Clay Travis, host of Outkick the Show, tackles the country’s cultural divide and its effect on our favorite pastime.

Di Leo: Immigration, Past and Present, One by One and Into the Millions

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on Immigration at a time of Thanksgiving

Immigration looms large on the public consciousness these days, with daily news stories about the cultural, economic, and historical effects of mass immigration on our nation.

After decades of illegals sneaking across the border in secret, we now see thousands of uninvited illegals traveling together, boldly heading northward through Central America and Mexico, in notorious caravans. 

But the daily news also reminds us that the risks of unchecked immigration can be found in legal immigration as well as illegal.   Consider:

Lincoln and Thanksgiving: The Origin of an American Holiday

The very first Thanksgiving happened almost 400 years ago – long before the nation was born. How did it evolve into America’s quintessential national holiday? Credit largely goes to two people – one, a name you know; the other, you’ve probably never heard – but should. Melanie Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, gives us the run-down on how a harvest party between Pilgrims and Indians became our oldest national tradition.

IL Republicans lose three more important seats; one conservative survives with 37 votes

State Rep Tom Morrison (R-Palatine)

CHICAGO - The losses Illinois Republicans suffered in the November 6th midterm election grew by three Tuesday when final vote tallies came in, while one IL GOP state rep barely survived Illinois' blue tidal wave by a mere 37 votes.

Three losses included State Senator Mike Connelly (21st Senate); newly-appointed State Rep. Helene Walsh (51st House) and Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran. 

State Rep. Tom Morrison, a conservative GOPer seeking his 5th term in the 54th House District, found out Tuesday he won re-election by 37 votes. Morrison awaits official confirmation next week, barring a results challenge by Democrat opponent Maggie Trevor. 

The election outcomes leave the Illinois General Assembly with Democrats holding super-majority status in both chambers - 40 Dems to 19 GOPers in the Illinois Senate and 73 Dems to 45 Republicans in the IL House - both able to override any veto Democrat gubernatorial victor JB Pritzker may consider -- a very unlikely scenario.

Op-Ed: A House Speaker, Divided

By IR reader that wants to remain anonymous -  

If anybody thought this recent election and the success of Democrats in the House of Representatives would precipitate choruses of Kumbaya among Democrats, you might want to rethink that one.

For those who enjoy the spectacle of political drama, for Republicans with a case of schadenfreude, or for people who are simply misanthropes, you’re going to want to get your popcorn.

The battle for Speaker of the House is going down!

Former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), is the presumed Speaker, but this is not totally certain.

There seems to be a schism among Democrats over this.  In one corner, there are people making the argument that Pelosi is experienced -- after all, she has done this gig before. In an era where Republicans have the White House, Senate, and are remaking courts in their image, an experienced Speaker may be what they need to successfully counter Republican power.  But Pelosi is not without detractors in her own party.

Trump Is Leading the Way on Conservative Criminal Justice Reform. Here’s the Proposal.

The Trump administration’s latest criminal justice reform proposals are a step in the right direction. John Malcom and John-Michael Seibler write:

In 2011, the House Appropriations Committee reported that, despite skyrocketing spending, “reincarceration rates for people released from prison are largely unchanged. This trend is both financially and socially unsustainable.”

But that committee saw a silver lining: “[C]ase studies of innovative, evidence-based practices provide a strong indication that [the trend] can be reversed.”

Now, the Trump White House and the 115th Congress are, to their credit, seeking out better policies and programs, which have been proven to reduce recidivism at the state level, to address these problems.

Thorner: Does a toxic midterm election justify Republican concerns about 2020?

By Nancy Thorner - 

This quote attributed to Communist leader Joseph Stalin, "It’s not the people who vote that count, it’s the people who count the votes", reflects the sorry state of what our nation's elections, which does not bode well for the future of this nation.

It is a shock when anything is reported in “mainstream” sources that hurts those who weld the power. Time and again during the mid-terms elections the mainstream media insisted there was no corruption or fraud, but this all depends whether the news concerns Democrats or Republicans. 

This isn’t at all surprising considering how much the larger media landscape identifies with the Left. Conservatives have complained over decades about media bias, and they’ve largely been right. In 2016, the Center for Public Integrity looked at the political donations of 430 journalists and found that a majority of journalists donated to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Even financial sources are saturated with socialist/crony capitalist propaganda which masquerades as ”news”.

Socialism: The Opiate of the Corrupt and Ignorant

Thankful for capitalism. “Obvious facts about socialism are not discussed enough,” writes Charles Calomiris:

Socialism has been abandoned in virtually all of the developing world. Countries today do not seek to emulate the disasters of North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela. They also avoid high taxation of the rich. That reflects the recognition that countries compete with each other for capital. Expropriating the rich tends to make them leave, and when they leave they take their wealth with them.

Di Leo: Criminal Justice Reform and Confronting Reality

By John F. Di Leo - 

For the past few cycles, the Democratic Party has added what they call “criminal justice reform” to their campaign platforms, and President Donald Trump has recently joined the call, in part.

There is certainly no question that some people get stiffer sentences than most onlookers would expect them to receive.  Every state has different recommended or mandatory sentencing ranges, and different states have varying approaches for how much to take past convictions into account. 

So it is that we look at the press reports of individual cases – often only the press reports, in a vacuum – and conclude, as Monday morning quarterbacks, that the judge sent them away for too long.  We usually don’t know what they were really arrested for, only what they were convicted for. We don’t know their rap sheets, their plea bargains, the ingredients that really went into their situation.  And we don’t know – for sure - what they are really likely to do as soon as we set them free again.

Thorner: New documentary shows Google, Facebook pose real threat to democracy

Matthew & Michelle Taylor with Jim Lakely

By Nancy Thorner - 

Google and Facebook cross the privacy line and endanger American freedoms, two filmmakers told a capacity audience in Heartland Institute's Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center last Wednesday. The Creepy Line, an 81-minute new documentary, revealed what director Matthew Taylor and producer Michele Taylor found while filming their expose.

Every day more and more information is coming out on the issue. "In making the documentary the plug had to be pulled on July 31, 2018, despite so much that has happened after that date,” Taylor told the audience.

The Creepy Line reveals how Google searches and Facebook newsfeeds can bias opinions without the reader knowing by manipulating search engines and news feed, presenting a serious threat to America's democracy and elections.  

Rhoads: The Race Card Insult

By Mark Rhoads -

On Nov. 6 national Democrats had high hopes for two stars to be elected. The first was Andrew Gillum who would have been the first black governor of Florida and the second was Stacey Abrams who aspired to become the first black female governor of any state. Gillum lost by 33,000 votes to Republican Rick DeSantis but took back his election night concession to pin his hopes on a recount that still showed DeSantis as the winner. Then Gillum conceded a second time last Saturday night when it was clear he still could not win.

Stacy Abrams lost by 55,000 votes to her GOP opponent Brian Kemp and also failed by 17,000 votes to force a runoff election under Georgia law. Abrams filed lawsuits to alter the count and untimately acknowledged that Kemp would be certified. But she still claimed she was not conceding because of her assertion that Kemp in his capacity as Secretary of Stte was responsible for voter suppression. But her lawyers could not offer any proof that her supporters were denied any legitimate right to vote.

The Amazon headquarters search is done: New York and Northern Virginia lose

New York and Virginia are the losers. Tim Carney writes that New York and Virginia would have been better off not giving Amazon subsidies to put new headquarters in each of the states:

One study of firm-specific subsidies in Kansas found that most subsidy recipients, in an anonymous survey admitted that they hired zero extra people thanks to the subsidies. A 2014 study of hundreds of studies on incentives found a slight negative effect on employment in the short term, and no effect in the long run.

The money Chicago spends to lure Boeing, or Maryland spends to lure Lockheed Martin, is money that the governments must make up for through tax hikes or cuts in spending for legitimate government purposes, such as schools, roads, and police.

Betsy DeVos Strikes a Blow for the Constitution

DeVos wants to bring back due process. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has proposed new rules for the adjudication of sexual assault allegations by institutions of higher education. David French writes that, if enacted, the proposals would bring important norms of due process back to such proceedings:

First and perhaps most important, the rules will not only require colleges to permit cross-examination of witnesses (including the accuser), but will also prohibit universities from relying on the statements of any witness who refuses to submit to cross-examination. [...]

Multiculturalism Is Destroying Europe

Europeans need to start speaking out or watch their culture disappear. Will Witt explains!

2018 Antipoverty Forum

Every year, the Antipoverty Forum brings together the best policy experts and practitioners on conservative ideas in education, welfare, health care, and civil society to talk about the solutions that can bring real change to the lives of the poor.

President Trump awards former Chicago Bear Alan Page Medal of Freedom

DC - Friday, President Donald Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to former Chicago Bear and Minnesota Viking Alan C. Page.

After 15 year football career, Page served for more than 20 years on the Minnesota Supreme Court and has been involved in many philanthropic efforts in his retirement. 

Page said beforehand that he set aside his personal feelings about the President in order to attend the ceremony. 

Other Medal of Freedom recipients included former US Senator Orrin Hatch, the late Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia, football legend Roger Staubach, the late baseball legend Babe Ruth and rock 'n roll king Elvis Presley.

Page's Hall of Fame bio says: 

Alan Page, a consensus All-America at Notre Dame in 1966, was the Minnesota Vikings' second pick in the first round of the first 

combined AFL-NFL draft in 1967. Although he had played defensive end in college, he was moved to defensive tackle with the Vikings.

Page won the starting defensive right tackle job in the fourth game of his rookie season and he remained a starter for the rest of his career. Alan excelled with the Vikings for 11 seasons and six games into the 1978 campaign, when he was waived.  The Chicago Bears quickly signed him and he moved into the starting lineup without missing a game.

Chicago Pastor responds to criticism for asking drag queen to dress as man

CHICAGO - Last Sunday night, a man in drag that had been attending Chicago's Power House Ministries was confronted by Pastor Antonio Rocquemore during the worship service.

The confrontation was broadcast on Facebook and as of Friday morning, the post has over 1 million views. The pastor is being criticized for publicly confronting the man dressed as a woman. In response, Rocquemore responded in a Facebook live broadcast the next day. 

"He is a full member of the Power House International Ministries, he's not a stranger off the street," Rocquemore said on Facebook. "It was also said that he was put out because he was gay. That's wrong. I don't separate sin. Sin is sin. When you single something out, it doesn't make sense."

Chicago's Circle of Life

Bad schools, No Jobs and Unsafe neighborhoods. The perfect recipe for endless carnage.

Thorner: Is the 2018 voter chaos a taste of what to expect in 2020?

By Nancy Thorner - 

Why doesn't Europe and Canada have our election farces?  They use paper ballots counted in precincts. Meanwhile, the Florida stealing is more exposed every day.  A Broward County deputy reported that a civil rights attorneys were handing out absentee ballots to inmates after the election, Broward County voting equipment was found stashed at an elementary school, and Democrat lawyers want a judge to change Florida law to hijack the election.  Even Jeb Bush conceded that the Democrats are cheaters when stating that the Broward election chief should be removed from office. 

It’s difficult to deny what has so openly taken place, such as when Broward County election officials blocked the view as ballots were bundled and bagged in the Davie Florida voting center.  Even so, Jeb Bush is not about to admit the main reason why the Democrats are close in Florida and overwhelming in California. The Geller Report says it is because of illegal alien voting.

There was, however, some good news as of Thursday, November 14, 2018, DeSantis has all but won the governor's race in Florida, given that after a machine count tally DeSantis was still 1.4 points ahead of Democrat Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum - enough, making a hand count unnecessary. 

Illinois Arena Infection

Just like Oprah with her cars... everybody in Illinois gets an arena.

Judicial Usurpation and the Constitution: Historical and Contemporary Issues

Judicial supremacy gave us Dred Scott. Liberals are making hay of Matthew Whitaker’s views on Marbury v. Madison. Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, for example, writes that the newly appointed Attorney General is a crackpot, citing his comments to the blog Caffeinated Thoughts in 2014. Asked to name some of the worst Supreme Court decisions, Whitaker replied: “I would start with the idea of Marbury v. Madison. That’s probably a good place to start and the way it’s looked at the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of constitutional issues.”

Is that really a crackpot view? Here is Robert George from a 2005 paper published by The Heritage Foundation:

Women's Lives Matter

There's been a rash of female joggers being killed the past few years... wanna know what can prevent that?? Having your concealed carry license.

LaHood: "McCarthy is the Right Person"

DC - Illinois lost two Republican Congress members last week, but one of the five remaining members of the GOP US House caucus - the 18th District's Darin LaHood - says California Congressman Kevin McCarthy is the "right person" to lead the minority in the upcoming session. 

McCarthy was elected Wednesday by the incoming Republican caucus to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan. LaHood said there are several issues he hopes the Democrats and Republicans can work on together in the next two years.

“Kevin McCarthy has worked tirelessly over the past two years as our Majority Leader and we have seen tangible results from our common-sense, conservative agenda. We passed comprehensive tax reform for the first time in 30 years leading to record economic successes, we accomplished landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, and have rebuilt our military and eliminated ISIS. Although we have accomplished many goals over the past two years, there is still work to be done as we move forward into the next Congress,” stated Rep. LaHood.

Burr Ridge mayor resigns

BURR RIDGE - Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub's name became familiar to Illinois Review readers in 2012, when he took on the adventure of visiting all 50 state capitals and finding words referring to God and the Bible in each one.

Since that time, Straub sought and won the office of Burr Ridge, IL's mayor. 

With the help of Liberty Principles PAC, Straub tried to oust Republican House Leader Jim Durkin in the March 2018 primary. The battle was bloody - and Durkin fought back furiously. Durkin ultimately won re-election, only to lead an even smaller GOP House caucus than last session's. 

Straub didn't refer to what had to be an exhausting race in his resignation letter written this week. Instead he said he would be returning to building his company and working on writing a long-delayed book about his 2012 trip. The time spent for a $6000 per year stipend no longer made sense to Straub.

He wrote in his resignation letter how much he enjoyed being mayor of Burr Ridge, and explains: 

Di Leo: A Seat at the Table, and CNN's Embarrassing Presumption

By John F. Di Leo - 

As tempers flare in Washington this November, with the dust settling on late-night midterm results and vote fraud occurs in broad daylight… we see an unusual dispute in the news.  This kerfuffle is between a major news source – CNN – and the White House. CNN’s reporter, Jim Acosta, refused to shut his mouth when his time was expired, and even shoved an intern out of the way for just doing her job.  The White House had it with him, and revoked his press credentials - not CNN’s, just his.

The reporter made more of the story than it was, which is perhaps unsurprising, but his employer also made more of it than it was, which should be shocking.  An employer should have a better handle on how to deal with an employee who goes over the line, embarrassing his employer and his profession on international television. CNN even filed a lawsuit against the administration, claiming that it was a violation of the First Amendment for the administration to kick a reporter out of a press conference.

The First Amendment?   Really, folks?