Illinois Review

Happy New Year!

IL GOP seeks guidance for 2020 via online survey

CHICAGO - While the Illinois Republican Party's website makes no official statement about an online survey the party is circulating, access to the ILGOP Vision 2020 asks several questions about how the party should proceed.

Happy 2019! Over 250 new state laws go into effect at midnight

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois will be putting into effect over 250 new state laws January 1, 2019 - dealing with issues from wearing pink while hunting to posting human trafficking awareness posters in places of employment. 

A new 72-hour waiting period will go into effect on all firearms - not just handguns - purchased legally in Illinois starting midnight. The new law applies not only to Illinois residents, but also non-residents purchasing firearms in Illinois. Violating will be a Class 4 felony. (SB 3256/PA 100- 0606)

Also, family members or law enforcement will be able to petition the court to remove firearms from a person they believe could cause injury to himself/herself or another. The new law allows the order to be issued without notice to the respondent - but requires a hearing to be held within 14 days. (HB 2354/PA 100- 0607)

Elizabeth Warren prepares to launch 2020 presidential bid

BOSTON - Massachusetts US Senator Elizabeth Warren announced Monday she's setting up an exploratory committee as the first step towards an expected 2020 presidential bid. Her theme is "We Will Rebuild the Middle Class" ...

Every person in America should be able to work hard, play by the same set of rules, & take care of themselves & the people they love. That’s what I’m fighting for, & that’s why I’m launching an exploratory committee for president. I need you with me: https://t.co/BNl2I1m8OX pic.twitter.com/uXXtp94EvY

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) December 31, 2018

WWI: The War That Changed Everything

Think of all the horrors of the 20th Century: The Holocaust. The Bolshevik Revolution. The Cold War. Were it not for the assassination of one Austro-Hungarian archduke in 1914, none of those events would have ever happened. Historian and author Andrew Roberts explains.

Gutierrez calls on Democrats to "pay ransom" to end border barrier impasse

WASHINGTON DC - Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez finished out his 26 years representing the 71%-Latino 4th Congressional District Friday with an exclamation that Congressional Democrats should "pay the ransom" for comprehensive immigration overhaul. Next week his successor, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia will succeed Gutierrez when the new session starts next week.

Shelbyville Township property owners receive $735,000 in rebate checks

SHELBYVILLE – Here's a notable "Man Bites Dog" story to round out 2018: Republicans took over the Shelbyville Township Board in 2017 and now the Board is sending out $735,000 in rebate checks to 2100 property owners.

Too much money in the hands of elected officials? So much they're returning on average $350 to the households that paid too much in over the years?

That's what's happening, and it's something the previous Board members said last year never would happen.

Melvin Rodman, a longtime Democratic trustee, said the Democrat incumbents lost because of rumors and the Republican slate’s promise to lower taxes.

“I don’t think they’ll lower taxes or wages,” Melvin Rodman, a former longtime Democratic trustee told the Shelbyville Daily Union after he lost his seat to a Republican. “The things they promised — they ain’t going to happen.”

However, rebate checks are in the mail. Shelbyville Township has just mailed out more than $735,000 in rebate checks to taxpayers as part of the Township Board’s efforts to reduce unnecessary expenses and to be more accountable to taxpayers.

The Best and Worst of Times: Chicago neighborhoods feature $2.5 Million Townhomes, $100 Tent City

CHICAGO - One can't help but think of Charles Dickens' very, very long first sentence in the "Tale of Two Cities" when writing about the stark differences between two Chicago neighborhoods: the growing tent city off the Dan Ryan Expressway and America's fastest-growing concentration of $200,000-plus households just a few miles away.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Indeed. A perfect analysis of two Chicago neighborhoods as the city approaches 2019.

Thorner: Democrats claim compassion, but resistance to wall proves otherwise

By Nancy Thorner - 

It's a well-known truth that most of what politicians say when running for office amount to lies. It’s a way of seducing us for our votes. Did anyone really believe any of the Democrats running in the midterms on a vow to be bi-partisan would honor their campaign vow to be bi-partisan going forward?  Of course not, which is one reason why Joe Donnelly and Heidi Heitkamp lost their Senate seats.  The folks in Indiana and North Dakota knew they were lying and that if re-elected, they’d continue to take their marching orders from Chuck Schumer.

That’s part of what makes Donald Trump unique. He has devoted two years to trying to keep his promises. The problem is that even Trump can’t keep promises that require the cooperation of politicians, including Republicans.

How the Reformation Shaped Your World

Can one man change the world? The life and work of Martin Luther prove the answer to that question is an unqualified “Yes.”

Stephen Cornils of the Wartburg Theological Seminary details the rebellion that fractured a centuries-old religion and changed the course of history.

Chicago Women's March cancels January outdoor rally; leadership linked to anti-Semitism

CHICAGO - With all the news coverage Wednesday of Chicago's Women's March in January being cancelled, any casual news observer might think the cancellation was a new development. But the Chicago Women's March announced in November they weren't having a January 2019 gathering in Grant Park.

Another IL GOP official joins call for State Central Committee to re-gather following Rauner revelations

CHICAGO - Another IL GOP State Central Committee member joined Sean Morrison's call for a special meeting to discuss the future of the IL GOP. The kerfuffle began after Chicago media revealed Governor Rauner tried to find a substitute to run for governor in 2018 rather than run for re-election himself.

The volatile revelation did not simmer down over the Christmas weekend. State Central Committee member John McGlasson, who represents Illinois' 16th CD, said when he learned of his fellow member calling for the Committee to regather, he immediately reached out to Morrison on December 14th.  

"I immediately reached out to Mr. Morrison with a request that he join me in my call for the resignation of State Party Chairman, Tim Schneider," McGlasson said. "That message has not be answered, nor have I heard anything more about his call for a special meeting. I would urge Chairman Schneider to call for an official special meeting and announce his intention to step aside and allow the party to begin to repair itself following the terrible defeat on November 6th."

Families encouraged to "Shout their Adoptions!" January 27 at State Capitol

SPRINGFIELD - While earlier this year Oprah called on women that have aborted their babies to "Shout Your Abortion!", the Springfield Right to Life group is calling on families in Illinois that have adopted children to respond with a resounding "Shout Your Adoption!" at a rally planned in Springfield January 27, 2019.

Normal IL US Post Office renamed for fallen 22 year old Army Ranger

WASHINGTON DC - Last week, a US Post Office in Normal Illinois was renamed to honor a 22 year old Bloomington native that died in 2017 while fighting in Afghanistan.

US Army Sergeant Joshua Rodgers was mortally wounded on April 27, 2017 during a raid on the headquarters of ISIS emir Abdul Hasib. 

Congressman Darin LaHood sponsored the legislation signed into law by President Trump.

Letter to Editor: What lies ahead for Illinois in 2019?

What awaits American families in 2019? 

In Illinois, Governor-elect Pritzker plans to rob poorly served Illinois children of their school vouchers, dooming them to continued trauma in school environments where little can be learned besides “watch your back!”  The program provided tax credits for private school scholarships for low-income students.1  Jan. 20-26 is National School Choice Week.  If that matters to you, contact Heartland.org

Di Leo: What a Difference Does a Date Make?

By John F. Di Leo -

Reflections on December 25 and our celebration of holidays…

In recent years, there has been a good deal of exposition – particularly on social media – taking issue with the date on which we celebrate Christmas.  The claim is that Christmas itself is a borrowed date, that the church fathers selected December 25 to co-opt the pagan holiday of the saturnalia, or perhaps some other pagan holiday, much as the Romans used to co-opt the native religions of regions they themselves conquered.

That theory has been disproven, primarily by a fascinating revelation about the early church fathers.  Since nobody knows exactly when Christ was born – even the bureaucratic Romans didn’t keep calendars the way we do today – the church fathers used an ancient Hebrew approach to get there.

LaHood and Bost explain supporting $5.7 billion for the southern border

WASHINGTON DC - Thursday evening, US House Republicans passed a measure allotting $5.7 billion to partially fund building a protective wall between Mexico and the United States. All Illinois Republicans supported the effort, except for two Republican members from Illinois - Congressmen Peter Roskam (IL-06) and Randy Hultgren (IL-14). Neither Roskam nor Hultgren won re-election in the November blue tsunami that hit the Land of Lincoln.

Duckworth takes on Second Amendment and NRA in national op-ed

WASHINGTON - Illinois' junior Senator Tammy Duckworth used the anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre to condemn the power and influence of the National Rifle Association and gun enthusiasts in a Washington Post op-ed published this week. 

In the piece, the senator questions why AR-15's are available to teenagers at the corner store - and says "you" can just walk into a gun show and leave with a weapon without undergoing a background check.

IL US Senators show no sign of supporting border wall funding, despite Durbin's past votes

WASHINGTON DC - Neither of Illinois' two US Senators are expected to support President Trump's efforts to provide $5 billion for the border wall - a vote that will need every one of the 51 Republican votes and nine Democrats in order to reach the 60 needed votes for cloture Friday. If the US Senate rejects the US House wall funding proposal, a portion of the federal government will shut down at midnight.

Black leadership network hails food stamp reform proposal

WASHINGTON DC - The Project 21 black leadership network applauds federal plans to strengthen work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or "food stamps") assistance eligibility.

"People should not be able to become professional entitlement beneficiaries – especially during times of low unemployment. President Trump and the U.S. Department of Agriculture should be commended for wanting to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely," said Project 21 member Emery McClendon. "Our government has programs in place to help citizens who fall on hard times. Programs such as SNAP are intended to be temporary. It would greatly enhance those who are enrolled in these programs as well as the communities in which they live if there were work or training requirements linked to continued assistance."

WATCH: Illinois Congressman Storms Out Of Hearing After Claiming Trump Would've Helped Kill Baby Jesus

WASHINGTON DC - Another shining moment of ignorance and theatrics for the Illinois Congressional Delegation.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) shamed people for endorsing Christianity or celebrating Christmas while promoting border security on Thursday as he proceeded to claim that President Donald Trump would've shared responsibility in killing baby Jesus.

Gutierrez then stormed out of the House Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration and border security after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen attempted to respond to his baseless claim that she was a "liar."

Unhinged Democrat Rep. Luis Gutierrez mocks people that say Christmas, instead of holiday season, and then says Trump would share responsibility for killing baby Jesus. pic.twitter.com/lSpezOCT8F

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) December 20, 2018

More HERE

Federal prosecutors are now obtaining guilty pleas for things that are not crimes.

Trump’s Ex-Lawyer Didn’t Violate Campaign Finance Laws, and Neither Did the President. Robert Khuzami, the Attorney for the Southern District of New York, contends that hush money for a mistress can constitute a campaign contribution; his theory is flawed, writes Hans von Spakovsky:

FECA (52 U.S.C. 30114 (b)(2)) specifically says that campaign-related expenses do not include any expenditures “used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s election campaign.”

These payments were relatively small given Trump’s net worth—the kind of nuisance settlement that celebrities often make to protect their reputations, especially when faced with claims that will cost far more to defend than making a quick payoff without all of the bad publicity that usually accompanies such cases. Given Trump’s celebrity status, the potential liability to these women existed “irrespective of the candidate’s election campaign.”

As Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has said, the payment to Daniels was made “to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the president’s family” and “it would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not.”

Gas tax hike rumors stir opposition from conservative state lawmakers

EAST DUNDEE – A gas tax hike in France stirred riots in the streets of Paris over the past several weekends. A similar tax rate hike for Illinoisans provoked a press conference by State Reps. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) and Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) Tuesday in downtown Chicago. Wearing yellow jackets like those worn by French protesters, the two spoke out against the idea of pushing Illinois to the highest motor fuel tax in the U.S.

“The worst-kept secret in Springfield is a rumored massive gasoline and diesel tax hike,” Skillicorn told reporters. “Just when gas prices are finally lower right before the holidays, greedy politicians, like the Grinches they are, seem all too willing to take more of our hard-earned money. Nothing like greedy politicians to ruin the holidays for middle class families.”

Media aids Democrats in easing taxpayer concerns about state's finances

Illinoisans are being manipulated by the Chicago and Springfield media once again, or rather, still. Things aren't as bad in Illinois as those irritating fiscal conservative watchdog groups insist they are. Despite the state's pension obligations growing more and more every year while thousands are abandoning the state each year - now that a Democrat regime will be determining the state's finances, things are going to work out just fine. 

Just fine, they say.

That's what Illinois' sheltered Chicago Crain's writer Greg Hinz hints at and what Springfield media ruler Rich Miller is conveying on behalf of their Democrat colleagues, Wirepoints analyst Mark Glennon writes.

Trump declares victory in Syria, Kinzinger calls for new sanctions on al Assad

WASHINGTON DC – Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) spoke on the House Floor last week to urge the Senate to take up H.R. 1677, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which would impose new sanctions on the President of Syria, Bashar al Assad, and his backers, and give justice to the people of Syria suffering at the hands of these war criminals. The bill is named after Caesar, a Syrian regime defector who risked his life to expose the horrific brutality by Assad and his regime.

Congressman Kinzinger also used this time to talk about Layla Shweikani, a young Chicago woman who went to Syria as an aid worker to help those plagued by the war. She was detained, tortured, and murdered by the Assad regime on December 28, 2016 and her family was notified just two weeks ago. This is believed to be the first American murdered by the Assad regime, and little to no attention has been given to this heinous crime. Congressman Kinzinger has asked the Administration for answers, and over a week later, he is still waiting, Kinzinger's website says. 

In contrast, Wednesday President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State of Syria, and ordered U.S troops be withdrawn from their posts. 

The withdrawal of the more than 2,000 troops is based on Trump’s decision that the mission against ISIS is complete, a U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly before it was announced by the White House, told USA TODAY.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that the U.S. has "defeated the territorial caliphate."

"These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign," Sanders said in a statement. "We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”

Thorner & O'Neil: Trump fights back against unhinged media and outraged globalist elites

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Americans, having acquired a distaste over the years for all things political, acted as a catalyst to help elect Trump as president in 2016.  Too many of our political leaders were found lacking in the essentials needed for effective governing, having lost touch with the people they served.    

Hillary ran for the Presidency believing she could/would win.  And why wouldn’t she have been of that persuasion?  Protecting her all the way, Hillary had then President Obama, the globalist elites, most of the media, and wealthy billionaire donors, among them Socialist/Communist George Soros.

How fortunate it was that enough American voters were paying attention to decide they preferred a presidential candidate who was not “steeped in political partisan favors, mistakes, secrets, and/or skullduggery,” which comprised quite a few of the want-a-be cast of career political politician candidates seeking the position. Trump was also the only Republican nominee on stage brave enough to call attention to Hilary's crimes deserving of jail time and the need to build a wall to protect our country from those flooding into our country illegally, to curb human trafficking, and stem the flow of dangerous and life-threatening drugs.

Farm Bill Socialism in Senate

There are socialists in both parties. Chris Edwards writes:

Republicans have criticized the socialism of Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but they should reflect on their own party’s socialist vote in the Senate yesterday. The upper chamber voted 87-13 for the bloated monstrosity known as the farm bill, which funds farm subsidies and food stamps. Republicans in the Senate voted in favor 38-13.

Quebec doctors now ‘abruptly’ euthanize sick patients as first resort: study

Sick patients in Quebec are sometimes “abruptly” killed by doctors through the province’s euthanasia program with little or no effort to mitigate or relieve the patient’s suffering through non-lethal medical means, a study in an international medical journal is claiming. 

“Requests for and provision of MAiD [Medical Aid in Dying] as documented in the chart can occur abruptly and without a documented evolution of the goals of care which may imply that requests for MAiD are not treated as having particular moral considerations but merely administrative or legal ones,” the study titled “Situating requests for medical aid in dying within the broader context of end-of-life care: ethical considerations” states. 

More HERE

Losing Faith, Family, and Community

In the aftermath of terrible tragedies we fixate on a material solution, like gun control. But what the roots of the problem are actually internal and moral, and even spiritual?

Di Leo: What’s Twenty or Thirty Cents Among Friends?

By John F. Di Leo 

The bankrupt city of Chicago’s outgoing Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and the bankrupt state of Illinois’ incoming governor, J.B. Pritzker, are calling for a huge increase in Illinois’ gas tax, ostensibly to fund a major transportation bill.

Illinois hasn’t raised its gas tax, now at 19 cents per gallon, since 1990.  If we were to keep up with inflation, a 20 to 30 cent per gallon increase – that is, to double it or more – would be reasonable, in their view.  They’re just proposing that it keep up with inflation since 1990, that’s all. 

Or maybe raise it a little more than that, while we’re at it, just for good measure…  I mean, as long as we’re in there anyway, may as well make it worth the trip, right?

And on its face, that does make some sense.  Look at inflation since then.   On its face, viewed in its own “petri dish” setting in a controlled environment, such an increase is perfectly logical.

But does the real world work like a controlled environment?  Can tax policy, in fact, ever be set without consideration of the real world around us?

Thorner/O'Neil: Is a "well-informed electorate" a thing of the past, or has it ever existed?

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

We the People have been told that the most effective weapon against tyranny is a well-informed electorate.  That is true, but the problem rarely discussed today is that a majority of people believe themselves to be fully informed; more often than not they are only aware of facts provided by those with whom they most tend to agree.  Being honest with ourselves, most of us rarely research issues, even those we find most controversial.  We rarely watch, listen, or read political information by sources we know mostly offer views with which we politically disagree. We do not enjoy hearing opposition arguments, even when they are well-researched and are provided by reputable resources.  

This lack of knowing all the facts, some of which is essential to fully understand an issue, is unfortunate and unproductive. Too often we end up sharing false information, even arguing over issues when we have not attempted to examine critical facts that could change our perspective.  Democrats, Republicans and Independents are all guilty.  

Weyermuller: Caroling Pro-lifers remind abortion seekers of Baby Jesus

By Mark Weyermuller - 

One of the Pro-life Action League’s most supported events of the year is the  “Peace in the Womb” Christmas caroling day. The idea is simple: They bring the hope and joy of Christmas to one of the world’s darkest places—the abortion clinic—in hopes that the familiar sounds of Christmas carols will save a life. And, in fact, lives have been saved by the peaceful, prayerful witness when women heard our songs from inside the abortion facility and chose life for their children.

This year's "Peace in the Womb" caroling events took place last Saturday in 66 cities in 28 states. This was the fourteenth year that the Pro-Life Action League held Christmas caroling outside of abortion clinics.  The group sings with an empty manger on display as a symbol of babies that weren't born due to abortion. There was very little main stream media coverage of this important event.

UN Boss: Use “Climate Action” to “Transform World”

As the most important United Nations “global warming” summit since the 2015 confab in Paris kicked off in Katowice last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that so-called “climate action” offers a “compelling path to transform our world.” Even your “mind” must be transformed, he said. Many other proud socialists, communists, and globalists have also called for using the man-made global-warming hypothesis to transform the world. And they are not kidding.

In fact, the man-made global-warming theorists in attendance at the UN summit here are working to exploit alarmism over the “climate” to restructure every aspect of human life. This includes the economy, industry, governance, and even your thinking, Guterres declared. The sought-after global transformation will also involve more government promotion of feminism, planetary taxes on emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a total transformation of governance, and so much more, explained Guterres, a longtime socialist leader who led the Socialist International before becoming UN boss.

More HERE

The technology of totalitarianism

Huawei is the doorway to China’s police state. There are reasons to keep an eye on Huawei, beyond allegations of violating sanctions against Iran, writes Dan Blumenthal:

The stakes are high, as the company is positioned to be the dominant player in 5G mobile networks. If Huawei wins this competition against US companies, much of the world’s data will pass through the mobile networks of a CCP-backed company that does business with the world’s most troubling regimes. Huawei is also the critical player in CCP General-Secretary Xi Jinping’s bid to establish a high-tech police state and to leapfrog the United States in critical technologies that will enable a host of military capabilities.

Solzhenitsyn: A Centennial Tribute

Solzhenitsyn at 100. Daniel Mahoney writes:

[Aleksandr] Solzhenitsyn wrote with “lucid understanding,” and with no small dose of scorn, about the “Progressive Doctrine,” the inhuman ideology that justified terror and tyranny as no regime or ideological movement had ever justified the killing and repression of real or imagined “enemies of the People.” He showed that the heart of Bolshevism lay in a monstrous coming together of violence and lies that gave rise not to mere dictatorship but to a totalitarianism that transformed betrayal and lying into “forms of existence.” This totalitarianism demanded fierce resistance, both for the sake of liberty and for the right of the human soul to breathe freely, with the dignity afforded it by God.

Solzhenitsyn would become the most eloquent critic of ideological revolution, the “vain hope that revolution can improve human nature,” as he said in the Vendée in the fall of 1993. He saw many affinities between the French and Russian revolutions, not least the shared hope that revolution could transform human nature and regenerate the human race. Instead, Solzhenitsyn stood for repentance and self-limitation, and for a conception of self-government (beginning with the arts of local liberty) that emphasized the importance of civic virtue. Here he was indebted to Tocqueville, to the zemstvos or nineteenth century Russian provincial and local councils, and to the experience of local liberty that he witnessed (and admired) during his western exile in Switzerland and New England between 1974 and 1994. He spoke with admiration for such local liberty in his farewell to the people of Cavendish, Vermont, on February 28, 1994. It was a tradition of liberty from the bottom up much needed in contemporary Russia, he observed. [...]

Rhoads: English Alone Is Not Enough

By Mark Rhoads-

Maybe you have tried hard to understand the English accent of a person from India or the Middle East and still not have been able to communicate. There is one English language - but many accents.

For example, you might be connected to a technical support person who is in India and you still have trouble hearing because the accent is so thick and you are from Chicago so you might as well be speaking a different language completely. You ask over and over for a person to spell out a simple email address and still cannot get it right. It is time for tech support companies to improve the training of their employees so that they can actually communicate with people who speak American English.  

Why You Should Be a Nationalist

It’s undeniable: Around the world, nationalism is on the march, and the media and reigning political elites would have you believe this is a dangerous disaster in the making. So, why is Yoram Hazony, author of The Virtue of Nationalism, unafraid? Watch to understand.

Cook County GOP Chairman responds to Rauner's post-election comments; calls for emergency IL GOP meeting

Sean Morrison condemns Bruce Rauner; calls for emergency Illinois GOP Meeting

After learning of Governor Bruce Rauner's attempts to pass off his re-election bid to at least four other Republicans, Friday afternoon Cook County GOP Chairman and Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison sent out the following statement of outrage - a call for an emergency IL GOP State Central Committee meeting:

To learn yesterday that Bruce Rauner secretly tried to abdicate his candidacy - on several occasions - is an affront to everyone in the Illinois Republican Party and the entire State of Illinois. It is an egregious betrayal of trust that countless members of the Republican Party placed in him, and that 1.7 Million residents of Illinois had when they cast their vote for him in November.
 
I personally asked the Governor on two separate occasions before the Primary if he was committed to his re-election. Both times, to my face, he made clear that he was all in – not only for himself but for all Statewide candidates. We now know, by his own admission, that he deceived me and others.

Rauner reveals he didn't want to run again in 2018, begged four others to take his place

Had Senator Clinton won in 2016, Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner believes his chances of winning re-election would have been much better. He also begged four other Republicans to run for governor in his place in 2018.

That's what he told ABC 7's Craig Walls in an exclusive interview Thursday:

Weyermuller: Mainstream Media ignore Chicago Police's everyday heroism

By Mark Weyermuller - 

In Chicago, the police are often under constant attack from politicians, community activists, and the mainstream media. Perhaps it might be better if we show more support of the police rather than constantly criticize them?  They have a very difficult job. They are the "thin blue line" between criminals and potential crime victims.

This past Monday the Chicago Police showed huge restraint when they captured a person suspected of invading a Wrigleyville home. The suspect was running from police carrying a large butcher knife in a busy area near Wrigley Field. He had alleged assaulted a woman during the home invasion in the 900 block of West Cornelia Street. The police used tasers to subdue him, resulting in no injuries to police, civilians, or the suspect himself. The chase lasted about ten minutes, involving up to 35 police officers. I was a block away when the event unfolded and monitored police radio communications.

Thorner: Death by a Thousand Cuts must not triumph

By Nancy Thorner - 

The underhanded and corrupt way the Deep State initiated the Mueller Special Counsel investigation for the initial purpose of  looking for Russian collusion by President Trump when there was no crime to begin with, was brought home recently. It was when former FBI head James Comey admitted he knew the Democrats had financed the Steele ‘Pee’ Dossier prior to a FISA Warrant sign off which relied, in part, on the Steele Dossier to obtain a warrant to monitor Carter Page. The FBI believed Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government to ​ ​undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in violation of US criminal law. It is ironic that Trump has most likely been told should he release the FISA documents, which he at one point said he would do, that it would be considered an obstruction of justice - by the very ones that will settle for nothing less than Trump's scalp. 

Although noteworthy is that even though Rosenstein signed off on appointing Mueller as Special Counsel, it was Virginia Democrat Senator Mark Warner that planted the seed in Rosenstein’s mind of appointing a special counsel to terrorize President Trump.  According to contemporaneous text messages between FBI officials, “Warner conveyed that he wanted (a) special counsel” and Rosenstein “said he took that under advisement.”  So it came about that Rosenstein allowed a fiercely partisan Democrat to influence him into appointing a Special Counsel whose goal was nothing short of overturning American democracy.

Who Are the Most Powerful People in America?

The genius of America is that it was set up as a representative government, but increasingly, Americans are ruled over by leaders who are unelected, and very powerful. Columbia Law Professor Philip Hamburger unmasks the people who are really ruling our lives.

Illinois has #1 highest wireless tax rates

Do you know how much of your cell phone bill consists of taxes and fees?

Every year, a greater number of Americans depend on wireless service to stay connected with family, friends, and colleagues. But few stop to consider the taxes, fees, and surcharges that factor into the cost of service.

In Chicago, a typical household with four wireless phones paying $100 per month for taxable wireless service can expect to pay about$487 per year in wireless taxes, fees, and surcharges.

Overall, Illinois state residents face the highest combined state and local cell phone tax rate in the country at 20.91 percent.

That's more than double the average state and local sales tax rate in the state.

More HERE

In Defense Of ‘Dark Money’

Dark money is good for democracy. David Harsanyi writes:

When Donald Trump named Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, for example, CNN warned its readers that the man had once headed a “conservative group funded by dark money.” The nonprofit Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, The Washington Post explained, had both “obscure roots” and very rich “undisclosed funders.”

While there might be plenty of good reasons to oppose Whitaker, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust sounds exactly like one of hundreds of groups that litter Washington. There is nothing unique about the existence of an organization funded by private donors who, as far as we know, filed all its proper paperwork with IRS and broke no laws.

White House announces new council on Opportunity Zones

“From the South Side of Chicago to the Mississippi Delta, Governors across the country designate underserved communities based on their unique needs,” Ivanka Trump tweeted earlier this week. “All Americans, regardless of zip code, should have the opportunity to experience the American dream. Opportunity Zones will catalyze private sector investment that will create jobs + economic growth in overlooked communities nationwide.”

The First Daughter was referring to an executive order her father President Trump signed into effect Wednesday afternoon, which created the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The group, chaired by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, includes representatives from 13 federal agencies. The Council will coordinate federal efforts relating to Opportunity Zones and work to prioritize such neighborhoods for grant funding, loan guarantees, infrastructure spending, and other federal initiatives.

21 year old Daniel Baker of Tremont, IL among five Marines killed during midair collision

Cpl. Daniel Baker with cousin Hazel July 2018

WASHINGTON — The five missing Marines who were aboard the KC-130J tanker plane that collided midair with an F/A-18 fighter off the coast of Japan last week ranged from young corporals early in their service to a veteran pilot, who was the executive officer of their Japan-based squadron. On Tuesday, they were declared dead, ending days of searching for them.

One of the fallen was 21 year old Cpl. Daniel Baker of Tremont, Illinois.

Stars & Stripes features a piece about each one of the five Marines, including this by Dianna Cahn -

Di Leo: Great Britain’s Brexit Challenges, and a Lesson for Americans

By John F. Di Leo-

Have you ever hired a militant vegetarian chef to cook you a steak?

Would you hire a pacifist as Commander-in-Chief during wartime?  Or a 600 lb personal trainer to supervise your weight loss program?

This is nothing against vegetarians, pacifists, or weight-challenged folks, by the way; it’s just a means of making a point:

To get a job done, the person charged with implementing it MUST believe in it. It can't possibly go well if he doesn't, because the original outline will need details fleshed out.  If the implementer doesn’t believe in it, he or she has practically no chance of doing it the way the hiring party wanted it done.

Our neighbors across the Pond – the voters of Great Britain – are learning that lesson the hard way.

Nevins: The Illinois GOP Leadership’s Bridge to Nowhere

What the Chicago Tribune chooses to ignore, the Illinois Review chooses to feature. In our opinion, these ideas are worth contemplating: Jennifer Nevins' frank response to an op-ed advocating the struggling IL GOP stay on course. 

By Jennifer Nevins - 

Recently, in the wake of the blue tsunami that decimated whatever shreds of influence the state’s Republican Party thought it had, the Chicago Tribune featured a commentary by  Bruce Rauner campaign staffer Patrick Wohl titled, “Don’t Let Rauner Loss Spark a GOP Race to the Right.” Wohl’s essential message-- "Moderates, stay the course!" --undoubtedly  soothes many a mind in the Illinois Republican leadership. Of course, the person shelling out this advice helped usher an incumbent governor into a spectacular loss, but Wohl’s intended audience is likely blind to the irony. They have become so accustomed to their strategic failures that this familiar counsel makes good sense.

While Wohl’s message is reaffirming to Illinois’ political establishment, his message also reaffirms the IL GOP's largely conservative voting base’s view that its leadership will never take them seriously. The perennial tension between the state’s moderate and conservative flanks has now devolved into total breakdown. The author and likeminded operatives, however, dismiss the dysfunction while they smugly believe that, eventually, the conservative mutts will heel.

Illinois women’s studies dept: Abolish ICE and police

The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) Gender & Women's Studies department shared a nine-point platform advocating for the abolition of ICE and the police.

Madeleine Hubbard, president of Turning Point USA at UIUC, called this demand “very concerning” when speaking with Campus Reform.

More HERE

Pinna: How a Machine Rusts

By Matthew Pinna - 

Three days ago, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass exposed the Chicago Democratic Machine in all of its rusted glory—or, rather, its lack thereof.

David Krupa, a freshman at DePaul University and conservative aldermanic candidate for Mike Madigan’s 13th Ward, was stunned when the Chicago Board of Elections received over 2,700 signed and notarized affidavits from individuals that renounced their signatures on his petitions. Apparently, “an organized crew of political workers” underwent the painstaking process of going “door to door” across the ward with these legal documents, amassing a massive amount of revocations, the likes of which had been “never seen” before by officials.

“The board has received a few revocations here and there in very rare electoral board cases over the years,” said election board spokesman Jim Allen. “They're pretty rare, and no one can remember anything approaching this volume of filings in past cases.”

The only problem, however—aside from the gang of likely government-bankrolled goons going around, of course—was that Krupa had only collected 1,703 signatures. On top of this, a mere 187 of the 2,796 actually matched—2,609 people, either intentionally or by accident, had lied.

Kass ends his piece with an accompanying tone of resignation, pointing out the fact that it is unlikely that any of the equally-corrupted checks in place—Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and incoming Attorney General Kwame Raoul—will end up doing the jobs they were elected to do. After all, he writes, “this is Chicago where the Davids get crushed by the Goliaths. And where the boss is the boss.”

I, however, see this situation a bit differently. Political machines—regardless of where they may be—rely on every cog and gear in their engine to run as smoothly as possible. If this can’t be achieved, which is most certainly the case of the Chicago machine, it has to have the appearance of running smoothly, primarily done through providing distracting services that its constituents want; the machine quite literally has to give the people only “the bells and whistles,” hoping that they jingle and sound loud enough to keep voters’ eyes off of the disaster before them.

Inevitably, the people begin to tire of the showy and gilded frills that are given to them in place of substance, slowly but surely rejecting the influence of a machine that has long taken their continued support for granted. This appears to be the natural progression of boss-led machines; as the charismatic political monolith begin to fade away, the system is forced to cope with the reality of its inefficiencies, ones that had long relied on the massive shadow of their popular leader to hide behind.

Although still undeniably strong, the Madigan Machine has taken its fair share of hits from both sides of the aisle, and the damage is beginning to show. Despite being deeply unsuccessful in his re-election attempt, former Governor Bruce Rauner’s Madigan-focused election message forced Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker to hedge at his close relationship with the Speaker. On the left, Congressman-elect Jesus “Chuy” Garcia has led a contingent of vocal anti-Chicago establishment, Latino progressives to victory, running primarily on a sense of “disenfranchisement” that was felt by the districts they won in. Just taking a look at the candidate spread for the Chicago mayoral election further evidences this split—aside from Preckwinkle (Chair of Cook County Democrats) and Daley (need I explain?), the other 19 candidates are gunning for the machine.

What does all of this mean? Simply that every shot against the machine counts, and helps to weaken its necessary appearance of remaining unfazed. While the mistake made against Candidate David Krupa is relatively small in terms of the number of people involved, it is one of the more blatant recent examples of machine-rust and this weakness should be taken advantage of.

It doesn’t mean give up, but rather force the Democrats to make a risky choice: either attempt to challenge or revoke signatures and embarrass themselves once more on a state-wide platform, or let candidates through and risk them winning over voters that have long felt forgotten by the establishment.

Following the deep losses of this most recent election, Illinois’ Conservatives have work to do, and just like with Krupa, these efforts start at the most local of districts. Build a powerful message and prove that you can follow up on what you said—then, those many voters that are looking for a home will find their place in the way that’s right.