Illinois Review

Where’s Weyermuller? Rallying in Wisconsin to "Reopen America"

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Throughout the country, "Reopen America" rallies are happening almost daily. I attended one Saturday with about 200 people on the Illinois/Wisconsin state line. 

The mood was upbeat with much hope and optimism that a plan to get back to normal was underway. Participants had wore patriotic tee shirts, MAGA hats, and carried American flags. Some have said the Tea Party is gone, but it appears to alive and well here. One man held a sign saying “Enough is Enough."

Thorner & Ingold: Trump in a Game of COVID Chess

By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold -

If the COVID-19 situation were a chess game, Trump is playing the role of Kaspersky. President Trump opened the week of April 13, 2020, with a gambit, claiming he has the ultimate authority to decide when and how the economy will be restarted. The Democrats immediately responded by denying that authority and insisted that state governors take charge of the events, likewise assuming the inevitable political risks.

Trump and the Republicans asked for another $250B for wage and job protection for idled workers and small companies. The Democrats balked and walked away from the table, demanding support for state and local governments. Check. That’s $250B less money to print or borrow, and spendthrift Democratic governors are left with a powerful incentive to cut their losses and cooperate with the recover.

It was on Thursday, April 16, 2020, when President Trump outlined his plan to reopen the nation during his daily TV task force briefing.

Wegmann: WH Counters Pritzker's Claim of Stinginess With Covid Aid

By Philip Wegmann -

The governor was palling around with penguins when the White House officially lost patience.

But the dust-up had nothing to do with the flightless birds at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, making cute cameos in a public safety announcement with J.B. Pritzker. What upset the White House happened earlier, when Illinois’ Democratic chief executive went on CNN to say that he had “given up” on receiving assistance from the federal government; he also announced that his state was “doing what we need to do despite” the president.

This, a White House spokesman tells RealClearPolitics, is more than inaccurate.

“Whether through ignorance or incompetence or a propensity to politicize everything, Governor Pritzker is not being truthful with the people of Illinois when he says his state has not been provided resources from President Trump’s administration,” said deputy press secretary, Judd Deere. Trump doesn’t see red or blue, Deere insisted, asserting that the president has directed federal aid to “every state regardless of the political affiliation of the state’s governor.”

And in the Illinois situation, the White House provided receipts. Trump declared a national emergency on March 13. The state followed suit on March 24. Supplies followed.

More HERE

Rossi: Stanford U’s Shocking Coronavirus “Game Changer” Study

By Randy Rossi - 

Stanford University just released a new study that could be a complete “Game Changer” regarding this Coronavirus crisis. When the Coronavirus first hit the front page news, estimates were that up to 2.2 million Americans could die from it based on the estimated fatality rates. Those fatality rate estimates which were based on people who caught the Coronavirus went from 1%-2% to as bad as 3.4% from WHO which has lost all of their credibility. The math used in those estimates was to take the number of deaths from Coronavirus divided by the number of people that caught the disease. The serious problem with those estimates is that while deaths are pretty easy to track, knowing who has caught the disease is very hard to know because a huge percentage of people that catch it either have zero symptoms or just normal cold and flu symptoms so minor that they don’t even go to the doctor.

Despite Massive Private Sector Layoffs, Illinois Still Scheduled to Give $261M Pay Raises to Government Employees

The economic fallout from COVID-19 is causing a financial crisis for families and businesses in Illinois and across the nation, which means the state has an obligation to manage its scarce resources to better meet those needs.

Nearly 1.5 million Illinoisans – 24% of the state’s workforce – are vulnerable to layoffs and reduced hours. Over half a million residents filed unemployment claims in the past four weeks.

The mounting economic crisis is certain to be accompanied by a steep drop in state tax revenues – a University of Illinois study estimated anywhere between $4.3 billion and $14.1 billion – and Illinois lawmakers and the governor will need to allocate funds to deal with the most urgent budget priorities.

Pritzker should pause the state’s $261 million in scheduled automatic pay raises for state workers. By joining the growing list of Democratic governors who are freezing state worker pay to manage state budgets amid the COVID-19 crisis, Pritzker would give the state more room to address urgent budget priorities while also helping to forestall state worker layoffs down the line.

Democratic governors in New York, Virginia, Minnesota and Pennsylvania have all taken steps to rein in government spending during the pandemic.

More HERE

Grant: Republicans Force Gov. Pritzker to Address His Failed Unemployment Benefits Program

By State Rep. Amy Grant - 

As the elected voice for the 42nd District, which includes parts of Naperville, Warrenville, West Chicago and Wheaton, my most important job is to take care of my constituents. I will never apologize for fighting on their behalf.

As record numbers of Illinoisans attempt to file for unemployment benefits due to COVID-19, I’m proud that the House Republican Caucus has led the effort to force improvements within IDES, the system that processes unemployment claims. It is disheartening that our advocacy on behalf of our constituents is being framed politically by Democrats as if we’ve done something wrong by insisting on changes that allow our constituents to access the benefits they are owed.

For the many constituents living paycheck to paycheck, the receipt of these benefits is critical; it allows food to be put on the table and prescriptions to be purchased. So when I hear from a constituent who has tried without success every day for three weeks to file and certify their benefits, I will not sit silently while others make excuses about unprecedented claim volumes and an overwhelmed system not built to accommodate it.

State Sen. Oberweis offers to send Speaker Pelosi ice cream if she goes to Washington D.C. to help small businesses

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took to social media recently and opened her freezer revealing a stockpile of ice cream which gave Illinois State Senator Jim Oberweis an idea. If Speaker Pelosi loves ice cream so much maybe some free ice cream would be enough to lure her back to Washington D.C. to vote to help small businesses keep paying their employees.

“I think we can solve two problems – Speaker Pelosi’s need for ice cream and the need for Congress to vote on re-upping available funds for the small business loan program,” Oberweis said. “Nancy Pelosi needs to get back to D.C. now. If she calls Congress back this week to help our small businesses, I will buy her ice cream at any of our Oberweis Dairy stores for the whole year or anytime she comes to campaign for Congresswoman Underwood in the 14th District. In fact, I will even send her favorite flavors to her in D.C. And there is no doubt Oberweis Dairy ice cream will be better than anything she has in her freezer.”

Democrats are currently blocking efforts to provide an additional $250 billion to the small business loan program with partisan demands.

“This should be a no brainer,” Oberweis said. “Our small businesses need help. Now is the time for leadership – not partisan politics. Speaker Pelosi needs to get back to Washington D.C. and help our hurting small businesses and help President Trump save jobs and stop playing politics.”

Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?

Activist groups claim a biased criminal justice system has put too many people behind bars. The solution, they say, is to drastically cut the prison population. Even now, some states are using the coronavirus pandemic to double down on granting early release to thousands of prisoners. Rafael Mangual, Deputy Director of Legal Policy at the Manhattan Institute, urges caution: most people are in prison for a good reason.

Pennsylvania State Senate Overrides Democrat Governor’s Stay-At-Home Order

Last week the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill that overrode Democratic Governor Tom Wolf’s lockdown, or stay-at-home order, instead allowing all businesses to open back up within the federal parameters.

Senate Bill 613, reports The Hill, “would require the governor’s office to align with federal guidelines in determining which businesses will be allowed to reopen during the pandemic, allowing all those that can safely operate with mitigation strategies under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines.”

Governor Wolf (picture above) has already closed schools for the remainder of the academic year and extended his stay-at-home order without exception until April 30. All businesses that Wolf deems non “life sustaining” have been closed down, which has drawn criticism of favoritism, Penn Live reported.

More HERE

Ives blasts Casten for withholding support for district small business COVID-19 aid

WHEATON - Friday, Republican candidate for Illinois' 6th CD Jeanne Ives criticized US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat majority for blocking a US Senate bill that would provide an additional $250 billion in aid to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program.

The $349 billion Congress set aside for small businesses suffering due to the COVID-19 outbreak was exhausted mid-week. 

“Sean Casten (IL-6th) and Nancy Pelosi blocking small business owners from getting the aid they need has to be one of the most malicious calculations they have ever made,” said Ives. “They are holding out-of-work Americans and businesses hostage in order to fund political deals that have nothing to do with helping American families and businesses get through the COVID-19 shut down. 

House Democrats are holding relief efforts hostage in an attempt to add additional funding to bail out states and for healthcare resources, despite no indication that the original funding was not sufficient. Furthermore, the state of Illinois and the City of Chicago created their own financial crisis. COVID-19 had nothing to do with it, Ives said.

The initial COVID relief package set aside $349 billion to help small businesses, defined as businesses employing less than 500 people. The PPP opened up on April 7. By April 16, all of the funding was spoken for through a “First Come, First Serve” application process.

“‘First Come, First Serve’ has got to be expanded. I say this as a taxpayer who does not want to see the country further indebted. It is not fair for the government to shut down small businesses, and then walk away or help some and not others. Small businesses are the least able to weather this storm. 

“We need to do what is right. Aid should be temporary and targeted, but government has a clear responsibility to help those it shut down. That means Sean Casten and Nancy Pelosi’s self-interested political demands will have to wait until we get the economy back on its feet and people back to work.”

Ives criticized her November 2020 opponent, incumbent Congressman Sean Casten for refusing to stand up to his political bosses.

"Casten is willing to leave small businesses in his district waiting for relief in order to ensure a federal bail out of some degree for the most mismanaged state and city in the nation," Ives said in a statement.

School not to resume for 2019-20 year, says Illinois gov

CHICAGO – Following careful consideration of the science and close consultation with public health leaders and experts in Illinois and across the nation, Governor JB Pritzker announced that in-person learning in schools will not resume during the 2019-2020 school year, with remote learning days to continue for all pre-k through 12th grade students.
 
“I’ve said time and time again, our decisions must follow the science and the science says our students can’t go back to their normal routine this school year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Over the last month, Illinois’ schools have stepped up and faced the many challenges of COVID-19 with generosity, creativity, and a resolute focus on caring for students, parents and communities. I am confident that our schools will manage and expand the learning opportunities for all our children who will be working from home over the coming weeks.”

IL essential businesses threatened with workers comp lawsuits if employees acquire COVID-19

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois businesses deemed "essential" by Governor JB Pritzker's executive order concerning COVID 19 will now need to pay workers compensation claims if their employees acquire COVID19, the state's Workers Compensation Commission decided Wednesday during an emergency meeting.

The policy could place any grocery store, pharmacy, service or facility deemed "essential" at risk of lawsuits and workers' compensation premium hikes - putting them between a demanding, sometimes desperate public and protecting their employees from COVID-19 exposure.

Downstate rep calls for Statewide Day of Prayer April 24

LOUISVILLE – Illinois has been so focused on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic that the state's citizens have heard literally nothing about their future, State Rep. Darren Bailey said in a statement Friday. Bailey said the situation is such a huge challenge he’s calling for a Statewide Day of Prayer.

“I understand addressing the immediate health consequences of the virus is a priority, but we must not lose focus on what we need to do to restore Illinois to prosperity and inspire recovery.  Also, calling out to God for help is simply accessing a Divine resource that is ours for the asking,” said Bailey (R-Louisville).

Chinese admit COVID death toll 50% higher

China - the source of the deadly global COVID19 pandemic - suddenly revised their data report Friday, as the world pressures them to come clean with data and source origins. Their admission raises more questions, such as "What else are they hiding?"

US Senator John Cornyn just tweeted:

Well, well, well: After repeatedly defending the accuracy of their data, Chinese officials revise the coronavirus death toll in Wuhan to 3,869, 50% higher than previously reported https://t.co/aY0drUkKw2 via @WSJ

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) April 17, 2020

Thorner: Homeschooling Benefits Strike Positive Note During Coronavirus Shutdown

By Nancy Thorner -

In this time of the coronavirus pandemic when schools have been closed throughout the nation, and when homeschooling by parents is taking place - not out of choice but necessity - it should not come as a surprise to learn that teacher unions and their political cohorts are using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to mount a vicious attack against school choice as an excuse du jour to force children into failing schools.

An April 2nd order by Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated that "in-person instruction for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 to be suspended for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year." Whitmer's order banned homeschooling.

It took until April 14, 2020, for Governor Whitmer to back down from her April 2nd order, maintaining her order did not apply to homeschooling. This followed backlash from the Great Lakes Justice Center.

World Health Organization says restrict alcohol sales during COVID crisis

CHICAGO - Illinoisans are awaiting breathlessly Gov Pritzker's next announcement concerning COVID 19 restrictions. 

Will Pritzker extend the shelter-in-place orders past April 30th? If so, for how long? Virginia's is June 10th. New York is suggesting sometime in August for their state. 

And will the Democrat in his second year as governor heed the World Health Organization's urging to return to the 1920's Prohibition era?

Rossi: COVID 19 “Time to Put Our Big Boy Pants On”

By Randy Rossi - 

As some medical experts tell us that life won’t return to normal until 2022 when a COVID 10 vaccine is available, the best response to this I have heard came from Dan Proft while he filled in for Dennis Prager on the radio. Mr. Proft wisely stated that given a choice of living life hiding in his basement or living life to the fullest even if it involved risk, he was going to live life to the fullest and he hoped a majority of Americans would agree with him. He summarized his view by saying “It is time to put our big boy pants on” and live life to the fullest.

I couldn’t agree more. I for one am not going to hide in my basement until 2022! Especially when you know that 99% of the people who get COVID 19 survive it and in fact, a huge percent of people under 50 who get it don’t even know they have it or only have simple “cold” symptoms.

Di Leo: Healthcare and the Market, in a Time of Crisis

By John F. Di Leo - 

In a market economy, when there is a public need, the private sector will attempt to meet it.  That’s the beauty of the profit motive, after all: it’s an incentive to produce.

If people want food prepared for them, other people open restaurants.  If people want to purchase clothing, other people open factories to make it and stores to sell it.  If people want to live in a house, then architects and construction companies will build houses (and condos and mansions too) to sell to them.

And, by the same token, if people want a cure for a disease, businesses will arise to meet that need as well.

Governor spent $17M tax dollars on masks from China that are now being recalled in other states

WGN is reporting that millions of masks purchased by the State of Illinois from China may not be useable after multiple states recalled similar equipment Thursday.

Despite a glut of PPE equipment as reported by Crain's this week, Illinois Governor Pritzker has been spending tax dollars purchasing even more gowns, gloves and masks. That includes many KN95 masks bought from China.

But now, officials in Missouri are recalling thousands of KN95 masks after testing by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services over the weekend found many did not meet their standards, according to director Sandy Kartsen.

An alert from the Illinois Department of Public Health followed, saying the KN95 masks may not meet performance standards and counterfeit masks are “flooding the marketplace.”

The department recommends agencies remove any KN95 masks that have already been received.

More HERE

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: When the State Becomes God

Today, as our world is gripped by uncertainty and fear, we could all benefit from some encouragement, hope, and laughter. The Rev. Dr. Erwin Lutzer masterfully delivers on all three counts. In his presentation “When the State Becomes God,” Pastor Lutzer asks a crucial question – “Who plays the role of God in your life?”

Drawing from the Book of Daniel, he encourages us to be prepared, to stand firm in our faith, and to refuse to bow. To conclude his address, Pastor Lutzer fields audience questions on a variety of topics including civil disobedience, immigration, religious freedom, persecution, “tolerance,” and more.

Harsanyi: Don’t Let Liberals Federalize Elections

By David Harsanyi - 

I’m sorry, but you have no constitutional “right” to vote by mail. You have no constitutional “right” to vote six days after an election is over. Nor do you have any “right” to censor information related to an election. Not even during a pandemic.

This week, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal court was not empowered to overwrite Wisconsin’s election laws and force the state to accept ballots without any postmark deadline nearly a week after the election. Likewise, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Tony Evers did not have the authority to arbitrarily suspend in-person voting.

If these dictates had been allowed to stand, they would have created insanely destructive precedents, taking elections out of the hands of local legislatures. If we discard legal norms every time there’s a crisis, we no longer have a nation of laws but a country at the mercy of arbitrary decrees, emotional appeals, and pliable courts.

Not that any of this concerned the usual suspects, who began lamenting the alleged anti-democratic nature of Chief Justice John Roberts’ court. When will the conservative wing abandon their partisanship and begin “compromising,” wondered a news piece in The Washington Post.

More HERE

Why We Sing the National Anthem Before Sports Games

Gov Pritzker pushes for progressive tax; claims COVID-19 could set Illinois back over $7B

CHICAGO - To lead off Governor Pritzker's daily COVID 19 briefing, he veered off into how shutting down the state of Illinois' businesses will cost the state billions in this budget year as well as 2021. He also called on the Feds to pass a second CARES Act to "support" states that are racking up billions in costs due to the pandemic. 

Pritzker said the 2020 Illinois budget is projected to have a $2.4 billion deficit as a result of the pandemic, and another $4.6 billion deficit in 2021.

Then the governor used the press time to push for the progressive tax question he is funding on Illinois' November 2020 General Election ballot, saying the state's dire finances demand overturning the state constitution's flat tax.

Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider responded immediately, saying "It seems Governor Pritzker has taken Rahm Emannuel's "never let a crisis go to waste" adage to heart. With a global pandemic that has plunged the state's economy to depths not seen since the Great Depression, this is the worst possible time to push through a tax hike that will crush small businesses who provide so many of our jobs. Pritzker using a Coronavirus briefing to campaign for the progressive income tax is inappropriate and unfortunate."

GOP state senators call on Pritzker to "ease back" on social distancing; present re-opening plan

CHICAGO - Eight Republican state senators signed onto a letter to Governor Pritzker, asking for an easing of the state's most stringent social distancing requirements and a plan to re-open Illinois as the state's coronavirus numbers begin to flatten. 

"Illinois should ease back on some of the more aggressive social distancing as soon as the Illinois Hospital Association that ICU bed capacity is sufficient to respond to the projected levels of COVID-19 admissions," the senators suggested. 

They asked that county officials be given more authority to determine behavior within their county borders. They also said Illinois is "past the time" when a plan for re-opening Illinois should have been unveiled. 

The senators that signed on were Senators Paul Schimpf, Donald DeWitte, Jim Oberweis, Craig Wilcox, Jason Plummer, Chuck Weaver, Sue Rezin and Dan McConchie. 

Chicago hiding millions of N95 masks; Pritzker secretly buying more masks from China

CHICAGO - Illinois' governor is secretly using over $174 million of Illinois taxpayer dollars to buy "millions" of masks and gloves from China - the same place where the global coronavirus pandemic originated. 

At the same time, Chicago Crain's reports Chicago has been hiding a stash of 3.9 million hard-to-find N95 masks - portions of which the city has been sharing as the needs arise.

Still, Pritzker has publicly criticized the Trump Administration time and time again over the past few weeks about not producing needed PPE equipment for hospital personnel and first responders.

"We have gotten very little help from the federal government. It's fine. I've given up on any promises that have been made," Pritzker, a Democrat, told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront." "I hope something will get delivered from the federal government, but I don't expect it anymore."

Thorner & O'Neil: The WHO, China and the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

The world is reeling as we have unwillingly been introduced to the Coronavirus by China. The high number of deaths this virus has inflicted worldwide has renewed awareness of the importance of family and friends. We tend to appreciate those close to us more in times of trouble, which may be the one positive result of this difficult time of mandatory shut-ins. Hopefully, our leaders will handle the current problem wisely and will not allow those who look only at the coronavirus as a disease to call the shots.

Chicago Police to begin stopping lawful residents, reminding them to "stay at home"

CHICAGO - Stay at home, lawful Chicago residents, or get stopped by Chicago Police. That's the message being sent by Chicago officials. 

Chicago police are setting up checkpoints throughout the city both to remind people about the statewide stay-at-home order during the coronavirus outbreak and to “show a strong police presence” in areas hit by violence, the Chicago Tribune reports Wednesday.

A department memo obtained by the Tribune calls them “seat belt safety and informational” checkpoints, and adds that the “goal of this mission is to engage the community in a positive and informative manner while providing a visible police presence in areas affected by violence."

What is the definition of a "police state"? 

Geneva lawmaker questions Pritzker's unchecked powers as 30-day Disaster Proclamation continues

GENEVA – A state rep from Geneva is concerned that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's executive powers are going unchecked by the state's other two constitutional branches.

State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is proposing that any Disaster Proclamation by the Governor of Illinois, for which a previous disaster declaration was already made, should be approved by the majority of state legislators from both houses of the Illinois General Assembly.

“First let’s begin by stating this is in no way a criticism of the way which Governor Pritzker has addressed this public health crisis,” said Ugaste. “While the Illinois legislature will have its work cut out for it to ensure our State recovers from the current crisis, one thing that needs to be done now is for the legislature, a separate and equal branch of the government, to approve the extension of the Governor’s Disaster Proclamation beyond the original 30 days.”

Thus far, no such power-balancing action has taken place, despite the Illinois Code setting a time limit on emergency powers.

Radical Environmentalists’ Giddiness During Pandemic Exposes Their True Aims

As Americans are trapped in their homes, unable to work, and struggling to pay bills due to the threat of a global pandemic, the left has a reminder for us.

The real threat is climate change.

 “We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall.”

That was the message in a March 31 tweet by former President Barack Obama in response to the Trump administration’s rolling back Obama’s fuel economy standards in March.

More HERE

Heartland Institute suggests 'climate alarmists' exploit COVID-19 pandemic to advance agenda

The Illinois-based Heartland Institute released a report on last week in which it criticized leading politicians, activists, and media outlets for using the coronavirus to push their environmental agenda.

"Not surprisingly coronavirus alarm has pushed most other issues and concerns out of the news ⎯ much to the dismay of climate alarmists," said Steve Milloy of the Heartland Institute. "But the alarmists aren’t taking displacement by coronavirus lying down. In fact, many climate alarmists are trying to use coronavirus as a means of advancing their agenda. They are trying to surf it."

The report, published on ClimateRealism.com and Heartland.org, comes amid complaints that Democrats have been trying to shoehorn some of their agenda, like emissions reductions, into legislation designed to relieve the virus' economic burden. Titled "Never Waste a Crisis," it focuses on tweets, which range from asserting the coronavirus had a "silver lining" to others in which people attribute clearing skies or water to the lack of economic activity resulting from the virus' spread.

More HERE

American Civics in the Time of Coronavirus

Can we keep our American republic? Carl Cannon writes:

In 1787, as the Philadelphia delegates to the constitutional convention finished their handiwork, Elizabeth Willing Powel, a leading lady of America’s Founding, asked Benjamin Franklin (“Dr. Franklin,” he was called out of respect) the burning question on the minds of citizens in the fledgling country: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”

Franklin’s pithy response -- “A republic, madam, if you can keep it” -- has been resurrected in the past year across the political spectrum. It’s the title of conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s new book. It was cited solemnly by liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her speech calling for President Trump’s impeachment. It’s little exaggeration to say that both sides in our contentious political divide consider the 2020 campaign to be a “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” election.

A Health Crisis Is No Time to Pick a Fight Over Beliefs About Marriage

After New York City became America’s epicenter for COVID-19 infections, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on medical personnel from around the nation to help if they can.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, answered the call, including the nonprofit, faith-based organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham.

Looking at the T-Mobile and Sprint Merger

Two telecoms complete a merger expected to speed 5G broadband deployment.

Broadband wireless company T-Mobile, the third-largest telecommunications carrier in the United States, completed the acquisition of its rival Sprint, the fourth-largest wireless company, the company announced in a news release on April 1.

The merger is expected to allow T-Mobile to successfully compete with AT&T and Verizon, the first- and second-largest telecoms, respectively. The merger is also expected to accelerate the rollout of fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless technology, and provide new broadband access in rural areas.

Approval of the deal by the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and two U.S. District Courts required T-Mobile and Sprint to transfer some assets to the Dish network, which is primarily a satellite televion provider, creating what regulators hope will be a fourth nationwide wireless network.

More HERE

Thorner/Ingold: If You're Quiet, You Can Hear the Goal Posts Moving

By Nancy Thorner & Ed Ingold - 

When the nation was closed for business on Monday, March 16, it was because otherwise the number of COVID patients would surpass the capacity of hospitals. By “flattening the curve” we could keep that number below the available beds and ventilators. Within two weeks we were told that New York City alone would need 40,000 ventilators, more than existed in the known universe at the time.

Many believed the statistics they heard, but that's what the models were predicting, and facts were sparse. “We need more ICU beds too,” and within days the Army Corps of Engineers had built 2000 more hospital rooms in the Javits Center, New York, and 2500 in McCormick Place, Chicago. Two weeks hence, California is shipping unused ventilators to Chicago and New York has fewer than 4000 in use with the number going down daily.

Pot Shops Aren’t ‘Essential’ Businesses. Federal Dollars Shouldn’t Go to Pushers.

With schools shuttered, businesses closed, and the market in disarray, government officials have moved to allow only “essential” services to operate, such as hospitals and pharmacies, grocery stores, and carry-out restaurants.

In a handful of states, however, another niche area of the market has been deemed “essential”; namely, marijuana dispensaries. That’s absurd.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, so far has stood strong in the face of industry pressure to reverse his decision to temporarily shutter recreational marijuana shops.

Others—such as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat—have issued orders limiting marijuana sales, only to reverse course after concerted pushback from the industry.

More HERE

Business Insider’s Climate Crisis/COVID-19 Link Debunked, Again!

Business Insider has published an article titled, “Climate change is only going to make health crises like coronavirus more frequent and worse.” In reality, scientific evidence shows global warming is likely to reduce the frequency and severity of coronavirus, influenza pandemics, and other health crises.

Before addressing the science, it should be noted that the author of the Business Insider article is the founder of FullCycle Energy Fund, which markets its waste-to-energy products as being a low-carbon alternative to conventional energy. So, follow the money. The author has a vested financial interest in inventing false climate scares. This requires considering the Business Insider article with healthy skepticism.

Scientific research is clear that, if anything, a warmer world would make pandemics less prevalent in the future and result in fewer deaths.

More HERE

Foreign Funding of Universities Reveals $1 Billion ‘Black Hole’

The Clarion Project has found that U.S. universities and colleges failed to report almost $1 billion in foreign funding between 2013 and 2018, despite the Education Department’s legal requirements.

About one-third came from countries known for their influence operations in America.

The revelations follow a Clarion Project’s discovery that over $10 billion has flowed from foreign countries to U.S. universities and colleges from 2012 to 2018.

More HERE

‘Common-Good Constitutionalism’ Is No Alternative to Originalism

A Harvard professor thinks conservatives should abandon originalism as a method of constitutional interpretation. Dan McLaughlin writes:

Originalism has a long pedigree in American law, notwithstanding the fact that it was largely forgotten by the 1960s. That history gives it weight and force in our society, and should offer it the respect of those who value tradition. Alexander Hamilton argued that judicial review required strict fidelity to the constitution’s text. Abraham Lincoln was an originalist, and it is striking, if you re-read the debates over the Dred Scott decision, the extent to which all sides of the argument over whether black Americans could be citizens advanced their case in terms of what was understood at the time of the Founding. Vermeule may find Hamilton and Lincoln to be obsolete, but the structures they built have endured while the Catholic monarchies of their age have been swept away by stronger historical forces.

Vermeule styles his argument as “Beyond Originalism,” and I am reminded of Ronald Reagan’s words in 1964:

You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I’d like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There’s only an up or down — [up to] man’s [age-old] dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.

Climate Change and Our Oceans

For the past 20 years, alarmists have claimed the ocean currents are slowing down and global warming is to blame. Alarmists backed up their claims with computer models they claimed predicted and replicated the slowdown. Slower ocean currents, they claimed, would alter African and Indian rainfall patterns and impact Atlantic hurricanes. As recently as 2019, alarmist “studies” claimed ocean currents had declined to their slowest pace in 1,600 years.

The latest scientific research, however, shows ocean currents have actually been speeding up during the entire time that alarmists claimed global warming was causing slowing ocean currents. Now that evidence shows no slowdown happened, alarmists claim their computer models have always predicted that global warming would cause faster ocean currents.

President Reagan’s American Response to Crisis

As we look to the future and wonder what lies ahead, these Cold War-era remarks from President Reagan still offer hope and clarity in times of uncertainty and fear. Because these are the principles that have shaped America from the very beginning—and still do.

Di Leo: “Save Lives” or You’re a Horrible Person

By John F. Di Leo -

The nation’s reaction to the current CCP Virus epidemic has been fascinating.

It has revealed an impressive ability of many businesses to adjust their operations at a moment’s notice. It has demonstrated the great advantages offered by modern technology as tools like Microsoft Teams, Webex, GoToMeeting and Facebook Live have enabled employees and students to move their tasks from office to home.  It has shown the flexibility of the logistics network as we switched over to home delivery at a moment’s notice.  It has reminded the world, once again, of the huge generosity of the American people, as Americans make homemade masks and scarves, donate money and food to the needy, and generally rise to the occasion as only Americans do.

But it has also revealed such inherent cancers as individual viciousness - see how the self-righteous demonize those who don’t agree with the establishment line on dealing with it.  It has revealed a tyrannical impulse in many governors, mayors and other politicians.  And it has revealed some incredible hypocrisy in our body politic.

Illinois State Police Extends FOID Card and CCL Expiration during Covid-19 Outbreak

This week, the Illinois State Police (ISP) filed emergency rules that extend the expiration date of current FOID cards and CCL licensees during the Covid-19 outbreak.  The new rules are as follows from ISP’s Facebook page.

• FOID card holders, who submit their renewal application will remain valid during the duration of the state’s disaster proclamation and for a period of 12 months following the termination of the disaster, even if their renewal application is/was not submitted prior to expiration.
• CCL licensees, who submit their renewal application, will remain valid during the duration of the state’s disaster proclamation and for a period of 12 months following its termination, even if their CCL renewal application was not submitted prior to expiration.
• CCL licensees will not be required to immediately submit proof of three-hour training with their CCL renewal application.
• CCL licensees will need to submit proof of their three-hour renewal training within 12 months following the termination of the state’s disaster proclamation in order to maintain the validity of their CCL license.

ISP will continue to enforce both FOID and CCL prohibitors. FOID card holders who receive revocation notices shall return their FOID and Firearm Disposition Record form to the Illinois State Police. CCL holders who receive revocation notices shall return their CCL license to the Illinois State Police.

These new rules are effective immediately.

Rossi: The Tragic Hydroxychloroquine Debate

By Randy Rossi - 

The tragic debate over using Hydroxychloroquine as an inexpensive, safe, and effective cure for the coronavirus is costing the lives of thousands of Americans, over ten million Americans their jobs, and trillions of dollars out of our 401Ks and pensions. It is a perfect example of allowing bureaucracy and protocol to “trump” facts, logic, and common sense.

Multiple tests in France, New York, and China have shown that the combination of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin dramatically and swiftly cures coronavirus. Governor Cuomo has accepted 10,000 doses of Hydroxychloroquine from President Trump to help treat the people of New York and Dr. Zelenko in New York has reported treating 699 patients tested positive for coronavirus with Hydroxychloroquine and all of them recovered and only four had to be hospitalized.

Three core principles to evaluate the coronavirus stimulus

As epidemiologists scramble to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on public health, economists are evaluating its impact on the global economy. Experts in both fields absorb the flurry of data, interpret it through their scientific training and the lens of similar historical events, and endeavor to recommend a path forward. Yet everyone knows that ultimately we are in unchartered waters, and possible outcomes vary widely.

As an economist, I am stunned by the nearly 10 million jobless claims in the United States over the past two weeks. But the dramatic monetary and fiscal reactions are nearly as stunning as the loss of jobs. As society grapples with the economic whiplash of employment collapse and the accompanying federal response, it’s important to assess what is occurring in light of first principles.

More HERE

Schlafly & Thorner: Family give Hulu's take on conservative heroine Phyllis Schlafly a "C"

By Andy Schlafly & Nancy Thorner - 

The star-studded production of “Mrs. America,” a new miniseries about Phyllis Schlafly and her defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, is the talk of television. Multiple Emmy awards are expected for this production about real-life personalities still familiar to many.

The visuals are stunning in this 9-part series to debut on the subscriber-based Hulu network on April 15. A second glance is needed at the images to determine if it is of a performer, or an actual photo of the historical figure, because the actresses are made up to look so similar to the real McCoys.

But Phyllis’s family was never consulted for this production, and the script is as shallow as a college skit.  The content relies on hackneyed stereotypes that have no basis in truth about Phyllis or her family.

Falsehoods are glaring. It portrays Phyllis as wearing only a wedding band as a married man might, but not an engagement ring as Phyllis and traditional women always did.

Chicago forces liquor stores to close at 9 PM during COVID crisis

CHICAGO - On behalf of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Monday Commissioner Allison Arwady from the Department of Public Health announced a moratorium on the sale of liquor after 9:00 p.m that is to last until the COVID-19 crisis has subsided.

Di Leo: How the 17th Amendment led to the Loss of US Senate and liberty

By John F. Di Leo -

Reflections on the anniversary of the Seventeenth Amendment

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.”

    - Constitution of the United States of America, Article 1, Section 3

And so it was, for about 124 years, from the implementation of the Constitution in 1789 through the implementation of Amendment XVII, on April 8, 1913.

With the Seventeenth Amendment, the progressive era reached its pinnacle. Direct election of United States Senators forever severed the tethers by which the state governments had always restrained the Federal Leviathan.

Trump campaign responds to Sanders dropping 2020 presidential bid

WASHINGTON DC - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign as of Wednesday, April 8th. 

President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign manager Brad Parscale responded.

"With Bernie Sanders suspending his campaign, it’s all but official that the Democrat establishment got the candidate they wanted in Joe Biden, as well as the candidate President Trump will destroy in November," he said.

"President Trump is still disrupting Washington, DC, while Biden represents the old, tired way and continuing to coddle the communist regime in China. Democrat elites shoved Bernie Sanders to the side for a second time, leaving many of his supporters looking for a new home.”

Skillicorn Files Legislation to Delay Property Tax Installments in Wake of Coronavirus

SPRINGFIELD - State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R- East Dundee) filed legislation Wednesday to establish guidelines to provide property tax relief for Illinoisans during public health emergencies, such as the coronavirus we are currently experiencing.

Rep. Skillicorn said, “During this difficult time we find ourselves in with the coronavirus, families ordered to stay at home have enough to worry about. Property taxes should be the last item to burden residents during this or any other time of a public health emergency.”

The legislation provides that if a disaster is declared by the governor for all counties in the State due to a public health emergency, then the due date for the first installment of property taxes for that year shall be delayed by 90 days, and no penalties or interest shall be accrued during that extension.

How WHO Became China’s Coronavirus Accomplice

China is pushing to become a public health superpower. Hinnerk Feldwisch-Drentrup writes:

While the novel coronavirus is changing the world, China is trying to do the same. Already a serious strategic rival of the United States with considerable international clout, it’s now moving into a new field—health.

After initial denials and cover-ups, China successfully contained the COVID-19 outbreak—but not before it had exported many cases to the rest of the world. Today, despite the falsehoods it initially passed on, which played a critical role in delaying global response, it’s trying to leverage its reputed success story into a stronger position on international health bodies.