Illinois Review

Wirepoints’ baseline reform plan reduces Illinois’ pension liabilities by 40 percent, retirement costs by $5 billion annually

Wirepoints’ reforms roll out existing universities' retirement plan to all state workers while protecting benefits already earned.

CHICAGO – The watchdog site "Wirepoints.com" has crafted a baseline retirement restructuring plan that helps put an end to the state’s public retirement crisis. The plan, largely scored by the state’s actuary, Segal Consulting, brings stability to the state’s finances through a pension freeze that protects workers’ already-earned benefits and means-testing of cost-of-living benefits and retiree health insurance subsidies.

Illinois’ pension burden is insurmountable without reform,” says Mark Glennon, Executive Editor of Wirepoints. “The total unfunded liability for state and local pensions has now reached an unimaginable $420 billion, according to Moody’s Investors Service, which provides far more realistic numbers than governments. And many municipalities are in worse shape than the state, especially Chicago. For Chicagoans, combined, overlapping, unfunded pension liabilities per household have reached an absurd $135,000. With so much debt, it’s no wonder Illinois has lost more people than any other state in the country.”

Former Dem governor joins with IL GOP candidate to "end corruption and unify the state"

SHOREWOOD, IL --- Building on a controversial partnership forged when Trump convert former Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared at a fundraiser for Trump-supporting Republican candidate for State Senate (Dist 49) Tom McCullagh, the unlikely pair is working together to "end corruption and unify the state."

“If [Tom McCullagh] gets elected to the state senate on the campaign that he’s been running,” Governor Blagojevich explained, “which has been anti-establishment, to clean up the corrupt system in Springfield, running against an established opponent who’s got the support of the Democratic party establishment behind her, and that party establishment is controlled by Mike Madigan… Tom will have a tailwhip behind him. He will have the voice of the people from his area.”

Why Illinois Is In Trouble – 109,881 Public Employees With $100,000+ Paychecks Cost Taxpayers $14B

Governor Pritzker moans that he will have to cut the state government bureaucracy to balance the budget. Really? The sleuths at OpenTheBooks.com headed by Andrew Andrzejewski just completed an investigative report on how several states - including Illinois - (mis)spend their money.

Illinois - 110,000 Illinois public employees whose salary or pension exceeds $100,000 costs taxpayers $14 billion and this includes:

• Tree trimmers in Chicago make $106,663;
• Nurses at state corrections earn up to $277,100;
• Junior college presidents make $491,095;
• University doctors earn up to $2 million;
• An Illinois family of four now owes more in unfunded pension liabilities ($76,000) than they earn in annual household income ($63,585).

More HERE

Ridings: COVID hysteria will be the mistake of an American generation

By Jim Ridings - 

My favorite children’s fable has always been “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” That is because I have seen it in action almost every day of my life.

In the fable, a vain emperor who loved clothes was approached by con men who promised to weave him the most beautiful outfit ever. The con men told the emperor the thread is invisible to fools. Since the emperor did not want to be thought a fool, he pretended he could see the material and he pretended he could see the clothes when they were finished. The emperor ordered a parade so his subjects could see his beautiful new outfit. The villagers, afraid to look foolish and afraid to cross the emperor, also pretended to see the outfit, even though the emperor was parading around in nothing but his underwear. Everyone complimented the emperor on his new clothes.

Finally, one small boy, who was innocent and honest and who could see and speak the truth, shouted, “But he has no clothes!” At last the emperor and the public admitted they had been duped and there were no new clothes.

Someday, those who worshipfully follow the dictates of the emperor who now rules every aspect of our lives will wake up and see that this emperor has no clothes.

Someday, Americans will realize that the Covid-19 hysteria was the biggest mistake we have made in more than a generation.

Beckman: Netflix's "Cuties" points to cultural drain-circling

By Hank Beckman - 

For the latest evidence that our culture is circling the drain, look no further than the critical reaction to Netflix’s new offering, “Cuties.”

“Cuties” is advertised by the streaming service as a story about a girl rebelling “against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew,” leading one to believe it’s just another generic coming of age tale.

But the film goes way overboard in its graphic depiction of erotic dancing by a group of 11-year-old girls, played by actual 11-year-olds, living in a Parisian housing project.

Curran brings together two wings of the IL GOP to oppose Durbin

CHICAGO - Republican candidate for US Senate Mark Curran is gaining support from two opposite sides of the Illinois Republican Party: Catholics and evangelicals on one side, and now on the other, the Illinois Log Cabin Republicans - a group that advocates gay rights. 

For the Log Cabin Republicans, Curran is the choice for Illinois over incumbent Dick Durbin.

"Curran will be a champion to help our President in Washington. He advocates a conservative agenda that we support: Limited Government, Healthcare, Border Security," their statement said. "Most importantly, we believe that Mr. Curran will be a voice in Washington to help support inclusion."

Chapter President Ethan Slyder noted “Mark checks all of the boxes when it comes to effective Republican leadership. I am happy to announce that our chapter has voted to endorse Mark Curran for US Senate.”

Public safety has suddenly become a big issue for Illinois voters after the state has watched downtown Chicago and several suburbs experience business-damaging violence and looting in the past summer.

Chapter Vice President Drue Mielke added "Mark Curran’s record of public service defending law and order as former Lake County Sheriff combined with Mark’s commitment to the inalienable, God given right to life of the unborn has earned the Log Cabin Republicans of Illinois' endorsement. It’s time to send a sheriff to Washington!"

On the other side of the "big tent" Illinois Republican Party, the Illinois Family Action gave Curran and 6th CD Congressional candidate Jeanne Ives virtual access to their audience recently - encouraging those that support their conservative values platform to also vote for Curran and Ives. 

IFA is staunchly opposed to Dick Durbin's pro-abortion, anti-religion and anti-family position on their key issues. They support Curran's views on life and Constitutional issues

Judicial Watch Sues State of Illinois for Refusing to Disclose Voter Roll Data in Violation of Federal Law

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Elections, and its director for failing to allow public access to its voter roll data in violation of the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

State officials refused to allow the non-profit Illinois Conservative Union and three lawfully registered Illinois voters to obtain a copy of the state’s voter registration list, despite their lawful request for those records under federal law. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on their behalf in the United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois (Illinois Conservative Union et al v. Illinois et al. (No. 1:20-cv-05542)).

Federal law provides that states “shall make available for public inspection and, where available, photocopying at a reasonable cost, all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters.” 

On July 24, 2019, the Illinois Conservative Union sent a public records request under this provision to the Illinois State Board of Elections, requesting information about the maintenance of voter rolls, including the most recent voter registration list for Illinois. The request noted that the records “would be used solely for purposes intended by federal law, namely, to ensure the accuracy and currency of the official list of eligible voters,” the complaint said.

The State Board of Elections denied the request, claiming that only political committees or governmental bodies may receive copies of records. The State Board did allow a few Illinois Conservative Union members to travel to Springfield, Illinois during working hours and afforded them the opportunity to review Illinois’ millions of voter records one at a time on a computer terminal, with no ability to sort or organize records. By this lawsuit the Illinois Conservative Union seeks meaningful access to the records it requested.

More HERE

Charges Dropped Against Romanian Pastor of Illinois Church

The City of Niles has dropped all four “disorderly conduct” citations against Pastor Daniel Chiu of the Romanian church Logos Baptist Ministries. Pastor Chiu received the $800 fine for holding peaceful morning and evening worship services for two consecutive Sundays. 

Liberty Counsel represents Logos Baptist Ministries and Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and will file a petition for cert asking the Supreme Court to review the case in the federal lawsuit against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his unconstitutional executive orders discriminating against churches.

While Gov. J.B. Pritzker removed ALL restrictions on churches and houses of worship when he was previously called to account to the Supreme Court, the High Court ruled that the governor failed to make it absolutely clear that he would not return to the prior executive order. This month Liberty Counsel will file a petition with the Supreme Court to consider the case for a full review since Gov. Pritzker wants to return to his restrictive orders. 

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “It is beyond belief that a pastor would be charged with ‘disorderly conduct’ for peacefully and safely holding a church service. Think about it – a pastor who survived Communist Romania is charged with ‘disorderly conduct’ for holding a church service in America – the Land of the Free. This is shameful. The repression against the church under Communism failed, and it will not succeed here in America.”

From Liberty Counsel

Rossi: The Constitution and History Tell President Trump to Replace Justice Ginsburg

By Randy Rossi - 

It is absolutely amazing to hear Democrats scream at the top of their lungs that President Trump has no legal right to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in an election year. They even go so far to say that President Trump should not replace Justice Ginsburg because her last dying wish was that she not be replaced until a new president was elected. Seriously? Where is that in the Constitution?

Multiple Democrats have publicly proclaimed that it would be illegal for President Trump and the Republican controlled Senate to replace Justice Ginsburg during a presidential election year. Those claims are an insult to the Constitution and the intelligence of the American people since the Constitution and history make it perfectly clear that President Trump not only has the legal right to nominate a replacement for Justice Ginsburg, he has the obligation to do so. And the Senate  has the right to approve his nomination.

Oberweis attacks Underwood's refusal to condemn rioting in new ad

Democrat Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) is staying lockstop with the Radical Left in refusing to condemn the violence and looting that's been in the headlines this summer. GOP challenger Jim Oberweis wants the voters in the 14th - which President Trump won in 2016 - to know how in line with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez their representative to the US Congress is. Underwood says the protests are "beautiful." 

Oberweis' campaign made a 500-point ad buy on broadcast TV in the Chicago media market that started Saturday. The buy includes ads on ABC 7, NBC 5, CBS 2, WGN 9, Fox 32, as well as a cable buy across the entire 14th CD.

The ad focuses on comments Rep. Lauren Underwood made during a recent candidates’ interview with the Chicago Sun Times Editorial Board. During the interview she refused to condemn rioting and instead talked about “beautiful protests.”

“Rioting and looting and violence are not ‘beautiful’,” Oberweis said. “I have consistently stood up for law enforcement. I have advocated for defending our police – not defunding them and I have called for an end to the violence. My opponent has been given numerous opportunities to condemn the violence, but she continues to refuse to do so.”

A Shrinking Population: Illinois the Outlier

Illinois is shrinking. It’s losing more people than any other state in the country. Decades of bad policies have made it too expensive to live here. There aren’t enough good jobs. And Illinoisans no longer trust their government. Over the last 10 years, Illinois’ population has declined by 170,000 people, the most in the country. Illinois is the nation’s extreme outlier.

Ives releases new campaign ad: "Lockstep"

WHEATON - The Ives for Congress campaign released another campaign ad Monday morning, emphasizing how when the Illinois House, Republican Jeanne Ives "did not go along to get along."

Now Ives is running for Congress in the 6th district, to oust Liberal Democrat freshman Sean Casten, whose victory over Peter Roskam helped usher Nancy Pelosi in as US Speaker of the House: 

Thorner: Fill Ginsburg's seat before November 3

By Nancy Thorner - 

When Trump first ran for office in 2016, I made it a point to watch most of the Trump rallies.  So far in 2020, I have a perfect record viewing Trump rallies.

Unlike the 2016 Trump rallies, the 2000 rallies are being held at airports instead of large arenas, etc.  Also, instead of being called rallies, Trump refers to them as "peaceful" protests.

Because Fox News, unlike in 2016, seldom broadcasts Trump rallies in full, by Googling, we can view every Trump rally starting two hours before the rally is scheduled to begin, where young reporters working for the network conduct interviews and present a running, informative commentary to thousands of assembled, enthusiastic Trump supporters sporting an array of Trump paraphernalia.

The excitement builds to a fever pitch when Air Force One is seen on the horizon, assuring those gathered -- many having waited hours for this moment -- when Trump will be mounting the podium to give one of his trademark, fiery and entertaining speeches.  Often lasting for 1-1/2 hours, Trump's supporters remain mesmerized during the entire time. Unlike Biden, Trump only occasionally opts to use his teleprompter, mostly when when nearing the end of his ad lib remarks.

I first heard of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death when listening to a Trump rally held at the airport in Bemidji, MN on Friday, September 18, 2020, when a caption came across my TV screen that Justice Ginsburg had died at 87 years old.  Trump was well into his speech at the time of the alert, receiving the news after his departure from the staging area.

Di Leo: A Supreme Vacancy, A Nervous Punditry, and Four Months Left on the Clock

By John F. Di Leo - 

In this most unusual of years, a new question has arisen:  When do you start working for a new job, and when do you stop?

For many of us “wage slaves,” this may seem to go without saying:  you start at 8:00am on your first day of work, and you keep on working until 5:00pm on your last day, when you punch out for the final time.

Our bosses expect us to put in a full day, every day; to do less is to cheat one’s employer.  If we’re being paid, we put in the work. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?

Illinois COVID-19 cases triple since June, but hospitalizations, deaths remain flat. What gives?

By Ted Dabrowski, President, Wirepoints - 

Illinois will never get back to any sense of normalcy as long as the media and Gov. J.B. Pritzker continue to push cases as the key measure of the virus’ danger to the general public. As we wrote last month, it’s not cases that matter, but hospitalizations and deaths.

That’s important because there’s been no real increase in hospitalizations or deaths for three whole months. Cases have tripled since their lows on June 18, yet the average daily death rate has actually fallen from 50 then, to about 19 today.

We’ve heard no explanation from Gov. Pritzker and others on why hospitalizations and deaths haven’t increased. Instead, they continue to treat case growth and positivity rates as what really matters.

What gives? Why won’t the governor share the facts with Illinois residents and businesses still affected by his continued partial lockdown?

New Jersey's expanded "Millionaire Tax" sets downhill path for Illinois to follow

NEW JERSEY - New Jersey Democrat lawmakers came to a deal with their governor last night - agreeing to raise state income tax rate for those making $1 million a year and more to 10.75%. Calling it the "Millionaire's Tax," New Jersey lawmakers say because of the budget deficit aggravated by dramatic dips in revenue attributed to COVID pandemic, there's a serious need for more taxpayers to carry the load. 

"The new income tax — part of a $32.4 billion spending plan that [New Jersey] lawmakers are set to approve by the end of the month — will increase the number of people who pay the state’s top marginal rate of 10.75% by extending it to those who earn between $1 million and $5 million a year," the New York Post writes. 

Those New Jersey taxpayers making $5 million and more now pay 8.97%, while anyone earning more than $5 million already pays the higher rate.

Thorner/O'Neil: Concerns of Patriots as November 3rd Nears

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil -

The attempted murder of two young Los Angeles police officers, shot at close range while sitting in their police car, is shocking and unacceptable in this nation. The incident reminded patriots of how specific people in leadership positions, aided by Leftist media sources, can stir up negative thoughts about our police officers and elected officials, even our President. Such public comments provide fodder for not only our foreign enemies to use against our nation, but also for others within our nation with serious mental problems that could result in “copycat” crimes.

It is therefore imperative that American patriots throughout our nation speak out against those who unfairly criticize police officers and others in positions of authority. What happened in L.A. is not an isolated example. Both police officers were very fortunate to have survived their murder attempts, but it was an eye-opener as to the threat which seems prevalent today against the very men and women who have chosen a career that protects others from harm.

Where’s Weyermuller? Catching up with Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Illinois Congressman  Darin LaHood (R-Il 18th district) was in Chicago yesterday for an event. He is leading the efforts in Illinois to get President Donald Trump re-elected. 

Two days ago he met with the President in Washington D.C. This from his Facebook page: 

Had an excellent meeting with President Donald J. Trump tonight. Proud to be working with him to get our economy safely reopened, promote agribusiness in the #IL18, and make the American Dream accessible to all Americans. Let’s continue working hard to keep him in the White House for four more years! #MAGA

Just 45 days until Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. 

Mark Weyermuller with Congressman LaHood

Mark Weyermuller is a small business person, retired real estate professional, and conservative activist in Chicago. He is a citizen journalist, frequent guest on talk radio, and regular contributor to Illinois Review. 

Data shows COVID-19 is not as deadly as we thought

After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an updated report regarding COVID-19 deaths in late August, which showed that only 6% of coronavirus deaths were solely due to the virus, some in the general public went ballistic. And rightfully so.

Businesses have been shut down for months. Millions have become unemployed. Schools remain closed. Depression and suicides are rising. Since mid-March, life as we know it has been flipped upside down. And all of this was because we were told that COVID-19 was a super deadly virus that must be stopped at all costs, literally.

As the data show, young and healthy people are almost at zero risk of dying from COVID-19.

Moreover, the CDC report shows that 94% of patients who died from COVID-19 also had, on average, 2.6 comorbidities.

This is not breaking news if you have actually been paying attention for the past six months.

Rev. Johnson: Thank God for single-use plastic bags

By Rev. Ben Johnson - 

Perhaps the only positive thing to come from the COVID-19 global pandemic has been the way it exposed a raft of never-needed regulations imposed by every level of government. Unfortunately, rather than repealing one such ordinance which could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, the UK’s Conservative government has literally doubled down.

The government-mandated cost of single-use plastic bags at groceries and stores will double, from five pence each to 10, beginning next April. Environment Secretary George Eustice also announced that the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs will broaden the market intervention by removing an exemption for small businesses. This is not merely bad news for consumers; it is bad for public health.

America's shutdown still based on flawed data about Covid-19's lethality

CHICAGO NOW - Dennis Byrne writes Friday about the ongoing criticism of COVID-19 data - and how it has devastated the US economy and overall mood. He points to comments Dr. Ngozi Ezike, an internist and pediatrician serving as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, made a few months ago when she tried to clarify the distinction between dying with or from Covid-19.

She also answered a question about how many people died from  Covid-19 who did not have another underlying condition. She said 90 percent of the deaths attributed to Covid-19 actually died with an underlying condition. The implication in the second video (below) is that only five percent of the Covid-19 deaths are due to the disease alone, and not from an underlying condition.

This shoots to hell the premise for the nation-wide shutdowns imposed by various governors and mayors. If the disease is not as fatal as advertised, how do you justify jailing people in their homes, killing millions of jobs, wrecking the education of more millions, ruining the quality of life for so many more and so forth?

To justify this bulldozing of our civil rights, martial law proponents have been trying to "clarify" Ezike's already clear definitions. Like trying to wash your car with hogwash.

More HERE.

Stress Pandemic: Tooth Fractures Skyrocket

“I’ve seen more tooth fractures in the last six weeks than in the previous six years,” Tammy Chen, DDS wrote in the NYT.

The midtown Manhattan dentist has had at least one broken tooth come in every day since she reopened in June.

Lockdowns have caused such enormous strain that teeth are cracking. That’s not catastrophic in itself, but it’s a pretty ominous indicator of the severity of the ongoing restrictions in places like New York City.

More HERE

Could O'Brien beat Kim Foxx in November? Polls show gap could be closing

CHICAGO - Does a Republican candidate have a chance to up-end George Soros-funded Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx in November? 

Looks like this year it could happen, a new poll is showing. At least it's closer than it has been in almost 20 years.

 

Cook County Republican Party Chairman Sean M. Morrison commissioned the polling firm Ogden & Fry to conduct a county-wide poll on the race for Cook County State's Attorney featuring embattled Democrat incumbent Kim Foxx versus GOP challenger Judge Pat O'Brien.

Abortion PAC starts mailer attack on pro-life Rep. Skillicorn

EAST DUNDEE - State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Dundee) is facing a stiff challenge from Mike Madigan-funded Suzanne Ness. His race is listed as one of the closest in the state - a chance for Madigan to expand his super majority in the Illinois House.

Skillicorn is outspoken about his pro-life, conservative views - and that has made him a target of the state's all-powerful abortion political action committee Personal PAC. 

They make the shrinking number of pro-life lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly's lives miserable during campaigns. Like the following mailers are hitting mailboxes in Skillicorn's district:

"On every vote, every time," the flyer says, Rep. Skillicorn opposes women making decisions for themselves.

Indeed, he opposes unborn babies being slaughtered and expectant mothers being deeply injured psychologically and physically when he votes against Personal PAC's agenda - making Illinois the most pro-abortion state in the Midwest.

Skillicorn responded to the mailer, asking, "Please tell me what is more extreme: 1) Believing that all lives matter and that human beings have inherent GOD-given rights or 2) Funding abortions until the day of birth with taxpayer money?"

"That’s the choice in this race," Skillicorn told Illinois Review Thursday. "I am 100% Pro Life. A pre-born child is a human being. That child has unique DNA and fingerprints. That child is a individual."

"My opponent Suzanne Ness wants to paint me into a box but fails to mention that she supports taxpayer funded abortions. She also supports abortions for viable children, up to the day of birth," he said.

"It’s that simple. Vote Skillicorn!" 

Byrne: Preckwinkle & Co "politically poison" non-compliant Cook Co judge

CHICAGO - Long-respected commentator Dennis Byrne has agreed for Illinois Review to showcase parts of his valuable insight to our readers, and we're delighted. Byrne rates among the most knowledgeable writers on the history and inside of Illinois politics.

Byrnes is writing these days as proprietor of "The Barbershop," where he rarely holds back punches about the good and the bad of Illinois politics. 

Yesterday, for instance, he wrote in "Illinois and Cook County still ain't ready for reform. Neither is Chicago," these scathing words about how nasty and vindictive the Democrats' Chicago Machine can be:  

Preckwinkle and Evans engineered  a Kremlin-like political poisoning of  Cook County Judge Michael Toomin because he ordered a special prosecutor to investigate State's Attorney Kim Foxx’s handing Jesse Smollet a get-out-of-jail free card. Preckwinkle led the move to not endorse Toomin for retention in the coming election even though, as John Kass noted, the judge is 'a well-respected, veteran judge.'

...

They now have embraced the same autocratic methods of Richard J. Daley and the demonic Democratic machine, punishing those who are 'disloyal' and who put the public interest ahead of party subservience.

Which leads to Mike Madigan and his most commonly used ploys to maintain his unrelenting grip on Illinois. 

Read about it HERE. 

New questions raised concerning COVID-19 reporting, Gov. Pritzker

Sun-Times photo

CHICAGO - Something is up with the information Governor Pritzker's administration is giving out on a daily basis about the state's COVID status. In a piece posed today on Wirepoints.org, they ask, "Illinois COVID-19 cases triple since June, but hospitalizations, deaths remain flat. What gives?"

The number of COVID cases have tripled in Illinois since their lows on June 18, yet the average daily death rate has actually fallen from 50 then, to about 19 today. 

Wirepoints poses these questions to be answered by Governor Pritzker:

• Are cases way up and hospitalizations flat because it’s young, healthier people that make up most of the new cases?
• Is it because there are many more asymptomatic cases?
• Is it because newer cases are coupled with fewer pre-existing conditions?
• Is it because the virus has already spread through Illinois’ most-vulnerable populations?
• Is it because Illinois is finally protecting retirement home residents better?

Read more at Wirepoints.org

There's no guarantee those making over $250k will be the only ones facing higher taxes

CHICAGO - Illinoisans are being bombarded with "Fair Tax" ads on TV and the internet - thanks to Governor Pritzker's $55 million check to pay for them.

So, what's the story on the "Fair Tax" and changing the Illinois constitution to allow the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to determine the state income tax schedule?

We looked to the dependable and wise financial brains at Wirepoints.org for their opinion on the issue. Here's what we found:

King supports, Bustos opposes, EPA's ethanol blending requirements to aid Illinois farmers

EAST MOLINE -- Esther Joy King, Republican candidate for the Illinois 17th Congressional District, said U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos' criticism of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to deny oil refineries' request to not follow ethanol blending requirements will hurt Illinois farmers.

"Cheri's swipe at the EPA and the Trump Administration for standing with ethanol producers is a slap in the face to farmers and rural America.," King said. "She’s making this political, and it’s not about politics. This is supporting hard-working communities in the 17th Congressional District."

King said Bustos' stance is harmful to the industry and farmers in western Illinois who have been struggling with the impacts of trade barriers and the pandemic.

The Renewable Fuels Association says the EPA’s announcement to reject the waivers and to keep corn-based fuels available longer at the pump are a godsend.

King, who faces Bustos in the Illinois 17th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 General Election, said she supports the move to back ethanol.

Only Black Republican Senate candidate in Illinois faces challenges getting help, says volunteer

(l to r) Dr. Eric Wallace, Devin Jones and Wallace's cousin Tory

CHICAGO – Dr. Eric Wallace is the only black Republican on the Illinois ballot this November running for the Illinois Senate in Chicago’s southern-most suburbs, a district that not only takes in part of Cook County, but sections of Kankakee, Will and Grundy counties.

But one of his most passionate and faithful volunteers outside of Wallace’s wife Jennifer and his cousin Tory is Devin Jones - Chicago’s 18th Ward Republican Committeeman and area rep for Mark Curran for US Senate. He drives miles every week to help Wallace win in November.

The 34-year-old, who does research for a private equity firm and teaches Catholic Bible studies on the side says he has two reasons why he’s going out of his way to help Dr. Wallace.

Bost releases first 2020 political ad

O'FALLON - Congressman Mike Bost released a political ad Wednesday, reviewing the year 2020:

“China unleashed this pandemic that knocked us off our stride.

We fought back with expanded testing and protective equipment for healthcare workers to strengthen our communities.

But we didn’t stop there.

We provided emergency support to small business and unemployment relief to our working families.

That’s our American spirit, that’s what we do: we come together and we fight on.

I’m Mike Bost and I approve this message because I’ll always protect Southern Illinois.”

More IL Republicans line up to bolster Madigan's power

CHICAGO - In any other state, Republican leadership - past and present - would be expected to oppose the state's one-party control. But this is Illinois. Despite Democrat Party Chairman Mike Madigan being investigated by the feds, "Republicans" are showing their true colors and lining up to keep Madigan in power of the state's judicial system, as well as Illinois' legislative and executive branches.

Last week, former IL GOP State Chairman Pat Brady made a public stand in support of Leftist Democrat Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) over 2020 Republican challenger Jeanne Ives.

This morning, Crain's Chicago Greg Hinz broke the news that once-Illinois Republican leaders Tom Cross (former IL House Minority Leader) former Chief Justices Ben Miller and Robert Thomas, former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner, former U.S. Attorneys Dan Webb and Anton Valukas endorse Democrat IL Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride's retention. 

And at the top of the list of endorsers is the late Republican Governor Jim Thompson - who reportedly bestowed support to Kilbride before his recent death. 

At the same time, the IL GOP is releasing social media memes like this: 

The fact that Kilbride is the deciding vote on "Fair Maps" and against term limits must not mean anything to the Republicans that signed onto Kilbride's re-election to the Illinois Supreme Court. 

The IL GOP is backing constitutional conservative Justice David Overstreet in southern Illinois' 5th Judicial District, pointing out that if Overstreet were to be elected, the Republicans would control the Illinois Supreme Court. 

More to come on this ... 

 

Di Leo: The Mideast Peace Process, Forty Years Later

By John F. Di Leo - 

In September of 1978, following two weeks of secret negotiations at Camp David, Israel’s Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat signed a preliminary peace treaty. These Camp David Accords proved to be the high water mark of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, his only foreign policy achievement. 

They couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. This unexpected peace between Israel and Egypt burnished the Democratic Party’s peacenik credentials after Lyndon Johnson’s long mismanagement of the Vietnam conflict.  President Carter wore this as a badge of honor, and made the most of it for the remainder of his presidency. 

The Camp David Accords hit the press just six weeks before the 1978 midterms, and dominated the foreign policy news for much of the remainder of Carter’s term in office. Even as the jihadist revolution in Iran that began in 1978, and then the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at the end of 1979, together jeopardized the world scene in the latter half of his presidency, Jimmy Carter could continue to campaign as a peacemaker, thanks to the favorable coverage he continued to get for this one piece of deal-making. 

Thorner: Western Forest Fires Hijacked to Promote Global Warming

By Nancy Thorner - 

As of Sept. 13, 2020, fires have been raging in Oregon, California and Washington for three weeks, burning millions of acres of land and destroying thousands of homes. 

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. According to officials, the fires have now scorched an area of land the size of New Jersey.

In Oregon, where firefighters are battling 16 large blazes, 40,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders. Oregon's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) says the fires have killed 10 people, but officials warn the final death toll could be much higher.

In Washington state, firefighters are tackling 15 large fires. A one-year-old boy died as his family tried to escape a blaze.  His parents remain in critical condition.

As for CA, Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters on Friday, September 11th when inspecting damage from a fire near Oroville in Northern CA:  “This is a climate damn emergency. This is real and it's happening.”

‘BLM’ Organizations Say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but They Mean ‘Be Like Marx’

The Movement for Black Lives and Black Lives Matter, colloquially known as “BLM,” are Marxist organizations whose views are in fundamental opposition to the values that America was founded upon. (And no, I’m not talking about racism. I’m talking about individual liberty, free markets, and the Constitution.) How do I know this? Because I went through the unprecedented, incredibly difficult task of going to their websites and reading their platforms.

Among the many Marxist demands these BLM organizations are making include:

• “Real, meaningful, and equitable universal health care”
• “A constitutional right at the state and federal level to a fully-funded education”
• “A progressive restructuring of tax codes at the local state, and federal levels, to ensure a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth”
• “Reparations … in the form of a guaranteed minimum livable income”
• “Reparations … in the form of corporate and government reparations … and ensuring our access and control of food sources, housing and land”
• “Reparations … in the form of mandated public school curriculums that critically examine the political, economic, and social impacts of colonialism and slavery, and … the recognition and honoring of our collective struggles and triumphs”
• “Federal and state job programs that specifically target the most economically marginalized”
• “democratic control over how resources are preserved, used and distributed”

Many of these items are, of course, unquestionably Marxist and/or socialistic. Others are extremely progressive. Most are right in line with what the far left–regardless of race–has been demanding for many decades.

Not convinced yet? Consider a few statements from the founders of BLM (again, the organization, not the slogan).

More HERE

These 10 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Underscore Second Amendment’s True Purpose

Here are examples of why the right to bear arms is so essential. Amy Swearer writes:

Every day, untold numbers of Americans rely on their Second Amendment rights to protect their lives and livelihoods.

According to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost every major study on the issue has found that Americans use their firearms in self-defense between 500,000 and 3 million times a year. There’s good reason to believe that most of these defensive gun uses aren’t reported to police, much less make the local or national news.

For this reason, The Daily Signal each month publishes an article highlighting some of the previous month’s many news stories on defensive gun use that you may have missed—or that might not have made it to the national spotlight in the first place. (Read accounts from 2019 and so far in 2020 here.)

An Unintentional Leftist Case for the Electoral College

Should we disenfranchise the majority in each state to preserve the national majority?

The presidential election season is an exciting time for the country. Candidates hop from state to state, mingling with coal miners, electricians, and school teachers in small-town diners and pizza parlors. Every four years, all those forgotten states in America’s “flyover country” suddenly become just as important as any big-city voter.

And that’s the point.

Thanks to the Electoral College, candidates actually go to Arizona, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina to listen to voters and ask for their support. There’s something authentically and wonderfully American about seeing some of the most powerful people in the country having a conversation with a librarian in Des Moines, listening to her views on taxes and infrastructure.

But that’s all about to change if the Left has its way.

While the rest of us are working and raising families, leftists continuously concoct schemes to complete their revolution and force their way of life on the rest of us. One method they’re pushing hard these days is the national popular vote, and they’re sending out an army of writers, political pundits, and personalities to attack the Electoral College.

More HERE

2300 aborted babies honored at Hillside cemetery

HILLSIDE - Folks met at the gravesite of 2,300 aborted babies buried in Hillside, Illinois on the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children last Saturday. 

The service was hosted and led by Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. 

Video by Mark Weyermuller. 

Rossi: The “Fake News” Hides President Trump’s Great Success in Middle East Peace

By Randy Rossi - 

This has been an absolutely great week and month for those people that want peace in the Middle East which brings safety to our great ally Israel. President Trump with the help of his son-in-law Jared Kushner has helped Israel and the Middle East accomplish more progress for peace in just 30 days than all other U.S. presidents combined. First we were told that thanks to those U.S. led negotiations, Israel and the UAE announced an agreement to normalize relations. Then a few days later; Israel, Kosovo, and Serbia announced an agreement to normalize relations. As a result of this great news, first Norway nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for the Israel/UAE deal and then Sweden nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for the Kosovo, Serbia, and Israel peace deal. That is the first time in history that anybody has received two Nobel Peace Prize nominations for two different accomplishments in just one week! Everybody who loves peace should celebrate this right?

Sean Casten's tweets focus of latest Ives' campaign ad; Casten responds

WHEATON - Illinois' first-term Congressman Sean Casten makes use of his Twitter feed to attract attention and express his controversial Leftist views. For instance, the meme above was sent out by his campaign Tweet account: @TeamSeanCasten.

Do his Tweets reflect the people of Illinois' once-conservative 6th CD? The Jeanne Ives campaign released a video Monday focused on voters' responses to Casten Tweets: 

Casten's campaign responded with a few Ives' Tweets, saying Ives is "extreme ... hateful ... on the wrong side of history." 

The Revolution Is Upon Us

The left is leveraging tragedy to push their radical agenda. Michael Gonzalez writes:

Hard-left progressives are telling anybody who will listen that the 2020 riots and pandemic have handed them the opportunity they’ve always needed to transform America. What they want is a revolution “in the minds of the people,” not unlike the one John Adams said led to 1776, though to attain opposite ends.

The question is, will Americans from the right and center listen, grasp that progressives mean what they say, and realize that the country might change into something unrecognizable?

The warnings (or threats) are everywhere and difficult to miss. They come neatly folded into a very instructive conversation held in August by four charter members of the hard left—Alicia Garza, founder of Black Lives Matter; Nikole Hannah-Jones, founder of the New York Times’ 1619 Project; Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino; and historian Martha Jones. The conversation was held to mark the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which told the states they could not prevent women from voting.

Beckman: The Thug of the Week is Not a Civil Rights Martyr

By Hank Beckman - 

Note to Black Lives Matter and their woke allies in Antifa, the Democratic Party and mainstream journalism: there are only so many times that you can turn a common criminal into a civil rights icon.

The latest reprobate to be ventilated by law enforcement but venerated by the left is one Jacob Blake, Jr., a Wisconsin resident with outstanding warrants for third degree sexual assault, criminal trespass to property and domestic abuse.

Mr. Blake attracted the renewed attention of the Kenosha authorities when the original complainant called to let them know he was violating a restraining order leveled against him in response to the alleged assault.

Fauci: The Response Of Trump Admin Has Been Impressive, I Can't Imagine Anybody Could Be Doing More

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the White House Coronavirus Task Force is working around the clock to fight the coronavirus outbreak, and that Trump has never challenged him on the science of coronavirus.

More HERE

Rossi: incredible Covid 19 News!

By Randy Rossi - 

If logic can prevail and if the American people were properly informed, we just got some news that should completely change the Covid 19 debate. Up until now, we have all been told 24X7 by politicians and the news media that science says that we should shut down our economy, our schools, and isolate ourselves to save lives from Covid 19. Because we listened to them, over 40 million Americans have lost their jobs and 56 million kids have been kicked out of school all of which caused massive pain to 96 million Americans but we were told it was worth it because it saved lives. And many people believe that.

But we just got some incredible news that proves with science and facts that closing down our economy and our schools did not in fact save lives and instead caused massive pain for tens of millions of Americans for no rational reason. What is that news? Statista just reported that Sweden, which did not close down its economy nor shut down its schools now has a lower Covid 19 death rate per one million people than America and many other countries in the world. As of September 7, America has had 576 Covid deaths per 1 million people. The good news is that is better than many countries including Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The incredible news is that Sweden which did not shut down its economy and or its schools had 573 deaths per 1 million people, slightly less than America. Think about that, Sweden had slightly less deaths than America yet they didn’t shut down their economy or their schools and did not cause massive pain and suffering to their people! Instead of causing massive pain for its people, Sweden focused on isolating its older people (65 plus) who are most vulnerable to Covid 19 and let people under 65 live their lives since Covid 19 was a very low risk for them.

Prominent Meteorologist Admits Climate Debate Is About ‘Justice’

Prominent climate activist and meteorologist Eric Holthaus has admitted that climate change activism is not about climate science, but really about “justice.” Holthaus’ admission is merely the latest in a long line of ‘scientists’ and others admitting that leftist political radicalism is the true goal of the asserted climate crisis.

With a Tweet, Holthaus joined a long line of climate alarmists on the left now fully admitting that the climate “crisis” or “emergency” is not about the science after all. Tweeted Holthaus:

More HERE

The Deeply Pessimistic Intellectual Roots of Black Lives Matter, the '1619 Project'

The woke ideology is deeply pessimistic. John Murawski writes:

If much of the dire rhetoric behind America’s moment of racial reckoning seems from an oppressive world of a half-century ago, that’s because it comes from "critical race theory," a decades-old philosophy deeply skeptical about the possibility of racial progress.

It turns up in the best-selling book, “White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” in which readers are told that “white identity is inherently racist” and that “the white collective fundamentally hates blackness.”

The New York Times’ historically revisionist 1619 Project, published last year and distributed to more than 3,500 K-12 classrooms, similarly instructs that “anti-black racism runs in the very DNA of this country.”

AOC pal Sean Casten endorsed by ousted IL GOP chairman Pat Brady

DOWNERS GROVE - Thursday, 6th CD Democrat Congressman Sean Casten flaunted to his Deep Blue followers a quote former IL GOP Chairman Pat Brady made endorsing him against Republican candidate Jeanne Ives. 

"[Sean] makes decisions based on facts, never politics ... [I'm] a lifelong republican, but I can't support [Jeanne Ives} - Ives makes Trump look reasonable ... [she's] on the wrong side of history," Brady quips with a sneer on the YouTube ad. 

It's as if Brady - who was chairman of the IL GOP until unhappy Republicans demanded he resign - is using the opportunity with Casten to soothe a vendetta against Ives since she had the nerve to challenge Brady's buddy Bruce Rauner in 2018. Brady's fiery temper is well-known and his reputation for rudeness towards strong women is especially noted. 

Brady's ad that hoisted a radical leftist Democrat that could allow the Democrats to keep the majority and Nancy Pelosi to remain US House Speaker and third in line to the presidency stirred a joint response from IL GOP State Chairman Tim Schneider, and Illinois' representatives to the Republican National Committee Demetra DeMonte and Richard Porter:

VP Candidate Kamala Harris chilling interview about BLM riots: “They’re not gonna stop. And they should not.”

In a chilling interview with Stephen Colbert, smiling Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris basically promised continued violence from Black Lives Matter in this country for the foreseeable future.

The interview took place in June on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

It began with Colbert asking Harris about her participation in recent protests in Washington, D.C.

More HERE

Black Lives Matter descends into a war against our nation's foundations

Black Lives Matter turns against America's founding principles. Robert Woodson writes:

Though Black Lives Matter started as an authentic call for social justice, after being taken over by violent anarchists, it has steadily descended into a war against the foundations of our nation. Its vicious, senseless violence has taken its greatest toll among the most vulnerable low-income communities it purports to speak for.

Support for Black Lives Matter became a popular and facile way to signal one’s virtue. But do Black Lives Matter supporters such as LeBron James and other NBA stars, mayors of cities that are under siege, and corporate philanthropies condone the wanton violence, devastation, and death that are now perpetrated by radical, violent anarchists in the name of “social justice" for black people?

American Gun Sales Hit Record High

“Gun owners are becoming … younger, more suburban and urban than rural, and more women and more minorities are becoming gun owners as well,” says The Washington Free Beacon’s Stephen Gutowski.

More HERE

Another Illinois company faces tough decisions if state embraces progressive tax

LYONS - While the side promoting the progressive tax hike is insisting it's the "fair" way to impose state income tax, those small business owners that employ thousands say they will be forced to make tough decisions if Illinois forces another steep cost.

Althea Mottl, whose 4th generation manufacturing company sits in high property tax Cook County, says another overhead cost could force their family - who already make deep sacrifices to stay in business - to re-evaluate how they provide for their employees. Is that fair? 

The "Say No to the Progressive Tax" campaign released their 3rd such video and story Friday morning: