Illinois Review

Di Leo: My Son’s Friend’s Mom Is On the Ballot!

By John F Di Leo - 

At election time, there is a certain risk that is most severe in local elections: the risk that friendship will trump judgment.

If we instinctively know how destructive leftist policies are, in terms of promulgating high taxes, burdensome regulations, etc., we are less likely to be conned into voting for a leftist for state or national office… because we do not know them personally, so we can think objectively.

At the local level, however, it is easy to be conned. 

That leftist running for alderman, school board, library board, or township trustee is probably just as dangerous, just as destructive, as the congressional candidates you have no trouble voting against, year after year.

But you know THIS guy or gal personally.

To End Deficits, Restrict Political Pickpockets

Government spending is out of control. In March 2021, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that federal government spending in fiscal year 2021 (which began on October 1, 2020) will come to at least $5.8 trillion, with tax revenues of $3.5 trillion, and a resulting budget deficit of over $2.3 trillion. The total federal accumulated debt will be approaching $30 trillion.

“Mandatory” government spending – the “entitlement programs” – will come to about $3.7 trillion out of all expenditures of $5.8 trillion, or 66 percent of that total. “Discretionary” spending will be over $1.6 trillion, with interest payments on prior accumulated federal debt being another $303 billion. Notice that the entitlement spending for Uncle Sam’s current fiscal year of $3.7 trillion will be larger than the anticipated total tax revenues of $3.5 trillion from all sources. The core welfare state expenses are costing $200 billion more than all of what is collected from American taxpayers. So, the government is borrowing money to cover part of the entitlement expenditures, plus all “discretionary” spending, and the interest on the national debt.

In this fiscal year, government spending will equal 26.3 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with tax revenues coming to 16 percent of GDP, and the budget deficit equaling 10.3 percent of GDP. That is, federal government spending will be more than one out of every four dollars of the total value of national output. And the budget deficit will be more than one out of every 10 dollars of GDP.

(It also should be kept in mind that in 2021 state and local government spending is likely to be an additional $4 trillion, on top of what the federal government is spending.)

More HERE

Under Biden, Woke Banks Running Wild

Many on the left want to allow banks to discriminate on political ideology, among other things, because large banks have already used their power to promote a variety of causes favored by Democrats.

During the final weeks of the Trump administration, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued an important regulation that would have required financial institutions to base their rules governing access to banking services on financial concerns, rather than political views.

According to the Trump-era OCC, "The rule codifies more than a decade of OCC guidance stating that banks should conduct risk assessment of individual customers, rather than make broad-based decisions affecting whole categories or classes of customers, when provisioning access to services, capital, and credit."

More HERE

Court Cancels CDC’s Power Over Landlords

A federal court ruled the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its authority in issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The March 10 decision in Skyworks v. Centers for Disease Control is a victory for a group of Ohio landlords and the National Association of Homebuilders, who challenged the ban in October. The ruling allows evictions to resume in much of Ohio, restoring landlords’ rights to remove tenants who don’t honor their lease obligation to pay rent.  But the landlord groups among the victorious plaintiffs believe the ruling should apply beyond Ohio.

Judge Philip Calabrese’s declaratory judgment held that the CDC lacks the statutory authority to promulgate the eviction ban, writing, “Without question, effective pandemic response depends on the judgment of reliable science – not political science.  But that obvious truism does not empower agencies or their officials to exceed the mandate Congress gives them.”

“This is a victory for the rule of law,” said Steve Simpson, a senior attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), which represented the landlords.  “This decision makes clear that federal agencies can’t exercise power Congress has not given them. Now our clients no longer have to provide housing for free.”

More HERE

DiLeo: Odd Year Elections: Running the Republic Under the Radar

By John F. DiLeo - 

Reflections on the deceptive silence of local elections...

In November of every even year, American citizens go to the polls.   

Those federal elections get press coverage, avalanches of campaign funds, public service ads encouraging participation, televised debates and perhaps best of all, partisan labels to simplify one’s choices. 

The spring and fall elections of odd years like 2021 enjoy no such star power.

Rap artist promotes $1018 Satan shoes made with human blood in soles

From the Christian Post: 

Christian and conservative leaders reacted with dismay after Lil Nas X, the artist behind "Old Town Road,” announced he is collaborating with the streetwear company MSCHF on a pair of "Satan Shoes” that contain a drop of human blood in the sole.

The shoes, apparently modified Nike Air Max 97s — are decorated with a pentagram pendant and a reference to Luke 10:18: “And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”

The sneakers also contain a drop of human blood in the sole, drawn from members of the MSCHF team. A total of 666 pairs — a number widely recognized symbols for the devil — went up for sale Monday at the price of $1,018.

The release of the Satan Shoes coincides with Lil Nas X's latest single, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," and its accompanying music video. In the video, Lil Nas X descends down a stripper pole and gives Satan a lap dance.

More HERE: 

Who Will Keep Our Liberties Safe?

What if liberty and democracy are opposites? What if the principle underlying liberty is to restrain the government to maximize individual autonomy? What if the principle underlying democracy is to unleash the government to give the people whatever they want?

What if personal liberty is an individual birthright because we are created in the image and likeness of God? What if just as God is perfectly free, we are perfectly free? What if our personal liberties are integral to our humanity?

More HERE

COVID Could Help Expand Telemedicine

One of the few silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it could lead to a huge expansion of telemedicine in America.  Since the pandemic began, more Americans than ever before are seeking alternatives to traditional in-person doctor appointments.

Fortunately, the development of telemedicine offers millions of Americans easy access to convenient, high-quality health care.  This has led to a large increase in momentum from doctors and patients for continued use of telemedicine.

Telehealth is a useful tool that allows patients to seek care virtually, without having to visit a medical office in person.  By utilizing technology that is practically ubiquitous, telehealth offers doctors the ability to remotely diagnose, treat, and monitor their patients.

More HERE

Thorner: A ‘Woke’ American Military Ignores Suez Canal Chaos?

Monday morning, the Ever Given was set free and fully afloat

By Nancy Thorner - 

On Friday, March 27, 2020, Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized the U.S. Department of Defense under the Biden/Harris administration of being too “woke” to respond to the chaos caused by the Ever Given, the gigantic container ship blown sideways in the Suez Canal early in the morning on Tuesday, March 23, 2020.  Until then, I was unfamiliar with this story.   

Carlson said, “If you’re wondering whether our military leadership has gone ‘woke,’ [The closure of the canal] is a challenge to America’s critical national interest. How is the Pentagon responding to that?  Well, they’re occupied with other things right now, such as Diversity and Inclusion."

How to beat the woke: Never apologize, rally friends and punch back harder

Americans hate woke culture, as noted in these pages not too long ago. Black, white, Republican and Democrat, a large majority of Americans oppose it. Even people like former President Barack Obama, Bill Maher and ultra-liberal comedienne Sarah Silverman hate it (Maher calls it “Stalinist”).

But it keeps going. Why is that? And what can you do about it — especially if you or someone you are close to comes under attack? In short, it keeps going because it’s easy and fun — and you have to make it less so.

Lesson one: Don’t panic — and don’t give in.

More HERE

No, Trump Didn’t Create The Border Crisis. Democrats Did

Whether you agree with Trump’s immigration policies or not, Joe Biden and his team own this current border crisis--no one else. Chad Wolf writes:

President Joe Biden has essentially told the American people the buck does not stop at the Oval Office — at least not on the border crisis. Having dismantled many of the immigration policies the Trump administration used to regain control of our southern border, Biden administration officials now insist the current mess is somehow all Trump’s fault.

Raising the Minimum Wage Will Definitely Cost Jobs

A survey of the economics research shows the likelihood of a substantial reduction in employment if a national $15 minimum wage is passed. David Neumark writes:

A recent Congressional Budget Office report estimated that 1.4 million jobs would be lost if a new $15 federal minimum wage is signed into law. Advocates were quick to dismiss the CBO’s conclusion. “It is not a stretch to say that a new consensus has emerged among economists that minimum wage increases have raised wages without substantial job loss,” said Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute, which has also circulated a letter signed by economics Nobel laureates and others making the same claim.

As I show in a recent extensive survey of research on minimum wages and job loss in the U.S., this is simply not true. Most studies find that a minimum wage reduces employment of low-skilled workers, especially the lowest earners most directly affected by raising the minimum wage.

Duckworth pushes to overturn Hyde Amendment

Star Tribune photo

CHICAGO - Illinois US Senator Tammy Duckworth introduced a bill Thursday to force American taxpayers to pay for abortions, arguing that it would be racist not to, LifeNews reports. Duckworth's bill would overturn the late Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde's long-held federal provision against using Medicaid funds to pay for abortions. 

Earlier this week, Duckworth declared she would support only “diversity candidates” until President Biden addressed what the New York Times described as the "dearth of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in his administration." She and another Asian-American backed away from their threats when the Biden White House announced an Asian-American nominee would soon be presented.

And no major Republican candidate from Illinois has stepped forward to challenge her in 2022.

Physicians Face Pressure to be Woke

The controversial trend of promoting critical race theory, which President Trump called “anti-American,” has reached medical schools and the field of medicine more generally.

Leading the way has been one of the world’s top medical journals, The Lancet, which published an article in February called “Time to Take Critical Race Theory Seriously: Moving Beyond a Colour-Blind Gender Lens in Global Health,” which urged doctors to “meaningfully engage with critical race theory, a transdisciplinary intellectual movement to understand and disrupt systemic racism.”

Systemic or structural racism is a concept from critical race theory that claims racism is built into society’s institutions or systems, such as government, education, the economy, the workplace, and religious life.

The article’s authors, who are not doctors but describe themselves as “women of colour scholars, practitioners, and educators whose work addresses race, gender, and class inequity,” assert that the “global health community has been slow to consciously [center] on race” and that focusing on race in global health will “help to achieve the mutually reinforcing goals of eradicating both racial and gender inequity.”

More HERE

Gavrilovic: D 202 Parents fight to return kids to classroom

By Ema Gavrilovic - 

Two weekends ago, four favored District 202 School Board candidates appeared at Naperville’s Cross-District Rally to promote their locally-funded Political Action Committee (PAC), 202 Parents for Choice, to encourage citizens to vote for their slate in the April 6 Consolidated Election. They are Annie Klupshas, Nick Giannasi, Rick Todd, and Raj Pillai.

The rally unified families and educators who remain concerned about the inadequacies of remote learning that has affected students for this entire school year and during the end of last. The event drew attention from big media names including WGN and Amy Jacobson, one of the hosts for Chicago’s AM 560 radio station. The rally also drew a large crowd from Naperville and its neighboring towns within the 202 district and residents expressed their support for the reopening of campus facilities on handmade posters. While all four candidates spoke at prior engagements, such as at three recent Town Halls, 202 Parents for Choice Annie Klupshas and Nick Giannasi addressed the crowd. They remarked they will always provide a choice for parents and their children’s unique learning needs by readily having available both remote learning and in-person education five days a week.

Sutter: Will Life Return to Normal?

By Daniel Sutter - 

I do not try predicting politicians’ decisions but contend that life should return to normal when we the people want it to.

Vaccinations have ramped up and the nationwide seven-day averages of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are down 49, 67 and 77 percent from their January highs. President Biden recently announced that enough vaccines should be available for all adults by the end of May. These developments are changing state policies. The governors of Texas and Mississippi have ended their state COVID-19 restrictions.

On the other hand, some public health officials want restrictions on life continued. Dr. Anthony Fauci foresees people still wearing masks in 2022. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) wants fully vaccinated persons to wear masks and not interact with persons not from their household.

I see the research on crises as offering a warning about what may happen, not an inevitability. The phrase “Freedom Isn’t Free” normally reminds us of sacrifices made defending America. Many Americans have willingly sacrificed to try to contain COVID-19. We should soon demand a full and complete restoration of our freedom.

More HERE

Thorner: Climate Policy Science Explained Through Climate Change Minute Long Videos

By Nancy Thorner - 

On March 16, 2021, I received an e-mail from my Canadian scientist friend, Tom Harris, indicating that his new science-based, not-for-profit site -- in conjunction with the International Climate Science Coalition Canada -- was now operational. Tom Harris is Executive Director of the science-based, non-partisan group.

Tom’s education was in thermo-fluids and energy sciences, and he has a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Tom has 40 years of experience working as a mechanical engineer and project manager, science and technology communications professional, and media and S&T advisor to a former Opposition Environment Critic in Canada’s Federal Parliament.

For the past 20 years, Tom has been working with a team of independent scientists and engineers to promote a sensible approach to a range of energy and environmental topics, particularly in climate change.

As Mr. Harris explained to me, "The purpose of his new science-based, not-for-profit site with the International Climate Science Coalition Canada is to alert Canadians to the fact that the only climate policy that makes sense is adaptation to Climate Change.  No matter what one believes about the causes of Climate Change, we cannot stop it."

Harris then steered me to a recent article of his, Adaptation a Sensible Climate Policy for Canada's Conservatives, which summaries the site's purpose.

The Civil Rights Movement has been betrayed by a twisted progressive ideology

The civil rights movement was about giving everyone an opportunity to succeed and treating everyone fairly, the left has turned against that message. Bob Woodson writes:

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a just and equitable America, in which citizens treated each other as persons rather than as carriers of an indelible racial imprint.

Today, the progressive left has bet against King's vision: we are not persons, we are our racial identities, and anyone who rejects that view is guilty of racism.

Democrats’ Operative Got Secret Internet Connection at Wisconsin Election Center, Emails Show

A veteran Democratic operative intricately involved in Green Bay’s November election was given access to “hidden” identifiers for the internet network at the hotel convention center where ballots were counted, according to emails obtained by Wisconsin Spotlight.

Green Bay city officials insist the presidential election was “administered exclusively by city staff.” But the emails show that Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, Wisconsin state lead for the National Vote at Home Institute, had a troubling amount of contact with election administration Nov. 4.

More HERE

Napolitano: The Coming War on Privacy

By Judge Napolitano - 

How could federal prosecutors predict crimes? They would attempt to do so by a serious uptick in domestic surveillance of broad categories of people based on political and ideological views.

The government loves to give the impression that it has caught bad guys before they struck, thereby keeping us safe. Don’t believe it. The government’s first task is to keep us free. But when it violates the Constitution, it keeps us neither safe nor free. Who will keep us safe from the government?

More HERE

Child Sex Trafficking Survivors Wish Twitter 'Happy Birthday' In Disturbing Video

A group of child sex trafficking survivors sent a poignant message to Twitter on the company’s 15th birthday. In a PSA created by three different organizations, they gave their testimonials about their experiences being trafficked and how their lives are impacted by the fact that their images are still being shared by the social media platform.

More HERE

Thorner/O’Neil: Blame for Border Crisis Rests Squarely on Biden/Harris Administration

By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil - 

Senator Schumer and his Democrat cohorts in Congress continue to whine about Donald Trump’s rhetoric on border decisions, placing blame on President Trump for Biden's border crisis.

Even current problems, those that were not issues when Trump was President, are nevertheless being blamed on the former President, such as the White House ignoring the confession of a killer in Georgia in order to try to connect Donald Trump to the massage parlor massacre.

Does the Biden Administration think “we the people” are unable to investigate facts and statements to decide for ourselves what should and should not be blamed on present and former officials?

Politicians often view as self-serving excuses to dismiss their own negatives. Denying known facts only causes citizens to wonder how many other problems exist that politicians will incorrectly blame on others.

Democrats hammered President Trump on incompetence when he was President -- a clever tactic used to avoid being blamed for their own problems -- which, in turn, led citizens to view Trump negatively.

Illinois Politicians Want to Give Themselves Law Enforcement Power

A bill in Springfield would grant “conservator of the peace” powers to all members of the Illinois General Assembly (aka politicians).

After Illinois state representatives and senators completed a law enforcement training course, House Bill 724 would allow them to:

• Arrest or cause to be arrested, with or without process, all persons who break the peace or are found violating any municipal ordinance or any criminal law of the state
• Commit arrested persons for examination
• If necessary, to detain arrested persons in custody overnight or Sunday in any safe place or until they can be brought before the proper court, and
• Exercise all other powers as conservators of the peace prescribed by state and corporate authorities.

State Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, has raised concerns about the proposed bill. Caulkins said to WAND-TV. “Do you want political people with the power to arrest someone that they may not agree with politically? I mean, I think there’s a lot to be thought about.”

The concerns Caulkins expressed over mixing the lawmaking powers of representatives with law enforcement echo criticisms long aimed at Chicago aldermen.

Alderman have been considered “conservators of the peace” under Illinois law since 1872, granting them the power to make arrests and carry a concealed handgun in the case they or someone else is under immediate threat of bodily harm. They also have badges.

But because Chicago is a home-rule municipality, city alderman were able to pass legislation making themselves exempt from the state-mandated firearm training required of law officers to carry firearms, despite possessing similar policing powers.

The bill was assigned to the House Executive Committee on March 2.

Minnesota Gov. Rescinds Occupancy Requirements on Churches Following Thomas More Lawsuit

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rescinded occupancy requirements on the state’s houses of worship earlier this week following a lawsuit from the Thomas More Society and voter initiatives to recall him.

Walz’s Executive Order 21-11, which was approved on March 15, 2021, lifted the last remaining restriction on church attendance in Minnesota, which had capped occupancy at 50 percent. The restrictions remain in effect for bars and restaurants.

“The dominoes are falling in favor of abolishing the states’ limitations on church attendance,” Thomas More Society special counsel Erick Kaardal said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “Minnesota has abolished its church attendance limitations. Next, our plan is to similarly abolish all the other states’ remaining limitations on church attendance, which have been occurring nationwide.”

The Thomas More Society filed the lawsuit against Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison last August, arguing on behalf of three churches that the state’s mandate regarding attendance limits violated their religious liberties. The churches involved include Cornerstone Church of Alexandria in Alexandra, Minnesota, Life Spring Church in Crosby, Minnesota, and Calvary Chapel in St. Paul.

The Thomas More Society, a non-profit national public interest law firm based in Chicago, has filed similar lawsuits across the country, perhaps most notably on behalf of Grace Community Church and their senior pastor John MacArthur in Los Angeles.

More HERE

Fracking Ban Would Devastate the Economy

A report from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy says a ban on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) would cost millions of jobs, result in trillions of in lost gross domestic product (GDP) and labor income, dramatically increase gasoline prices and electricity bills, and increase emissions of carbon dioxide and various pollutants.

Average gasoline prices would more than double by 2023 to $4.20 per gallon, according to DOE’s analysis. Americans would pay an additional $1.19 trillion in petroleum costs through 2025.

More HERE

California Bill Seeks To Ban Police Officers Who Have Expressed Religious Or Conservative Views

A new bill introduced in the California State Assembly seeks to root out police officers who have made public comments supporting religious or conservative views.

The Federalist reported that the bill purports to simply remove officers who have engaged in “hate speech” or are affiliated with a “hate group.” The way the bill is written, however, many officers would lose their jobs or be prohibited from serving merely for stating their religious or conservative beliefs.

The bill, deceptively called the California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform Act or CLEAR Act, was introduced by State Rep. Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and claims that it would stop “the infiltration of extremists in our law enforcement agencies” and mandate a background check for any officer who has “exchanged racist and homophobic messages.”

Kalra, The Federalist reported, insisted the bill was necessary to combat “the apparent cooperation, participation, and support of some law enforcement” in the January 6 Capitol riot in Washington, D.C.

Di Leo: Economics in One Kitchen

By John F Di Leo - 

Last week, our family’s 20 year old electric hand mixer died.  We can’t complain; it lasted a long time, and got a lot of use. But it did mean that it was time to go shopping.

Now, we do a lot of research on many of the products we buy; a cheap hand mixer, however, did not feel like it merited that kind of research. I just headed to Walmart, expecting to grab one and go.

I was surprised by two things in this shopping trip: both a larger selection than I expected, and a narrower choice of countries of origin than I would have thought possible a few years ago.

Wheaton College Joins the Cancel Culture

Wheaton College, a prominent evangelical school in Wheaton, Illinois attended by Billy Graham in the 1940s, made headlines is making headlines after they removed a plaque in the school’s chapel that commemorated some of their martyred alumni.

The plaque, which honored slain missionaries Jim Elliot and Ed McCully from the class of 1949, was recently removed and awaits the review of a bureaucratic task force appointed by the school’s Senior Administrative Cabinet.

According to a statement from Wheaton College president Philip Ryken, the plaque’s use of the word “savage” is apparently an inappropriate description of the Auca Indian tribe in Ecuador, whose warriors speared the unarmed Elliot and his fellow missionaries to death before tossing their mutilated bodies into a river.

More HERE

Miller: Radical left setting their sights on our Second Amendment rights

By Congresswoman Mary Miller -

Nancy Pelosi and her cadre of progressives continue to prove bipartisanship is an unobtainable allusion in today’s world of hyper partisanship. The Democrats are pushing out bill after bill with little if any bipartisan support such as two gun control bills recently approved essentially on party lines.

H.R. 8, the so-called “Bipartisan Background Checks Act” passed with only 8 Republicans voting for it and H.R.1446, the “Enhanced Background Checks Act,” passed with only two Republicans voting for it. 

These measures are nothing more than the latest attempt to erode our Second Amendment rights. We already have background checks as all gun purchasers at a retail store must go through a background check. In the case of online purchases, the online vendor sends the person to a licensed firearms dealer to do a background check. Police are present at gun shows to do background checks. The only sales in which a background check does not occur is private sales. 

In essence, H.R. 8 is nothing more than an attempt to end private sales of firearms and set up a national registry of firearms. The notion that H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 will do anything to stop criminal activity is laughable. Does the radical left really believe criminals looking to commit violence with guns will submit to a background check to obtain a firearm? 

It is hard to believe anyone could be so gullible as to think radical gun control policies will actually work. So, what is the motivation to keep pushing a radical agenda to take away our Second Amendment rights?

It certainly isn’t the safety of our communities.

Thorner: Washington D.C. Under Military Occupation?

By Nancy Thorner - 

On June 4, 2020 Nancy Pelosi wrote a letter to President Trump wanting explanation of National Guard Troops in the Capitol.  Excerpt follows:

“We are concerned about the increased militarization and lack of clarity that may increase chaos.  I am writing to request a full list of the agencies involved and clarifications of the roles and responsibilities of the troops and federal law enforcement resources operating in the city. Congress and the American people need to know who is in charge, what is the chain of command, what is the mission, and by what authority is the National Guard from other states operating in the capital.”

Timeline of National Guard Deployment to Capitol

"It was on August 1 ^st, 2021 that President Trump deployed federal forces in D.C. There is no statehood separating D.C. from his power. As a territory and not a state, President Trump doesn't have to consult and communicate with certain local officials."

Christian College Hosts Event Blaming Evil ‘White Evangelicals’ For Electing The ‘Least-Christian President In American History’

TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images

A Christian college in Michigan hosted an event that told students that the evils of white evangelicals brought rise to the “least-Christian president in American history,” Donald Trump. 

Calvin University hosted an event titled “Jesus and John Wayne,” hosted by history and gender studies professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez. The event was based on Kobes Du Mez’s book entitled “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”  

According to the event’s description, the program was about how Donald Trump represents the “fulfillment” of white evangelicals’ most “deeply held values.”

More HERE

China Mocks And Attacks The United States On U.S. Soil; Biden Admin Struggles To Respond

The Biden administration struggled during its first face-to-face meeting with communist China, which happened on U.S. soil, as the Chinese turned what was supposed to be an affair only lasting several minutes into a “public blowup” that lasted more than an hour.

The meeting was supposed to get both sides to the table to set the tone for relations between the two under President Joe Biden’s new Democrat administration. It was expected that the U.S. was going to bring up issues involving China, like human rights and its increasing aggression in numerous domains, but what was not expected was that China would mock the U.S. on U.S. soil. Many critics were stunned by the level of aggression that China showed to the U.S. and the weak response of the Biden administration.

More HERE

“Clean Slate” Endorses two for College of DuPage

Six years ago, you helped elect the “Clean Slate”, to bring some sorely needed reform to the College of DuPage, which was suffering under some very difficult times. We accomplished a lot over the past 6 years, instituting many policy changes including adopting the recommendations from the State Auditor General and returned the College of DuPage to full accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission.

Now, all three of us, Deanne Mazzochi, Frank Napolitano and Charles Bernstein are endorsing two candidates to provide continuity to the exceptional progress the college achieved  over our term of 6 years; Heidi Holan and Andrew Manno. Together Heidi and Andrew will continue these reforms and best practices, focus on Student Success, and defend the Taxpayer’s dollars that the institution is entrusted with.

72% of Illinoisans say parents should be notified before a minor daughter's abortion

CHICAGO - A new Illinois Right to Life poll conducted by the Tarrance Group gauged Illinois residents’ support of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act. According to this poll of registered voters, 72% of people in Illinois believe an adult family member should be notified before a minor has an abortion.

In Illinois, girls under 18 must have parental consent before getting into a tanning booth, getting their ears pierced or acquiring a tattoo. Any girl under age 21 is banned from buying alcohol, tobacco or cannabis products. 

But Planned Parenthood wants any minor girl to be able to take abortion-producing drugs or have abortion surgery without notifying her parents. The ACLU and Human Rights Watch agree. These groups say "involving an adult family member is dangerous for youth in the state, violates their human rights, and threatens their health and safety..." 

Illinois State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. and State Representative Anna Moeller introduced bills in both Illinois General Assembly chambers to repeal the law – SB 2190 and HB 1797. Votes are anticipated in both chambers before the end of May 2021.

Rossi: The Difference Between Equality and Equity in the Real World

By Randy Rossi - 

The new buzz word in the biased liberal media and with Democrats is “equity” and they are just thrilled with that concept and don’t understand how it conflicts with history and happiness. Sadly, they have no clue about the difference between equity and equality which was a gift our Founding Fathers gave us when they signed the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The difference centers around the concept of everybody having the same opportunities with the outcome being determined by how hard a person works and what results they deliver which is the definition of equality.

Benjamin Franklin explained it best when he said “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself”. That is equality! I just saw another simple explanation of the difference between equality and equity, “Equality is everybody being equal at the starting line of a race. Equity is everybody being equal at the finish line”. While everybody raised in the “Good old days” knew that difference, young people today don’t. Those of us in the older generation were taught that lesson every day in sports, school, and in life. That made us stronger, more disciplined, and made everybody better. Back in those days the saying was “In America everybody can reach up for the brass ring”. You controlled your destiny. And that concept of equality made America the most prosperous nation in the world.

Where’s Weyermuller? Joining the push to Reopen Illinois schools

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Yesterday, over 300 parents and residents gathered in Naperville, Illinois to demand that students be allowed in school for “in classroom learning”  five days a week. They marched several blocks holding signs and chanting “five days a week.”  The marchers met at a plaza in the downtown area to hear from a long list of speakers, including school board candidates.

The speakers included Shannon Adcock, Kevin Coyne, Bill Eagan, Adam Russo, Rajesh Narayan, Paul Leong, and Brent Lightfoot. The event was lead by a student playing God Bless America on a trumpet. 

Center Square: Illinois lawmakers urge for targeted use of federal tax dollars to pay off billions in debt

State Rep. Mark Zalewski (D-Riverside) 

(The Center Square) – Illinois state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are looking to flex the legislature’s appropriation power on the influx of federal dollars headed to the state’s budget.

As part of the $1.9 trillion federal spending plan signed Thursday, the state is set to get more than $13 billion from federal taxpayers. Of that, $7.5 billion will go directly to the state.

One area already targeted for $3 billion in spending in on recent short-term borrowing the state took on from the Federal Reserve.

“We can basically give two-to-three week notice to the Federal Reserve that we have the funds on hand and we want to repay that debate,” Sturm said. “So we can call it all within two-to-three weeks and save ourselves quite a bit of interest costs.”

The rest of the story HERE. 

Overwhelming Majority: Promote Human Rights In China, Even If Against Corporate Interests

Pew Research survey shows that Americans think human rights should surpass corporate interests in Biden's China policies.

When asked if the US should “try to promote human rights even if it harms economic relations with China”, 70 percent of those responding to a Pew Research survey said they were fine with that.

Thorner: Biden’s First Prime Time Address Offers Little for COVID-weary Americans

By Nancy Thorner - 

President Joe Biden delivered his first prime time address Thursday, March 11, 2021, shortly after signing into law a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill, where only  9% was targeted for Covid relief. 

The address marked the president’s 50th day in office and came exactly a year after state and local government began imposing lockdowns in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 and limit the fallout from the pandemic.

Did Capitalism Save Communist China?

How did one of the world’s poorest countries—China—become, in thirty years, one of the world’s richest? The answer is surprisingly simple and surprisingly powerful. China scholar Helen Raleigh breaks it down.

Does Milton Township want its own mental health facility that would duplicate county services?

NAMI - DuPage Mental Health facility is less than 5 years old

DuPAGE CO - Milton Township apparently wants to hike township taxpayers' bills by three times to pay for a community mental health facility - in a community that already houses a fairly new mental health facility at the County complex. 

Here's the question Milton Township voters will be asked on April 6th in the local elections:

Shall Milton Township establish and maintain community mental health facilities and services including services for the person with a developmental disability or substance disorder and levy therefore an annual tax of not to exceed .15%?

"Taxpayers already built a state-of-the-art mental health facility just five years ago in the heart of Milton Township at the County complex. NAMI DuPage does a great job helping people with mental health issues," former State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) wrote in an email to voters this week.

"This is unneeded at the Township level. Mental health services are the responsibility of the State and County, not the Township. Make your state rep and senator fund mental health out of COVID proceeds from the federal government."

5 in DuPage County charged with voter fraud

DUPAGE - Five people in west suburban DuPage County have been charged with voter fraud, including counts ranging from forgery to perjury. 

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced earlier this week that his office has filed charges against five individuals accused of various charges related to election fraud in the 2020 general election. The charges are the result of investigations conducted by the State’s Attorney’s Office into thirty-two cases of alleged election fraud.

While most of those cases have been closed without charges, several remain under investigation.

Is it too much for abortion clinics to simply offer ultrasounds to expectant moms?

POMONA – While the Illinois Democrat supermajority forcefully pushes to make Illinois even more open and embracing of the abortion industry, at least one downstate GOP lawmaker is trying his best to breathe a bit of sanity into the state capitol's moral vacuum.  

Legislation introduced by State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) to require abortion clincs to offer an ultrasound before the abortion is performed is an  effort to slow down the process and provide the expectant mother the information she would need to make an informed decision.  

House Bill 683 would create the Ultrasound Opportunity Act. It would require attending physicians, referring physicians or other qualified personnel to offer any woman seeking an abortion after 8 weeks of gestation the opportunity to receive and view an active ultrasound prior to an abortion being performed.

Pritzker agrees with Duckworth: "F*ck Tucker Carlson..."

CHICAGO - The Illinois Left is outraged at Fox News' Tucker Carlson's criticism of what this week he called "feminizing the military."

Illinois' junior US Senator Tammy Duckworth responded to Carlson's comments in a Tweet that earned her the title "Pottymouth Tammy." 

"F*ck Tucker Carlson," Duckworth tweeted. "While he was practicing his two-step, America’s female warriors were hunting down Al Qaeda and proving the strength of America’s women. Happy belated International Women’s Day to everyone but Tucker, who even I can dance better than."

Friday, Governor Pritzker joined the pile-on, displaying his support for Duckworth and overcoming animosity for Carlson - and, let's be honest, any other conservative that doesn't like where the Biden Administration is taking the US military. How dare anyone think differently than Duckworth and Pritzker? 

I’m with her. https://t.co/uZydFmT3KX

— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) March 11, 2021

Beckman: Before Rush, there was nothing ...

By Hank Beckman - 

Coming of age in the early years of Rock and Roll, John Lennon spoke for his entire English generation when he reportedly said, “before Elvis, there was nothing.”

There were obviously other musical influences that led to the birth of Rock; antecedents, if you will. But for Lennon’s contemporaries, Elvis was the one that got a whole class of English youth rocking and rolling.

A similar media earthquake—and Elvis was an earthquake—hit at the end of the Reagan administration. It registered the equivalent of a 9.0 on the Richter Scale and changed our political discourse, shook the mainstream media’s dominance of the national conversation and had especially profound consequences for conservatives.

Simply put, before Rush Limbaugh, there was nothing.

Illinois, one of slowest states to re-open

CHICAGO - If you're looking for a place to take a weekend trip on the one year anniversary of Illinois' COVID emergency shutdown, here is a map by Multistate of where our neighbors are in re-opening and where Illinois is.

(We find it very appropriate that the graphic designers show Illinois one of the deepest blue states in the union these days.) 

Publish

More info HERE. 

Analysis shows Illinois has highest taxes in nation

Illinois now has the dubious honor of having the highest taxes in the United States.

The analysis by personal finance website WalletHub looked at state and local taxes, income taxes, real estate taxes, sales and excise taxes, and vehicle property taxes for the report.

The study shows the average Illinois household pays nearly $9,500 a year in state and local taxes, the highest in the nation.

More HERE

Fuel and Retail Association calls on Pritzker to "end any policies" hurting small businesses

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, representing Illinois gas stations and convenience stores, today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate and House approving the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan:

“These latest actions out of Washington are good news for so many small businesses and families in Illinois and across the country who have been devastated by job loss and a lack of economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. I encourage Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his team to move quickly to ensure these funds reach the people they were designed to help.

But I also call on the Governor to use this good news for Illinois to officially end any policies that would punish the very people the federal aid is supposed to support.

Bost opposes, says only 9% of Democrat bill's funding goes to COVI-19 relief

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (IL-12) today voted against House Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package, which directed just nine percent of the funding relief to addressing the pandemic.

"Up to this point, every piece of COVID-19 relief legislation that has been signed into law has been bipartisan, and I have supported all five,” said Bost. “But this time around, Nancy Pelosi pushed forward on her own bill without any input from congressional Republicans. Only 9% of the funding in this bill goes to COVID-19 relief, while the other 91% funded their liberal wish list in disguise. It’s critical we find real, targeted solutions to keeping our communities healthy and getting Americans back to school and work; but we must do so without breaking the bank for future generations.”

Bost previously voted for all five of the bipartisan COVID-19 packages negotiated in the House, while introducing the VA VACCINE Act to expand access to vaccines for veterans and supporting bipartisan efforts to provide additional vaccine distribution funding.

Thorner: America won't be rescued with Dems' bailout plan; future generations will pay

By Nancy Thorner - 

On March 4, 2021, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)   forced the Senate floor staff to read the entire Democratic coronavirus relief bill -- “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” bill -- before the vote took place in the Senate, arguing it would give senators time to craft amendments and for Americans to learn the details of the legislation. As Johnson stated in his appearance on News Max's Greg Kelly show on March 9, 2021, the bill took 10 hours and 44 minutes to read. 

Following the reading, the Senate, where Democrats have effective control, passed its version of the bill after a marathon Saturday overnight session.  It eliminated or pared back some provisions in an original House bill, including an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. 

The House of Representatives is planning to take up the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. The chamber's expected approval will enable Joe Biden's signing of the legislation into law later this week.