December 2 Morning Edition

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Senate OKs tax bill as Trump, GOP near big legislative win – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/senate-oks-tax-bill-as-trump-gop-near-big-legislative-win/
— Rauner gets nod of support — and $5,600 — from one of Koch brothers
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/rauner-gets-nod-of-support-and-5k-from-one-of-koch-brothers/
— Judge who lent law clerk her robes has Alzheimer’s, ordered to retire – Sam Charles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/judge-who-lent-law-clerk-her-robes-has-alzheimers-ordered-to-retire/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Trump says “Contempt for Democrats is overarching GOP philosophy.” Anti-Trumps are the majority in 11 of Illinois’ 102 counties — Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, Kane, St. Clair, Winnebago, Champaign, Peoria, Rock Island, and DeKalb. The larger the majority that anti-Trumps are in a county, the more contempt for Trump supporters.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/lyons-contempt-for-democrats-is-overarching-gop-philosophy/
— Happy birthday, Illinois! – Editorial (DIERSEN: Beyond tragically, under the Democrats, Illinois is ever-increasingly anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and especially in the following 11 counties: Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, Kane, St. Clair, Winnebago, Champaign, Peoria, Rock Island, and DeKalb.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/illinois-bicentennial-year-lincoln-springfield-lake-michigan-douglas-river-chicago-peoria/
— Prostitution hurts society as a whole – Sylvia Keppel, Batavia
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/prostitution-exelon-bonnie-liltz-elections-politics/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
– Sanctuary city politics killed Kate Steinle – John Kass
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-met-california-shooting-kass-1203-story.html
— Senate Republicans pass massive $1.5 trillion tax overhaul on 51-49 vote – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-senate-tax-bill-20171201-story.html
— As Republican tax bill evolved, benefits for corporations and the wealthy grew – Heather Long
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-republican-tax-plan-wealthy-20171201-story.html
— At 110 years old, Arlington Heights woman joins world’s elite club of supercentenarians – Karen Ann Cullotta (DIERSEN: How much money have you saved for your retirement? My 87-year-old aunt is spending $230 a day out of her life savings to live in an assisted living facility in Flossmoor.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/arlington-heights/news/ct-ahp-110th-birthday-celebration-tl-1207-20171201-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After completing elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse, she boarded with a family to attend high school in a neighboring town before moving to Detroit, where she met her future husband, Joseph Arbanas, said Anne Feichter, the Arbanas’ eldest daughter. After the couple married in 1934, Joseph Arbanas, an attorney, went on to serve as a legal counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Chicago, while Lois became a homemaker and dedicated volunteer in the community. Joseph Arbanas later died in 1992, shortly before the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary, Feichter said. Lois Arbanas remained at The Moorings retirement community in Arlington Heights, which she has called home for the past 25 years.)

 

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH COLOR PICTURE: Cook County soda tax’s wounds are permanent, some businesses say – Eric Peterson and Christopher Placek
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171201/cook-county-soda-taxs-wounds-are-permanent-some-businesses-say

 

CBS2
— Former Markham Mayor Facing Federal Bribery Charges
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/01/former-markham-mayor-facing-federal-bribery-charges/

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Legalizing pot isn’t a panacea – Kathy Valente, director of operations, Illinois Family Institute
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171201/ISSUE07/171139979/legalizing-marijuana-isnt-good-for-illinois
(FROM THE ARTICLE: While Big Marijuana pours millions into Illinois, leftist lawmakers, giddy about a tiny new revenue source to aid their insatiable spending, ignore the unmistakable damage legalization is causing Colorado. Colorado now ranks No. 1 in the entire nation for marijuana use among teens, scoring 55 percent above the national average, says the National Survey on Drug Use & Health. Colorado high school drug violations have increased 71 percent and suspensions for drugs have increased 45 percent since legalization. Based on alarming research by the Denver Post, drivers in fatal car crashes who tested positive have doubled since legalization. Residential neighborhoods reek of marijuana, as do warehouse growing operations along major freeways. As if that isn’t enough, the Colorado homelessness growth rate now ranks among the highest in the country. The bottom line is this: Does Illinois want more drugged drivers on our roads, more buzzed employees on job sites and more stoned students in our homes and schools? If the answer is no, don’t remain silent. Tell your state representative and senator to oppose legalization efforts before it is too late.)
— Rauner’s caught a bad case of Madigan Fever – RICH MILLER
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171201/ISSUE11/171209983/illinois-gov-bruce-rauner-has-a-bad-case-of-madigan-fever

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Is Illinois ready for legal recreational marijuana use? (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171130/under-dome-podcast-is-illinois-ready-for-legal-recreational-marijuana-use

 

SAUK VALLEY
— Bogus state fee exposes sneaky lawmakers Illinois lawmakers weren’t satisfied when they passed an income tax increase over the governor’s veto. They also snuck in a new fee for collecting local sales taxes. It doesn’t get any sneakier than that. – Editorial
http://www.saukvalley.com/2017/11/29/bogus-state-fee-exposes-sneaky-lawmakers/ae5yzze/

 

VANDALIA RADIO
— Gov Rauner not in favor of legalizing marijuana – Todd Stapleton
http://www.vandaliaradio.com/2017/12/02/gov-rauner-not-in-favor-of-legalizing-marijuana/

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois’ GOP Congressmen Bost and Hultgren call Durbin, Duckworth hypocrites over tax comments – Cole Lauterbach
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/illinois-gop-congressmen-call-durbin-duckworth-hypocrites-over-tax-comments/article_f56a0054-d5ff-11e7-8b49-378d11d7a3c9.html

 

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— NEW IRS DATA: ILLINOIS SEES RECORD LOSS OF PEOPLE, INCOME TO OTHER STATES The Land of Lincoln is experiencing heavy losses of people and income to other states, new IRS data reveal. Illinois lost more than 86,000 people and $4.75 billion in adjusted gross income to other states from 2015-2016. – Austin Berg (DIERSEN: Members of Group A dominate Illinois and they want members of Group B to leave the state. Members of Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and members of Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/new-irs-data-illinois-sees-record-loss-of-people-income-to-other-states/

 

GOPUSA
— Mayor: San Francisco is and always will be a sanctuary city (DIERSEN: Needless-to-say, if personal safety is important to you, you leave and/or stay out of sanctuary cities, sanctuary townships/wards, sanctuary counties, and sanctuary states.)
http://www.gopusa.com/mayor-san-francisco-is-and-always-will-be-a-sanctuary-city/
— NPR And PBS, The Biggest Harassment Hypocrites
http://www.gopusa.com/npr-and-pbs-the-biggest-harassment-hypocrites/

 

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Steinle Verdict Reignites GOP Firestorm Over Sanctuary Cities, States Killer of Kate Steinle acquitted of murder charges, convicted of gun charge – Susan Crabtree
http://freebeacon.com/issues/steinle-verdict-reignites-gop-firestorm-sanctuary-cities-states/

 

BREITBART
— Amnesty Advocates Claim Progress in House GOP – NEIL MUNRO
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/01/minimal-house-gop-support-for-dream-amnesty/
— Obama Campaigners Pour Another $733,000 into Single Day of Media Buys to Oppose Roy Moore, Total ‘In-Kind Contributions’ Now Exceed $2.7 Million – MICHAEL PATRICK LEAHY
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/01/obama-campaigners-pour-another-733000-into-single-day-of-media-buys-oppose-roy-moore/
— Walmart Selling ‘Antifa’ Fan Gear – AMANDA HOUSE
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/01/walmart-selling-antifa-fan-gear/

 

BLAZE
— Texas GOP lawmaker used $84K in taxpayer funds for sexual harassment settlement – Kate Scanlon
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/12/01/gop-lawmaker-used-84k-in-taxpayer-funds-for-sexual-harassment-settlement

 

FOX BUSINESS
— Senate Passes Sweeping Revision of U.S. Tax Code – Richard Rubin and Siobhan Hughes
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/12/02/senate-passes-sweeping-revision-u-s-tax-code.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) scored a $10,000 deduction for property taxes, an expanded but temporary deduction for people with large medical expenses, and a promise of future bipartisan health-care legislation to mitigate the effects of repealing the individual health-insurance mandate. . .The bill also would push millions of households out of itemizing deductions. That would reduce the incentive to deduct mortgage interest and charitable contributions. But nonprofits, home builders and real-estate agents were unable to sway Republicans to reverse course on the measure.)

 

THE HILL
— Senate passes tax overhaul, securing major GOP victory – JORDAIN CARNEY AND NAOMI JAGODA
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362891-senate-passes-tax-overhaul-securing-major-victory

 

CNN
— Senate passes sweeping GOP tax plan in early hours of Saturday morning – Lauren Fox, Phil Mattingly, Ashley Killough and Ted Barrett
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/senate-tax-bill-vote-uncertainty/index.html

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Senate Passes Sweeping Republican Tax Overhaul Bill – Jim Tankersley, Thomas Kaplan and Alan Rappeport
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/us/politics/senate-tax-bill.html
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Want to See Earnings, by Major, by College? You Can’t – Ron Lieber
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/your-money/college-graduation-earnings-privacy.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Some tax breaks are for the rich. Others for the poor. Which are for you? – Reuben Fischer-Baum and Kevin Schaul
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/tax-breaks/?tid=graphics-story&utm_term=.58ca96cd28ef
— Here are 7 differences Republicans must resolve between their tax bills – Jeff Stein, Kim Soffen, Reuben Fischer-Baum and Kevin Uhrmacher
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/tax-bill-differences-reconciliation/
— Senate GOP tax bill passes in major victory for Trump, Republicans – Erica Werner and Damian Paletta
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/johnson-to-back-senate-tax-bill-putting-gop-leaders-close-to-securing-passage/2017/12/01/0226ff98-d6a2-11e7-b62d-d9345ced896d_story.html

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Senate Passes Sweeping Revision of U.S. Tax Code Republican-backed plan lowers corporate rate to 20% and reduces individual rates – Richard Rubin and Siobhan Hughes
https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-passes-sweeping-revision-of-u-s-tax-code-1512197717

 

USA TODAY
— These key provisions of the Senate tax bill may be a tough sell in the House – Herb Jackson and Eliza Collins
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/01/senate-tax-bill-provisions-house/914598001/
— ‘Pretendians’: Elizabeth Warren not alone in making questionable claim to Native American heritage Falsifying heritage can yield social, economic perks – Maria Polletta (DIERSEN: Many, if not most of my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes are anti-German-American. What if from the beginning I had pretended to be Swedish-American? While all my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany to northeast Illinois during the 1840s and 1850s, according to DNA Ancestry at http://dna.ancestry.com, my ancestry is 33% Europe West, 28% Scandinavia, 24% Great Britain, 11% Ireland, 2% Europe East, 1% Finland/Northwest Russia, and 1% Italy/Greece. What do you say to German-Americans who demonize, denigrate, and condemn German-Americans to curry favor with anti-German-Americans?)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/30/pretendians-who-can-claim-native-american-ancestry/912337001/

 

PBS
— San Francisco defends sanctuary status as backlash mounts – AP (DIERSEN: Needless-to-say, if personal safety is important to you, you leave and/or stay out of sanctuary cities, sanctuary townships/wards, sanctuary counties, and sanctuary states.)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/san-francisco-defends-sanctuary-status-as-backlash-mounts

 

THE NATION
— Democrats Don’t Need Trump Supporters to Win Elections The 2017 elections made clear that the Obama coalition is the majority. – Steve Phillips (DIERSEN: The Obama coalition is anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.thenation.com/article/democrats-dont-need-trump-supporters-to-win-elections/

 

ATLANTIC
— The Lines That Divide America Americans are increasingly segregated by socioeconomic class—and have forgotten that all citizens deserve a shot at moving ahead. – NITIN NOHRIA (DIERSEN: Who should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion? According to my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes, it should be those who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted a) that instead of me, the Post Office should have hired a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, and/or a poor veteran in 1966, b) that the Post Office should gotten rid of me much sooner than it did so that a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran could have my job, c) that instead of me, IRS should have hired a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran in 1971, d) that instead of me, IRS should have promoted a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran in 1972, 1973, and 1974, e) that instead of me, GAO should have hired a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran in 1980, f) that instead of me, GAO should have promoted a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran in 1986, and g) that GAO should have gotten rid of me much sooner than it did so that a poor Democrat, a poor minority, a poor female, a poor younger person, and/or a poor veteran could have my job and my preferred corner office.)
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/the-lines-reshaping-america/547205/

 

SALON
— The GOP tax plan is a middle finger to everyone but the rich Nobody should have any illusions about what Republicans are trying to accomplish – STEVE ROSENFELD
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/02/the-gop-tax-plan-is-a-middle-finger-to-everyone-but-the-rich_partner/

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.