CBS2
— Town Hall Complainers Are Like ‘Orientals’ Screaming At You: Illinois Congressman Mike Bost
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/03/02/town-hall-complainers-are-like-orientals-screaming-at-you-southern-illinois-congressman/
NBC5
— Pence Used a Private Email Account to Conduct State Business The vice president’s spokesman, Marc Lotter, said Pence “maintained a state email account and a personal email account” like previous governors in the state – Ken Thomas (DIERSEN: While I worked for GAO 1980-1997, I never used my private email accounts to conduct GAO business.)
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/Pence-Used-a-Private-Email-Account-to-Conduct-State-Business–415285353.html
ABC7
— ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS WILL RECUSE HIMSELF FROM RUSSIAN PROBES – Charles Thomas and Rob Elgas
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/ag-jeff-sessions-will-recuse-himself-from-russian-probes/1781059/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— NYC Mayor de Blasio in Chicago to raise money, give speech – Bill Ruthhart
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bill-deblasio-city-club-speech-met-story.html
— Downstate Illinois Rep. Mike Bost refers to ‘Orientals’ in describing town halls – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-congressman-orientals-town-halls-20170302-story.html
— At Chicago State, locals search for silver lining amid budget woes – Brett Christie
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/arlington-heights/sports/ct-mgc-chicago-state-cougars-athletics-tl-0227-20170303-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps paint Trump as being a dictator.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-trump-dictatorship-memories-grossman-20170302-story.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Sessions steps aside from Russia probe under pressure – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/trump-total-confidence-in-sessions-unaware-of-russian-contact/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Bring on a special prosecutor to probe Russia scandal.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-bring-on-a-special-prosecutor-to-probe-russia-scandal/
— Pols work on tax on private eyes, tattoos, piercings—little else – AP (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes want Illinois to tax GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. Will they argue that GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are worth $10 each, and that therefore, I have to charge, collect, and turn over to Illinois a 6.25 percent sales tax ($62.5 cents) each time a GOPUSA ILLINOIS email is opened?)
http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/senate-toys-with-tax-on-private-eyes-piercings-but-little-else/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Pot pushers push pot. To push pot in America is to push the destruction of America.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/jacob-sullum-marijuana-is-where-federalist-principles-go-to-die/
DAILY HERALD
— Endorsements: Broda for Lisle mayor; Hettich, Carballo, Grau for village board.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170303/discuss/170309655/
— Gambling’s growing pervasiveness – Jerry Skogmo, Executive Director, Renz Addiction Counseling Center, Elgin (DIERSEN: Gambling is a vice. If you promote gambling, you promote vice.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170302/discuss/170309695/
(FROM THE LETTER: Each year it seems that gambling becomes more pervasive. In Illinois, video gambling sites have increased significantly in the past 18 months, and there is serious discussion about expanding the number of casinos. For most people gambling is entertaining, but for the problem gambler it can eventually lead to the loss of a home, job, family and friends. Common signs of a problem gambler often include lying to your partner about where you’ve been and how you’ve spent your money; lost sleep due to gambling stress and anxiety; reducing time one spends with family and work to gamble; feeling guilty about gambling; trying to cut back in gambling without success. Gambling disorders are treatable, but professional help is needed. Renz Addiction Counseling Center is offering free gambling assessments throughout 2017 and free treatment during National problem Gambling Awareness Month this March at our Two American Way location in Elgin. For more information on Renz Center’s problem gambling services, visit www.RenzCenter.org or call the Center at (847) 742-3545.)
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Raid raises questions about Caterpillar’s cooperation – CLAIRE BUSHEY
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170303/NEWS05/170309945
— From one working woman to another: About that fear of being ‘bitchy’… – ANDEE HARRIS (DIERSEN: Have you ever worked for a woman? A woman was my supervisor during my last 4 years at GAO 1993-1997 and she was my supervisor’s supervisor for the 4 years before that 1989-1993.)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170303/OPINION/170309947
NORTHWEST HERALD
— Illinois Senate spells out proposed services for sales tax – AP (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes want Illinois to tax GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. Will they argue that GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are worth $10 each, and that therefore, I have to charge, collect, and turn over to Illinois a 6.25 percent sales tax ($62.5 cents) each time a GOPUSA ILLINOIS email is opened?)
http://www.nwherald.com/2017/03/03/illinois-senate-spells-out-proposed-services-for-sales-tax/agnpecn/
PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— Day after ‘grand bargain’ hopes dashed, some lawmakers think it can still be salvaged – Brian Robbins
http://www.pjstar.com/news/20170302/day-after-grand-bargain-hopes-dashed-some-lawmakers-think-it-can-still-be-salvaged
ILLINOIS TIMES
— The vanishing Statehouse press corps In an era of mainstream news cutbacks, ideological media step in – Tara McClellan McAndrew (DIERSEN: Since 2000, your GOPUSA Illinois Editor has increasingly stepped in a) to counter the media’s ever-increasingly pro-Democrat slant and b) to fill Republican communication voids.)
http://illinoistimes.com/article-18344-the-vanishing-statehouse-press-corps.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: As mainstream coverage of government has decreased, new media have risen to fill the void. According to the Pew’s 2014 study, there was a boom across the nation in “ideological” organizations covering state government after the Great Recession. That includes outlets funded by politicians or partisan groups which can be designed to look like mainstream media. A couple examples are the Illinois Policy Institute and Local Government Information Services, which have links to the Republican Party. Currently, there are no known media outlets covering Illinois government that have ties to other parties. In 2015, the Illinois Policy Institute, which already ran Illinois News Network, purchased Illinois Radio Network. It covers state government, among other topics. In 2013 and 2014, the Institute’s Illinois News Network tried to get press credentials from the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate, but was denied because of its relationship to a partisan, lobbying group – the Institute. The Institute sued and took its case all of the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but lost. State Journal-Register reporter Bernard Schoenburg has written several columns about Republican ties to the Institute and Local Government Information Services, including donations Governor Bruce Rauner made to both groups, totaling at least $3 million. Local Government Information Services has online websites with articles about communities around the state. One called the Sangamon Sun covers the Springfield area. On Feb. 13, its headline was: “State Comptroller Mendoza added to BossMadigan.com,” referring to an Illinois Republican Party site. Some ideological media, like the Illinois News Network, make their audio and articles available for free. In an Oct. 7, 2015, column, Schoenburg wrote: “Any of those papers or stations using that content and not clearly identifying the source as the Illinois Policy Institute are doing a disservice to their readers and listeners.” Free content is very attractive to small radio stations or newspapers with limited staff and budgets, Wheeler says. “Having fewer Statehouse reporters and fewer independent, unbiased sources of news committed to the consistent practices of journalism will make it easier for the folks who are peddling the slant to have their stuff accepted and used.” In a democracy, media have an important task, Wheeler adds, especially at a time when the federal government is making many decisions that could affect the responsibilities of state governments. “The First Amendment wasn’t created with the idea that we have to help people who are going to be running newspapers to make a lot of money.” As one Statehouse reporter I talked to put it: “Somebody has to cover the news!”)
PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— When it raids on Caterpillar’s parade – Phil Luciano
http://www.pjstar.com/news/20170302/luciano-when-it-raids-on-caterpillars-parade
OUR QUAD CITIES
— Relieving student debt in Illinois – Rachel Taylor (DIERSEN: Because I paid for all my college expenses with money that I earned doing yard work, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, working as a security guard, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies, my critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and who has always been privileged.)
http://www.ourquadcities.com/news/relieving-student-debt-in-illinois/665815131
STATELINE
— Illinois Budget ‘Grand Bargain’ Falls Through at Last Minute Democrats blame last minute ‘interference’ from Governor – Emilee Fannon
http://www.mystateline.com/news/illinois-budget-grand-bargain-falls-through-at-last-minute/665263276
FOX ILLINOIS
— Rauner Administration: Hundreds Already Signing Up Through Job Portal
http://foxillinois.com/news/local/rauner-administration-hundreds-already-signing-up-through-job-portal-03-03-2017
NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Rauner Administration: Hundreds Already Signing Up Through Job Portal
http://newschannel20.com/news/local/rauner-administration-hundreds-already-signing-up-through-job-portal
- LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
— As ‘Grand Bargain’ Is Blocked, Democrats Point To Rauner – BRIAN MACKEY
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/grand-bargain-blocked-democrats-point-rauner#stream/0
DAILY NORTHWESTERN
— Hope for grand bargain dissipates in state Senate – Nora Shelly
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2017/03/03/city/hope-for-grand-bargain-dissipates-in-state-senate/
CHICAGO MAGAZINE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats and RINOs crow over their success in a) driving Whites out of the Chicago area and b) replacing them with citizens of foreign countries.
http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/March-2017/How-Chicagoland-Is-Changing-By-Race-and-Age-And-How-Its-Not/
ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— State Rep. Jeanne Ives on gym mandate: Take away the cupcakes first
https://ilnews.org/12383/lawmaker-gym-mandate-take-away-cupcakes-first/
SANGAMON SUN
— Illinois Policy Institute sees grand illusion in ‘grand bargain’ – Glenn Minnis
http://sangamonsun.com/stories/511081517-think-tank-sees-grand-illusion-in-grand-bargain
ILLINOIS LEAKS
— COD Foundation Attorney attacked Chicago Tribune during Appellate Court hearing with false claim about ECWd – John Kraft and Kirk Allen
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/03/cod-foundation-attorney-attacked-chicago-tribune-during-appellate-court-hearing-with-false-claim-about-ecwd/
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Press coverage of Trump in first month of office: 88 percent ‘hostile,’ says new study – Jennifer Harper
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/2/press-coverage-of-trump-in-first-month-of-office-8/
DAILY CALLER
— Angry Students Disrupt Conservative Scholar’s Speech At Middlebury College – Scott Greer
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/02/angry-students-disrupt-conservative-scholars-speech-at-middlebury-college/
WESTERN JOURNALISM
— Conway: Democrat Never Apologized For Sexist Remark “… it is important to clarify what I meant.” – Jack Davis
http://www.westernjournalism.com/conway-democrat-never-apologized-for-sexist-remark/
CATHOLIC HERALD
— The media’s moment of truth Mainstream news sources used to define reality. Now that their dominance is ending, Christians face a new culture war – Maggie Gallagher
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/march-3rd-2017/the-medias-moment-of-truth/
BREITBART
— Washington Post Likens Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler – JOEL B. POLLAK (DIERSEN: Are you a Trump supporter? If you are, soon if not already, the anti-Trumps who run your municipality, who run your township/ward, who run your county, who run Illinois, and who run America will liken you to Adolph Hitler, and especially if you are Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, a gun owner, German American, draft avoider, and/or your ancestors have been in America for a long time. How have you reacted to that? How will your react to that? Recently, I publicly shouted at one of the aforesaid anti-Trumps three times that “I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY YOU!!!”)
http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2017/03/02/adolf-hitler-washington-post-likens-donald-trump-voice/
FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM
— The Impact of New and Expanded E-Verify Measures on Unemployment Rates Since the Great Recession (DIERSEN: Needless-to-say, all employers should be required to use E-Verify. If an employer does not use E-Verify, a) it shouts that it wants cheap labor, b) it shouts that it hires and exploits illegals, c) it shouts that it despises if not hates American workers, d) it shouts that it encourages people to come to America illegally, e) it shouts that it encourages people to stay in America illegally, and f) it shouts that it encourages people to bring other people to America illegally.)
http://www.fairus.org/issue/the-impact-of-new-and-expanded-e-verify-measures-on-unemployment-rates-since-the-great-recession
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Congress created E-Verify in 1996, and launched the program in 1997, to assist employers in verifying new employees’ eligibility to work in the United States. The stated goal is to provide fast and reliable verification by comparing an employee’s I-9 form to U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration databases.(1)
Though easy to use and accessible to all employers, participation in the E-Verify program is not required by federal law. However, the 2011 Supreme Court case Chamber of Commerce v Whiting affirmed that states may constitutionally pass legislation requiring some or all employers within their jurisdiction to use E-Verify. Unfortunately, most states have left its use optional, or only require certain employers to use the program.(2) Does E-Verify Work? The E-Verify program protects job opportunities for American workers by ensuring that employers using the program only hire individuals who are authorized by the federal government to work in the United States. Opponents of E-Verify often claim, however, that the program’s 99.7 percent verification accuracy rate isn’t reliable enough and assert that any false-positive returns will remain uncorrected, even when appealed.(3) Some opponents go as far as to argue that requiring widespread usage of the program will result in increased unemployment rates. To determine whether state E-Verify laws impact job markets after their implementation, this report examines the U-6 unemployment rate(4) in states one year after instituting or expanding E-Verify requirements. The U-6 unemployment rate includes discouraged job-seekers who have stopped searching for employment and those who are working part time for purely economic reasons – as opposed to those who may be working part time by choice.)
FOX NEWS CHANNEL
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Bost spokesman George O’Connor said Bost’s use of Orientals was a reference to sessions during China’s Cultural Revolution when individuals were publicly humiliated and subjected to verbal abuse by a crowd.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/03/illinois-congressman-uses-derogatory-term-when-describing-raucous-town-halls.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “While there was no malicious intent, I regret that my words may have distracted from an important point,” Bost said. “When the booing and shouting drowns out the conversation we’re trying to have with our constituents, it becomes that much harder to govern.” Some Republicans in Congress have participated in rowdy town halls in which crowds have expressed concerns about President Donald Trump’s policies. A few, like Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, have been shouted down and booed. Bost described the town halls as “out of control, which means you don’t actually get to talk to people and listen, and we’re looking for ways to do that.” In an editorial, the Southern Illinoisan noted that the people of his district want to have their voices heard, and doing it over the phone or the internet just won’t do. It went on to say, “It is part of his job description to, from time to time, take the heat. A leader should not be reluctant to meet with his constituents personally.”)
AMERICAN THINKER
— When Did Barack Obama Become an Overt Black Racist? – Richard Winchester (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, if you are not anti-White, Democrats and RINOs not only do not accept you, they try to get rid of you. Because I am not anti-White, Democrats and RINOs do not accept me and they try very hard to get rid of me. Ever-increasing, Democrats and RINOs have their operatives and their dupes insult me and threaten me in public. Needless-to-say, their insults and their threats not only do not intimidate me, they motivate me.)
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/03/when_did_barack_obama_become_an_overt_black_racist.html
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Does Heated Rhetoric Lead to Hate Crimes? The connection between speech and violence is not as simple as some say. – ADDISON DEL MASTRO (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps promote hatred against those who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/does-speech-lead-to-hate-crimes/
GOPUSA
— Cruz to Trump: Rev up economy and you’ll be re-elected in a landslide
http://www.gopusa.com/cruz-to-trump-rev-up-economy-and-youll-be-re-elected-in-a-landslide/
CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN NEWS
— NINE POSITIVE AND EIGHT NEGATIVE OBSERVATIONS FROM TRUMP’S SPEECH – Kent Kellar (DIERSEN: Kellar comes across as being more of a Libertarian than a Conservative.)
http://conservativerepublicannews.com/2017/03/02/nine-positive-and-eight-negative-observations-from-trumps-speech/
ACCURACY IN ACADEMIA
— Kellyanne Conway Won’t Play the Victim Card – Malcolm A. Kline
https://www.academia.org/kellyanne-conway-wont-play-the-victim-card/
— Illegal Border Crossings are Down 50% – Malcolm A. Kline, Leave a comment
https://www.academia.org/illegal-border-crossings-are-down-50/
LIFEZETTE
— OUTSTANDING: Study: E-Verify States Lead in Job Gains Unemployment fell faster in states with mandatory use of immigration status system – Brendan Kirby
http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/study-e-verify-states-lead-in-job-gains/
NATIONAL REVIEW
— Trump Did Not Hint at the ‘Comprehensive Reform’ That Sank Rubio – PETER SPILIAKOS
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/445374/amnesty-illegal-aliens-trump-comprehensive-immigration-reform-marco-rubio-compromise-enforcement
— Class and the Trump Resistance – JONATHAN S. TOBIN (DIERSEN: What class do your critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes paint you as being in? When my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes paint me as being low class, they hint/imply/argue/shout that a) I am 100% German national origin, b) none of my ancestors attended college, c) my father was the first of his ancestors to earn a high school diploma, d) my mother never attended high school, e) I do not have a degree from an Ivy League college, f) all the jobs that I have held were bad jobs, g) I never earned more than $122,991/year in today’s dollars, h) I was forced to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, i) I have never been an entrepreneur, j) I was not born and raised in Wheaton or Glen Ellyn, k) I am not Catholic, and l) while I am an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman, I am not an elected official in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, in Illinois, or in America.)
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/445424/trump-resistance-rooted-class-warfare-elite-snobbery
POLITICO
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Democrats dismiss Trump’s immigration reform talk. Trump’s crackdown on immigrants may have poisoned the well for a comprehensive deal.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-immigration-democrats-235588
CNN
— Congressman Mike Bost: ‘I regret’ using a derogatory term while comparing town halls to Maoist China – Eli Watkins
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/mike-bost-struggle-sessions/
UPI
— Bi-partisan bill encourages firms to help pay workers’ student loans – Allen Cone (DIERSEN: Because I paid for all my college expenses with money that I earned doing yard work, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, working as a security guard, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies, my critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and who has always been privileged.)
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/03/02/Bi-partisan-bill-encourages-firms-to-help-pay-workers-student-loans/2831488512219/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Under Trump, an Already Depleted I.R.S. Could Face Deep Cuts – ALAN RAPPEPORT (DIERSEN: I worked for IRS 1971-1980 and I worked for GAO on audits of IRS 1986-1988.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/trump-mnuchin-irs.html
— A ‘Sanctuary City’ Seizes the Moment, and the Name – LAWRENCE DOWNES (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps encourage people to come to America illegally, to stay in America, and to bring others to America illegally.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/opinion/a-sanctuary-city-seizes-the-moment-and-the-name.html
— Paul Ryan’s Misguided Sense of Freedom The rich are the only ones who could be truly free in his vision of the country.- BRYCE COVERT (DIERSEN: Democrats and RINOs hint/imply/argue/shout that if you are in America legally or illegally, if you need something like medical care, housing, food, clothing, education, transportation, or just about anything else, those who pay taxes in American are obligated to give it to you. What percent of those who immigrate to America do so because of that?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/opinion/paul-ryans-misguided-sense-of-freedom.html
NEW YORK POST
— Stop playing politics with hate – Editorial (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps promote hatred against those who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
http://nypost.com/2017/03/02/stop-playing-politics-with-hate/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Journalists Demand Access, but Sometimes They’re Selective An Illinois reporter Scott Reeder lost his press credential when he left the legacy media to work for a nonprofit. – JACOB HUEBERT
https://www.wsj.com/articles/journalists-demand-access-but-sometimes-theyre-selective-1488498959
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The national press was outraged after reporters from CNN, the New York Times, Politico, BuzzFeed and the Los Angeles Times were kept out of an off-camera White House press briefing last week. CNN anchor Jake Tapper called the action “un-American.” Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron said it was “appalling” and “undemocratic.” National Press Club president Jeffrey Ballou labeled the exclusion “deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable.” Their concerns are valid: Government officials can silence critics by picking and choosing who gets access. But few have noted that the Trump administration’s actions are far from unprecedented. Similar scenes have played out at all levels of government and media, yet the press rarely object so vociferously. Worse, mainstream outlets sometimes are complicit in helping the government limit the access of other journalists. A prime example comes from Illinois. As an attorney for the Liberty Justice Center, I represented a veteran journalist who was denied statehouse press credentials in Springfield. Scott Reeder had been a reporter and editor for more than 25 years. He spent the first 20 years of his career at newspapers in Texas, Nevada and Illinois, racking up journalism awards along the way. He became a well-known fixture in the Illinois Capitol. Then he decided to start a statehouse news service to keep doing the same work he had always done. Joining with the Illinois Policy Institute, a government watchdog organization, Mr. Reeder planned to launch his new venture in 2013. But when he applied for statehouse press credentials, Mr. Reeder got the cold shoulder from lawmakers who decide which outlets can cover them. Mr. Reeder was a tough reporter, ruffling feathers of politicians on both sides of the aisle—as journalists should—and his application was denied because of his association with the institute. Officials determined that under the legislature’s rules Mr. Reeder was no longer entitled to a pass because the institute was registered as a lobbyist and wasn’t “primarily” engaged in news reporting. But the legislature never excluded reporters from for-profit newspapers simply because their parent companies lobbied and engaged in other businesses besides news. The Chicago Tribune had no trouble getting credentials when its then-owner, the Tribune Co., hired a firm to lobby on its behalf and operated businesses unrelated to news, such as the Chicago Cubs. We challenged Mr. Reeder’s exclusion from the press gallery on First Amendment grounds. The courts declined to consider the claim, holding that “absolute legislative immunity” precludes lawsuits over credentialing decisions. The precedent was a 1975 case involving access to the congressional press galleries. In 1972 the Standing Committee of Correspondents had voted to exclude writers from Consumer Reports because the magazine was published by a nonprofit advocacy group rather than a traditional news organization. The publisher sued. A federal judge ruled that the exclusion violated the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from arbitrarily keeping reporters out of press facilities based on who employs them or the ideas they advocate. But the decision was overturned on appeal. The judges held they could not interfere with the internal operations of Congress, even to vindicate the First Amendment. In the Consumer Reports case, it was journalists who made the decision to exclude. The Standing Committee, to which Congress delegates authority over credentials, is composed of journalists from traditional news organizations (including, in some years, The Wall Street Journal). As for Mr. Reeder, he got little support from fellow reporters. Some even published articles attempting to delegitimize his work because he was no longer employed by a legacy media outlet. The White House has not always provided equal access either. In 2009 the Obama administration tried to exclude Fox News reporters from a round of interviews with a Treasury official. A top White House staffer had recently described Fox as “not really a news station.” In that case, other media organizations lined up behind Fox, and the White House eventually relented. But the incident didn’t get nearly as much attention as last week’s brouhaha. It’s good that the media united in objection to the Trump administration last week. Perhaps the incident will serve as an important civics lesson about the dangers of the government granting special privileges to select media outlets. Here’s to hoping the media will continue to advocate equal access, just as forcefully as they are now, for journalists of all stripes covering all levels of government.)
— The Left Learns to Love Dubya Liberals call Bush a hero now that there’s a new Republican Hitler in town. – KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-left-learns-to-love-dubya-1488499163
— More Than 1,800 Boeing Employees Accept Voluntary Buyouts – DOUG CAMERON (DIERSEN: I worked for GAO 1980-1997. In 1993, when I was 45 years old, all GAO employees who had 25 or more years of federal service like me were “offered” $25,000 buyouts.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-seeking-1-500-layoffs-union-says-1488476457
DENVER POST
— Retirement anxiety is gripping America 80 percent of those surveyed said the average worker “cannot save enough on their own to guarantee a secure retirement.” – Bloomberg (DIERSEN: I began saving for a “secure retirement” in 1966 when I was 18 years old when I started working part-time for the Park Forest Post Office and earning Civil Service Retirement System credits. My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always been extremely furious about that.)
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/28/retirement-anxiety-america/
FORTUNE
— Federal Officials Raid 3 Caterpillar Offices in Illinois – Reuters
http://fortune.com/2017/03/02/caterpillar-investigation-illinois/
BLOOMBERG
— Caterpillar Goes From White House Kudos to Multi-Agency Raid – Joe Deaux, Mario Parker, and David Voreacos
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-02/caterpillar-falls-most-in-eight-months-as-facilities-raided
FED SMITH
— Legislation Reintroduced in Congress to Make It Easier to Fire VA Employees – Ian Smith (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always promoted patronage. Because I have always been a Republican, were it not for federal civil service protections, a) the Post Office would NOT have hired me in 1966 or let me work there for almost 3 years, b) IRS would NOT have hired me in 1971 or let me work there for almost 9 years, c) IRS would NOT have promoted me in 1972, 1973, or 1974, d) GAO would NOT have hired me in 1980 or let me work there for almost 18 years, and d) GAO would NOT have promoted me in 1986.)
http://www.fedsmith.com/2017/03/03/legislation-reintroduced-in-congress-to-make-it-easier-to-fire-va-employees/
WORLD SOCIALIST WEBSITE
— Illinois state workers vote overwhelmingly to strike – Alexander Fangmann
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/03/afsc-m03.html
