Author: David Diersen

NBC5
— Illinois Democrats Short on Votes to Pass Tax Hike
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/illinois-democrats-short-on-votes-to-pass-tax-hike-report-425049144.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Governor Bruce Rauner has already expressed opposition to an income tax hike, saying that he will not consider any type of hike unless it is accompanied by a freeze on property taxes in the state. . .Republicans responded to those statements, saying that Democrats have no interest in forging any bipartisan consensus on a bill. “Democrats are not interested in bipartisan support on what we should be doing with taxes,” State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R – Wheaton) said.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— House Dems dissect budget, tax hike; budget director vows Rauner veto – Tina Sfondeles
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/house-dems-dissect-budget-tax-hike-budget-director-vows-rauner-veto/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois House Democrats divided on whether to pass tax hike Rauner vows to veto – Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-legislature-met-0529-20170528-story.html
— FRONT PAGE: Scam artists target immigrant communities, promising legal status for cash – Nereida Moreno
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/immigration/ct-immigration-notary-fraud-met-20170529-story.html
— Why Trump is right about terrorists being ‘losers’ – Jonah Goldberg  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes view everyone as being losers.  Concerning me, they stress that I am no longer the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member, a GAO employee, an IRS employee, etc.  Concerning me, they stress that my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, they always ranked me in the lower half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO 1980-1997, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980; that my Democrat IRS superiors did not promote me beyond GS-12, that they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and that they disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974; and that my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.  My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes side with my Democrat superiors against me.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-donald-trump-terrorists-losers-20170528-column.html
— Democrats must start thinking about their theme for the day after Trump – Ron Grossman  (DIERSEN: For Democrats, their theme will always be “blame everything that is bad on those individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.”)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-democrats-need-to-remember-20170528-story.html
— Film by Neuqua alum part of Hollywood film festival – Suzanne Baker  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes do everything that they can to promote anxiety in their targets.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-neuqua-alum-directs-film-st-0528-20170527-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A short film directed by a former Naperville resident will premier next month at one of the most popular independent film festivals in southern California. The six-minute film “Reach” by 2012 Neuqua Valley alumna Kelsey Sante will be shown June 7 at the TCL “Grauman’s” Chinese Theatre in Hollywood as part of Dances With Films festival. In its 20th year, the festival, which runs June 1-11, draws with more than 20,000 people each year. “Reach” explores the story of Hannah, a young woman who suffers from panic attacks due to an anxiety disorder. “Like so many of us who suffer from a mental illness, Hannah doesn’t know how to reach out to the people around her and she feels that her illness is a burden on her friends,” Sante said.)

WTTW
— Without a Budget, ‘That’s It’: Weekend State Budget Update – Amanda Vinicky
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/05/28/without-budget-s-it-weekend-state-budget-update

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— All options remain on table as budget talks continue – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170528/all-options-remain-on-table-as-budget-talks-continue
— Odds against Springfield casino after amendment blocked – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170528/odds-against-springfield-casino-after-amendment-blocked
— U of Illinois trustees’ retreat to address free speech – AP  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes oppose free speech. They want to manipulate/dominate all forms of communication.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170528/u-of-illinois-trustees-retreat-to-address-free-speech

QUAD CITY TIMES
— There’s nothing popular about a tax hike, Illinois Dems – Rich Miller  (DIERSEN: What about those a) who have paid little or no income tax, b) who are paying little or no income tax, and/or c) who are on track to paying little of no income tax for the rest of their lives?  What about those who want those who earn more money to pay more taxes?)
http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/guest/miller-there-s-nothing-popular-about-a-tax-hike-illinois/article_dc7efadb-1467-53db-98d8-1f10d24ded3c.html

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Rep. Ives blasts House Dems, says Illinoisans don’t want massive tax hike – Dan McCaleb and Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/rep-ives-blasts-house-dems-says-illinoisans-don-t-want/article_bd2fb1bc-43eb-11e7-a5f4-1b7d2251064e.html
— Illinois House appropriations committees discuss Senate spending plan – Greg Bishop, Cole Lauterbach and Dan McCaleb
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/illinois-house-appropriations-committees-discuss-senate-spending-plan/article_43944244-43d9-11e7-9993-6b245e343307.html

CHICAGO NOW
— Special Memorial Day thanks to military draftees killed in action – Dennis Byrne  (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who used/use my getting student draft deferments 1966-1970 and my getting a financial draft hardship 1970-1971 against me.  Most of them were my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government.)
http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2017/05/special-memorial-day-thanks-to-military-draftees-killed-in-action/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: On this Memorial Day, here is a special recognition of men who were conscripted into the military and who were killed in action. Volunteering for hazardous military duty and paying for it with your life deserves the highest praise. But what about those men who were drafted, who had no choice and who were killed? Today, memories of the draft have faded and the reality of Selective Service are absent in the lives of so many Americans. It is hard for today’s generations, mainly post-Baby Boomer, to know what it is like for government to order you into combat. For notification to report to a certain military installation on a certain date to be inducted into the Army. To be hauled off to basic training, to be told how to meet your responsibility to kill people. To be transported to front lines where people are dying. To either fire your weapon and fight, or be court marshaled. Failure to report for your military draft would result in imprisonment or fines and immediate induction. Today, the governing principle is that “It’s my body and no one can tell me what to do with it.” That’s mostly the mantra of the abortion industry and women’s rights advocates. But the philosophy certain has successfully seeped into today’s package of taken-for-granted men’s rights. A draft is simply inconceivable in today’s culture of extreme individualism. Today’s generations have no concept of what life was like when you had to plan for at least two years of military service. No “gap” year allowed. Avoiding the draft has a major concern, as important if not more so, than picking a college or a career. College deferments, which ultimately would run out. Getting married, but that deferment disappeared as the Vietnam War grew hotter. Teaching or certain other occupations. Using a connection to find  a slot in a high-demand reserve unit. In the Vietnam War, draftees accounted for 30.4 percent, or 17,725 combat deaths. Some 1.9 million men were drafted from 1964 to 1973.  In World War II, 61.2 percent of military men, or 11,5 million men, were draftees. While a large number of men were volunteers, in a manner of speaking, they also in reality were inductees. The draft, as designed, encouraged young men to “volunteer” for other branches of the service than the Army. “Volunteer” service in the Navy or Air Force was at least a year longer, but the chances of getting maimed or killed in combat were less. The draft always has been controversial, less so in time of national emergency such as World War II. But barring the most extraordinary crisis, today’s culture has killed all possibility of it returning (even though men today are still required to register for selective service). By the way, the stereotype of the Vietnam veteran is way off base. The image of the poorly educated, reluctant, drugged out and minority Vietnam soldier needs to be changed according to  Fact vs. Fiction. Check it out.)

CHICAGO ARGUS
— Memorial Day; ‘yea’ or ‘nae’ for those who do their military service? – Gregory Tejeda  (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who used/use my getting student draft deferments 1966-1970 and my getting a financial draft hardship 1970-1971 against me.  Most of them were my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government.)
http://chicagoargus.blogspot.com/2017/05/memorial-day-yea-or-nae-for-those-who.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: I never served in any branch of the military; that fact doesn’t make me the least bit unique. There are many who for whatever reason manage to avoid a stint in the Army or any other military organization, and certainly don’t think our lives are any less complete as a result. OF COURSE, THERE also are those in our society who made a point of enlisting the first chance they got, and wind up thinking of their time in uniform and being among those who “serve their country” as the high point of their lives! Some even come away with thinking their military record entitles them to prime treatment for the remainder of their lives. We have a serious schism in our society; often viewing various issues quite differently. And not just a matter of whether we think Donald Trump is a “great American” or a “pompous fool” totally unfit to be carrying the title of Commander-in-Chief of our nation’s military! That split includes how essential we think it is that one have a military service record as part of their permanent record, or how much “lip service” they pay to the concept — I attended a Catholic mass that included a musical tribute to the armed services in its choir’s Sunday program; and while many were eager to support the idea, only a tiny minority of the congregation admitted to actually having served. Which gets down to the essence of the direction we think our society ought to be headed. THERE ARE THOSE people who will say that one reason, if not the primary reason, that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were unfit to be president is because they never served in the military (and in the case of Clinton used many of the legal maneuvers people of that era engaged in to avoid a call-up to active duty). Some of an older generation remember back to the military draft, and think that forcing people of various economic and social classes to interact helped ease the societal split that now exists. Although others, including those who managed to avoid military service, would argue that the very concept of having done a stretch in the military puts a person into a mindset that makes them too narrow and unfit to address the serious problems confronting our nation, and our world. Perhaps we all ought to be engaged in something more than blind faith in forcing esoteric concepts of what one wants to define as patriotism by a trip out to the cemetery to pay tribute to someone who was unfortunate to have lost their life during their military service. SOME OF US like to talk about the “ultimate sacrifice” those young men made, I’m sure many of them could have contributed something equally worthwhile to society had they had a chance at a long- and full-life. While many of those who these days do enlist in the military often do so because their options in life are limited; and that military stretch may be their best option for preparing for an adult life. I remember in my own case, my mother would have been appalled if I had seriously talked about enlisting. I remember when Army recruiters sniffed around me when I was 16 and in high school, she gave them the cold shoulder. In my case, that probably was a wise direction. I did make the most of a college education, and it stirred me in the right direction toward what I wanted to do (yes, I actually figured out as far back as age 13 that I wanted to be a reporter-type person). I resisted the Army’s marketing pleas to “be all you can be.” WHILE I HAD cousins who did stints of military service, and it helped them come up with the funds to pay for future education options they took on or taught them some skills used later in life. It worked out well for them, and I’m sure for many of the individuals who have done military service. My point in stating all this is that I’m not about to hold it over anybody’s head that I didn’t have to use the military to get ahead in life. Meaning I’m not about to defer to those who want to act as though the fact that they did a stretch in uniform somehow makes them superior. I actually find such an attitude to be arrogant and unfit for anyone to have in our society. Particularly because it places a view that one can claim superiority for doing something that may well have been their only realistic option in life. And on this Memorial Day when we pay tribute to the contributions of military personnel throughout our history, perhaps I should even throw in that having such an attitude perhaps even qualifies as un-American!)

FOX NEWS
— New lawsuit accuses imprisoned former House Speaker Hastert of sex assault – AP
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/28/new-lawsuit-accuses-imprisoned-former-house-speaker-hastert-sex-assault.html

THE BLAZE
— Newt Gingrich says he has a plan to solve Trump’s problems with leakers: Throw them in jail – Justin Haskins  (DIERSEN: Since I became the GOPUSA Illinois Editor in 2000, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have accused me of being a leaker.  They blame me for all the losses that Republicans have suffered in Illinois since 2000.)
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/05/28/newt-gingrich-says-he-has-a-plan-to-solve-trumps-problems-with-leakers-throw-them-in-jail/

NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Trump says “Donald Trump: The Gateway Degenerate.”  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes hint/imply/argue/shout that I am immoral because I am not a member of a church, because I do not attend church services, and because I do not give money to a church.  Many, if not most, if not virtually all of my aforesaid critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes promote a) dependency on government and/or on charity, b) booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, c) LGBTQ activity, d) abortion, e) mass/illegal immigration, and f) even worse things.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/opinion/donald-trump-greg-gianforte.html
— We All Have Pre-existing Conditions – ELISABETH ROSENTHAL  (DIERSEN: Since 1948, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have known that my father fought type 1 diabetes since he was 14 years old.  Since 1969, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have known that my father died suddenly in 1969 of heart failure.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/opinion/pre-existing-conditions-health-care-bill.html

NEW YORK POST
— How we fail veterans with mental illness – Tom Suozzi  (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps hint/imply/argue/shout that if you are not anti-Trump, you are mentally ill.)
http://nypost.com/2017/05/28/how-we-fail-veterans-with-mental-illness/

USA TODAY
— New lawsuit says former speaker Dennis Hastert sexually assaulted fourth grader – AP
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/05/29/new-lawsuit-says-former-speaker-dennis-hastert-sexually-assaulted-fourth-grader/102281996/
— Memorial Day: Don’t wait for someone else to serve – Marjorie K. Eastman  (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who used/use my getting student draft deferments 1966-1970 and my getting a financial draft hardship 1970-1971 against me.  Most of them were my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/26/memorial-day-dont-wait-someone-else-serve-military-column/102145774/
— Greg Gianforte’s assault on a journalist is an assault on all Americans – Alicia Shepard  (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes a) side with Gianforte and b) blame me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails for all of their problems, for all of your problems, for all of my problems, and for all of everyone’s problems.  My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes are professional scapegoaters.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/05/25/greg-gianforte-assault-hurts-all-americans-alicia-shepard-column/102144360/

DAYTON DAILY NEWS
— Many veterans still struggle to find work – Barrie Barber  (DIERSEN: Many, if not most, if not virtually all of my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes hint/imply/argue/shout that if I had not avoided the draft, I never would have been able to a) buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 when I was 19, b) buy a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968, c) earn a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in 1970, d) buy a new 1972 Corvette in 1971, e) buy a new town home in University Park in 1972, f) buy a studio condo in the Outer Drive East building in downtown Chicago in 1974, g) buy a one bedroom condo in that building in 1976, h) earn an MBA from Loyola in 1976, i) get married in 1978, j) buy 1017 East Harrison in Wheaton, a new 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, and a new Chevy Chevette in 1978, k) pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, l) earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, m) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination in 1981, n) become a licensed CPA in 1981, o) have a new home built in 1984, p) etc.)
http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/employment/many-veterans-still-struggle-find-work/gyeGQ6Zan35RoCjaVT6FoJ/

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— House Democrats Meet, Discuss Potential Tax Increase  Illinois House review began Sunday of a $37 budget plan that includes $5.4 billion in income and sales tax increases. – AP
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois/articles/2017-05-28/illinois-house-taking-a-crack-at-budget

GUARDIAN
— JFK at 100: Trump comparisons fuel nostalgia for ‘Camelot’  The 35th US president’s legacy remains questionable, but his latest successor’s travails makes many yearn for a more eloquent leader – David Smith  (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who used/use my getting student draft deferments 1966-1970 and my getting a financial draft hardship 1970-1971 against me.  Most of them were my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government.)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/29/jfk-100-john-f-kennedy-donald-trump
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Apart from a shared mastery of television, Trump is, in many respects, the anti-Kennedy. The 70-year-old Republican, who had no political experience, was the oldest person ever elected US president. Kennedy, a 43-year-old Democrat who had served in the House and the Senate, was the youngest. At the 100-day mark, Trump’s public approval rating was 41%. Kennedy’s was 83%. Trump was granted five draft deferments during the Vietnam war; Kennedy received military honors for saving the lives of crewmates when their torpedo boat was struck by a Japanese destroyer during the second world war. Trump infamously does not read books, gives disjointed speeches and has claimed: “You have to be wealthy in order to be great.” Kennedy was fond of referencing ancient Greeks and Shakespeare, won a Pulitzer prize for the book Profiles in Courage, and once declared: “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.”)