Tag: affirmative action

WGN9

— AS THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S STRANGLEHOLD ON CHICAGO TIGHTENS: Lincoln Park residents walk in response to uptick in violent crime – Patrick Elwood
https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/lincoln-park-residents-walk-in-response-to-uptick-in-violent-crime/

FOX32
— Evanston Township High School given ‘all-clear’ after 2 guns recovered, 8 students detained – Kasey Chronis
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/2-guns-found-in-evanston-township-hs-school-placed-on-lockdown
— DISGUSTING, OUTRAGEOUS, TRAGIC: Marijuana dispensary training center opens in Wrigleyville – Natalie Bomke
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/marijuana-dispensary-training-center-opens-in-wrigleyville

WBEZ
— Chicago has exceeded 800 homicides in 2021 – Chip Mitchell
https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-has-exceeded-800-homicides-in-2021/f5518836-b3a2-490f-8cf3-ca503b6640ba

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Evanston Township High School students spent hours on lockdown after 2 guns found: ‘It’s just overwhelming’ – BRIAN L. COX
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/evanston/ct-evr-evanston-eths-lockdown-tl-1224-20211216-pr4aofdmuvhoxifcmwxn7gpzf4-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Chicago ‘at a crossroads’ because of rising crime, skyrocketing commercial property taxes, business leader says. “There’s a sense of no plan,” Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce chief Jack Lavin said. “Our businesses …. They want to know how are we’re gonna solve the violence and the public safety problem this week. This weekend. Tomorrow.” – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/fran-spielman-show/2021/12/16/22840148/chicago-crime-commercial-property-taxes-jack-lavin-chicagoland-chamber
— Cook County assessor gave tax breaks to dead mobster — for 6 years. Other homeowners were given disabled veteran tax breaks — which could erase their property tax bills for life — even though they didn’t apply and weren’t vets, the Sun-Times found. – Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick, and Caroline Hurley (COMMENT: I should write a book about my efforts during the 1980s and 1990s to get the assessed valuation of my home reduced. It is all public record.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/12/17/22838399/fritz-kaegi-cook-county-assessor-property-tax-breaks-dead-mobster-joseph-lombardi

DAILY HERALD
— McHenry County sheriff prepares to roll out body cameras next year – Ben Szalinski
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20211217/mchenry-county-sheriff-prepares-to-roll-out-body-cameras-next-year

BURR RIDGE PATCH
— The Burr Ridge Village Board this week took final action on paying off the debt for its police station, which was built more than a decade ago. – David Giuliani
https://patch.com/illinois/burrridge/burr-ridge-enjoys-unusual-status-government

NAPERVILLE PATCH
— Man Wields Knife, Robs Dollar Tree In Naperville: Cops Police say a man used a knife to rob the Dollar Tree at 1550 N. Rte. 59 Wednesday morning. – Lisa Marie Farver
https://patch.com/illinois/naperville/man-wields-knife-robs-dollar-tree-naperville-cops

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— SCOOP: Watch for former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti to announce she’s running for DuPage County clerk. – SHIA KAPOS (COMMENT: January 13, 2022 is the first day to circulate nomination papers for established political party candidates who file in between March 7 – 14, 2022 for the June 28, 2022 primary.)
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2021/12/17/ken-griffin-and-the-dark-money-of-2022-495511
— Ken Griffin and the dark money of 2022: SCOOP: The head of a dark money group that helped defeat last year’s graduated income tax measure is behind a campaign to elect a Republican candidate to run against Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022. And the money behind the effort will come from billionaire Ken Griffin. Mike Zolnierowicz, who was former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s first chief of staff, is working the levers of this operation, according to two Playbook sources. The former governor, however, is not involved. Zolnierowicz, or Mike Z, did not return a request for comment. Interviews with potential candidates have been held in secrecy with Zolnierowicz. Word got out, however, that there’s interest in Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin to run for governor and state Rep. Avery Bourne to join the ticket as lieutenant governor. Neither returned requests for comment. It’s part of a plan for Griffin to bankroll a slate of GOP candidates, reports Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore. A source close to Griffin said the Citadel CEO has not met with any candidates and has not yet decided who he is going to support. Griffin is clear about his concerns for Illinois. “We have real problems in Illinois with violence, corruption and profligate spending and I look forward to supporting candidates — be it Republican or Democrat — who will address these issues that plague our state,” he said in a statement to Playbook. A source who spoke to Playbook about Mike Z, also said Griffin has committed $150 million to the campaign, which would match what Pritzker spent in his first run for governor. Other media reports have attributed “multiple sources” as saying Griffin is willing to spend as much as $300 million in next year’s election. Those numbers are all speculation, according to a source close to Griffin. “The field for next year’s election hasn’t fully formed yet and Ken hasn’t made a decision. …There is also no spending number as there is no candidate.” Still pining for Griffin’s support are the current field of candidates: state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo, and businessmen Gary Rabine and Jesse Sullivan. ABOUT IRVIN: “In 2007, Irvin became the first Black male elected to the Aurora City Council as an at-large member, and held that post until his election as mayor. … In October, he laughed off a Tribune reporter’s question about a gubernatorial run or whether he had been in talks with Griffin. There are also questions about Irvin’s positions on social issues that run counter to those held by the GOP base.” He has said he supports abortion rights, immigrant rights, and implementing sanctuary city-style policies for immigrants who lack legal status, reports Tribune’s Rick Pearson. ABOUT TODD RICKETTS: The Cubs co-owner “had previously announced he would not run for governor. But asked about that possibility [Thursday], his spokesman discouraged, but did not rule out, such a possibility, saying, ‘Ricketts has no current plans to run for governor,’” reports Crain’s Greg Hinz. — SHIA KAPOS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2021/12/17/ken-griffin-and-the-dark-money-of-2022-495511

WIREPOINTS
— Chicago’s Mayor Lightfoot To Pump $412 More Into Anti-Crime Plan That Doesn’t Work. – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/otters-plan-chicagos-mayor-lightfoot-to-pump-412-more-into-anti-crime-plan-that-doesnt-work-wirepoints/

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Smidge of Hope on the Education Horizon – Laurie Higgins
https://illinoisfamily.org/education/smidge-of-hope-on-the-education-horizon/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The high stakes of historical revisionism – Jonathan Tobin
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/the-high-stakes-of-historical-revisionism
— Demographic autumn: Our working-age population is already shrinking – Timothy P. Carney (COMMENT: Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Independents, and RINOs do everything that they can to drive older people out of the workforce, and especially older people who are Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/demographic-autumn-our-working-age-population-is-already-shrinking
— Encouraging women to have children is now a Title IX violation – CONN CARROLL
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/encouraging-women-to-have-children-is-now-a-title-ix-violation

FOX NEWS
— DeSantis’s ‘Stop W.O.K.E.’ legislation would make teaching CRT in Florida classrooms ‘illegal’: Rufo The legislation seeks to return the power of education back to Florida parents, Rufo said – Yael Halon
https://www.foxnews.com/media/desantis-stop-woke-legislation-crt-florida-illegal-rufo
— Nikole Hannah-Jones claims mainstream media were caught up in ‘propaganda campaign’ against 1619 Project. NY Times Magazine reporter: ‘We are a society that willfully does not want to deal with the anti-Blackness that is at the core of so many of our institutions’ – Cortney O’Brien
https://www.foxnews.com/media/nikole-hannah-jones-media-propaganda-campaign-1619-project

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Sue Them, Parents. Sue Them Into The Ground – ROD DREHER
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/transgender-school-spreckels-sue-them-parents/

CNS NEWS
— ‘Black’ Vs. ‘white’: The Significance of Elite-Imposed Language Norms – John Kline
https://cnsnews.com/commentary/john-kline/black-vs-white-significance-elite-imposed-language-norms

DAILY WIRE
— Wokeness Is America’s Dominant Religion – Matt Walsh (COMMENT: I should write a book about those who paint themselves as being woke, that is, who paint themselves as being anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-traditional marriage/family, anti-non-poor people, anti-gun owners, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Italian American, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. I would focus on the following: a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, Wheaton Park District, and Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, c) conservative and religious leaders, d) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, their political consultants, major donors, fundraisers, pollsters, campaign managers, campaign staff members, and campaign volunteers, and e) those who I have sued. I would focus on those who a) demand blind loyalty to them and to them only and b) destroy those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, who refuse to glorify and praise them, who refuse to pander to them, who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, who refuse to cover up their wrongdoing, and/or who refuse to give them money.)
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-859-wokeness-is-america-s-dominant-religion

PJ MEDIA
— ‘White Privilege’ Isn’t Getting People Killed, Democrats Are – KEVIN DOWNEY JR.
https://pjmedia.com/uncategorized/kevindowneyjr/2021/12/16/white-privilege-isnt-getting-people-killed-democrats-are-n1542079
— Santa’s List of Businesses That Are Naughty and Nice to Conservatives – KEVIN DOWNEY JR.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/kevindowneyjr/2021/12/15/santas-list-of-businesses-who-are-naughty-and-nice-to-conservatives-n1541824

FEDERALIST
— Biden’s Border Crisis Brings Record Number Of November Arrests – Jordan Boyd
https://thefederalist.com/2021/12/16/bidens-border-crisis-brings-record-number-of-november-arrests/
— 14 Times Biden Straight-Up Lied About His Border Crisis. Here are the Biden administration’s top lies about the border. – Jordan Boyd
https://thefederalist.com/2021/12/16/14-times-biden-straight-up-lied-about-his-border-crisis/

POWERLINE
— THE LIMITS OF CORPORATE WOKENESS – PAUL MIRENGOFF (COMMENT: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to get rid of Republicans who are White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, etc. Democrat and RINO government employers have far more motivation and power a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees. Just look at how GAO, IRS, and the Post Office treated me. Just look at how RINO politicians in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton treat me. Just look at now the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization treat me.)

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/12/the-limits-of-corporate-wokeness.php
(FROM THE ARTICLE: As noted above, the Post asserts the existence of the gap based on its finding that Blacks are 12 percent of the population and 8 percent of high level executives. But high level corporate executives are not drawn from the general population or from the non-incarcerated population, of which Blacks make up a slightly smaller percentage. No reasonable person would argue that they should be. Corporate executives are, and should be, drawn from the portion of the U.S. population that it is highly accomplished. Do Blacks make up 8 percent of that population? I doubt it. Consider the portion of graduating high school students who are highly accomplished. First, to a disproportionate extent, Blacks don’t graduate from high school. Second, Blacks don’t make up 8 percent of the highly accomplished students who do graduate. We know this because, if it were otherwise, elite colleges wouldn’t have to grant stark racial preferences to attain 8 percent black representation. But statistics show that they must grant such preferences if they are to admit that percentage. Absent preferences, elite colleges, and many others, would be hard pressed to get to half of 8 percent. Next, consider law school performance. Do Blacks make up 8 percent of highly accomplished law students? I don’t think so. They didn’t when I was on the hiring and recruiting committee of my former law firm. Top law firms had to reach far below the top 10 percent to extend more than a tiny number of offers to Blacks. Additional evidence came from professor Amy Wax of the University of Pennsylvania law school, before the school silenced her. Wax had the audacity to say “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class [I teach to first year law students] and rarely, rarely in the top half.” Her law school was outraged by this statement, but didn’t (and I assume couldn’t) dispute its accuracy. Something very similar happened at Georgetown law school. It fired an adjunct professor for saying, privately, that Blacks make up a disproportionate number of low-performing students in the class she taught. Thus, if Blacks really do make up 8 percent of top corporate executives, it’s likely that they are overrepresented in these jobs if the criterion is merit, as it should be, rather than skin color. And if George Floyd’s tragic encounter with Derek Chauvin hasn’t helped pushed the percentage above 8 percent, that’s evidence that, as woke as it is, corporate America hasn’t completely lost its mind.)

EPOCH TIMES
— Liz Wheeler on Salvation Army ‘suffering’: That’s what happens when you call white donors racists – Vivek Saxena
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/12/16/liz-wheeler-on-salvation-army-suffering-thats-what-happens-when-you-call-white-donors-racists-1176522/

NEWS BUSTERS
— INSANE: MSNBC Host Thinks DeSantis Wants to Codify White Supremacy by Banning CRT – Kevin Tober
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kevin-tober/2021/12/16/insane-msnbc-host-thinks-desantis-wants-codify-white-supremacy

MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER TV
— NFL Funding Groups Seeking To Kill ‘Malignant Tumor: White Supremacy’ – Jay Maxson
https://www.mrctv.org/blog/nfl-funding-groups-seeking-kill-malignant-tumor-white-supremacy

COLLEGE FIX
— Professor of color denied funding for cutting-edge laser research due to ‘insufficient’ equity, diversity and inclusion enthusiasm – DANIEL NUCCIO
https://www.thecollegefix.com/professor-of-color-denied-funding-for-cutting-edge-laser-research-due-to-insufficient-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-enthusiasm/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Chemistry Professor Patanjali Kambhampati said he has been denied two grants over the past two years for failing to properly pledge allegiance to equity, diversity and inclusion. Kambhampati was born in India. He grew up and was educated in the United States. Since 2003, Kambhampati has successfully conducted cutting-edge research at the intersection of chemistry and physics as a member of the Department of Chemistry at McGill University in Canada.)

THE HILL
— GOP candidates, conservative groups holding more events at Mar-a-Lago than previous years – LEXI LONAS
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/586116-gop-candidates-conservative-groups-holding-more-events-at-mar-a

YAHOO NEWS
— Ted Cruz’s new e-book on Critical Race Theory argues that seeking equity in the US is really calling for ‘discrimination’ against white people – Nicole Gaudiano
https://news.yahoo.com/read-ted-cruzs-e-book-221957760.html

MSN
— COMMENT: Democrats use “classmates’ racial slurs” to promote CRT.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/as-parents-protest-critical-race-theory-students-fight-racist-behavior-at-school/ar-AARRQxu

NEW YORK TIMES
— You Love That House, but Should You Write a Love Letter? A common practice in real estate is coming under new scrutiny because of concerns about discrimination. And one state has made it illegal. – Candace Jackson (DIERSEN: From what I see watching home purchases in my precinct since 1984, it ever-increasing looks like Democrat realtors steer homebuyers to my precinct who are Democrat, moderate, liberal, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, and/or non-German American. Ever-increasingly, it looks like Democrat realtors stress to potential homebuyers a) that ever-increasingly, Democrats get more votes in the precinct, for example, Biden got 269 votes while Trump got only 157, b) that there are LGBTQ-promoting churches immediately north and south of the precinct, c) that the Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 Administration Headquarters is in the precinct, and d) that a grade school and middle school are in the precinct.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/realestate/you-love-that-house-but-should-you-write-a-love-letter.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: But last year, the National Association of Realtors issued a warning about the practice, cautioning that it may make sellers and agents vulnerable to accusations of discrimination, as love letters often disclose personal details that can reveal buyers’ family status, religion, sexual orientation or race — all protected statuses under fair housing laws. (The Fair Housing Act prevents landlords, banks, real estate agents and anyone else involved in leasing or selling homes from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, disability status, religion, national origin or familial status; states like California recognize additional protected categories, including occupation and gender expression.) Realtors’ organizations in California and Ohio followed suit. And this year, the state of Oregon took it a step further, passing legislation banning such letters. Starting in January 2022, it will be illegal for a seller’s agent to pass a love letter along to a client in Oregon. Mark Meek, the Oregon State Representative who proposed the legislation, said the idea emerged from his own experience as a real estate agent, observing the disparity in homeownership among racial groups, something he formed a task force to address in 2018. In 2019, he said, the rate of white homeownership in Oregon was 65 percent, compared with 35 percent for Black residents and 40 percent for Hispanic residents. “Whoever is the successful bidder of a home should be based on the qualification of the offer,” Mr. Meek said. “Not the preference of that seller.”)
— Jobless for a Year? That Might Be Less of a Problem Now. – Sydney Ember (COMMENT: Soon after my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 year old, I came to realize that because of the adverse actions that they had taken against me, I would never get a job appropriate for someone with my work experience, education, professional certifications, and professional license.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/business/economy/employment-resume-gaps.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Wokeness Infiltrates the Salvation Army. It backs away from a call on members to ‘lament, repent and apologize’ for racism. – Kenny Xu
https://www.wsj.com/articles/wokeness-infiltrates-the-salvation-army-discussion-guide-racism-diversity-and-incusion-christian-11639690409
— Washington Post Grasps for New Direction as Trump-Era Boom Fades. News outlet’s audience is down sharply, amid sector-wide declines; subscription growth has stagnated as readers look beyond politics. – Benjamin Mullin and Alexandra Bruell
https://www.wsj.com/articles/washington-post-grasps-for-new-direction-as-trump-era-boom-fades-11639695007
— White House Revs Up Trucker Recruitment Drive. The plans aims to address longstanding industry issues but isn’t likely to have an immediate impact on supply-chain bottlenecks. – Jennifer Smith
https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-revs-up-trucker-recruitment-drive-11639648803
— Biden’s Art of the Overreach. Don’t blame Manchin for the White House’s poorly managing expectations. – Kimberley A. Strassel
https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-art-of-the-overreach-progressive-agenda-build-black-better-pelosi-schumer-manchin-11639690786
— COLA Doesn’t Bring Much Refreshment. Automatic wage hikes can’t keep up with inflation. They can only fuel it further. – Bill Lane
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cola-doesnt-bring-refreshment-cost-of-living-inflation-raises-john-deere-auto-workers-caterpillar-11639690580

FORBES
— Firearm Industry Groups Sue New York For Permitting Lawsuits Over Gun Misuse – Lisa Kim
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2021/12/16/firearm-industry-groups-sue-new-york-for-permitting-lawsuits-over-gun-misuse/
— Here Are The Companies Creating Brands That Consumers Love – DIANE BRADY, LAUREN DEBTER, JARED COUNCIL, JENA MCGREGOR AND MARTY SWANT (COMMENT: I am a minority because I only buy American-nameplate vehicles. The top vehicle loyalty brands are Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, and Mazda.)
https://www.forbes.com/halo-100/#792377f332da
(FROM THE ARTICLE: We all value the brands we use for different reasons. Some offer incredible value and quality. Others are aligned with our values or personal identity, with messages that feel tailored to who we are or who we want to be. Forbes’ inaugural Halo 100 list highlights excellence in delivering the experience that customers want to have. It measures how well – and how responsibly — brands are serving their US customers.)

NPR
— Rep. Kinzinger discusses the events of Jan. 6 as congressional inquiries heat up
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/16/1064951583/rep-kinzinger-discusses-the-events-of-jan-6-as-congressional-inquiries-heat-up

PEW RESEARCH
— White evangelicals more likely than other Christians to say people should prioritize marriage, procreation – STEPHANIE KRAMER
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/12/16/white-evangelicals-more-likely-than-other-christians-to-say-people-should-prioritize-marriage-procreation/

ACCOUNTANCY AGE
— “Still work to be done” on diversity in accountancy, industry leaders say. Research shows that more work is needed from firms. – Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe (COMMENT: When I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980 when I was 31 years old, a very high percentage of my superiors, supervisors, and coworkers a) were Democrats, b) were Whites, c) were males, d) were older, e) were veterans, f) had accounting degrees from non-Ivy League universities, g) were non-Protestant, and h) were non-German American. When Charles Bowsher took over GAO in 1981 and ran it for the next 15 years, he focused on getting rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, and/or who had accounting degrees from non-Ivy League Universities and who had not made GS-13 (currently $102,188) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $120,755) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $142,041) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $172,500) by age 40. Extremely few GAO employees make the aforesaid promotion deadlines. My Democrat GAO superiors did everything that they could to get rid of me because I was Republican, White, male, old, non-veteran, my 1980 master’s degree in accounting was from DePaul, Protestant, German American, I had taken a $20,361/year in today’s dollars pay cut (a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10) to transfer from IRS to GAO, I did not make GS-13 until I was 38 years old in 1986, I never made GS-14, and in 1987, they had gotten rid of the GS-15 GAO manager who had hired me in 1980, got me assigned to audits of IRS in 1986, and promoted me in 1986.. My Democrat GAO superiors would have gotten rid of me sooner if I had not earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, became a licensed CPA in 1981, became a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, became a Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, became a Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, became a Forensic Accountant in 1997, and earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997.)
https://www.accountancyage.com/2021/12/16/still-work-to-be-done-on-diversity-in-accountancy-industry-leaders-say/

DEMOCRATIC PARTY
— THE CURRENT COMMITTEE SYSTEM (COMMENT: GAO works for Congress. While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO for almost 18 years, they periodically asked GAO employees for suggestions on how to improve GAO’s credibility with Republican Senators and Representatives. I suggested having at least two Republicans on GAO audit teams for every three Democrats. I also suggested not doing audits unless at least one of the requesters was Republican.)
https://archives-democrats-rules.house.gov/Archives/jcoc2d.htm
(FROM THE RULES: Party leaders also determine the ratio of majority to minority party members on each committee. Under current Democratic Caucus Rules, each standing committee (except Standards) must have at least three Democrats for every two Republicans. While this ratio roughly approximates the ratio of Democrats to Republicans in the overall Chamber, the majority party usually accords itself a super-majority on important panels including Appropriations, Budget, Rules, and Ways and Means.)