Tag: cannabis

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Department of Justice sues Pritzker, Raoul over law barring federal immigration actions at courthouses. The law bars immigration enforcement from taking place inside or within 1,000 feet of state courthouses. The federal government claims states can’t dictate where federal agents make arrests.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/22/department-of-justice-sues-pritzker-raoul-over-law-barring-federal-immigration-actions-at-courthouses

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/federal-push-to-relax-marijuana-classification-should-help-the-industry-in-illinois-but-the-effects-for-consumers-may-take-time/

DAILY HERALD
— DD: The Democrat Party platform promotes homelessness.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251223/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-funding-for-dupagepads-will-help-save-lives-shelter-countys-homeless/

WSPY
— Bailey says Illinois must generate more power to cut costs
https://www.wspynews.com/news/local/governor-candidate-says-illinois-must-generate-more-power-to-cut-costs/article_59ee29a7-6dd5-40ee-a979-639b0413ac63.html

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois Is Forcing Ideology on Its Employees — and Calling It ‘Training’
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-is-forcing-ideology-on-its-employees-and-calling-it-training-wirepoints/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Danielle Penman, Hopeful of Succeeding Don DeWitte in State Senate, Appears Before McHenry County GOP Central Executive Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/23/danielle-penman-hopeful-of-succeeding-don-dewitte-in-state-senate-appears-before-mchenry-county-gop-central-executive-committee/
– McHenry County State’s Attorney Keeps Still Another Man from Getting SAFE-T Act Get Out of Jail Free Card
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/mchenry-county-states-attorney-keeps-still-another-man-from-getting-safe-t-actget-out-of-jail-free-card/
— A New Revenue Idea for Balancing Chicago’s Budget
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/a-new-revenue-idea-for-balancing-chicagos-budget/
— U.S. Senate Hopeful Don Tracy Appears Before McHenry County GOP Central Executive Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/u-s-senate-hopeful-don-tracy-appears-before-mchenry-county-gop-central-executive-committee/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats thrive on government fraud. DD: I became a Certified Fraud Examiner when I was 41 in 1990. I became a Forensic Accountant when I was 48 in 1997. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted that.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/democrats-thrive-government-fraud/

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani doesn’t care about upward mobility. DD: From what I see, for those in America who are the following, upward mobility is ever-increasingly crashing: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. When I was young, I was able to do the following, but I doubt that I could if I was young today: a) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) earn three job-related master’s degrees, c) earn six job-related professional certifications, and d) earn a job-related professional license. When I was young, the following hired me, but I doubt that they would hire me if I was young today: a) Post Office, Firestone Stores, IRS, and GAO. When I was young, the following promoted me, but I doubt that they would promote me if I was young today: a) IRS and b) GAO.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/mamdani-doesnt-care-about-upward-mobility-and-his-charter-school-snub-proves-it/
— The great debate over what makes an American. DD: According to Democrat leaders, real Americans despise if not hate those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/what-makes-an-american-jd-vance-gets-it-right/

AMERICAN WIRE NEWS
— It’s no mystery that ‘The View’ is in the pocket of the left, but just how biased could they be? The political leanings of the show’s guests reveal the answer in stark relief, to the surprise of very few. The Media Research Center’s study of the 341 guests who visited ‘The View’ in 2025 indicates that a mere two of them are conservatives. A whopping 128 of the visitors were liberal, including 25 left-leaning politicians. DD: Since at least 2000, very few leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have been conservative.
https://americanwirenews.com/tally-of-the-view-guests-in-2025-include-128-liberals-and-guess-how-many-conservatives/

BREITBART
— Dems Demand Trump Continue Welfare-Dependent Immigration to U.S.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/22/democrats-demand-trump-continue-welfare-dependent-immigration-to-u-s/amp/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Michigan State to host ‘Queering Racial Justice Summit’ highlighting ‘intersections of queer and racial identity’
https://www.campusreform.org/article/michigan-state-host-queering-racial-justice-summit-highlighting-intersections-queer-racial-identity/29183

FOX BUSINESS
— Healthcare problems today are 100% caused by Democrats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuQVUNmci_s

FOX NEWS
— Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ for JD Vance 2028 presidential run. DD: I conducted many straw polls for the Milton Township Republican Organization and for TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois. I should write about those candidates who did not win those polls. I would focus on those candidates who blamed me for that and who had their operatives and their dupes take the biggest adverse actions against me.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/turning-point-poll-reveals-conservatives-all-in-jd-vance-2028-presidential-run

NEWSMAX
— Ban Welfare for Immigrants
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/randy-fine-ilhan-omar-somalia/2025/12/22/id/1239360/

TOWNHALL
— The Trump Admin Just Gave Illegal Aliens Even More Reason to Self-Deport
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/12/22/the-trump-administration-offers-a-christmas-gift-to-illegals-n2668301

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MSN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.  In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cannabis-use-is-up-46-among-american-seniors-as-trump-signs-an-order-to-reclassify-marijuana-are-you-positioned-to-profit-if-pot-stocks-surge/ar-AA1SQmC3

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: A nerdy economics essay recently went viral. It asserted that the federal measure for the poverty line was woefully outdated and that for a family of four, the income needed today to function in American society was $140,000. The essay, by Michael Green, a financial market strategist, struck a nerve and set off another round of debate about affordability, focused this time on whether people with six-figure incomes should feel strapped. DD: I did not make $140,000/year in today’s dollars until I was 45 in 1993 and I had earned master’s degrees when I was 27 and 31, professional certifications when I was 30, 32, and 41, and a professional license when I was 32.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/middle-class-us-economy-affordability.html

USA TODAY
— Federal judge rules US must give due process to deported Venezuelans. DD: The federal justices and judges in Diersen v. GAO denied me due process. They denied me my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf They would not have done that if Republicans had been the discriminators and I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/22/trump-administration-venezuelan-migrants-alien-enemies-act/87890359007/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise their illegals and fight their deportation.
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/12/20/immigrant-woman-detained-months-judge-orders-deportation/87813683007/

SACRAMENTO BEE
— As health care premiums soar, Democrats are eager to blame Republicans
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313895932.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Heritage Foundation Blows Up. Its conservative scholars jump to Mike Pence’s policy shop after being stifled at the think tank.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/heritage-foundation-staff-exodus-mike-pence-kevin-roberts-c4ba0b7c
— AI Means the End of Entry-Level Jobs. DD: What entry-level jobs did you have? I had three. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970. My first entry-level job was a Retail Sales Manager for a Firestone Store. My salary was about $50,000/year in today’s dollars for a 44-hour workweek. In 1971, my second entry-level job was a GS-7 IRS Revenue Officer. The salary was $55,850/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. My taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola helped me get promoted to GS-9 ($68,315/year) in 1972, to GS-11 ($82,655/year) in 1973, and to GS-12 ($99,069/year) in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. In 1980, my third entry-level job was a GS-9 Step 10 GAO Analyst. The salary was $88,808/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and almost earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. My salary was $153,151/year in today’s dollars almost 18 years later in 1997, after I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, after I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, after I became a licensed CPA in 1981, after I earned four more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and after I earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ai-means-the-end-of-entry-level-jobs-6b268661
— Rove: Democrats’ Lessons From 2024? Never Mind. Hoping its problems have solved themselves, the party won’t release its ‘after-action report.’ DD: From what I see, the Democrat plan for retaking the White House, Senate, and House is to continue to a) destroy Trump and all those who voted for him, b) flood America with illegals and keep them in America, c) promote even more dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination, and d) promote socialism.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/democrats-lessons-from-2024-never-mind-a8f93bca
— The Year the Job Market Hit a Wall. Unemployment rose and wage growth shrank this year, potentially setting up an even rougher 2026. DD: When I was 18 in 1966, the Post Office would not have offered me a job if it had not gotten a budget increase to deal with the 1966 Christmas rush.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/2025-jobs-unemployment-charts-f231bdef
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The federal government has led this year’s job cutting, as the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency quickly moved to downsize the federal workforce early in 2025. Rounds of layoffs, the deferred-resignation plan and other voluntary departure programs, including an early-retirement push, slashed the number of civil servants in the federal workforce to its smallest in more than a decade as of November.)

FORBES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestv/2025/12/22/mike-levin-warns-of-healthcare-insurance-hikes-when-2026-hits-previews-next-steps-on-aca/

FAST COMPANY
— LGBTQ+ fans express disappointment in Nicki Minaj after she appears with Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA event. The star, who once positioned herself as a queer ally, is generating quite an intense reaction from admirers who feel betrayed.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91464983/nicki-minaj-erika-kirk-turning-point-usa-queer-fans-express-disappointment

NERD WALLET
— How to Pay for Grad School in 2025. DD: I paid lots of money for tuition and books to earn an MBA from Loyola (16 courses) in 1976 when I was 27, a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul (12 courses) in 1980, and a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT (14 courses) in 1997. That money came from what I earned working for IRS 1971-1980 and for GAO 1980-1997.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/student-loans/learn/ask-brianna-paying-graduate-school
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The average cost of a master’s degree was $62,820 in 2024, according to the Education Data Initiative. But the cost of graduate school can vary by school, type of degree and program. Regardless of which university’s name will be on your diploma, you may need to pay for your degree with graduate student loans. But before taking on debt, use these strategies to reduce how much you borrow.)

BLOOMBERG GOVERNMENT
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/health-costs-rise-everywhere-in-2026-not-just-with-obamacare

FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN INNOVATION
— Congress Should Reform GAO for the Twenty-First Century. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. They wasted my career, they took many big adverse actions against me, and they forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. They did that because I opposed their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid in 1988. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, c) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and e) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.thefai.org/posts/congress-should-reform-the-government-accountability-office-for-the-twenty-first-century
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s 15-year term leading the Government Accountability Office will end later this month. Mr. Dodaro’s tenure of public service spans more than 50 years. Few Americans have made more contributions to the federal government, and his leadership has resulted in considerable savings for American taxpayers. The end of his term begins a process to fill the vacancy: a bipartisan congressional commission recommends a slate of candidates, the president nominates from that list, and the Senate provides advice and consent, including possible rejection. The process of recommending, nominating, and confirming a new Comptroller General in 1996 and 2008 took about two years, often with irregularities. The upcoming vacancy and looming debate provide an opportunity for Congress—and GAO itself—to reimagine the organization for the twenty-first century. GAO’s more-than-a-century-long history has involved several transformations. During the twentieth century, the organization’s original focus—auditing government payment vouchers–transitioned into broader financial oversight, program evaluations, and directed work on behalf of Congress. Congress started layering on additional responsibilities. In 1974, Congress directed GAO to police impoundments, and in 1996, it gave GAO a role in reviewing regulations. In the 1990s, GAO faced steep budget cuts and staffing reductions, prompting a new comptroller general, David Walker, to refocus the organization’s mission heading into the 2000s—including rebranding the organization to focus on its modern mission of government accountability and delivering a return on investment for American taxpayers in terms of government savings. Over the past quarter-century, GAO’s work has produced roughly $1.5 trillion in financial benefits for the U.S. government. Over the past 15 years, GAO’s annual reviews of duplication and waste across federal programs have resulted in more than $700 billion in financial benefits. As a trusted, nonpartisan institution within the legislative branch, GAO continues to provide substantial value to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Nevertheless, GAO is now at a crossroads. GAO and the current comptroller general have faced increasing opposition from the Trump administration and some congressional Republicans. OMB Director Russ Vought has stated, “We’re not big fans of GAO,” and called the organization “something that shouldn’t exist.” This opposition is primarily due to concerns about GAO’s recent actions related to its congressionally mandated responsibilities under the Impoundment Control Act and the Congressional Review Act. On Capitol Hill, some members and staff question the usefulness of GAO’s reports and recommendations. During the 117th Congress, a bipartisan select committee passed a recommendation that called for a review of congressional satisfaction with GAO’s work. Some evidence indicates that GAO’s work is not having the intended impact. At least a quarter of GAO’s recommendations are routinely ignored. As of December 2025, more than 5,200 open recommendations remain unaddressed. GAO maintains a “high risk list” of “government operations with serious vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation,” which currently includes 37 areas, including nine items identified in the last century. Some question whether GAO is overly cautious in its approach to evaluating federal programs and activities. There is a long-running joke among congressional staff and even GAO employees and alumni that its reports typically include a balanced framing, such as “progress made, challenges remain,” which requires Congress to probe deep into the reports page and footnotes to actually understand potential problems identified through program evaluations. GAO’s own metrics show a declining impact. As of December 2025, GAO’s own performance metrics reveal a recent decline in the organization’s return on investment and in its ability to encourage federal agencies to implement its recommendations promptly between 2019 and 2024. This decline has occurred despite bipartisan reforms enacted by Congress over the past decade to increase GAO’s ROI and effectiveness. Some question whether these trends are linked to GAO’s transition to widespread remote work, which persists today and was codified by a 2023 agreement with its labor union, and to a headquarters building that is often largely empty, according to GAO staff. . .The upcoming nomination of a new comptroller general offers a chance to put GAO back on the right track. GAO itself should propose reforms and process changes to address these concerns. As Congress and President Trump prepare to recommend and nominate the next comptroller general, we recommend the following reforms to strengthen GAO’s effectiveness and value for Congress and the American people. 1. Reaffirm GAO’s core mission and explicitly prioritize fiscal stewardship…2. Empower the next comptroller general with authority, autonomy, resources, and a mandate for institutional renewal…3. Remove politically charged enforcement duties—especially under the Impoundment Control Act—and maintain strict neutrality under the Congressional Review Act…4. Direct GAO to focus on high-impact audits and program evaluations, supported by transparent performance metrics and independent review…5. Require GAO to produce more precise and actionable recommendations for Congress and federal agencies…6. Strengthen structured collaboration between GAO and Congress and embed GAO expertise within committees…7. Establish a statutory requirement for annual comptroller general recommendations on rescissions and fiscal savings opportunities…8. Expand GAO’s partnership capacity with federal agencies and state governments to strengthen program integrity and reduce mismanagement…9. Require federal departments and agencies to cooperate with GAO’s oversight and information requests fully…10. Expect the next comptroller general to restore bipartisan credibility by avoiding unnecessary political conflict…Throughout GAO’s long history, Congress has recognized the need to review and reform GAO’s mission to meet the times. In 2026, Congress should consider how to focus GAO’s work and use its $900 million in annual funding and more than 3,500 employees to meet the needs of the legislative branch and the American people. As Congress and President Trump work to identify, nominate, and confirm the next comptroller general, Congress should hold hearings and reauthorize GAO to update its mission for the twenty-first century.)

TAX NOTES
— IRS Criminal Investigation Division Lists Top 10 Cases of 2025. DD: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/ggd-88-61.pdf and https://www.gao.gov/products/ggd-89-41
https://www.taxnotes.com/research/federal/other-documents/other-irs-documents/irs-criminal-investigation-division-lists-top-10-cases-2025/7tf2c

MOTLEY FOOL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.  In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/12/22/trump-rescheduling-marijuana-pot-stocks-plunged/

NPR
— Under Trump, 317,000 workers are out of the government. Here are 3 of their stories. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. Because I am none of the aforesaid and because I complained about their discrimination, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career, took many big adverse actions against me, and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/18/nx-s1-5626822/trump-federal-workers-firing-civil-servants

AMERICA MAGAZINE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD despises, if not hates, if not condemns those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD wants dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD rejects the concepts of countries, borders, governments, and laws. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD wants socialism and then communism. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD is a Democrat.
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith-and-reason/2025/12/22/trump-die-catholic-social-teaching/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

SPECTATOR
— Could a degree make you less employable? DD: Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970 and IRS would not have hired me in 1971 if I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970. IRS would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974 if I had not been taking graduate business evening courses. GAO would not have hired me in 1980 if I had not earned an MBA in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. GAO would not have promoted me in 1986 if I had not earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and became a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://spectator.com/article/could-a-degree-make-you-less-employable/

INDEPENDENT
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/expiring-healthcare-subsidies-could-cost-you-2-050-more-each-month/ar-AA1SxPIC

ECONOMIC TIMES
— US triples self-deportation stipend till year end, offers $3000, free flight to illegal immigrants. DD: In 1993, to get rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and who had 25 years of federal service, the Democrats who ran GAO offered a $25,000 buyout if they took early retirement.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/us-triples-self-deportation-stipend-till-year-end-offers-3000-free-flight-to-illegal-immigrants/articleshow/126134067.cms