CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democratic candidates for governor gather for women’s forum – Rachel Hinton (DIERSEN: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, the organization would be hosting candidate forums for a) Rauner and Ives, b) Sanguinetti and Morthland, c) Harold and Grasso, d) Diganvker and Jhingan, e) Stella and Vlakancic, f) Minor, Grant, Byrne, and Augustynowicz, g) Kinzler and Orozco, h) Mazzochi and Arendt, i) Zito and Khouri, j) Mendrick and Bibbiano, k) Tornatore, DeMichele, Fichtner, and Gavanes, l) Hart, Abbott, Tully, and Broline, m) McGowen, Almiron, Eckhoff, Zaruba, Tatro, and Chinchilla, n) Wiley, Zay, and McQuade, o) Russo and MacKay, p) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, q) etc.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/democratic-candidates-for-governor-gather-for-womens-forum/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: There’s no escaping politics – Ted Slowik (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes will tell you that you can escape politics and live happily ever after if you do not read GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. What do you say to those who a) crow that they do not read GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails and b) discourage everyone from reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-everything-political-st-1210-20171208-story.html
— Economy is creating millionaires at an astonishing pace. But what’s it doing for everyone else? – Christopher Ingraham (DIERSEN: How much money have you saved for your retirement? If you have not saved at least $1 million dollars, or are on track to have at least $1 million saved by the time you retire, you are in big financial trouble.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-economy-millioniares-20171208-story.html
— ‘Crisis mode’: As boomers age, a shortage of caregivers – Robert Channick (DIERSEN: How much have you saved for your retirement? My 87-year-old aunt is paying $230 a day, or $1,610 a week, or $6,900 a month, or $83,950 a year, or $839,500 a decade out of her life savings to live in an assisted living facility.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-caregivers-demand-aging-20171116-story.html
— GOP tax plan diverges wildly from Trump’s promises to the middle class – Damian Paletta (DIERSEN: QUESTION: Who wants to make those who itemize their deductions to pay more federal income tax? ANSWER: Those who rent rather than own. Those who pay little or no state income tax. Those who do not have major medical and/or dental expenses. Those who do not pay for job-related graduate courses. Those who give little or nothing to 501(c)(3) organizations. Overwhelmingly, the aforesaid are Democrats and/or people with major financial problems who will never vote for a Republican.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-tax-plan-trump-middle-class-20171209-story.html
— ‘SNL’ cold open: Kids wonder if Al Franken, Roy Moore and Trump are on Santa’s naughty list – Amy B Wang
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-snl-james-franco-20171210-story.html
DAILY HERALD
— There’s a lot that’s right about Illinois – Editorial (DIERSEN: Members of Group B can celebrate that members of Group A have not yet succeeded in driving them out of Illinois. Members of Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and members of Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171209/editorial-theres-a-lot-thats-right-about-illinois
— NOVEMBER 17, 2017 FLASHBACK: Haymarket could open residential drug treatment center in Wheaton – Katlyn Smith
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171103/haymarket-could-open-residential-drug-treatment-center-in-wheaton
ABC7
— Chicago police finalizing expansion of body camera program to every patrol officer (DIERSEN: As things get worse, soon, if not already, members of Group B should wear body cameras to better document threats of violence and/or violence against them by members of Group A. Members of Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and members of Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://abc7chicago.com/cpd-finalizing-expansion-of-body-camera-program-to-every-patrol-officer/2764478/
NBC5
— ‘Cards Against Humanity’ Cuts Checks as Part of Latest Promotion – James Neveau (DIERSEN: The more of the following that you are, the more that Cards Against Humanity wants to get rid of you: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owner, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cards-against-humanity-redistributes-money-with-latest-promotion-463103443.html
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Save the date for governor’s race primary debates – Angie Muhs (DIERSEN: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, the organization would be hosting debates between a) Rauner and Ives, b) Sanguinetti and Morthland, c) Harold and Grasso, d) Diganvker and Jhingan, e) Stella and Vlakancic, f) Minor, Grant, Byrne, and Augustynowicz, g) Kinzler and Orozco, h) Mazzochi and Arendt, i) Zito and Khouri, j) Mendrick and Bibbiano, k) Tornatore, DeMichele, Fichtner, and Gavanes, l) Hart, Abbott, Tully, and Broline, m) McGowen, Almiron, Eckhoff, Zaruba, Tatro, and Chinchilla, n) Wiley, Zay, and McQuade, o) Russo and MacKay, p) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, q) etc.)
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171209/angie-muhs-save-date-for-governors-race-primary-debates
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Our three organizations also have invited the two Republican candidates — incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner and state Rep. Jeanne Ives — to debate the night before, on Feb. 20, also at UIS. Ives has accepted our invitation, and we certainly hope that the governor will do the same.)
— Governor, focus on what you can do – Editorial
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171209/our-view-governor-focus-on-what-you-can-do
— Houlihan tells Biss to not give GOP ammunition – Bernard Schoenburg
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171209/bernard-schoenburg-houlihan-tells-biss-to-not-give-gop-ammunition
CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Division of power No single person has been, is now or ever will be in charge of the state of Illinois, and it’s a darn good thing. – Editorial (DIERSEN: One could argue that Rauner is in charge of the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), and therefore, he is in charge of a) the IRP National Committeeman and National Committeewoman, b) the IRP officers and staff, c) the IRP State Central Committee members, d) the IRP County Chairman’s Association, e) the IRP county party officers, f) the IRP township/ward party officers, and g) your Republican Precinct Committeeman/Captain. How strongly do the aforesaid talk and act like Rauner is in charge of them, that is, that Rauner tells them what to think, do, say, etc.?)
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2017-12-10/division-power.html
— Jim Durkin hires top pro Mike Zolnierowicz to fend off opponent Mickey Straub- RICH MILLER
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2017-12-10/capitol-fax-gops-durkin-hires-top-pro-fend-opponent.html
QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Time for candidates, voters to refocus the debate – Editorial (DIERSEN: QUESTIONS FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES: Do you support the following planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and the Republican Party platform, and if so, what would you do if elected to defend and advance those planks: traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving)? Do you oppose promotion of the following, and if so, what would you do to stop promotion of the following: LGBTQ activity, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, race and gender based preference giving, age discrimination, patronage, and political affiliation discrimination?)
http://qconline.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-time-for-candidates-voters-to-refocus-the-debate/article_bf4aaf33-9a75-5de1-b56a-4f9bb7162b47.html
RIVER CITIES’ READER
— Durkin Stepping Up His Primary Race – Rich Miller
https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/durkin-stepping-up-primary-race
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller – Bill Gertz (DIERSEN: The federal government has always been politicized and it getting worse. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, it hired, retained, and promoted fewer and fewer and fewer Republicans. Ever-increasingly, I was one of an extremely few Republicans, if not the only Republican, in the office that I worked in and the group that I was assigned to.)
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/fbi-increasingly-politicized-comey-mueller/
— Acosta: ‘When Journalists Are Attacked, Journalists Have to Resist’ – Charles Russell (DIERSEN: Who attacks you and why? I should write a book about activists, candidates, elected officials, party leaders, major donors, political consultants, etc. in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who state that they are conservative and/or Republican and who attack me. If you attack me, you shout that you are not conservative or Republican.)
http://freebeacon.com/politics/acosta-journalists-attacked-journalists-resist/
THE HILL
— Democratic Rep. Don Beyer (Va.): Trump’s reported habits would ‘get most Americans fired from their jobs’ – JOSH DELK (DIERSEN: What do you do with your time? I spend 10+ hours each and every day putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out.)
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/364102-democrat-reported-trump-habits-would-get-most-americans-fired-from
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “According to his own aides Trump watches 4-8 hours of TV every day, regularly fails to show up for work by 9-930 even after urging from both of his Chiefs of Staff, and spends many days golfing,” Beyer tweeted, citing a new report from The New York Times. . .Trump regularly watches cable news and often references things being discussed on the programs when hitting back at political opponents on Twitter. Trump also regularly records his favorite cable news shows, including Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” on a recording device installed for him in the White House, the Times reported. Trump has previously denied reports of his TV habits, saying that he is often too busy “reading documents.” White House chief of staff John Kelly has also worked to strengthen Trump’s work habits, reducing the president’s free time and pushing Trump to arrive at work earlier, by 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m., an effort previously undertaken by former chief of staff Reince Priebus, according to the Times. Beyer has ripped Trump in the past for golfing at one of his resorts during the Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico as many U.S. citizens faced dire conditions including no electricity or clean water.)
REUTERS
— Trump attends civil rights museum opening; black leaders stay away – Jeff Mason (DIERSEN: It is always very interesting a) who organizes events, b) who attends those events, and c) how many attend those events. What do you say to “conservative” and “Republican” event organizers a) who do not want me to know about their events, b) who not want me to promote their events, c) who do not want me to attend their events, d) who bar me or evict me from their events, and e) who do not want me to report on their events? Most commonly, they a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and/or the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, c) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, d) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, and/or e) are operatives or dupes for the aforesaid.)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mississippi/trump-attends-civil-rights-museum-opening-black-leaders-stay-away-idUSKBN1E30P1
NEW YORK TIMES
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Solid Sources to Help Sort Fact From Fiction – Justin Wolfers (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents viciously demonize, viciously denigrate, and viciously condemn any source that they cannot manipulate/dominate.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/08/business/economic-facts-political-fictions.html
— Trump, Rejecting Calls to Stay Away, Speaks at Civil Rights Museum – Michael D. Shear and Ellen Ann Fentress
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/trump-mississippi-civil-rights-museum.html
BLOOMBERG
— How the Kremlin Tried to Pose as American News Sites on Twitter Twitter has suspended dozens of accounts masquerading as U.S. news sources that had more than 500,000 followers. – Selina Wang (DIERSEN: I should write a book about Libertarian news websites that unethically pose/masquerade as being conservative and/or Republican. I should write a book about Democrat news websites that unethically pose/masquerade as being non-partisan.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-05/how-the-kremlin-tried-to-pose-as-american-news-sites-on-twitter
USA TODAY
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “He does not deserve to be in Jackson.” Who does not want you to know about, to promote, to attend, and/or to report on their events? For me, it is those who a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and/or the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, c) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, d) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, and/or e) are operatives or dupes for the aforesaid and/or are those who are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/12/09/he-does-not-deserve-jackson-trumps-visit-civil-rights-museum-met-protests/937988001/
— 5 ways to cut the cost of your commute – William Cummings (DIERSEN: What did you do to cut the cost of your commute? When I got promoted to a job in the Loop in 1974, I bought a studio condo and then a one bedroom condo in 1976 in the Outer Drive East Building and walked to work and to job-related graduate business courses at Loyola 1974-1976 and job-related graduate accounting courses at DePaul 1976-1978. When my wife and I got married in 1978, we bought a home in walking distance of the College Avenue train station in Wheaton and we had a home build in walking distance of the Wheaton train station in 1984.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/budget-and-spending/2017/12/04/5-ways-cut-cost-your-commute-transportation/556620001/
ARIZONA CENTRAL
— With reform pending in Congress, now is the time to look at your taxes – Russ Wiles (DIERSEN: According to this article, “Only about 30 percent of individual taxpayers itemize deductions.” My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if you itemize your deductions, you are a tax dodger and you are undeservedly filthy rich. I itemized my deductions 1972-1977 and my wife and I since 1978. We would NOT have itemized our deductions a) if we had rented instead of owned, b) if I had not taken job-related graduate courses, c) if we had given less money to 501(c)(3) organizations, and d) if we had not had major medical and dental expenses.)
https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/economy/2017/12/10/tax-reform-pending-congress-time-look-your-taxes/921033001/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Taxpayers who wait until the ink is dry on the sweeping Republican tax-reform plan could leave some money on the table. While the vast majority of changes won’t take effect until January — assuming the legislation is signed into law — several tax-shaving actions still can be taken before then. The waning weeks of 2017 thus are shaping up as particularly important for year-end planning, as many people may not be able to take advantage of several key deductions come Jan. 1. Only about 30 percent of individual taxpayers itemize deductions, and that could drop to around 10 percent with the proposed changes. Even for people who continue to itemize, plenty of familiar deductions might no longer be available. As a rule, taxpayers often find it worthwhile to defer income into the next year, if they can, and to take as many deductions and credits as possible in the current year. “With tax reform, that strategy makes even more sense,” said Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. Most people can’t do much to delay salary income. But for those who can ask their employer to defer year-end bonuses or delay their own invoices for a personal business, that income likely will be taxed at somewhat reduced rates next year. “Most people in most brackets will get at least some benefits (from the proposed lower rates),” said Luscombe, referring to House and Senate bills that had been passed as of early December. Try moving deductions into 2017 On the deduction side, there are several year-end planning opportunities. People who itemize might want to focus on deductions that, as of early December, were slated to get cut entirely or scaled back. These include the proposed elimination of the federal deduction for state/local income taxes and a possible new $10,000 annual deduction cap on real estate taxes. Other itemized deductions likely will continue to be available, but only for people who itemize, such as the deduction for charity donations and that for mortgage interest, which could be scaled back a bit. Year-end planning opportunities thus might include prepaying a property-tax installment due early in 2018, making a premature estimated state-tax payment or writing an early mortgage check prior to Jan. 1. Also, the remaining weeks of 2017 could be a time to double-up on charity donations that might not deliver any tax benefits next year, depending on your circumstances. Donations can be made by credit card prior to Jan. 1 and applied for 2017, even if the bill isn’t paid for weeks or months later. For certain deductions that have thresholds to meet, it can be beneficial to bunch expenses and utilize them in alternate years. This is true of medical expenses, which are currently deductible only to the extent they exceed 10 percent of a person’s adjusted gross income. As of early December, the House bill would repeal this deduction, though the Senate version would retain it, allowing deductions above 7.5 percent of AGI temporarily before reverting to 10 percent in 2019. This creates an opportunity to utilize the medical-expense deduction, possibly by prepaying certain items during 2017, if you are near this year’s threshold. . .The Government Accountability Office, in a new report, estimates Americans pay 81.7 percent of the taxes owed on a voluntary and timely basis. The report looked at individual, corporate, estate, excise and employment taxes from 2008 to 2010. According to the report, which relies on Internal Revenue Service estimates, taxpayers collectively owed $2.5 trillion in taxes annually, of which $2.04 trillion was paid in a timely and voluntary manner. Another $52 billion was collected in late payments and enforcement actions, with the IRS estimating $406 billion never will be paid.)