GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What questions should be asked of Republican candidates during candidate forums? – Dave Diersen
https://gopillinois.com
(THE ARTICLE: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The first question that Republican candidates should be asked during candidate forums should be: If elected, do you promise to defend and advance all the planks in the Republican Party and Illinois Republican Party platforms including their traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks? The second question should be: What have you done that shows that you oppose the promotion of LGBTQ activity, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminution of Second Amendment rights, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination?)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Burr Ridge Board threatens lawsuit over Durkin campaign fliers – Jesse Wright
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/western-springs/news/ct-dbr-straub-durkin-campaign-tl-0111-20180109-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Burr Ridge Village Board members are threatening to sue state Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs for allegedly slandering the village with his political advertisements. Durkin, the Illinois House Republican leader, is running for re-election in the 8th House District and Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub, also a Republican, has filed to run against him in the primary. The district includes all or portions of Burr Ridge, La Grange and Western Springs. Board member Albert Paveza said a group called Citizens for Durkin has been mailing out numerous fliers alleging the village has run unbalanced budges while driving up property taxes. The advertisements also allege the village raised fees to pay for a Chicago bailout. Paveza said he consulted with the village’s attorney, and the attorney agreed Durkin’s political ads may have crossed a line. Scott Uhler, the village’s attorney, confirmed that opinion. Paveza said he’s fielded numerous calls from constituents who have received the fliers and who were confused by the allegations. In response, Paveza drafted a letter to Durkin, Citizens for Durkin and the Illinois Republican Party demanding an apology and asking that the campaign cease “further distribution of false information.” Paveza said he expects an apology by or during the next board meeting on Jan. 22, saying if that doesn’t happen, legal action might. Durkin’s campaign did not return a call for comment on Monday. A spokesman for the Illinois Republican Party said they would comment after speaking to their attorney, who was not available Monday.)
— DuPage updates harassment policies to mirror the state’s – Gary Gibula
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-dupage-board-sex-harassment-policy-st-0110-20180109-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: In an editorial unethically made to look like a news article, anti-Trumps blast Trump’s immigration policies.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-mother-daughter-refugee-volunteer-0128-story.html
— Ethics board fines Cook County assessor $41,000 over political donations from lawyers – Ray Long, Jason Grotto
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-ethics-board-fines-assessor-berrios-cook-county-20180109-story.html
— AS THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S STRANGLEHOLD ON CHICAGO TIGHTENS: 39,000 homicides: Retracing 60 years of murder in Chicago – Kyle Bentle, Jonathon Berlin, Ryan Marx and Kori Rumore
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-history-of-chicago-homicides-htmlstory.html
— Jeff Bezos’ net worth tops $105 billion as Amazon climbs in New Year – Bloomberg (DIERSEN: Are/were you rich? To demonize me, to denigrate me, and to condemn me as being “rich,” my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government stressed the money that I spent on new cars, real estate, tuition, collector cars, etc. and they stressed the money that I saved. Should it be illegal to say that someone is “rich” unless their annual income is more than $250,000, $500,000, $750,000, $1,000,000? Should it be illegal to say that someone is “rich” unless their net worth is more than $5,000,000, $10,000,000, $15,000,000, $20,000,000? My federal salary in today’s dollars was $16.33/hour when I was 18, $45,703/year when I was 22, $55,905/year when I was 23, $67,638/year when I was 24, $81,071/year when I was 25, $91,880/year when I was 31, $96,403/year when I was 38, and $125,325/year when I was 49. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-jeff-bezos-net-worth-20180109-story.html
— Axelrod chides Rahm: You’re not from Chicago either – Kim Janssen (DIERSEN: Where are you from? All my ancestors were Lutherans who immigrated from what is now Germany to northeast Illinois during the 1840s and 1850s. My ancestors on my father’s side lived in Chicago 1844-1854 and then in Crete ever since. I lived in Crete 1948-1972 and my brother continues to live there in a home that my grandfather had built in 1926 on land that his grandfather bought in 1864.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-met-axelrod-emanuel-0109-chicago-inc-20180108-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “You’re not originally from Chicago,” Emanuel said by way of introduction to Axelrod, who was raised in New York. “But then, neither are you,” responded Axelrod. Ooh, burn! “Hey that’s getting close, buddy,” a laughing Emanuel, who grew up in Wilmette, chided Axelrod. Both men come from families that fled Europe to escape anti-Semitism, and they bonded in their chat over their shared Jewish faith.)
— Report ranks software developer as the best job in the U.S. this year – Corilyn Shropshire (DIERSEN: Are/were any of your jobs bad? According to my current critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes, all the jobs that I had were bad and they would never stoop to take any of them. I did yard work and delivered newspapers 1962-1964; washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; delivered mail 1966-1969; worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumped gasoline 1971-1972; collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980; and audited federal agencies 1980-1997.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-us-news-top-jobs-ranking-20180109-story.html
— If Google’s workplace is biased, what about its algorithms? – Leonid Bershidsky (DIERSEN: Who blacklists who? Members of Group A blacklist members of Group B. 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.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-google-bias-discrimination-algorithms-0110-20180109-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Culture of blacklisting The real complaint, of course, is about that. Google’s prevailing culture appears to be hostile to right-wing political views. As one manager wrote on an internal bulletin board (the screenshot is used in the lawsuit), “If you express a dunderheaded opinion about religion, about politics, or about ‘social justice,’ it turns out I am allowed to think you’re a halfwit” and refuse to work with such a person on a project. “As evidenced by the fact that the blacklisting posts remain live on Google’s internal corporate network, it is clear that Google took no action to prevent blacklisting,” Damore and Gudeman wrote in the lawsuit. “Google seems to ignore most cases, and occasionally ‘coach’ the worst offenders. However, Google will not openly come out against the practice; instead, it relies on crowdsourced harassment and ‘pecking’ to enforce social norms (including politics) that it feels it cannot write directly into its policies.” Gudeman claims his open support for Donald Trump directly contributed to his being blacklisted and fired. There’s a reason, however, that Damore and Gudeman need to bring race and gender into their accusations. Companies are not legally obliged to maintain a diversity of views among their employees. Opinions, unlike race, gender or sexual orientation, can be treated as a lifestyle choice, and these work better with some corporate cultures than with others. For example, Nike might prefer a workout fanatic to a smoker, while a tobacco company would be comfortable making the opposite choice. It can be argued that, because of the talent pool from which it draws — smart millennials who tend to value tolerance over the freedom of expression — Google builds a more cohesive working environment by hiring, to quote from the lawsuit, “an employee who sexually identifies as ‘a yellow-scaled wingless dragonkin’ and ‘an expansive ornate building’” than a #MAGA cap wearer. That, however, is exactly the problem. Google is not just a company, it’s the owner of the world’s biggest conduit to information, with a 69 percent global search market share. It leads people to it by using proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence. And it’s acutely aware of the problem of algorithm bias. There’s a Google-produced video about it: “YouTube: Machine Learning and Human Bias.”)
— Fewer teens having sex as decline in risky behaviors continues – Lenny Bernstein
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-fewer-teens-sex-decline-20180104-story.html
— Supreme Court to take up Ohio’s purges of inactive voters – Julie Carr Smyth and Mark Sherman (DIERSEN: How much deadwood is on the voter rolls in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, in Illinois, and in America?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-ohio-inactive-voters-supreme-court-20171231-story.html
— Will County considers nursing home rate hike – Susan DeMar Lafferty (DIERSEN: My 87-year-old aunt is paying $238 a day to live in an assisted living facility.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-will-ups-nursing-rates-st–0107-20180108-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Current rates are $220 for a private room and $210 for a semi-private room with skilled care; and $201 and $181 for intermediate care, respectively.)
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Transcript: Trump discusses immigration reform with Durbin, other lawmakers (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at immigrants and at everyone else that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. Democrats use immigrants to destroy individuals, to destroy organizations, and to destroy companies that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/transcript-trump-discusses-immigration-reform-with-durbin-other-lawmakers/
— Yep, President Trump, have a heart and stand with the ‘Dreamers’ – Editorial (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at immigrants and at everyone else that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. Democrats use immigrants to destroy individuals, to destroy organizations, and to destroy companies that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/president-trump-stand-with-dreamers-editorial/
— A lesson for Chris Kennedy in how not to play the race card – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/chris-kennedy-race-card-rahm-emanuel-city-hall-sam-rayburn/
DAILY HERALD
— The nuance behind Biss criticism of Madigan – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20180110/editorial-the-nuance-behind-biss-criticism-of-madigan
— Biss: Illinois suffocating under too many pension systems – Marni Pyke
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180109/biss-illinois-suffocating-under-too-many-pension-systems
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Roskam rival leads in fundraising; Biss hits Pritzker on TV – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20180109/BLOGS02/180109903/illinois-campaign-fundraising-disclosures-from-peter-roskam-rival
— Durbin on Dreamers: ‘Lives are hanging in the balance’ – Bloomberg (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats use children as cannon fodder. Ever-increasingly, Democrats shout at immigrants and at everyone else that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. Democrats use immigrants to destroy individuals, to destroy organizations, and to destroy companies that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20180109/NEWS02/180109909/durbin-on-dreamers-lives-are-hanging-in-the-balance
NBC5
— Study Ranks Illinois in the Top 20 States to Raise a Family Financial site WalletHub looked at all 50 states to find the most family-friendly places – Daniela Prizont-Cado (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Glen Ellyn, and in Wheaton who have worked the hardest to destroy the traditional family. They focus on: promoting dependency on government, promoting dependency on charity, promoting LGBTQ activity, promoting abortion, promoting mass/illegal immigration, promoting booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, promoting patronage, promoting political affiliation discrimination, promoting reverse discrimination, promoting age discrimination, promoting abolition of the First and Second Amendments, etc.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/study-ranks-illinois-in-top-20-states-to-raise-a-family-468477323.html
WTTW
— How Gentrification Takes Shape Across Chicago Neighborhoods – Evan Garcia
https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018/01/09/how-gentrification-takes-shape-across-chicago-neighborhoods
CHICAGO MAGAZINE
— Chicago Is Now Better Educated Than Its Suburbs A flood of college graduates has made Chicago one of the best-educated cities in America, but an unequal one as well. – WHET MOSER (DIERSEN: I spent lots of my personal time and my personal money taking job-related courses while I worked for the federal government 1966-1969 and 1971-1997. However, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that the courses that I took a) were not job-related, b) did not help me carry out my job duties, c) were taken by me to get a job in the private sector, and d) were a distraction. To keep their jobs and to get promoted, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government focused on getting rid of federal employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in 1970 when I was 21, an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.)
http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/January-2018/Chicago-Is-Now-Better-Educated-Than-Its-Suburbs/
BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Erickson won’t seek re-election as McLean County GOP chair – Lenore Sobota (DIERSEN: Are the following seeking re-election: a) the officers of your township/ward and county Republican Party organizations, b) your representative on the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee, and c) the IRP chairman?)
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/erickson-won-t-seek-re-election-as-gop-chair/article_9e86fc89-c13b-5567-9d4b-bb5b124c5686.html
SOUTHERN
— Illinois lieutenant governor visits Carbondale treatment center with opioid task force – DUSTIN DUNCAN
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/communities/carbondale/illinois-lieutenant-governor-visits-carbondale-treatment-center-with-opioid-task/article_13c6f0d1-1bf1-592e-93e8-60d5cc91e442.html
WSIL TV
— Sanguinetti tours Carbondale drug treatment center – Joe Ragusa
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37230113/sanguinetti-tours-carbondale-treatment-center
DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Bellock focuses on behavioral health at Medicaid revamp plan hearing – Angela Underwood (DIERSEN: Anti-Republicans want Illinois residents to spend their time and their money on booze, gambling, pot, and other vices.)
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511309620-bellock-focuses-on-behavioral-health-at-medicaid-revamp-plan-hearing
WEST COOK NEWS
— Durkin chief of staff cited a number of times in Tribune’s lottery investigation – W.J. Kennedy
https://westcooknews.com/stories/511312599-durkin-chief-of-staff-cited-a-number-of-times-in-tribune-s-lottery-investigation
— ‘Truth’ ad raises trust issue over Durkin ties to strip club scheme – Glenn Minnis
https://westcooknews.com/stories/511312655-truth-ad-raises-trust-issue-over-durkin-ties-to-strip-club-scheme
LAKE COUNTY GAZETTE
— McSweeney urges swift state action at Quincy veterans home – Angela Underwood
https://lakecountygazette.com/stories/511312621-mcsweeney-urges-swift-state-action-at-quincy-veterans-home
WILL COUNTY GAZETTE
— Straub questions Durkin, Rauner decision making in wake of lottery controversy – Glenn Minnis
https://willcountygazette.com/stories/511311906-straub-questions-durkin-rauner-decision-making-in-wake-of-lottery-controversy
ILLINOIS HOMEPAGE
— Hastings drops primary bid, White to run unopposed Democrat bows out of primary race – Mark Maxwell
http://www.illinoishomepage.net/capitol-connection/hastings-drops-primary-bid-white-to-run-unopposed/908698123
ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois Treasurer uses college savings investment money to pressure Facebook on fake news – Cole Lauterbach
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/illinois-treasurer-uses-college-savings-investment-money-to-pressure-facebook/article_9427f20a-f4c3-11e7-bad7-d3e2998dd44d.html
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— FOR YOUR OWN GOOD: ILLINOIS THE SEVENTH-MOST ‘PATERNALISTIC’ STATE IN THE COUNTRY, STUDY FINDS – Vincent Caruso (DIERSEN: The less responsible that residents of a state are, they more that paternalistic laws are needed. Far too many residents of Illinois not only harm themselves, they harm everyone around them.)
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/for-your-own-good-illinois-the-seventh-most-paternalistic-state-in-the-country-study-finds/
ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Planned Parenthood: This Evil, Baby Murder Mill Must Be Defunded – Tami Jackson
https://illinoisfamily.org/life/planned-parenthood-evil-baby-murdering-business-must-defunded/
CAPITOL FAX
— Kennedy: “To use the chief of police for political motives… That’s what they do in fascist countries”
https://capitolfax.com/2018/01/09/kennedy-to-use-the-chief-of-police-for-political-motives-that%e2%80%99s-what-they-do-in-fascist-countries/
FOX NEWS
— Coulter Blasts Trump for ‘DACA Lovefest’ With Dems, Plan for Amnesty
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/01/09/ann-coulter-trumps-daca-lovefest-dems-worse-anything-fire-and-fury
— Mr. Trump and Republicans, Democrats want to force you into a game of chicken on immigration. Don’t let them – Lauren DeBellis Appell
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/01/10/mr-trump-and-republicans-democrats-want-to-force-into-game-chicken-on-immigration-don-t-let-them.html
DAILY CALLER
— Google’s New Fact-Check Feature Almost Exclusively Targets Conservative Sites – Eric Lieberman
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/09/googles-new-fact-check-feature-almost-exclusively-targets-conservative-sites/
— After DACA Comments, Tucker Asks Trump: ‘What Was The Point Of Running For President?’ – Justin Caruso
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/09/tucker-rips-trump-on-immigration-what-was-the-point-of-running-for-president-video/
— Why Immigration Hawks Shouldn’t Be Worried (Yet) About Trump Surrendering On DACA – Scott Greer
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/10/why-immigration-hawks-shouldnt-be-worried-yet-about-trump-surrendering-on-daca/
— Gutfeld: NYC Prof Calls Merit-Based Education ‘Tool of Whiteness’
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/01/09/brooklyn-college-professor-calls-merit-based-education-tool-whiteness-racist
BLAZE
— California judge says Trump must reinstitute Obama’s amnesty for ‘Dreamers’ – Carlos Garcia
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/01/09/breaking-california-judge-says-trump-must-reinstitute-obamas-amnesty-for-dreamers
BREITBART
— Popular Mandatory E-Verify Ignored by Trump, GOP in WH Immigration Meeting – JOHN BINDER
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/09/popular-mandatory-e-verify-ignored-by-trump-gop-in-wh-immigration-meeting/
— GOP ‘Bill of Love’ Immigration Bill To End Chain Migration, Visa Lottery, Catch-and-Release – NEIL MUNRO
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/09/gop-house-immigration-bill-end-chain-migration-visa-lottery-catch-and-release/
— Donald Trump Promises to Sign DACA Amnesty Bill — Even If It Has Things He Doesn’t Like – CHARLIE SPIERING (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at immigrants and at everyone else that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. Democrats use immigrants to destroy individuals, to destroy organizations, and to destroy companies that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/09/donald-trump-promises-to-sign-daca-amnesty-bill-even-if-it-has-things-he-doesnt-like/
WORLD NET DAILY
— ANOTHER ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICAN (RAUNER) FACING CHALLENGE ‘The tipping point really became when he signed taxpayer funding of abortion’ – GREG COROMBOS
http://www.wnd.com/2018/01/another-establishment-republican-facing-challenge/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Trump promises to ‘take the heat’ to sign DREAMer ‘Bill of Love’ – Ed Straker
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/01/trump_promises_to_take_the_heat_to_sign_dreamer_bill_of_love.html
FREEDOM’S JOURNAL
— DIRTY COLLEGE SECRETS – Walter E. Williams
https://freedomsjournalinstitute.org/latest-news/opinion/dirty-college-secrets/
GOPUSA
— Trump Can Take Credit for Black Unemployment Drop – Star Parker
http://www.gopusa.com/trump-can-take-credit-for-black-unemployment-drop/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Republicans to propose $30 billion to fund border wall – Pete Kasperowicz
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-to-propose-30-billion-to-fund-border-wall/article/2645472
THE HILL
— White House aides told to decide in whether staying in administration: report – JOSH DELK (DIERSEN: To meet their Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion quotas, goals, and targets, my Democrat superiors in the federal government focused on making their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran to feel miserable so that they would leave.)
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/368240-white-house-aides-told-to-decide-in-whether-staying-in
NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps glorify and praise citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/opinion/dont-deport-the-salvadorans.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/us/immigrant-work-force-salvadorans-haitians.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— U.S. to Seek Death Penalty More Often for Violent Crimes Attorney General Jeff Sessions authorizes federal prosecutors to seek capital punishment in two murder cases and is said to be weighing it in others, including Manhattan terror attack – Nicole Hong and Aruna Viswanatha
https://www.wsj.com/articles/sessions-signals-greater-willingness-to-use-death-penalty-1515493800
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats want immigrants because they vote for Democrats. RINOs want immigrates because they want cheap labor.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/progress-on-immigration-1515545203
— The IRS Evades Accountability—and Its Excuse Is Ridiculous It claims its rules lack a ‘significant economic impact’ because they’re ‘derived from’ statutes. – John J. Vecchione and James Valvo
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-irs-evades-accountabilityand-its-excuse-is-ridiculous-1515544992
USA TODAY
— Retirement crisis: 37% of Gen X say they won’t be able to afford to retire – Adam Shell
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/10/retirement-crisis-37-gen-x-say-they-wont-able-afford-retire/1016739001/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Add Gen Xers to the long list of Americans who fear they won’t have a sizable enough nest egg to retire. Nearly four out of 10 (37%) of Generation X — those born between 1965 and the late 1970s — say they would like to stop working for good and “fully retire” someday, “but will not be able to afford to,” a new survey from TD Ameritrade, an online broker based in Omaha, found. Other gloomy Gen X retirement findings: 43% say “they are behind” in their savings. Half (49%) are “worried about running out of money” once they leave the workforce. Nearly two out of 10 (17%) say they “aren’t saving or investing for anything.” Only a third expect to be “very secure” in retirement — vs. nearly half of Baby Boomers. The savings shortfall has been exacerbated by the phasing out of traditional pensions funded by employers. In their place is the increasing reliance on 401(k) plans and IRAs that require workers to do most of the saving on their own.)
NEWSWEEK
— TRUMP STAFFERS ARE SO MISERABLE THAT WHITE HOUSE FEARS MASS EXODUS IN 2018 – TOM PORTER (DIERSEN: To meet their Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion quotas, goals, and targets, my Democrat superiors in the federal government focused on making their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran to feel miserable so that they would leave.)
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-staffers-are-so-miserable-white-house-fears-mass-exodus-2018-776477
GAO
— Tackling the Tax Gap (DIERSEN: While my Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS that I gaining by working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $81,071-$91,880, they did let me work on audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years.)
https://blog.gao.gov/2018/01/09/tackling-the-tax-gap/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Tax season is upon us, and many of us will soon be sitting down to figure out and pay our share. But this year, like every year, some taxpayers intentionally or inadvertently won’t fully pay what they owe. The difference between the amount that taxpayers owe and what they actually pay is known as the tax gap, and it’s hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Today’s WatchBlog discusses some of our recent reports on the tax gap, and what IRS might do to address it. How big is it? In 2016, the Internal Revenue Service estimated an average gap of $458 billion each year from 2008 to 2010. IRS expects eventually to collect part of this, but the rest—$406 billion per year for those years—will never be collected. That’s more than it costs to fund 10 of the largest federal agencies for a year. It’s more than 20 times what it costs to fund NASA for a year.)
MARKET WATCH
– New tax law is hitting these 4 states hard – ROBERT C. POZEN
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-tax-law-is-hitting-these-4-states-hard-2018-01-10
(FROM THE ARTICLE: These large increases in state revenues are not feasible, as illustrated by Illinois. To cope with its mammoth unfunded benefit obligations, Illinois has sharply raised tax rates on both individuals and businesses over the past few years. But higher tax rates in Illinois have backfired — driving local residents and firms to other states. In 2015, for example, Illinois lost $4.75 billion in adjusted gross income to other states, according to IRS data.)
FED SMITH
— EPA Touts Success With Buyouts, Shrinking Workforce – Ian Smith (DIERSEN: In 1993, when I was 45 years old, GAO offered a $25,000 buyout to all its employees including me who had 25 years or more of federal service.)
https://www.fedsmith.com/2018/01/10/epa-touts-success-buyouts-shrinking-workforce/
MONEY MAGAZINE
— Jeff Bezos Is Now Worth More Than Bill Gates Ever Was – BLOOMBERG (DIERSEN: Are/were you rich? To demonize me, to denigrate me, and to condemn me as being “rich,” my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government stressed the money that I spent on new cars, real estate, tuition, collector cars, etc. and they stressed the money that I saved. Should it be illegal to say that someone is “rich” unless their annual income is more than $250,000, $500,000, $750,000, $1,000,000? Should it be illegal to say that someone is “rich” unless their net worth is more than $5,000,000, $10,000,000, $15,000,000, $20,000,000? My federal salary in today’s dollars was $16.33/hour when I was 18, $45,703/year when I was 22, $55,905/year when I was 23, $67,638/year when I was 24, $81,071/year when I was 25, $91,880/year when I was 31, $96,403/year when I was 38, and $125,325/year when I was 49. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
http://time.com/money/5094811/jeff-bezos-is-now-worth-more-than-bill-gates-ever-was/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Jeff Bezos’s net worth reached $105.1 billion Monday on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as Amazon.com Inc. shares added to a 12-month surge that’s lifted the online shopping giant’s market value by almost 57%. Amazon shares have risen 6.6% this year, with a report showing the Seattle-based company captured 89% of online spending among dominant holiday retailers in the five-week period beginning the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. The latest jump has pushed Bezos’s fortune definitively above the high reached by Microsoft Corp.’s Bill Gates in 1999. The Amazon founder passed Gates in October with a net worth of $93.8 billion and his fortune crossed $100 billion for the first time a month later when the holiday shopping season kicked off on Black Friday.)