January 6, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Rauner: When it comes to K-12 education, Illinois families deserve high standards and proven policies
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/opinion-illinois-k-12-education-standards/
— Vallas: Maduro is not just a corrupt leader. He’s also a direct threat to US security.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/opinion-venezuela-war-powers-venezuela-nicolas-maduro/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/column-venezuela-us-maduro-trump-depetris/

DAILY HERALD
— Every Chicago suburb should strive to meet the state’s affordable housing requirements. DD: How diverse is housing affordability in your precinct? There is tremendous diversity in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260106/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-a-group-effort-every-chicago-suburb-should-strive-to-meet-the-states-afforda/

WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/01/06/venezuela-occupation-not-good-for-venezuela-america-chicago-uchicago-professor-says

WAND TV
— Illinois bans life insurance companies from discriminating against people with criminal records. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly encourage people to engage in bad behavior.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/illinois-bans-life-insurance-companies-from-discriminating-against-people-with-criminal-records/article_e4b3f956-51fe-4289-a221-9dd7d5d0934c.html

FOX ILLINOIS
— Heightened security in DC after capture of Maduro
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/nicolas-maduro-court-capture-venezuela-strikes-president-trump-washington-dc-heightened-security-white-house-embassy-us-military-delta-force-team-narco-terrorism-marco-rubio-venezuelans-pete-hegseth

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-05/trump-opposed-regime-change-but-now-he-says-the-u-s-is-in-charge-of-venezuela
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-05/former-trump-administration-officials-calls-on-president-to-let-venezuelans-run-their-country

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Giannoulias cash surge fuels City Hall buzz
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/06/giannoulias-cash-surge-fuels-city-hall-buzz-00712205

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/06/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-653/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Could $1.5 Million in Congressional Pork for DuPage County’s Prairie Food Co-op Inspire Woodstock’s Food Shed To Request the Same?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/could-1-5-million-in-congressional-pork-for-dupage-countys-prairie-food-co-op-inspire-woodstocks-food-shed-to-request-the-same/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What will your Republican Precinct Committeeman do to encourage voters in your precinct to cast Republican ballots in the March 17, 2026 primary? I will hand-deliver a sample ballot and the campaign literature that the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) provides me to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. The contested Republican races in my precinct are U.S. Senate, Illinois Governor, Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court, and DuPage County Sheriff. I have obtained a PDF file from the DuPage County Election Division and printed individual mailing labels for the 800 registered Republican and Independent voters in my precinct. I have asked MTRO for 400 envelopes. As soon as the sample ballot is available, I will photocopy it and stuff the envelopes with them and the campaign literature that MTRO provides me with, put them in walk order, divide them into five batches, and hand-deliver them. I hope we have a mild winter. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What discourages people from visiting websites? Paywalls, advertising, popups, cookie permission requests, donation requests, and/or lack of full disclosure of sources, who is paying for the website, and who is running then. Visitors to http://www.gopillinois.com have never seen any of the aforesaid and they never will. But sadly, the many websites that I have to visit to put GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together are ever-increasingly full of the aforesaid. Because news and commentary websites are overwhelming fronts for the Democrat and Libertarian parties, my having to visit them for opposition research is ever-increasingly stressful, painful, and disgusting. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Are you conservative? Are you Republican? I am. How hard have Democrat and RINO leaders tried to get you to leave Illinois? They have tried extremely hard to get me to leave Illinois. But I am not leaving. My ancestors have lived in northeast Illinois since 1844. I have lived in northeast Illinois since 1948, in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978, and in Wheaton’s West District and my precinct since 1984. My parents, brother, uncles, aunts, virtually all my relatives have died. I earned my four college degrees, six professional certifications, and professional license in Illinois. Hopefully, Democrat and RINO caused poverty and crime will not increase as much as I fear. I should write about those Democrat and RINO leaders who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me to get me to leave Illinois. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative. RINO leaders have chosen. They have chosen to make the Republican Party the Democrat Lite Party, that is, they have chosen to dump conservative principles and virtually all the planks in the Republican Party platform. They have chosen to drive conservatives, that is, Republicans, out of the Republican Party. They have chosen to destroy the Republican Party. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— How Illinois has changed under Pritzker
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/presidential-profile-how-illinois-has-changed-under-pritzker/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Fraud Targeting Children Went Unchecked for Years in Minnesota as Pritzker Praises Walz. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/fraud-targeting-children-went-unchecked-for-years-in-minnesota-as-pritzker-praises-walz.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/us-news/gavin-newsom-slams-donald-trump-for-nicolas-maduro-arrest/
— CIA concluded Maduro’s lackeys more likely to maintain order in Venezuela than opposition leader
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/world-news/pro-maduro-thugs-ordered-to-hunt-down-us-collaborators-as-tension-fills-venezuelan-streets/
— Illegal immigrant trucker accused of causing fatal crash appears in court wearing turban he requested
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/us-news/illegal-immigrant-truck-driver-accused-in-fatal-crash-appears-in-court-wearing-turban/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Trump freezes $10 billion in childcare social services funds for five blue states
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/01/06/trump-freezes-10-billion-in-childcare-social-services-funds-for-five-blue-states-1614170/

FOX NEWS
— Bondi says Trump ‘saved countless lives’ in Venezuelan dictator Maduro capture operation. Attorney general defends military operation as ‘well within’ presidential authority after Democratic criticism.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/bondi-says-trump-saved-countless-lives-venezuelan-dictator-maduro-capture-operation
— The ‘Jewish question’ was a needless distraction at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest
https://www.aol.com/articles/david-marcus-jewish-becomes-needless-184821505.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation and for some people having less money than others.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-laser-focused-affordability-trump-softens-tariff-strategy.print

DAILY SIGNAL
— ‘Seize Private Property’: Mamdani and Lieutenants Were Serious About the Socialist Thing
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/05/seize-private-property-mamdani-and-lieutenants-were-serious-about-the-socailist-thing/

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— University of Illinois Hosted State-Funded Committee Meeting Where Professors Advocated for Reparations. “They shared with White workers labor exploitation. That is the hallmark of capitalism: theft.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/u-illinois-hosted-state-funded-committee-meeting-where-professors-advocated-for-reparations/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— The Crowd Cheered Ramaswamy. DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative. RINO leaders have chosen. They have chosen to make the Republican Party the Democrat Lite Party, that is, they have chosen to dump conservative principles and virtually all the planks in the Republican Party platform. They have chosen to drive conservatives, that is, Republicans, out of the Republican Party. They have chosen to destroy the Republican Party.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-crowd-cheered-ramaswamy/amp/
(FROM THE ARTICE: Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech at Turning Point USA’s flagship event last month is worth watching — both for the content of the Ohio gubernatorial candidate’s remarks, and for the reaction of the crowd. Because of their growing numbers and influence, some on the right seem to believe that the political success of the GOP playing footsie with racists, bigots, and antisemites. But not Ramaswamy, who accurately argued that the political right currently faces a time for choosing: It is the American dream that makes American exceptionalism possible. And the answer of what it means to be a conservative — this is what it’s up to us to answer. It is a fork in the road for the future of the conservative movement right now. What does it mean to be a conservative? It means we conserve those ideals that define our country. And now is a moment, a time for choosing in the future of our conservative movement to determine with clarity who’s actually on that team of conserving the ideals versus who actually is not.)

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DEI has no place in our K-12 classrooms
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5673073-radical-activism-dei-antiracism/
— Trump moves to dominate Western Hemisphere
https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5674161-trump-venezuela-foreign-policy/
— Venezuelans praise Trump for taking out Maduro
https://thehill.com/opinion/robbys-radar/5673039-us-forces-oust-venezuelan-dictator/amp/
— Twenty-five years ago, Gallup began asking Americans if they were proud of their country. Nine out of 10 said yes, they were extremely or very proud of the United States. Things have changed. National pride has sunk to 58 percent, an all-time low. The response among young people is especially telling. Gallup found that the members of each new generation since 2001 have been less likely than the previous one to say they are very proud to be Americans. Only 41 percent of the Gen Z, the latest generation to reach adulthood, feels that way today. DD: Ever-increasingly since the 1960s, Democrat and RINO leaders have replace meritocracy with race and gender based preference giving.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5668737-we-need-a-program-of-national-service/amp/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-united-nations-maduro-trump-waltz-1433e10bbb800fb41b21a70c7501ad88

ABC NEWS
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-donroe-doctrine-seeks-influence-western-hemisphere-citing/story?id=128926397

CBS NEWS
— 2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-federal-agents-crackdown/

NBC NEWS
— DD: What percent of Venezuelans in America support Maduro?
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/venezuelan-americans-react-to-nicolas-maduro-s-removal-255445061938

NEW YORK TIMES
— Maduro’s Gesture Was Not Just a Peace Sign. The captured authoritarian leader flashed a symbol that many took to be a defiant peace sign. Loyal lawmakers repeated the gesture at a session in Caracas.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/world/americas/maduro-gesture-peace-sign.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/06/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/world/europe/trump-venezuela-china-russia.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/congress-venezuela-maduro.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/world/americas/maduro-new-york-arraignment-venezuela-protest.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/opinion/trump-venezuela-maduro-clausewitz-aquinas.html
— Hegseth Starts Proceedings Against Sen. Mark Kelly Over His Remarks. DD: I got no proceedings when my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. If GAO had been unionized, there would have been.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/hegseth-mark-kelly.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/05/maduro-arraignment-international-law-trump-justified/
— Trump officials bar Head Start providers from using ‘women’ and ‘race’ in grant applications. The Trump administration is telling Head Start providers to avoid dozens of terms in federal grant applications, including “race,” “belonging” and “pregnant people.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/05/head-start-dei-women-race/79c256b0-ea80-11f0-91a9-9928b22be817_story.html

USA TODAY
— So now Democrats are mad that Trump ousted a dictator? Kudos to President Donald Trump and our military. I hope the president can finish the job and reinstate democracy to the Venezuelan people.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/01/05/democrats-criticize-trump-capture-maduro-venezuela/88017748007/
— Are opposing political views a bad thing at work? DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates ever-increasingly asked me questions to get me to defend my conservative beliefs, to remind me that I was not welcome.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2025/12/30/how-to-address-clashing-political-viewpoints-work/87896476007/
— Is the 4% rule too stingy for your retirement? Try spending 5%. DD: My retirement savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/12/30/4-percent-rule-retirement-savings-spending/87922293007/

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— Maduro action not without historical precedent
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-maduro-action-not-without-historical-precedent-3604261/

WGME
— Noem: Venezuelan migrants under TPS can apply for asylum in the US
https://wgme.com/news/nation-world/venezuelan-migrants-under-tps-can-apply-for-asylum-in-the-us-noem-nicolas-maduros-migrant-joe-biden-threat-deportation

KSL
— Utah County GOP censures County Commissioner. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes try to get the Illinois Center Right Coalition to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I would focus on those who continue to have lots of religious, government. political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.
https://www.ksl.com/article/51428753/utah-county-gop-censures-county-commissioner-amelia-powers-gardner

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Dow Jumps to Record After U.S. Captures Venezuela’s Maduro. Blue-chips close near 49000; gold, silver and copper rally.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-01-05-2026
— Welfare Fraud Takes Out Tim Walz. Minnesota’s Governor ends his re-election run as the scandal bites. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981.  While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/tim-walz-ends-campaign-minnesota-welfare-fraud-7b276269
— Trump Administration to Freeze Social-Service Funds in More Democratic States. Government is pausing funds for child care and poor families in California, Colorado, Illinois and New York; expanding pause in Minnesota.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-administration-to-freeze-social-service-funds-in-more-democratic-states-bcb35c1d

BLOOMBERG
— Venezuela Swears in Rodríguez After Maduro Capture
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-01-06/venezuela-swears-in-rodriguez-after-maduro-capture
— Venezuela Regroups With New Leader, Old Repression Tactics
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-05/maduro-s-son-backs-rodriguez-even-as-she-extends-hand-to-trump
— Trump Asks Rubio to Lead Venezuela Overhaul After Maduro Arrest
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-06/trump-asks-rubio-to-lead-venezuela-overhaul-after-maduro-arrest?embedded-checkout=true

FORTUNE
— Trump’s strike on Venezuela gives the U.S. 30% of the world’s oil reserves on paper and a $100 billion rebuilding job in reality
https://fortune.com/2026/01/05/how-much-oil-is-in-venezuela-trump-maduro-jpmorgan-outlook/

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— ICE more than doubled its workforce in 2025. The Trump administration has reconfigured its onboarding and training process to quickly deploy agents into the field.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/01/ice-more-doubled-its-workforce-2025/410461/?oref=ge-featured-river-top

NPR
— Amid fraud claims, Trump admin announces more changes to federal child care funding. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY
— Just Following Orders. DD: I never failed to follow orders from my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors to give preference to my Democrat subordinates who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. All those who they assigned me to supervise were the aforesaid. I gave them lots of preference. But that was not enough. They punished me severely a) because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40 years old in 1988.
https://outsidethebeltway.com/just-following-orders/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

GUARDIAN
— Venezuela detains journalists and seizes communication devices after Maduro’s removal
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/06/venezuela-detains-journalists-after-nicolas-maduros-captured

CBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQ_Rp1YDRQ

AL JAZERRA
— US critics and allies condemn Maduro’s abduction at UN Security Council
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/6/us-critics-and-allies-condemn-maduros-abduction-at-un-security-council
— Americans evenly split on Maduro’s abduction
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/6/americans-evenly-split-on-maduros-abduction-poll-shows
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/1/6/live-un-security-council-members-slam-us-abduction-of-venezuelas-maduro

January 5, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/01/02/operation-midway-blitz-parents-children-immigration-detention-mental-health

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Admitting unprepared students into college isn’t equity
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/opinion-college-admissions-sat-act-test-scores-unprepared-students/

FOX ILLINOIS
— Trump warns Venezuela’s vice president of dire consequences if she defies US expectations. DD: I never defied orders from my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors to give preference to my Democrat subordinates who were minority, female, and/or veteran. All those who they assigned me to supervise were the aforesaid. I gave them lots of preference. But that was not enough. I suffered dire consequences a) because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40 years old in 1988.
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-warns-venezuelas-vice-president-of-dire-consequences-if-she-defies-us-expectations

JC POST
— Recent college graduates face a world with fewer jobs — and loan payments are due soon. DD: Did you get a student loan? I did not. If I had gotten a student loan, I would not have had to work my way through college. My GPA would have been higher. I spent far too many hours washing dishes and delivering mail instead of studying. My ACT score would have been higher. My postal management test score would have been higher. My Federal Service Entrance Examination score would have been higher. I would have gotten a job that required a college degree sooner after I graduated from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970.
https://jcpost.com/posts/dfed9403-4b0d-4569-bdd9-15d13e018886

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— 2026 predictions
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/05/2026-predictions-venezuela-vibes-00710459

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Republican Congressional/County Board Debate at MCC on January 22nd. DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate debates.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/republican-congressional-county-board-debate-at-mcc-on-january-22nd/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Red alert in NYC as nearly 60% of voters support Mamdani socialism
https://nypost.com/2026/01/04/us-news/red-alert-in-nyc-as-nearly-60-of-voters-support-mamdani-socialism-poll/
— Rubio mocks Kamala Harris for shocking double-standard after she criticized Maduro arrest
https://nypost.com/2026/01/04/us-news/rubio-mocks-kamala-harris-for-shocking-double-standard-after-she-criticized-maduro-arrest/

AMERICAN THINKER
— It’s 2026: Your Race Card Has Expired. Politics is simply gifting your supporters with tax money and grants and government regulations so that the grateful supporters will contribute to your next campaign.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/it_s_2026_your_race_card_has_expired.html
— The Devil wears blue. When policies consistently produce death, chaos, division, and decline — yet are defended with religious fervor — it is reasonable to ask whether something far darker than mere politics is at work.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/the_devil_wears_blue.html
— The Kinetic War on Drugs. This last few weeks, Donald Trump changed the war on drugs. He made it kinetic.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/the_kinetic_war_on_drugs.html
— Exposing the deep state fraud system. This time, they may have gone too far.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/exposing_the_deep_state_fraud_system.html

BLAZE
— Minnesota’s fraud scandal exposes a dangerously loose election system
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/minnesotas-fraud-scandal-exposes-a-dangerously-loose-election-system

BREITBART
— Newsom Defies Transportation Sec. Duffy, Extends Migrant Trucking Licenses
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/01/04/gov-newsom-defies-transportation-sec-extends-migrant-trucking-licenses/amp/

DAILY CALLER
— Democratic Lawmaker Says She Feels Guilty For Being White And Kids Should Too. DD: My critics/opponents agree with her. According to them, I owe all my successes in life to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, veteran, unmarried, parents, non-Protestant, non-German American, non-citizen, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for as long as mine have been. In my defense, neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://www.aol.com/articles/democratic-lawmaker-says-she-feels-182204161.html

EEOC
— Discrimination Against American Workers Is Against The Law. DD: Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly make it clear that they prefer citizens of foreign countries over citizens of America. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.eeoc.gov/discrimination-against-american-workers-against-law

FOX BUSINESS
— Starlink provides free internet to Venezuela following US arrest of Maduro
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/starlink-provides-free-internet-venezuela-following-us-arrest-nicolas-maduro

FOX NEWS
— Trump says Cuba is ‘ready to fall’ after capture of Venezuela’s Maduro. President Trump predicted Cuba’s communist government is “ready to fall” following the U.S.-led capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-says-cuba-ready-fall-after-capture-venezuelas-maduro
— Maduro and ‘Lady Macbeth’ Cilia Flores marriage spells ‘worst case’ custody scenario. Flores described as ‘original Chavista’ who helped construct Chávez’s revolutionary project before marrying Maduro in 2013.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/maduro-wife-face-manhattan-arraignment-expert-calls-us-custody-worst-case-scenario

REAL CLEAR MARKETS
— Contemplating the Difficult Labor-Market Conditions for U.S.-Born Men. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly a) destroy traditional marriage and family, b) destroy personal responsibility, and c) promote dependency on government and charity.
https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2026/01/05/contemplating_the_difficult_labor-market_conditions_for_us-born_men_1156577.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Thanks to Barack Obama’s relaxation of food stamp requirements, the number of able-bodied adults without dependents on the rolls tripled between 2007 and 2012, reaching the same number of single adults with dependent children. These patterns remained through 2023. Many also qualify for Medicaid. Thus, with government and family support, these idle men have been able to get by. The problem is that once these men are away from paid employment for an extended period, many no longer possess the behavioral requirements necessary to sustain permanent employment. This is why when some states a decade ago began to enforce very modest work-related requirements on this group, half left the rolls. This lack of appropriate behaviors helps explain why employers of semi-skilled workers, like Amazon distribution centers, often seek out immigrant workers. The controversy last year in Springfield (OH) focused on how a group of employers recruited Haitian immigrants from outside the state rather than seek local workers. Unlike many of the local young men, these immigrants were reliable: showing up for work every day, following orders, and working responsibly at their job.  These immigrants may work for less, but it was their superior behavior that was crucial [editor’s emphasis]. Unfortunately, continuing to stress increasing the share of men in four-year colleges will only worsen the problem. A large share of boys has substandard 8th-grade reading and math skills. Given their weak skills, the highest-paid vocational occupations, like plumber and electricians, are beyond their reach. Instead, they unfortunately must be prepared for entry-level certificate programs as the necessary first step for future success. Only then can many of them gain the behavioral traits that will enable them to have productive lives, often by taking subsequent stackable certificates.  Sadly, a significant share of these weakly-prepared high school students will not choose or be successful in these entry-level vocational efforts. They will become part of the disconnected population: neither in school nor in paid employment. Many will gravitate to the street life; relying on illegal activities. While few will end up with outcomes like George Floyd or Eric Garner, the vast majority will live a bleak existence on society’s margins.)

TOWNHALL
— The World is Cheering the Removal of Maduro, So Why are US Leftists Protesting, Supporting Mamdani?
https://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2026/01/05/world-cheering-the-removal-of-maduro-so-why-are-us-leftists-protesting-supporting-mamdani-n2668863
— What Do Democrats Prioritize? DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism, dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. RINO leaders fail/refuse to oppose the aforesaid. RINO leaders paint themselves as being Democrat Lite.
https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2026/01/05/what-do-democrats-prioritize-n2668860

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Pope Leo calls for Venezuelan independence after Maduro ouster
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5672412-pope-leo-venezuela-sovereignty/

ABC NEW YORK
— Mamdani talks to Queens bus riders about plans for free service. DD: During the late 1950s and early 1960s, I paid for bus rides between Crete and Chicago Heights.
https://abc7ny.com/post/mayor-zohran-mamdani-talks-queens-bus-riders-plans-free-service/18353475/

REUTERS
— Cuba says 32 of its citizens killed in Maduro extraction
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-says-32-its-citizens-killed-maduro-extraction-2026-01-05/

MSN
— 15 smart college majors for dependable, great-paying jobs. DD: I will forever regret not majoring in accounting from the beginning. I feared that I could never pass the CPA examination. But I started taking graduate evening accounting courses when I was 27 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. But by then, because of my bad demographics, the accounting profession saw me as being too old to have a successful career in accounting. My earning a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31 and my passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and becoming a licensed CPA when I was 32 did not help.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/15-smart-college-majors-for-dependable-great-paying-jobs/ss-AA1TyP1J
— Why you don’t need a college degree to be successful in this generation. DD: Were you viewed as being college material? I was not. Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. My ACT score was only 24. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. I got no scholarships.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/money/other/why-you-don-t-need-a-college-degree-to-be-successful-in-this-generation/ar-AA1TvxHY

NEW YORK TIMES
— Venezuela’s New Leader Softens Tone as Trump Threatens Colombia
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/04/world/trump-us-venezuela-maduro
— If You’re Struggling With Student Loans, Here’s What to Know for 2026. DD: Did you get a student loan? I did not. If I had gotten a student loan, I would not have had to work my way through college. My GPA would have been higher. I spent far too many hours washing dishes and delivering mail instead of studying. My ACT score would have been higher. My postal management test score would have been higher. My Federal Service Entrance Examination score would have been higher. I would have gotten a job that required a college degree sooner after I graduated from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/business/student-loan-debt-save-plan.html
— DD: For Democrats, the purpose of education is to crank out good little Democrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/opinion/harvards-campus-speech-trump.html
— FRONT PAGE: DD: Hate filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/us/politics/trump-congress-power-republicans-democrats.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/health/obamacare-subsidies-higher-premiums.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump threatens Venezuela’s interim leader as Maduro is set to be arraigned
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/04/us-venezuela-trump-maduro/

USA TODAY
— Many retirees aren’t taking required distributions. It can cost them.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/retirement/2025/12/28/retirees-dont-take-required-withdrawals-tax/87907996007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Venezuela’s Vice President Calls on U.S. to Release Maduro
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/venezuela-strikes/card/venezuela-s-vice-president-calls-on-u-s-to-release-maduro-qPGSe7dZLohY9ljvVSNx
— The Scandal of American Welfare Goes Beyond Fraud. California spends billions on programs that enrich insiders and don’t help the needy—and it’s all legal.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-scandal-of-american-welfare-goes-beyond-fraud-befdbeb4
— Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List for Company Recruiters. As white-collar hiring slows down and corporate DEI goals vanish, where you went to college matters again.  DD: According to my critics/opponents, degrees from non-Ivy League universities are worthless, that is, my 1970 NIU, 1976 Loyola, 1980 DePaul, and 1997 IIT degrees are worthless.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/elite-colleges-are-back-at-the-top-of-the-list-for-company-recruiters-ad9526ac

BLOOMBERG
— Trump’s Ouster of Maduro Shows America’s New World Order Is Here
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-05/trump-s-ouster-of-venezuela-s-maduro-puts-spotlight-on-cuba-greenland

FORTUNE
— Teen prodigy Kairan Quazi is ditching SpaceX for billionaire Ken Griffin’s Citadel Securities. DD: Were you a teen prodigy? I certainly was not. My critics/opponents have always stressed a) that my ACT score was only 24, b) that I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class, c) that I got no scholarships, and d) that I had to work my way through college.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/elon-musk-s-teen-prodigy-kairan-quazi-is-ditching-spacex-for-billionaire-ken-griffin-s-citadel-securities/ar-AA1KONTW

MONDAQ
— EEOC Issues New Guidance Regarding Anti-American Discrimination. DD: Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly make it clear that they prefer citizens of foreign countries over citizens of America. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/employee-rights-labour-relations/1724842/the-eeoc-issues-new-guidance-regarding-anti-american-discrimination

JD SUPRA
— EEOC Highlights Discrimination Risks With New Anti-American Bias Guidance. DD: Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly make it clear that they prefer citizens of foreign countries over citizens of America. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/eeoc-highlights-discrimination-risks-5393104/

FED SCOOP
— OPM ‘loyalty question’ pushes potential applicants away. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://fedscoop.com/federal-agency-jobs-trump-loyalty-question-opm-lawsuit/

ATLANTIC
— Trump Threatens Venezuela’s New Leader With a Fate Worse Than Maduro’s. The president told The Atlantic that Delcy Rodríguez needs to comply with U.S. wishes—or else. DD: I never defied orders from my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors to give preference to my Democrat subordinates who were minority, female, and/or veteran. All those who they assigned me to supervise were the aforesaid. I gave them lots of preference. But that was not enough. I suffered dire consequences a) because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40 years old in 1988.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/01/trump-venezuela-maduro-delcy-rodriguez/685497/?taid=695aa2ba1534bb0001d4bb54

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

POST
— Making a career choice that defines future you. DD: I will forever regret not majoring in accounting from the beginning. I feared that I could never pass the CPA examination. But I started taking graduate evening accounting courses when I was 27 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. But by then, because of my bad demographics, the accounting profession saw me as being too old to have a successful career in accounting. My earning a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31 and my passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and becoming a licensed CPA when I was 32 did not help.
https://thepost.co.za/features/2026-01-05-making-a-career-choice-that-defines-future-you/

BUSINESS STANDARD
— Venezuela vice president Rodriguez in Russia, 4 sources say
https://www.tbsnews.net/world/venezuela-vice-president-rodriguez-russia-four-sources-say-1325481

TIMES
— Vladimir Putin may be seeking more secure lodgings. The US military operation in Venezuela might have the Russian dictator fidgeting nervously.
https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/vladimir-putin-may-be-seeking-more-secure-lodgings-zbdnvh23h
— The pension crisis. DD: My critics/opponents are ever-increasingly furious a) that I get a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension and b) that the federal government pays 72% of my and my wife’s healthcare insurance. In my defense, I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years. I paid 7% of my salary into the CSRS. I would not have become a postal employee when I was 18 in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment examination. I would not have become an IRS employee when I was 22 if my Firestone Store boss had not rudely fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. Further, my CSRS pension is dramatically less because my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. Further, CSRS pensions can be as high as 80% of your ending salary. In today’s dollars, 80% of my $154,682/year ending salary would be $123,746/year. But my CSRS pension is only $68,640/year. that is, it is less than what my IRS salary was when I was 23 years old in 1972.
https://www.thetimes.com/money/pensions/article/the-pensions-crisis-isnt-ruining-just-your-savings-0h93rrc3v

INDEPENDENT
— ICE targets frustrated officers in fresh recruitment drive. DD: When I was 22 years old in 1971, I had to have a job. My Firestone Store boss had fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My financial hardship draft deferment application was pending. My father had died suddenly. I was helping support my mother and brother. IRS offered me a job which I took. But what if IRS had not offered me a job, but ICE did?
https://www.aol.com/articles/ice-targets-frustrated-officers-fresh-142336483.html

January 4, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— DD: Democrats rally in St. Charles to support ban on federal immigration enforcement agencies. Democrats ever increasingly a) encourage citizens of foreign countries to come to America illegally and b) fight their deportation. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/st-charles-demonstrators-rally-support-ban-federal-immigration-enforcement-agencies-denounce-ice-border-patrol/18348183/

NBC5
— Protest in Chicago after U.S. military operation in Venezuela, president captured. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Maduro’s capture “violates international law and dangerously escalates the possibility of full-scale war,” in a statement Saturday. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/protest-in-chicago-after-u-s-military-operation-in-venezuela-president-captured/3870910/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/operation-midway-blitz-cost/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD IN NAPERVILLE SUN WITH BIG PICTURE: North Central University of Naperville? NCC considers name change as it grapples with brand recognition, identity. DD: According to my critics/opponents, degrees from non-Ivy League universities are worthless, that is, my 1970 NIU, 1976 Loyola, 1980 DePaul, and 1997 IIT degrees are worthless.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/02/north-central-college-naperville-name-change/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Republicans, and especially Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Ever-increasingly, to be a Democrat is to be a promoter of hatred.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/opinion-cancer-battle-systemic-racism/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Police chief is a top job, but not all Illinois’ top cops meet highest standards. Illinois should make certified law enforcement executive training a prerequisite to landing a job as a police chief, which could help weed out appointments based on loyalty, personal relationships or political convenience. DD: What if to be a county auditor, you had a) to have a degree in accounting, b) to have passed the CPA examination, c) to have passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination, d) to be a licensed CPA, and/or e) to have auditing work experience? I have a master’s degree in accounting. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt. I became a licensed CPA. I worked for GAO as an auditor for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $118,984-$154,682/year. In addition, I became a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Government Financial Manager, Certified Financial Services Auditor, and Forensic Accountant. I served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter for 13 years.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/01/03/police-chief-hiring-illinois-should-require-certified-law-enforcement-executive-training-tom-weitzel
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Illinois holds its police officers to some of the highest professional standards in the country. Officers must be trained, certified and continually retrained. Supervisors must meet additional requirements. Specialized assignments demand advanced credentials and ongoing education. Yet the most powerful position in any police department — the chief of police — can still be filled with no mandatory statewide certification at all. It is a policy failure with real consequences.)
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for everything that is bad.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/01/03/college-career-professional-lived-within-means-unemployment-job-loss-economic-uncertainty-sarah-rand

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE: Uber-wealthy Illinoisans already spending big on 2026 campaigns
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260103/us-congress-politics/uber-wealthy-illinoisans-already-spending-big-on-2026-campaigns/
(FROM TRHE ARTICLE: The Uihleins  Founders of the Uline shipping- and business-supply company, the Uihleins have been among the nation’s leading Republican donors for years. They gave nearly $143.5 million to federal candidates and groups during the 2024 election cycle, records show, which placed them fourth on OpenSecrets’ nationwide list but first in their home state. So far this cycle, the Uihleins’ donations have included $7 million to a conservative political action committee called Restoration of America; $4 million to a committee called Fair Courts America; $620,200 to the National Senatorial Committee; and $620,200 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. The Uihleins also have donated to more than a dozen U.S. Senate and House candidates across the country this cycle — but none from Illinois, records show. Shirley W. Ryan  Ryan — the philanthropic wife of billionaire Aon Corp. founder Pat Ryan and the namesake of a renowned rehabilitation hospital in Chicago and other venues — donated $32.2 million to federal Republican candidates and political groups during the 2024 cycle, landing her at 19th place on OpenSecrets’ Top 100. Ryan’s donations this cycle have included $51,000 to a Republican political action committee called Secure the Senate 2026 and $24,000 to another called Uphold the Senate, as well as thousands to U.S. Senate candidates outside Illinois. Janet J. Duchossois  Oak Brook resident Janet J. Duchossois, the wife of Duchossois Group CEO and Chairman Craig Duchossois, donated $16.3 million to federal candidates and political groups in the 2024 cycle, placing her 34th on OpenSecrets’ list. Duchossois’ donations this cycle include $44,300 to the Republican National Committee, $41,300 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and $46,300 to Uphold the Senate. Like the Uihleins and Ryan, she’s also backed U.S. House and Senate candidates outside Illinois, but not here.)
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more video gambling. In 2009, I led the successful effort to ban video gambling in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260102/business/st-charles-again-delays-push-tax-on-video-gaming-terminals/

JOURNAL COURIER
— More than half of Illinois to continue paying 1% grocery tax
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/illinois-1-grocery-tax-continuing-2026-half-state-21266702.php

LINCOLN COURIER
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.lincolncourier.com/story/news/local/2026/01/04/central-illinois-protests-against-trumps-military-action-in-venezuela/88007076007/

NPR ILLINOIS & WAND TV
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-03/maduro-faces-drug-charges-in-u-s-even-as-trump-freed-others-convicted-of-trafficking
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/capture-of-maduro-and-us-claim-it-will-run-venezuela-raise-new-legal-questions/article_2bb82f1d-411d-5fc5-b34d-e86160b408bd.html

CWB CHICAGO
— He attacked and robbed pregnant woman in the Loop while on electronic monitoring
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/01/he-attacked-and-robbed-pregnant-woman-in-the-loop-while-on-electronic-monitoring-officials-say.html

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— IL U.S. Senate candidates differ on Affordable Care Act tax credits
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_d61bb46b-4e18-4b90-9717-b727d0588844.html

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— U.S. Indictment Accuses Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro and Wife of Running Decades-Long Cocaine Empire Targeting America
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/u-s-indictment-accuses-venezuelan-dictator-nicolas-maduro-and-wife-of-running-decades-long-cocaine-empire-targeting-america.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

AMERICAN THINKER
— Mamdani and the new collectivists. DD: My critics/opponents are collectivists.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/mamdani_and_the_new_collectivists.html

DAILY CALLER
— MAGA World Speaks Out On Trump’s Maduro Operation
https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/03/make-america-great-again-reacts-donald-trump-nicolas-maduro-venezuela-military-operation/

DAILY SIGNAL
— 7 Left-Wing Groups to Watch in 2026. DD: RINO leaders of the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (CRCC), and Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) have always demonized. denigrated, and condemned TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) as being right-wing groups and even worse things. They have always blamed TAPROOT and ICRC for losses suffered by the Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct. They had their operatives and their dupes destroy TAPROOT in 2012 and ICRC in 2007. I should write about those RINO IRP, DCRCC, and MTRO leaders. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/03/7-left-wing-groups-watch-2026/amp/

EPOCH TIMES
— 9 Takeaways From Trump’s Address on Operation to Capture Maduro. The U.S. president previewed heavy investment in the nation’s oil industry to rebuild infrastructure and increase production.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/9-takeaways-from-trumps-address-on-operation-to-capture-maduro-5965704
(FROM THE ARTICLE: US to Run Venezuela Until Transition. . .US Will Tap Venezuela’s Oil Reserves. . . Threat of 2nd Attack. . .Operation Executed at Trump’s Direction. . .A Spectacular Assault. . .No Troops Killed, No Equipment lost. . .Maduro Was Given Many Chances. . .Monroe Doctrine. . .Cuba Next?)

FOX NEWS
— Maduro arrives in New York after capture, arraignment expected Monday.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/us-strikes-venezuela-maduro-captured-january-3-2026
— Venezuelan leader Maduro, wife arrive at Brooklyn detention facility after capture by US forces. Venezuelan leader faces narco-terrorism conspiracy charges along with his wife.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/venezuelan-leader-maduro-lands-new-york-after-being-captured-us-forces-drug-conspiracy-charges
— How a socialist cell in the US mobilized pro-Maduro foot soldiers within 12 hours. DD: How many socialist cells are there in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/second-front-how-socialist-cell-us-mobilized-pro-maduro-foot-soldiers-within-12-hours
— Maduro capture echoes Noriega takedown that used rock music as psychological warfare against dictator. Both operations proceeded without congressional authorization and targeted leaders accused of drug trafficking.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/maduro-capture-echoes-noriega-takedown-used-rock-music-psychological-warfare-dictator
— Black Republican calls for total, permanent abolition of DEI: ‘I want to earn every opportunity on merit.’ DD: My Black subordinate who my Democrat GAO superiors replaced me with when I was 49 years old in 1997 a) had less work experience than I had, b) had less education than I had, c) had one professional certification while I had six, and d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.aol.com/news/black-republican-calls-total-permanent-151042227.html

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— Trump Administration Shuts Down Minnesota’s Childcare Money Machine in Fraud Crackdown
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/trump-minnesota-fraud-child-care-money

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Cold, Confusion, and ‘Resistance’ Buttons: On the Ground at Mamdani’s Inauguration
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/cold-confusion-and-resistance-buttons-on-the-ground-at-mamdanis-inauguration/amp/

NEW AMERICAN
— Forever War — on Whites: Harvard Has Gone Full Racist
https://thenewamerican.com/us/education/forever-war-on-whites-harvard-has-gone-full-racist/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It’s sadly ironic that a university founded in 1636 to train clergy has embraced the devilish religion of racist dogma. But this is the case, warns 40-year Harvard history professor James Hankins. In fact, it’s so bad that he has left the school. What’s at issue is damning, Hankins warns. Harvard University not only rejects teaching Western civilization’s virtues, but also won’t hire white males — no matter their qualifications. It has instead embraced a “hate whitey” philosophy that demeans the West and the European-descent peoples who birthed it. This is merely the latest, too, in the war on white men. Just last month, for example, an aspiring Hollywood writer documented entertainment’s, media’s, and academia’s refusal to hire white males. Also revealed in December was that a university writing center had claimed that emphasizing proper English is “linguistic white supremacy.”)

PJ MEDIA
— ICE Emphasizes the Impact of Sanctuary Districts Defying Detainers
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/01/03/ice-emphasizes-the-impact-of-sanctuary-districts-defying-detainers-n4947836

REAL CLEAR MARKETS
— Warm Individualism or Cold Collectivism? DD: My critics/opponents are collectivists.
https://www.realclearmarkets.com/2026/01/03/warm_individualism_or_cold_collectivism_1156543.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Mamdani pledges to introduce ‘the Warmth of Collectivism’ DD: My critics/opponents are collectivists.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5670467-marxian-manhattan-mamdani-pledges-to-introduce-the-warmth-of-collectivism/
— Maduro capture adds to Hegseth’s combative first year at the Pentagon
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5671429-pentagon-hegseth-venezuela-maduro-capture/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Maduro’s Capture Prompts Protests and Celebrations in U.S. Cities. Opponents of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela called it illegal. Supporters celebrated the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian president.  DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/world/americas/venezuela-chicago-washington-protests.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/us/venezuela-asylum-seekers.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/world/americas/maduro-last-interview-before-capture.html
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders give citizens of India and Indian Americans preference over Americans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/opinion/indian-americans-trump.html
— Maduro, in Previous Stints in New York, Sought to Connect with Harlem. The self-described socialist leader tried to tie the Latin American fight against imperialism with the struggle of Black Americans against racism. DD: Maduro sounds like a typical Democrat, that is, he sounds like a typical anti-American.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/nyregion/maduro-earlier-nyc-visit.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing arrest of immigrant resigns as GOP threatens impeachment. DD: Since I was 51 years old in 1999, my critics/opponents have used against me the many big adverse actions that the Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton have taken against me. Since I was 49 years old in 1997, my critics/opponents have used against me my Democrat GAO superiors forcing me to retire. Before that, they used against me their always ranking me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, their delaying my promotions and never promoting me beyond GS-13, their keeping me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and their forcing me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. Before that, they used against me my IRS superiors never promoting me beyond GS-12 and their disallowing my education deductions in 1978 and my travel vouchers in 1974. Before that, they used against me my Firestone Store boss rudely firing me in 1971. Before that, they used my Post Office superiors forcing me to resign in 1969 and disallowing my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/01/03/wisconsin-judge-resigns-immigration-ice/b6ed69d0-e8be-11f0-ae3e-837f914c795b_story.html

USA TODAY
— Here are the charges against Nicolás Maduro after US capture
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/03/charges-against-nicolas-maduro-venezuela-president/88006801007/
— Republicans rally behind Trump’s Venezuela strikes.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/03/trump-venezuela-strikes-maduro-reactions/88006247007/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-capture-trump-illegal/88010497007/

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Many U.S. Venezuelans praise Maduro capture. DD: Democrat leaders opposed Maduro until Trump took action against him.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2026-01-03/many-u-s-venezuelans-praise-maduro-capture-but-some-protest-in-los-angeles

STAR TRINUNE
— DD: Hundreds of Democrats march through Minneapolis to protest Trump’s action in Venezuela.  Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-venezuela-protest-maduro-us-military-emmer-klobuchar/601557029

FAST COMPANY
— How to make progress on your career goals. DD: What did you do to meet your career goals? When I became a federal employee when I was 18 years old in 1966, I soon learned a) that Democrats ran the federal government and b) that they used up-or-out to get rid of federal employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or nonveteran who they did not promote to GS-13 (currently $118,984/year) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $140,604/year) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $165,386/year) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $197,200/year) by age 40. To meet those promotion deadlines, a) I took the postal management test when I was 21, b) I took the Federal Service Entrance Examination (FSEE) when I was 21, c) I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, d) I started taking job-related graduate evening courses when I was 22, e) I earned a job-related master’s degree when I was 27, d) I earned a job-related professional certification when I was 30, f) I earned a second job-related master’s degree when I was 31, g) I earned a second job-related professional certification when I was 32, and h) I earned a job-related professional license when I was 32. But obviously, I did not earn the aforesaid fast enough. Things that slowed me down were a) my not majoring in accounting from the beginning, b) my Democrat Post Office superiors forcing me to resign when I was 20, c) my not getting higher scores on the postal management test and the FSEE when I was 21, and d) my taking only one job-related graduate evening course at a time. Consequently, a) the Post Office never offered me a management job and b) IRS did not offer me a job until I was 22 and it was only at the GS-7 Level. I did not make GS-9 until I was 23, GS-11 until I was 24, and GS-12 until I was 25. By then, it was far too late for someone like me with my bad demographics. I did make GS-13 when I was 38. But again, by then, it was far too late for someone like me with my bad demographics.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91382022/how-to-make-progress-when-youre-in-a-slump

FEDERAL NEWS NEWORK
— 3 efforts federal employees should track from Trump’s management agenda: Future federal staffing plans, Accountability of federal employees, and Merit-based workforce reforms. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/01/3-efforts-federal-employees-should-track-from-trumps-management-agenda/

FED WEEK
— A provision in the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) guaranteeing certain veterans rights to compete for federal jobs does not apply to those who already are federal employees and are seeking merit promotions, a federal appellate court has ruled. DD: I am not a veteran. Even worse than that, I avoided the Vietnam War draft with student deferments 1966-1970 and a financial hardship draft deferment 1970-1971. While I was a Post Office employee 1966-1969, an IRS employee 1971-1980, and a GAO employee 1980-1997, my many Democrat superiors  and supervisors who were veterans gave tremendous preference to their many employees who were veterans. That is, they discriminated tremendously against their non-veteran employees who were Republican like me and who were White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time like me. I should write about that. Charles Bowsher, a veteran, who ran GAO 1981-1996 assured that GAO employees who were veterans would not suffer any adverse impacts from Gingrich’s massive budget cuts. My Democrat superiors in the federal government a) blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam War and b) used the VEOA to punish their Republican non-veteran employees.
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/veoa-rights-dont-apply-to-merit-promotions-court-holds/

POLITICO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-venezuela-democrats-2028-president-00709912

EDUCATION NEXT
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote dependency on government and dependency charity, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That motivated to work my way through college and earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.educationnext.org/whats-wrong-with-personal-responsibility/

AOL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing destroy traditional marriage. Under the Democrats, fewer and fewer and fewer people are marriage material. What helped make you marriage material? By the time I got married when I was 29 in 1978, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $110,066/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. Things that impressed me about my outstanding wife included her first job after high school was working for the FBI. She soon became the Corporate Secretary for the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1986. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/documents/
https://www.aol.com/finance/crippling-financial-anxiety-leading-gen-204426436.html

MEDIUM
— DD: What is your position on traditional marriage? According to my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, if I had not gotten married when I was 29 years old in 1978, I would not have been able to a) to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) to afford to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, c) to earn a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, d) to pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, e) to become a licensed CPA in 1981, f) etc. Further, we would not have been able a) to buy a home in Wheaton in 1978, b) to buy two new cars in 1978, c) to have a home built in Wheaton in 1984, d) etc.  SEE: https://gopillinois.com/documents/  My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors painted my marriage as giving me tremendous unfair advantages in life.
https://medium.com/@tessjenner/the-shocking-truth-about-traditional-marriage-roles-thats-breaking-modern-families-2aa5008c6f79

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

VARSITY
— The myth of meritocracy. DD: My critics/opponents oppose meritocracy. According to them, meritocracy is not why those who share my demographics have successes in life.  They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I passed the following tests because standardized tests are biased in favor of those who share my demographics: a) the postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966, b) the ACT test with a score of 24 in 1966, c) all the tests that I needed to pass to graduate in the upper 20% of my high school class in 1966, d) the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970, e) all the tests that I needed to pass to earn a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970 and master’s degrees from Loyola in 1976, DePaul in 1980, and IIT in 1997, f) the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. and g) the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. In my defense, neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://thevarsity.ca/2026/01/04/the-myth-of-meritocracy-2/

FROM OTHER SOURCES

REMAX
— FOR SALE: 1021 Greenwood Drive, Wheaton: $1,685,000
https://ronlewis.remax.com/holp/listing/103/12488277
— FOR SALE: 1219 Golf Lane, Wheaton: $625,000
https://ronlewis.remax.com/holp/listing/103/12467706

January 3, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured and flown out of country
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-venezuela-news-strikes-country-says-venezuelan-president-nicols-maduro-captured-wife/18346121/

CBS2
— U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live-updates/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— US strikes Venezuela and says leader Nicolás Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/03/us-strikes-venezuela-nicolas-maduro/

DAILY HERALD
— New laws: Illinois expands job-protected leave for parents with a newborn in a neonatal intensive care unit
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260102/business/new-laws-illinois-expands-job-protected-leave-for-parents-with-newborns-in-nicu/
— Illinois’ electric grids may soon face power shortages and further price increases as fossil fuel plants go offline and data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence demand ever-increasing amounts of power.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260102/business/as-state-regulators-warn-of-impending-energy-shortfalls-capacity-prices-rise-again/

JOURNAL COURIER
— Morgan Republicans plan meet-and-greet with gubernatorial candidate. DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/morgan-republicans-set-gathering-gubernatorial-21272921.php

NPR ILLINOIS
— Naps, bruising, cognitive tests: Trump addresses aging questions. DD: How old are you? I am 77. What do you stress to defend your age? I stress the GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters that I put together and send out. Putting those newsletters together and sending them out takes lots of time and focus.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-02/naps-bruising-cognitive-tests-trump-addresses-aging-questions

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump tries to beat back questions about health: Key takeaways.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/trump-tries-to-beat-back-questions-about-health-key-takeaways/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— 9th Congressional District Democratic Party Hopeful Bushra Amiwala Joins Others in Attacking the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/03/9th-congressional-district-democratic-party-hopeful-bushra-amiwala-joins-others-in-attacking-the-american-israel-public-affairs-committee/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois local governments lose out on $10.9B in state taxes
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-local-governments-lose-out-on-10-9b-in-state-taxes/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

BREITBART
— 41 Percent of Netflix Shows for Children Contain LGBTQ+ Content in 2025
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/01/02/report-says-41-percent-of-netflix-shows-for-children-contain-lgbtq-content-in-2025/

CHRISTIAN POST
— Mamdani’s inaugural address: ‘Godless, rancid ideology’
https://www.christianpost.com/news/top-responses-zohran-mamdani-inaugural-address.html

EPOCH TIMES
— Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down California Ban on Open Carry of Firearms
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-california-ban-on-open-carry-of-firearms-5965490

FOX NEWS
— Mamdani ignites fierce backlash on day one in office
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdL7ph03298
— Mamdani’s inauguration fuels debate over Gen Z shift toward socialism, away from free markets. Zohran Mamdani’s first moments in office embraced ‘collectivism’ as Republicans warn Gen Z is rejecting free markets.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdanis-inauguration-fuels-debate-over-gen-z-shift-toward-socialism-away-from-free-markets.amp
— Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/redistricting-battles-brewing-across-country-parties-compete-power-ahead-2026-midterms.print

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Horse Therapy, Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, and Hate Crime Work Leave: The Wild Blue State Laws of 2025
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/horse-therapy-gender-neutral-bathrooms-and-hate-crime-work-leave-the-wild-blue-state-laws-of-2025/amp/
— Mamdani to Establish New ‘Office of Mass Engagement’ Led by Veteran Socialist Organizer
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/mamdani-to-establish-new-office-of-mass-engagement-led-by-veteran-socialist-organizer/
— Let’s Hire Professors Purely on Merit. DD: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I passed the following tests because standardized tests are biased in favor of those who share my demographics: a) the postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966, b) the ACT test with a score of 24 in 1966, c) all the tests that I needed to pass to graduate in the upper 20% of my high school class in 1966, d) the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970, e) all the tests that I needed to pass to earn a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970 and master’s degrees from Loyola in 1976, DePaul in 1980, and IIT in 1997, f) the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. and g) the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. In my defense, neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/lets-hire-professors-purely-on-merit/

TOWNHALL
— Socialism in the City
https://townhall.com/columnists/christalgo/2026/01/03/socialism-in-the-city-n2668789
— Pritzker’s Pretzels
https://townhall.com/columnists/alanjosephbauer/2026/01/02/pritzkers-pretzels-n2668747

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump insults Pritzker with AI-generated social media post
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5670567-trump-pritzker-ai-image-feud/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Mamdani Acts on Vow to Protect Renters With Move Against a Big Landlord. DD: Have you been a landlord? I was  reluctant landlord 1976-1984 because I could not sell my University Park townhome ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) unless I took a big loss.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/nyregion/mamdani-pinnacle-housing.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those in America who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/business/us-immigration-trump-1920s.html

YAHOO
— Nobody Cares About Your Career. DD: During my federal career working for the Democrats who ran the Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, 1997, only two of my superiors cared about my career. I should write the IRS manager who promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. Because he did that, my Democrat IRS superiors forced him to transfer to Dallas. I should write about the GAO manager who arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980 and who was finally able to assign me to audits or IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. Because he did that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced him to retire in 1987. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me to GS-13. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer, b) delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5, c) kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988, d) never promoted me to GS-14, e) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and f) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. In today’s dollars, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is less that what my IRS salary was when I was 23 in 1972.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nobody-cares-career-mcdonalds-ceo-000116698.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Corruption of the Welfare State
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/minnesota-welfare-fraud-immigrants-government-handouts-8076eb83
— Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoring. DD: My critics/opponents want everyone to ignore my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus those who were/are a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) elected Republican leaders in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders, and e) religious leaders.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/critical-ignoring-social-media-7e236f52

FORBES
— Should An Experienced Professionals Take Internships To Change Careers? DD: Have you changed careers? Have you wanted to change careers? I have not. Due to circumstances, I have wanted to be a career federal employee since I was 18 years old in 1966. However, to waste my federal career and get rid of me, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors outrageously, disgustingly, and unethically panted a) my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) my earning job-related masters degrees when I was 27 in 1976, 31, and 48, c) my earning job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and d) my earning a job-related professional license when I was 32 a) as being efforts by me to change my career and get a job in the private sector, b) as being justification to disallow my job-related education deductions in 1978, and c) to force me to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. I should write about the aforesaid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecenizalevine/2025/06/25/should-an-experienced-professional-take-internships-to-change-careers/

EDUCATION
— Professional Certifications Worth It in 2026. DD: What is your position on professional certifications? I sought and obtained professional certifications to defend/advance my federal career. I became a CPA when I was 30 in 1979, a Certified Internal Auditor when I was 32, a licensed CPA when I was 32, a Certified Fraud Examiner when I was 41, a Certified Government Financial Manager when I was 45, a Certified Financial Services Auditor when I was 47, and a Certified Forensic Accountant when I was 48. But my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled that a) because I was a Republican who complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40. I should write about the aforesaid.
https://vocal.media/education/is-investing-in-professional-certifications-worth-it-in-2026

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— Karoline Leavitt calls out Mamdani’s wife as White House quits playing nice with ‘communist’ mayor
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/karoline-leavitt-calls-out-mamdani-s-wife-as-white-house-quits-playing-nice-with-communist-mayor/ar-AA1Ttrwy
— Mamdani unveils plan conservatives claim will usher in communism
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15429711/amp/zohran-mamdani-warmth-collectivism-socialist.html

BUSINESS STANDARD
— Mamdani takes action against Israel with his oath?
https://www.tbsnews.net/videos/tbs-stories/mamdani-takes-action-against-israel-his-oath-1325186

NDTV
— “Antisemitic Gasoline On Open Fire”: Israel vs Mamdani Over Revoked Orders
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/zohran-mamdani-vs-israel-over-revoked-order-on-antisemitism-definition-10237972

TIMES OF ISRAEL
— Anti-Zionism Was Never Harmless. Now It Governs. DD: Have your critics/opponents painted you as being an antisemite? Democrats have always painted Republicans as being antisemites. Because of my demographics, Democrats have especially painted me as being an antisemite.  Needless-to-say, my Democrat Chicago office GAO superiors’ efforts to paint me as being an antisemite were stymied when I volunteered to work for their only Jewish group manager in late 1989. In 1989, to get rid of me because in late 1988, I had become the office’s only active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, they had a) thrown me off the group that audited IRS, b) gave me a very bad job assignment, c) gave me unfair performance expectations, d) gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and e) ranked me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. She managed the office’s group that audited federal financial industry regulators. She reluctantly had to accept me a) because very few of my coworkers would work for her because she was Jewish, b) because I had previously worked on audits of federal financial industry regulators, c) because I had become a licensed CPA in 1981, d) because I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, e) because I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, and d) because I had earned an MBA in 1976. She was very demanding. But beyond that, my coworkers were intimidated a) by her having an MBA from the University of Chicago, b) by her having passed the CPA examination on her first attempt, c) by her being wealthy, d) by her being younger, and e) by her being attractive. Because she demanded that her subordinates have master’s degrees in finance, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992 and earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997. I succeeded in making her a member of IIT’s advisory group for that graduate program. Further, I became certified fraud examiner in 1990, government financial manager in 1994, financial Services Auditor in 1996, and forensic accountant in 1997. I was her only defender/promoter in the office. But nevertheless, when my Democrat GAO Chicago office superiors decided to force me to retire when I was 49 in 1997, she took the lead in doing that. I should write about the foresaid.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/anti-zionism-was-never-harmless-now-it-governs/

January 2, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— 2026 elections: What to know about major political races in Illinois this year
https://abc7chicago.com/post/2026-elections-what-know-illinois-governor-election-chicago-mayoral-midterm/18339645/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push medical pot to push recreational pot. Pot is poison, In 2019. I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/schaumburg-illinois-family-fights-keep-access-daughter-ashley-surins-medical-marijuana-patches/18340448/

WBBM
— New laws: Illinois education measures focus on immigrant rights in the classroom. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace American students with foreign students.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-laws-illinois-education-measures-focus-on-immigrant-rights-ai-in-the-classroom/ar-AA1Tiv7W

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Chicago Democrat leaders take credit for fewer murders.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/01/01/chicago-crime-murder-homicide-shooting-president-trump-mayor-johnson

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) flood America with their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/02/opinion-illinois-health-worker-shortage-immigration-raids/

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-02/how-the-trump-administrations-freeze-on-child-care-funding-will-affect-families

ADVANTAGE NEWS
— Madison County Democrats make endorsements for 2026. DD: Officially, the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC), and Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) do not endorse candidates in contested primaries, but unofficially, they do. I know that from being an IRP, DCRCC, and MTRO Precinct Committeeman (PC) since 1999. I know that the aforesaid organizations severely punish and do everything that they can to get rid of PCs who support Republican primary candidates who they did not endorse. I should write about that. I would focus on candidates on Republican primary ballots in my precinct since 2000 who I supported, but the aforesaid organizations did not endorse. I would focus on how they continue to severely punish me and do everything that they can to get rid of me because I supported Pat O’Malley instead of Jim Ryan in the 2002 Republican gubernation primary. Further, I would focus on what the aforesaid organizations have done to me because I supported candidates who they did not endorse in nonpartisan rases in Wheaton. I would focus on what they have done to me because I supported Alan Bolds for Wheaton Mayor instead of Mike Gresk in 2007.
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/madison-county-dems-make-endorsements-for-2026/article_485d59b7-3a9c-4c7e-afac-b918eca9a2f8.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Madison County Democrats met recently to choose candidates for endorsement in the 2026 primary elections. A total of 72 precinct committee members took part in the process. Following discussion and deliberation, they voted to issue endorsements in a wide range of federal, state, and county races, while choosing to remain neutral in several contested races.)

WREX
— New laws: Illinois education measures focus on immigrant rights in the classroom. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace American students with foreign students.
https://www.wrex.com/news/top-stories/new-laws-illinois-education-measures-focus-on-immigrant-rights-ai-in-the-classroom/article_97824d6c-b7e4-47f7-8668-78ec7b201c72.html

DAILY LINE
— Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Heidner raises more than $1.5M in large donations in fourth quarter
https://www.thedailyline.com/republican-gubernatorial-candidate-rick-heidner-raises-1-5m-large-donations-fourth-quarter

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Gubernatorial Forum Set by McHenry Township Republican Party. DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/02/gubernatorial-forum-set-by-mchenry-township-republican-party/
— Young People Find Fraud Across the USA
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/15614/
— Illinois Labor Department Rolls Out Accomplishments
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/illinois-labor-department-rolls-out-accomplishments/
— Another New Year’s Day Cartoon
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/another-new-years-day-cartoon/
— How Are New Year’s Resolutions Like Campaign Promises?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/how-are-new-years-resolutions-like-campaign-promises/
— Bruce Leon “Pauses” Campaign for 9th District Democratic Party Congressional Nomination
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/31/bruce-leon-pauses-campaign-for-9th-district-democratic-party-congressional-nomination/
— Tribune 2026 First Baby Story Doesn’t Mention the $1,000 Trump Account for Which He Is Eligible
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/tribune-2026-first-baby-story-doesnt-mention-the-1000-trump-account-for-which-he-is-eligible/
— Fox River Grove Creating A New Tax Increment Financing District
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/01/fox-river-grove-creating-a-new-tax-increment-financing-district/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Pensions make homeownership unaffordable in Illinois. DD: What is your attitude toward pensions and toward those who get them? My critics/opponents despise/hate my Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension and my and my wife’s 72% federal health insurance subsidy and therefore, they despise/hate me. In my defense, I would not have become a postal employee when I was 18 in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment examination. I would not have become an IRS employee when I was 22 if my Firestone Store boss had not rudely fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. I paid 7% of my Post Office, IRS, and GAO salaries into the CSRS.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pensions-make-homeownership-unaffordable-in-illinois/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— $22 Billion Wasted: Pritzker’s Big Government Spree Bleeds Illinois Dry as Residents Flee and Taxes Soar
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/22-billion-wasted-pritzkers-big-government-spree-bleeds-illinois-dry-as-residents-flee-and-taxes-soar.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani’s lies about the rich are only meant to demonize — they already foot NYC’s bills
https://nypost.com/2026/01/01/opinion/mamdanis-lies-about-the-rich-are-only-meant-to-demonize-they-already-foot-nycs-bills/

CHRISTIAN NEWS
— Mamdani takes oath of office on Quran, becomes first NYC mayor to do so
https://christiannews.net/2026/01/02/zohran-mamdani-takes-oath-of-office-on-quran-becomes-first-nyc-mayor-to-do-so/

COLLEGE FIX
— DePaul University trains students on how to run pot shops. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/depaul-university-trains-students-on-how-to-run-pot-shops/

DAILY SIGNAL
— 4 Things to Expect From the Trump Administration in 2026
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/01/what-expect-trump-administration-2026/

FOX NEWS
— Mamdani’s WOKE policies will bankrupt the city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay79V7Jmw8I
— Black Republican calls for total, permanent abolition of DEI: ‘I want to earn every opportunity on merit.’  ‘I never want to be chosen, promoted, or rewarded because of how I look,’ Rep. Wesley Hunt noted. DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and/or b) had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/black-republican-calls-total-permanent-abolition-dei-i-want-earn-every-opportunity-merit

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Northwestern University Publishes Strategies to Anchor DEI in University Policies
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/northwestern-university-publishes-strategies-to-anchor-dei-in-university-policies/amp/

PJ MEDIA
— The Great Replacement Chronicles: White-Knighting For the Somalis. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.
https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2026/01/01/the-great-replacement-chronicles-white-knighting-for-the-somalis-n4947770

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Records reveal Minnesota’s long history with day care fraud warnings
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-day-care-fraud-warning-records/

MSN
— Mamdani takes oath on Quran as He is sworn in as New York mayor
https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/other/zohran-mamdani-takes-oath-on-quran-as-he-is-sworn-in-as-new-york-mayor/ar-AA1TnZ5H

NEW YORK TIMES
— Mamdani Vows to Govern ‘Audaciously’ and Protect New York’s Vulnerable. DD: According to Democrats and according to RINOs, those who are liberal/moderate, non-Republican, noncitizen, non-rich, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time NEED PROTECTION from those who are conservative, Republican, American, non-poor, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly promise to provide that PROTECTION.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/nyregion/mamdani-inauguration-mayor.html
— Minnesota Families Are Rattled by Threat to Cut Federal Aid for Child Care. After the federal government threatened to withhold funds for Minnesota’s child-care program, citing fraud concerns, parents and providers warned that the effects could be dire.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/us/minnesota-child-care-funding-impact-fraud.html

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, there will be more and more and more homeless.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/12/28/number-of-homeless-students-jumps/87620804007/
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2025/12/30/us-students-forced-to-deal-with-reality-of-homelessness/87961285007/
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2025/12/30/americas-growing-number-of-homeless-students/87959473007/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/12/17/homelessness-crisis-caregiving/87381952007/
— Donald Trump’s whirlwind year changed America. Here are eight ways.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/12/30/donald-trump-changing-america/87605660007/

NEWS NATION NOW
— Trump says fraud in California, New York, Illinois worse than Minnesota
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-fraud-california-new-york-illinois-worse-minnesota/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly a) flood America with their illegals, and b) fight their deportation. Democrat leaders because illegals vote for Democrats. RINO leaders because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/why-trump-is-quickly-losing-hispanic-support-aa88d8d0
— The Hindu Attacks on India’s Christians. Modi stays silent as chauvinists in his party assault the religious minority.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-hindu-attacks-on-indias-christians-269f6d83

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
— In Unsteady Times, Job Seekers Need a Reality Check. Mentors Can Help. DD: What happened to those who helped your career? I should write the IRS manager who promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. Because he did that, my Democrat IRS superiors forced him to transfer to Dallas. I should write about the GAO manager who arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980 and who was finally able to assign me to audits or IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. Because he did that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced him to retire in 1987. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me to GS-13. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer, b) delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5, c) kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988, d) never promoted me to GS-14, e) always ranked me in the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and f) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. In today’s dollars, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is less that what my IRS salary was when I was 23 in 1972.
https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/job-seekers-need-a-reality-check-mentors-can-help

BANKING RATES
— Inflation Affects the Cost of Raising a Child. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors always decried their cost of their raising their children. They all had spouses who had little or no income. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that GAO employees who had children should be paid more than GAO employees who did not have children. They viciously used against me my and my wife’s giving up trying to have children, our not adopting, and our not becoming foster parents. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if my wife and I had children, I would not have been able to a) pass the CPA on my first attempt in 1979, b) earn a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, c) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination in my first attempt in 1981, or d) become a licensed CPA in 1981. They stressed that without my wife’s income and savings, we would not have been able to a) buy a home in Wheaton in 1978, b) buy two new cars in 1978, c) have a new home built in Wheaton in 1984, d) etc.
https://www.aol.com/inflation-affects-cost-raising-child-120605680.html

AARP
— What to Do if You’re Forced Into Early Retirement. DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, the more of the following that you are, the more that you should anticipate/expect that you will be forced to retire early: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America fora long time. I should write about that. Are you retired? I have been retired since I was 49 years old in 1997. If you are retired, were you forced to retire? I was. What would the rest of your employment had been like if you had not retired? If I had not retired when I did, I would not have eligible to retire for another 6 years. My Democrat GAO superiors had made it extremely clear that if I did not retire, they would make those 6 years a living hell. They would constructively if not literally demote me. They would give me adverse transfers. They would give me bad job assignments. They would give me unfair performance expectations. They would give me unfair performance appraisals. They would rank me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. They would treat me like they had treated me in 1989. They could do all of the aforesaid because GAO was not unionized. GAO did not unionize until 2007. I considered asking my Congressman Henry Hyde to come to my defense like I had done in 1989, but I decided not to. There were too many around Hyde who were against me. Further, my Democrat GAO superiors had taken so many big adverse actions against me, I could not see myself surviving another them for another 6 years. But nevertheless, I will always ask myself, what would have happened if I had again asked Hyde to come to my defense. His coming to my defense in 1989 enabled me to survive until 1997. It motived me to earn job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. It motived me to earn a job-related master’s degree in 1997.
https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/forced-into-early-retirement/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

KHALEEJ TIMES
— Mam­dani takes oath on Holy Quran, becomes NYC’S first Muslim mayor
https://www.pressreader.com/uae/khaleej-times/20260102/281801405328872

FINANCIAL EXPRESS
— Three Qurans, One Historic Moment: Mamdani Sworn In as NYC Mayor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHhlYw7y8A4

FROM OTHER SOURCES

MED CITY NEWS
— The Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Adoption Gap Is Worse Than You Think. DD: I have type 2 diabetes. I delayed using a CGM because my Medicare and BC/BS insurance does cover it. But recently, I bought a Stelo CGM using Amazon for $100/month. It has immediately shown that my glucose spikes to over 250 after I eat, that is, I have high hyperglycemia. I am anxiously awaiting my diabetes doctor’s instructions.
https://medcitynews.com/2025/12/cgm-diabetes-healthcare/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new study found that continuous glucose monitors can cut healthcare costs by about 20% while also improving outcomes for insulin-dependent diabetes patients, largely by reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Despite these benefits and broad insurance coverage, roughly 80% of eligible patients still are not using the technology — highlighting a significant adoption gap.)

January 1, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— After legal setbacks, Trump says he’s dropping National Guard push in Chicago, other cities, for now
https://abc7chicago.com/post/legal-setbacks-president-donald-trump-says-hes-dropping-push-national-guard-chicago-la-portland-oregon-now/18336668/
— Trump announces National Guard to be removed from Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-administration-backs-off-efforts-maintain-control-california-national-guard-la/18336423/
— HHS freezing child care payments to all states until they prove funds ‘being spent legitimately’
https://abc7chicago.com/post/hhs-says-freezing-child-care-payments-minnesota-fraud-allegations/18335717/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— As federal health tax credits end, Chicago-area leaders warn about costs to Cook County and Illinois hospitals
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/31/as-federal-health-tax-credits-end-chicago-area-leaders-warn-about-costs-to-cook-county-and-illinois-hospitals/
— Mamdani is set to be sworn in as mayor as NYC rings in the New Year
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/31/zohran-mamdani-sworn-in-nyc-mayor/
— Merrillville on list for potential ICE facility
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/31/merrillville-potential-ice-facility/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/01/january-1-chicago-history/

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use medical pot to push recreational pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251231/news/time-short-for-schaumburg-familys-quest-to-retain-access-to-daughters-medical-marijuana/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— OCTOBER 8, 2015 FLASHBACK: Don’t your collectible cars deserve their own condo? DD: I am interested in American nameplate muscle cars, and especially Chargers, Mustangs, Corvettes, and Thunderbirds. Please contact me if you share my interests. I own a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T, 2013 Charger R/T, 2023 Mustang GT Premium, 2005 Corvette, 1972 Corvette, 1996 Thunderbird LX. I previously owned a 1969 Charger SE and 1968 Charger R/T, 1990 Thunderbird LX, and 1962 Impala SS.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20151008/ISSUE03/151009833/iron-gate-motor-condos-is-a-car-collector-s-haven-in-Naperville

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— New Illinois education laws focus on immigrant rights. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly put citizens of foreign countries ahead of citizens of America.
https://www.bnd.com/news/local/education/article314056405.html

POSITIVELY NAPERVILLE
— APRIL 6, 2015 FLASHBACK: Discover a new place for car enthusiasts. DD: I am interested in American nameplate muscle cars, and especially Chargers, Mustangs, Corvettes, and Thunderbirds. Please contact me if you share my interests. I own a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T, 2013 Charger R/T, 2023 Mustang GT Premium, 2005 Corvette, 1972 Corvette, 1996 Thunderbird LX. I previously owned a 1969 Charger SE and 1968 Charger R/T, 1990 Thunderbird LX, and 1962 Impala SS.
https://www.positivelynaperville.com/2015/04/06/real-news-discover-a-new-place-for-car-enthusiasts/41183

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What will your Republican Precinct Committeeman do to encourage voters in your precinct to cast Republican ballots in the March 17, 2026 primary? I will hand-deliver a sample ballot and the campaign literature that Republican candidates provide me to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. The contested Republican races in my precinct are U.S. Senate, Illinois Governor, Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court, and DuPage County Sheriff. I will obtain from the DuPage County Election Division a PDF file to print individual mailing labels for the registered Republican and Independent voters, photocopy the sample ballot, stuff envelopes, divide them into five batches, and put them in walk order. I hope we have a mild winter. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Ever-increasing, the Democrat Party promotes dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and notional origin discrimination. Ever-increasing, to get more votes from those who are the following, they give them more preference: minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, have less money than others, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— According to Democrats and according to RINOs, those who are liberal/moderate, non-Republican, noncitizen, non-rich, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time NEED PROTECTION from those who are conservative, Republican, American, non-poor, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly promise to provide that PROTECTION. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What happened to those who helped your career? I should write the IRS manager who promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. Because he did that, my Democrat IRS superiors forced him to transfer to Dallas. I should write about the GAO manager who arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980 and who was finally able to assign me to audits or IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. Because he did that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced him to retire in 1987. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me to GS-13. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer, b) delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5, c) kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988, d) never promoted me to GS-14, e) always ranked me in the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and f) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. In today’s dollars, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is less that what my IRS salary was when I was 23 in 1972. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Have you been in a probationary period? After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO supervisors were furious when they learned that because of my IRS employment, they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me. In 1970, my Chicago Heights Firestone Store boss unsuccessfully tried to use probationary procedures to not hire me. The Firestone Store Chicago district office had hired me and assigned me to his store. He never would have hired me. He forced me to pass a 2-week probationary period in Firestone’s Gary Indiana Store. He disapproved of my avoiding the Vietnam War draft. He disapproved of my being Protestant. He disapproved of my being German American. He disapproved of me and my ancestors living in Crete and their having been in America since 1844. The aforesaid led to my accepting a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. He rudely fired me because I had accepted that job offer. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Have you ever served on a jury? If I had not be denied my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial in Diersen v. GAO, and if you had served on that jury, would you have sided with GAO or with me? To justify their denying me a jury trial, the judge and justices hinted/implied/argued that no jury would side with me. But the trial record showed that my Democrat superiors had illegally forced me to retire so that they could my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had one professional certification while I had six, and had no professional license like I had. In 1993, when I was a 45-year-old GAO employee who had 25 years of federal service, to get rid of their employees a) who they had not promoted into their Senior Executive Service, currently $195,200/year, b) who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran, and/or c) who had 25 or more years of federal service, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” them a $25,000 buyout if they took early retirement. The buyout “offer” expired in 1 year and the early retirement “offer” expired in 4 years. They succeeded in forcing me to take the early retirement “offer” on September 30, 1997. Things that I had done that helped me survive those 4 years included a) my earning job-related master’s degrees in 1997, 1980, and 1976, b) my earing job-related professional certifications in 1997, 1996, 1994, 1990, 1981, and 1979, and c) my earning a job-related professional license in 1981. Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, anticipate/expect that ever-increasingly, the more of the following that you are, the less “jury appeal” that you will have, and therefore, the less “justice” that you will have in courts: Republican, non-poor, non-veteran, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. Federal courts would not have denied me my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial in Diersen v. GAO if I had been Democrat, poor, veteran, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or if my ancestors had been in America for a long time. GAO hinted/implied/argued that because of my demographics, I should pay the price of Affirmative Action big time and that I could easily afford to pay that price. GAO’s forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 cut my income by $86,371/year (56%) ($153,151/year salary minus $66,780/year pension) in today’s dollars. Off the record, GAO stressed a) that the federal government would forever pay 72% of my and my wife’s health insurance premiums, b) that my wife had a good job, c) that we had no dependents, d) that we had no debts, e) that we had substantial retirement and other savings, f) that we owned a 13-year-old home in Wheaton, g) that we owned three collector cars, h) etc. Again, if I had not be denied my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial, and if you had served on that jury, would you have sided with GAO or with me?- Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Are you retired? I have been retired since I was 49 years old in 1997. If you are retired, were you forced to retire? I was. What would the rest of your employment had been like if you had not retired? If I had not retired when I did, I would not have eligible to retire for another 6 years. My Democrat GAO superiors had made it extremely clear that if I did not retire, they would make those 6 years a living hell. They would constructively if not literally demote me. They would give me adverse transfers. They would give me bad job assignments. They would give me unfair performance expectations. They would give me unfair performance appraisals. They would rank me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. They would treat me like they had treated me in 1989. They could do all of the aforesaid because GAO was not unionized. GAO did not unionize until 2007. I considered asking my Congressman Henry Hyde to come to my defense like I had done in 1989, but I decided not to. There were too many around Hyde who were against me. Further, my Democrat GAO superiors had taken so many big adverse actions against me, I could not see myself surviving another them for another 6 years. But nevertheless, I will always ask myself, what would have happened if I had again asked Hyde to come to my defense. His coming to my defense in 1989 enabled me to survive until 1997. It motived me to earn job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. It motived me to earn a job-related master’s degree in 1997. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— ‘Grassroots’ – According to the People Who Can’t Stand Them. DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative. Far too many past and present leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization are anti-conservative, that is, they are anti-Republican. They reject far too many planks in the Republican Party platform, most commonly its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. Instead of defending and advancing the aforesaid planks, they talk and act like they do not exist, and if not that, like they should be officially abolished. At best, they want the Republican Party to be the Democrat-Lite Party. I should write about the aforesaid anti-Republican leaders. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me since 2000.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/opinion-grassroots-according-to-the-people-who-cant-stand-them.html
— The Political Agenda Behind Year-End ‘Economic Collapse’ Stories
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/opinion-the-political-agenda-behind-year-end-economic-collapse-stories.html
— FBI Steps In After Illinois Review Exposes Alleged Mail Fraud Targeting Bailey
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/fbi-steps-in-after-illinois-review-exposes-alleged-mail-fraud-targeting-bailey.html

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois state spending balloons as state economy stagnates
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-state-spending-balloons-as-state-economy-stagnates/
— 1-in-5 city tax dollars go to Illinois police, fire pensions
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/1-in-5-city-tax-dollars-go-to-illinois-police-fire-pensions/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Democrat, is trying again with his High-Skilled Immigration Reform for Employment (HIRE) Act, first introduced in July 2023. Back then, in the middle of the worst man-made immigration disaster in U.S. history, the bill seemed tone deaf. Now, it just seems nuts. DD: If they could have, all my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/31/hire-bill-expand-h-1b-visas-bad-2023-worse/
— Karoline Leavitt says administration considering denaturalization for Somalis in Minnesota fraud
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/31/karoline-leavitt-says-administration-considering-denaturalization/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Border Patrol’s monthslong deployment to Chicago now expected to go on ‘for years’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4375465/border-patrol-deployment-chicago-go-on-for-years/
— Don’t grant citizenship to people who hate their countrymen
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4378901/not-everyone-deserves-citizenship-alaa-abd-el-fattah/
— Appeals court revives free speech case over school DEI training
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4379004/appeals-court-revives-free-speech-case-school-dei-training/

NEW YORK POST
— Former FBI agent Nicole Parker explains how DEI split the agency and led to disaster: ‘They were hiring idiots’ DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, IRS 1971-1980, and the Post Office 1966-1969 and I have often written about them. Their top priority always was promoting Democrats who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/31/us-news/former-fbi-agent-nicole-parker-explains-how-dei-split-the-agency-and-led-to-disaster/
— Harvard professor torches Ivy League school over woke anti-white, anti-male culture in blistering essay
https://nypost.com/2025/12/31/us-news/harvard-professor-torches-ivy-league-school-over-woke-anti-white-anti-male-culture-in-blistering-essay/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— History professor details the decline of education in scathing review of his 40 years at Harvard
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/31/history-professor-details-the-decline-of-education-in-scathing-review-of-his-40-years-at-harvard-1613221/
— NYC Mayor Eric Adams sets up $2M emergency fund for trans care on his way out the door
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/31/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-sets-up-2m-emergency-fund-for-trans-care-on-his-way-out-the-door-1613140/

BREITBART
— Lightfoot Warns Bovino His ‘Day of Reckoning Is Fast Approaching’
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/12/31/former-chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-warns-border-patrols-greg-bovino-his-day-of-reckoning-is-fast-approaching/amp/

CAPITOL RESEARCH CENTER
— How Left-Wing Nonprofits Exploit American Taxpayers to Fund Their Agendas
https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-left-wing-nonprofits-exploit-american-taxpayers-to-fund-their-agendas-best-of-2025/

FOX NEWS
— Lightfoot tells Border Patrol official his ‘day of reckoning is fast approaching’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-tells-border-patrol-official-his-day-reckoning-fast-approaching.print
— DEI and woke ideology are on life support under Trump’s return to DC, but could come roaring back with rebrand. American Principles Project president Terry Schilling says woke ideology could make a return following future elections.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dei-woke-ideology-life-support-under-trumps-return-dc-could-come-roaring-back-rebrand.amp
— 40-year Harvard professor pens scathing piece on school’s ‘exclusion of white males,’ anti-Western trends.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/40-year-harvard-professor-pens-scathing-piece-schools-exclusion-white-males-anti-western-trends

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— Minnesota Governor Calls Somali Fraud Investigations “White Supremacy”
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/tim-walz-desperately-tries-defending-himself-amid-somali-fraud-allegations

NEWSMAX
— Trump: ‘Proud’ of Hispanic Border Patrol Officers
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-border-patrol-paul-perez/2025/12/31/id/1240292/

ONE AMERICA NEWS
— Trump: 90% of fraud in Minnesota is carried out by illegals from Somalia, with Rep. Omar being ‘one of the many scammers’
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/trump-90-of-fraud-in-minnesota-is-carried-out-by-illegals-from-somalia-with-rep-omar-being-one-of-the-many-scammers/

PJ MEDIA
— Former Chicago Mayor Lightfoot to Border Patrol Chief: ‘Your Day of Reckoning Is Coming’
https://pjmedia.com/michaelcantrell/2025/12/31/former-chicago-mayor-to-border-patrol-chief-your-day-of-reckoning-is-coming-n4947761
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) Wants to Take Driver’s Licenses Away From ICE Agents, Not Illegal Aliens
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/31/eric-swalwell-wants-to-take-drivers-licenses-away-from-ice-agents-not-illegals-n4947735
— Secretary Duffy Issues Stark Warning to Newsom Over Illegal Licenses
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/31/secretary-duffy-issues-stark-warning-to-newsom-over-illegal-licenses-n4947734

TOWNHALL
— Minnesota’s Fraud Is Blowing the Lid Off a Broken Election System
https://townhall.com/columnists/josh-findlay/2026/01/01/minnesotas-fraud-is-blowing-the-lid-off-a-broken-election-system-n2668731
— If Elected CA Governor, Eric Swalwell Vows to Weaponize Government Against ICE Agents
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/12/31/swalwell-prosecute-federal-agents-for-kidnapping-n2668739

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEWSWEEK
— Professor Quits After ‘Brilliant’ Student Rejected for Being ‘White Male’ DD: I should write the IRS manager who promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. Because he did that, my Democrat IRS superiors forced him to transfer to Dallas. I should write about the GAO manager who arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980 and who was finally able to assign me to audits or IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. Because he did that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced him to retire in 1987. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me to GS-13. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer, b) delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5, c) kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988, d) never promoted me to GS-14, e) always ranked me in the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and f) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. In today’s dollars, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is less that what my IRS salary was when I was 23 in 1972.
https://www.newsweek.com/professor-quits-after-brilliant-student-rejected-for-being-white-male-11289605

NEW YORK TIMES
— Federal Judge Blocks Trump Move to Revoke Deportation Protection for Thousands of Migrants. DD: According to Democrats and according to RINOs, those who are liberal/moderate, non-Republican, noncitizen, non-rich, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time NEED PROTECTION from those who are conservative, Republican, American, non-poor, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.  Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly promise to provide that PROTECTION.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/us/politics/judge-blocks-deportation-protections.html

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
— DD: To vote Democrats is to get rid of Americans who are conservative, Republican, non-poor, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/trump-policies-midterm-elections-dei-attacks-20260101.html

USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Mamdani.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/01/america-obsessed-with-zohran-mamdani/87941107007/
— More than 317,000 federal employees left the government in 2025. The majority of employees took voluntary buyouts and early retirements as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts to downsize the government.  DD: In 1993, when I was a 45-year-old GAO employee who had 25 years of federal service, to get rid of their employees a) who they had not promoted into their Senior Executive Service, currently $195,200/year, b) who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran, and/or c) who had 25 or more years of federal service, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” them a $25,000 buyout if they took early retirement. The buyout “offer” expired in 1 year and the early retirement “offer” expired in 4 years. They succeeded in forcing me to take the early retirement “offer” on September 30, 1997. Things that I had done that helped me survive those 4 years included a) my earning job-related master’s degrees in 1997, 1980, and 1976, b) my earing job-related professional certifications in 1997, 1996, 1994, 1990, 1981, and 1979, and c) my earning a job-related professional license in 1981.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/31/317000-federal-employees-left-us-government-2025/87970708007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— MARCH 3, 2016 FLASHBACK: Iron Gate Motor Condos: Storage Units, Now With Space to Cook, Relax and Entertain. Traditional industrial park-style storage facilities are giving way to customized spaces with kitchens, reclaimed wood and stylish seating areas. DD: I am interested in American nameplate muscle cars, and especially Chargers, Mustangs, Corvettes, and Thunderbirds. Please contact me if you share my interests. I own a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T, 2013 Charger R/T, 2023 Mustang GT Premium, 2005 Corvette, 1972 Corvette, 1996 Thunderbird LX. I previously owned a 1969 Charger SE and 1968 Charger R/T, 1990 Thunderbird LX, and 1962 Impala SS.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/storage-units-now-with-space-to-cook-relax-and-entertain-1457026958

FORTUNE
— Retirement  DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, the more of the following that you are, the more that you should anticipate/expect that you will be forced to retire early: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America fora long time. I should write about that.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/31/retirement-baby-boomers-more-americans-turning-65-aging-demographics/

LEGAL NEWS LINE
— Lake County Circuit Clerk can’t undo $2.5M verdict for workers fired over politics
https://www.legalnewsline.com/cook-county-record/lake-co-circuit-clerk-can-t-undo-2-5m-verdict-for-workers-fired-over-politics/article_4471f879-d074-4ba4-ad15-b45d101d353c.html

FED SMITH
— OPM Issues Proposal to Narrow Federal Probationary Employee Appeal Rights. DD: Have you been in a probationary period? After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO supervisors were furious when they learned that because of my IRS employment, they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me. In 1970, my Chicago Heights Firestone Store boss unsuccessfully tried to use probationary procedures to not hire me. The Firestone Store Chicago district office had hired me and assigned me to his store. He never would have hired me. He forced me to pass a 2-week probationary period in Firestone’s Gary Indiana Store. He disapproved of my avoiding the Vietnam War draft. He disapproved of my being Protestant. He disapproved of my being German American. He disapproved of me and my ancestors living in Crete and their having been in America since 1844. The aforesaid led to my accepting a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. He rudely fired me because I had accepted that job offer. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2025/12/31/opm-proposal-to-narrow-probationary-employee-appeal-rights/

NPR
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/31/nx-s1-5660811/the-new-challenges-obtaining-snap-benefits-for-lgbtq-recipients

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL
— DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, anticipate/expect that ever-increasingly, the more of the following that you are, the less “jury appeal” that you will have, and therefore, the less “justice” that you will have in courts: Republican, non-poor, non-veteran, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. Federal courts would not have denied me my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial in Diersen v. GAO if I had been Democrat, poor, veteran, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or if my ancestors had been in America for a long time. To justify their denying me a jury trial, the judge and justices hinted/implied/argued that no jury would side with me. But the trial record showed that my Democrat superiors had illegally forced me to retire so that they could my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had one professional certification while I had six, and had no professional license like I had. GAO hinted/implied/argued that because of my demographics, I should pay the price of Affirmative Action big time and that I could easily afford to pay that price. GAO’s forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 cut my income by $86,371/year (56%) ($153,151/year salary minus $66,780/year pension) in today’s dollars. Off the record, GAO stressed a) that the federal government would forever pay 72% of my and my wife’s health insurance premiums, b) that my wife had a good job, c) that we had no dependents, d) that we had no debts, e) that we had substantial retirement and other savings, f) that we owned a 13-year-old home in Wheaton, g) that we owned three collector cars, h) etc.
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/the-importance-of-know-your-rights-education/

CONVERSATION
— DD: My critics/opponents are blacklisters. They blacklist those like me who they cannot manipulate or dominate, who refuse to glorify and paise 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. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who I have done the most to help elect and reelect since 2000. I would focus on those who continue to have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://theconversation.com/political-witch-hunts-and-blacklists-donald-trump-and-the-new-era-of-mccarthyism-265389

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— Retiring Harvard professor says college hates brilliant white men and rejects them in favor of inferior minority candidates to boost diversity.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15422541/Harvard-Professor-white-men-rejected-minorities.html

FROM OTHER SOURCES

AUTOWEEK
— The Car Condo Concept Is Still Growing. DD: I am interested in American nameplate muscle cars, and especially Chargers, Mustangs, Corvettes, and Thunderbirds. Please contact me if you share my interests. I own a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T, 2013 Charger R/T, 2023 Mustang GT Premium, 2005 Corvette, 1972 Corvette, 1996 Thunderbird LX. I previously owned a 1969 Charger SE and 1968 Charger R/T, 1990 Thunderbird LX, and 1962 Impala SS.
https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a68815238/car-condo-concept-still-growing/

CORVETT BLOGGER
— Corvette for Sale: Two-Owner 1972 Corvette LT1 Convertible in Downers Grove for $50,000. DD: One could compare and contrast this 1972 Corvette with my 1972 Corvette which I ordered, took delivery on October 14, 1971, and continue to own. Mine is not a LT-1 or a convertible. But it has only 5,000 mile on it, it has always been garaged, covered, kept on jacks, and is like new. It is a Steele City Gray coupe with the base 350 V-8 engine, black leather interior, automatic, air conditioning, power steering, and AM-FM stereo radio.
https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2025/12/31/corvettes-for-sale-two-owner-1972-corvette-lt1-convertible-offered-on-ebay/

MED CITY NEWS
— The Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Adoption Gap Is Worse Than You Think. DD: I have type 2 diabetes. I delayed using a CGM because my Medicare and BC/BS insurance does cover it. But recently, I bought a Stelo CGM using Amazon for $100/month. It has immediately shown that my glucose spikes to over 250 after I eat, that is, I have high hyperglycemia. I am anxiously awaiting my diabetes doctor’s instructions.
https://medcitynews.com/2025/12/cgm-diabetes-healthcare/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new study found that continuous glucose monitors can cut healthcare costs by about 20% while also improving outcomes for insulin-dependent diabetes patients, largely by reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Despite these benefits and broad insurance coverage, roughly 80% of eligible patients still are not using the technology — highlighting a significant adoption gap.)

December 31, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— New IL laws in 2026 address missing persons investigations, sexual assault victims, police hiring
https://abc7chicago.com/post/new-2026-illinois-laws-address-squatters-immigration-status-schools-gun-possession-opioid-overdose-reporting-9-retirement/18246612/

FOX32
— Chicago mayor wants state lawmakers to tax ‘ultra-rich’ to help city
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-johnson-tax-ultra-rich

WTTW
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to elect Democrats and to reelect Democrats.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/30/after-quiet-year-elections-democrats-renew-worries-about-trump-interfering-midterms

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Brandon Johnson, Larry Snelling urge parents to be mindful of teens ahead of downtown NYE celebration. DD: Sooner or later, Democrat teens will takeover your downtown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/chicago-new-years-eve-teens/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Immigrants arrested in Chicago at start of Trump’s second term now face prison time
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/30/trump-chicago-crime-deport-immigration-machine-gun-midway-blitz

DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote bigger government. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. Federal employees are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251214/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-its-time-to-end-the-debt-ceiling/

BELLEVILLNEWS DEMOCRAT
— How much does an Illinois resident need to make annually to ‘live comfortably? A single adult in Illinois needs to make $98,010 per year to live comfortably. DD: Back in the good old days, when I was 25 years old in 1974, my Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious when a) I got promoted to a GS-12 (currently $99,069/year) job in the Loop and b) I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East building. I had worked for IRS for 3 years. I had paid for and taken graduate evening business courses at Loyola since the beginning of 1972. I had bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. I had bought a new townhome in University Park in 1972. According to my Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, the promotion that I got should have been given to one of my Democrat coworkers who was a veteran,  minority, and/or female. None of my coworkers were taking graduate evening business courses. My Democrat IRS superior soon a) forced the IRS manager who had promoted me to transfer to Dallas, b) disallowed my travel vouchers, c) disallowed my education deductions, and d) made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13.
https://www.bnd.com/news/state/illinois/article310863020.html

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Illinois education measures focus on immigrant rights. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) flood America with their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/new-laws-illinois-education-measures-focus-on-immigrant-rights-ai-in-the-classroom/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What do you anticipate/expect that your critics/opponents will do? Sooner or later, all my “Republican” critics/opponents will switch parties, that is, they will officially declare that they have always been Democrats and that they despise/hate conservative principles and the Republican Party platform. My critics/opponents have had their operatives and their dupes take many big adverse actions against me. Since 2000, they have done everything that they could to stop me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters and to stop everyone from reading those newsletters. In 2024, they rudely ended my membership on the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee. In 2021, they rudely ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. In 2015, they rudely gerrymandered my precinct. In 2012, they rudely ended my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship and destroyed the organization. In 2010 and 2004, they rudely ended my service as the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster. In 2007, they rudely ended my membership on the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) Steering Committee and destroyed the organization. In 2006, they rudely almost succeeded in getting ICRC to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. In 2004, they rudely defeated my bid to serve as the MTRO Treasurer. In 2004, they rudely ended my membership on the American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board of directors.  I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who continue to have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

WIREPOINTS
— Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon Says CPS Tax Hike and Budget Woes Signal Deeper Crisis for Chicago
https://wirepoints.org/wirepoints-mark-glennon-says-cps-tax-hike-and-budget-woes-signal-deeper-crisis-for-chicago-audio-am560/

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Chicago school board raises tax levy on families ‘at a breaking point’
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_a69e8575-c370-4f7f-b6cb-a364a7f99a8f.html

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois counts on bad habits to raise $3.47B in sin taxes
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-counts-on-bad-habits-to-raise-3-47b-in-sin-taxes/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— The many shades of Islam. Not all interpretations justify and drive terrorism, but some do.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/30/many-shades-islam/

WASHINTON EXAMINER
— How criminal justice reformers empower murderers
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4364781/how-criminal-justice-reformers-empower-murderers/

NEW YORK POST
— Young white men sacrificed on the altar of diversity. DD: Democrat and RINO employers make their employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or nonveteran pay the price of Affirmative Action and DEI. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran, my Democrat Firestone Store boss would not have rudely fired me when I was 22 years old in 1971. Because he did, I became a federal employee. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran, the Democrat superiors in the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service long before was 40 years old.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/30/us-news/how-anti-white-dei-discrimination-fueled-nick-fuentess-fan-base/
— Harvard is destroying itself over ‘diversity’ — and taking the rest of us with it
https://nypost.com/2025/12/29/opinion/harvard-is-destroying-itself-over-diversity-and-the-rest-of-us-too/
— $5B in ‘questionable’ rental assistance under Biden revealed — including to thousands of ‘deceased tenants’ and non-citizens
https://nypost.com/2025/12/30/us-news/hud-spent-5b-in-questionable-rental-assistance-under-biden-including-dead-tenants/
— AOC to deliver opening at comrade Mamdani’s mayoral inauguration bash
https://nypost.com/2025/12/30/us-news/aoc-to-deliver-opening-at-comrade-mamdanis-mayoral-inauguration-bash/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Canard about illegals committing fewer crimes than other Americans gets blown apart from DHS data. Writing at the New York Post, John Lott shows how data are skewed to make illegals look like sweet little daisies. DD: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally demonstrates gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/canard_about_illegals_committing_fewer_crimes_than_other_americans_gets_blown_apart_from_dhs_data.html
— Stop Apologizing For Being White. This Marxist-born racial attack bears no relationship to how American whites have fought for centuries to overcome racism and achieve equality. DD: My critics/opponents have always promoted Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, they have always promoted race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/stop_apologizing_for_being_white.html
— Using tax law to accelerate deportations
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/using_tax_law_to_accelerate_deportations.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— ‘Will they be using the Somali model?’ NY gov gives Mamdani’s universal childcare plan a thumbs up. DD: Democrat leaders use childcare to crank out good little Democrats.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/30/will-they-be-using-the-somali-model-ny-gov-gives-mamdanis-universal-childcare-plan-a-thumbs-up-1612984/

BREITBART
— Trump’s DOJ Sues Virginia over Cheap Tuition for Migrants. DD: Noncitizens are future Democrat voters if not current Democrat voters. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make it clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with citizens of foreign countries and b) fighting deportation of those who come to America illegally and/or who stay in America illegally.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/12/30/trumps-doj-sues-virginia-over-cheap-tuition-for-migrants/amp/

CAMPUS REFORM
— University at Buffalo police disperse LGBTQ sit-in that commandeered student union room
https://www.campusreform.org/article/university-buffalo-police-disperse-lgbtq-sit-in-commandeered-student-union-room/29208

CENTER SQUARE
— ‘Systemic fraud’: HUD secretary condemns $5.8 billion in ‘questionable’ payments
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ef5ce7c3-1266-442a-b017-df879c81ea0c.html

DAILY CALLER
— Trump DOJ Sues State Giving Illegals Massive Tuition Breaks
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/30/trump-doj-sues-state-giving-illegal-immigrants-massive-in-state-tuition-breaks/

DAILY SIGNAL
— The West Isn’t Finished, as Long as Assimilation Starts Now. DD: Sadly, my ancestors were slow to assimilate. Consequently, neither of my parents attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college. All my grandparents spoke German.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/30/the-west-isnt-finished-as-long-as-assimilation-starts-now/
— Trump DOJ Sues State Giving Illegal Immigrants Massive In-State Tuition Breaks
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/30/doj-sues-virginia-for-giving-illegal-immigrants-in-state-tuition/amp/

DAILY WIRE
— Trump’s ICE Director Blames Sanctuary Laws For Minnesota Fraud. “There’s always a tie when it comes to sanctuary jurisdictions.” DD: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally demonstrates gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-ice-director-blames-sanctuary-laws-for-minnesota-fraud

FOX NEWS
— Biden-era rental assistance included payments to dead tenants and noncitizens. HUD report finds approximately 30,000 deceased tenants got taxpayer funds across all 50 states.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-era-rental-assistance-included-payments-dead-tenants-non-citizens-new-hud-report-reveals
— Flashback: Inside the political movement that put a socialist in charge of New York City. Mamdani prepares to be sworn in as mayor of New York City on Thursday after defeating former Gov Andrew Cuomo.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/flashback-inside-political-movement-put-socialist-charge-new-york-city
— House GOP whip urges citizenship revocations tied to Minnesota fraud schemes
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-whip-urges-citizenship-revocations-tied-minnesota-fraud-schemes.print

HOT AIR
— Federal Judge: ICE Can Use Medicaid Data To Track Down Illegals
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2025/12/30/federal-judge-ice-can-use-medicaid-data-to-track-down-illegals-n3810344

NEWSMAX
— Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has called for the deportation of Somali immigrants in Minnesota who “engaged in fraud” and for stripping citizenship from naturalized Somali Americans who, he said, obtained citizenship through deception or had undisclosed ties to terrorist groups.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/tom-emmer-minnesota-fraud/2025/12/30/id/1240163/
— The Department of Justice sued the University of Virginia for granting tuition benefits to illegal aliens, arguing the policy discriminates against U.S. citizens from other states.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/doj-lawsuit-uva/2025/12/30/id/1240159/

NEW AMERICAN
— Trump’s EEOC Tackling Anti-white Job Discrimination. DD: Ever-increasingly, since the 1960s, everyone above me has been under ever-increasing pressure from Democrat and RINO leaders to ever-increasingly give more preference to Democrats and to RINOs who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. That is, they have been under ever-increasing pressure to discriminate against Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://thenewamerican.com/uncategorised/do-the-white-thing-trumps-eeoc-tackling-anti-white-job-discrimination/
— Somali Fraudsters Should Be Denaturalized, Deported
https://thenewamerican.com/us/immigration/gop-rep-emmer-wants-somali-fraudsters-denaturalized-deported/

PJ MEDIA
— Bombshell Report Exposes Billions in Biden-Era Fraud That Went to Dead People and Non-Citizens
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/30/bombshell-report-exposes-billions-in-biden-era-fraud-paid-to-dead-people-and-non-citizens-n4947685
— The Left Is Losing Its Race Card
https://pjmedia.com/caskeet/2025/12/30/cue-the-violin-the-left-is-losing-its-race-card-n4947713

POST MILLENNIAL
— Minn Rep Tom Emmer calls to deport, denaturalize Somali immigrants guilty of fraud
https://thepostmillennial.com/minn-rep-tom-emmer-calls-to-deport-denaturalize-somali-immigrants-guilty-of-fraud

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Top Republican calling for deportation of ‘every Somali engaged in fraud in Minnesota’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5666432-tom-emmer-somali-deportations-minnesota/

CBS NEWS
— HHS freezes all childcare payments to Minnesota after viral fraud allegations. DD: Democrat leaders use childcare to crank out good little Democrats.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hhs-freezes-child-care-payments-minnesota/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— More people are addicted to marijuana, but fewer seek help. DD: Pot is poison.
https://trib.com/life-entertainment/nation-world/wellness/article_bbeb5b98-4c69-5e32-9909-3c5b02ce24df.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote bigger government. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. Federal employees are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/us/politics/trump-federal-government-fallout.html
— A Rupture Over Israel Is Tearing MAGA Apart. For 40 years, Christian Zionism was a powerful force in American politics. A new generation on the right is taking cues from elsewhere.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/magazine/maga-israel-antisemitism-tucker-carlson.html

WASHINGTON POST
— EEOC wants to talk to White men about discrimination. DD: How has EEOC impacted you? When I was 22 years old in 1971, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My Firestone Store boss rudely fired me because I had accepted that job offer. That directly led to my accepting job offer from IRS.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/30/trump-eeoc-dei-andrea-lucas/

FOX NASHVILLE
— DD: What percent of illegals have serious health problems?
https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/new-dhs-department-of-homeland-security-rule-could-deny-asylum-to-migrants-posing-public-health-risks-department-of-justice-doj-president-donald-trump-administration-covid-19-pandemic-withholding-of-removal-illegal-immigration

WBUR
— How should American colleges measure merit? DD: To admit more students who are minority and/or female, colleges have ever-increasingly replaced objective criteria with subjective criteria. UIC admitted me in 1966 because my ACT score was 24 and I graduated in the upper 20% of my high school class. Loyola’s graduate business school admitted me in 1972 because my GMAT score was 550 and I had a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU. DePaul’s graduate accounting school admitted me in 1976 because I had an MBA from Loyola. IIT’s graduate finance school admitted me in 1992 because of the aforesaid and I had a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul.
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025/12/30/american-colleges-merit-trump

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Minimum Wage Makes the Affordability Crisis Worse. Higher labor costs push prices up, while fewer jobs and hours mean less money in workers’ pockets. DD: Back in the good old days, I worked for the minimum wage (about $13/hour in today’s dollars) part-time during my junior and senior years in high school and full-time the summer in between 1964-1966. With the money I earned, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ) in May or 1966.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-minimum-wage-makes-the-affordability-crisis-worse-6c92dad2
— America’s 25 Years of Decline. Misgovernment has been the watchword for the first quarter of the 21st century.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/americas-25-years-of-decline-cffe7e41
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. To push pot in America is to destroy America.is t
https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/trump-is-warming-to-cannabis-but-investors-arent-impressed-53fffcb2

FORBES
— The New Ivies 2025: 20 Great Colleges Employers Love. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. Charles Bowsher ran GAO 1981-1996. He said he wanted to upgrade GAO’s workforce. He said he wanted GAO to hire, retain, and promote Ivy League graduates who had degrees in public administration. That rendered worthless my 1976 MBA from Loyola, my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, my 1980 master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, my passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, my becoming a licensed CPA in 1981, my earning four more  job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and my 1997 master’s degree in finance from IIT. Bowsher had an MBA from the University of Chicago.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2025/03/26/the-new-ivies-2025-20-great-colleges-employers-love/

FED WEEK
— DD: I am not a veteran. Even worse than that, I avoided the Vietnam War draft with student deferments 1966-1970 and a financial hardship draft deferment 1970-1971. While I was a Post Office employee 1966-1969, an IRS employee 1971-1980, and a GAO employee 1980-1997, my Democrat superiors  and supervisors who were veterans gave tremendous preference to their employees who were veterans. That is, they discriminated tremendously against their non-veteran employees who were Republican like me and who were White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time. I should write about that. Charles Bowsher, a veteran, who ran GAO 1981-1996 assured that GAO employees who were veterans would not suffer any adverse impacts from Gingrich’s massive budget cuts. My Democrat superiors in the federal government a) blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam War and b) used the Veterans Preference to punish their Republican non-veteran employees.
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/veoa-rights-dont-apply-to-merit-promotions-court-holds/

NEW YORKER
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/donald-trumps-golden-age-of-awful

VOX
— DD: Everything is a zero-sum-game. To give preference to people because they are a member of a group is to discriminate against people who are not a member of that group. My critics/opponents give preference to those who are liberal/moderate, Democrat, RINO, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.  That is, they discriminate against people because they are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/471498/zero-sum-thinking-growth-economy-housing-politics

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

TIMES OF INDIA
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for problems that citizens of India and Indian American have.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/2025-the-year-america-normalised-anti-india-hate/articleshow/126252653.cms

MEAWW
— Tim Walz Labels Somali Fraud Investigation ‘White Supremacy,’ Warns of Holiday ICE Crackdown. DD: The Democrat Party is ever-increasingly against those who are White, male, older, American, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://news.meaww.com/video/tim-walz-labels-somali-fraud-investigation-white-supremacy-warns-of-holiday-ice-crackdown

FROM OTHER SOURCES

MED CITY NEWS
— The Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Adoption Gap Is Worse Than You Think. DD: I have type 2 diabetes. I delayed using a CGM because my Medicare and BC/BS insurance does cover it. But recently, I bought a Stelo CGM using Amazon for $100/month. It has immediately shown that my glucose spikes to over 250 after I eat, that is, I have high hyperglycemia. I am anxiously awaiting my diabetes doctor’s instructions.
https://medcitynews.com/2025/12/cgm-diabetes-healthcare/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new study found that continuous glucose monitors can cut healthcare costs by about 20% while also improving outcomes for insulin-dependent diabetes patients, largely by reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Despite these benefits and broad insurance coverage, roughly 80% of eligible patients still are not using the technology — highlighting a significant adoption gap.)

December 30, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— At least 50 young people involved in fights at Joliet mall over holiday weekend
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/50-young-people-involved-in-fights-at-joliet-mall-holiday-weekend/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrats ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/chicago-immigration-citizen-arrests-charges/
— Illinois attorney general ends year filled with lawsuits against the Trump administration with one more challenge. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote the Democrat Party platform including more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicaogotribune.com/2025/12/29/illinois-donald-trump-lawsuits-raoul/
— Hundreds of public employees investigated by the state of Illinois improperly took millions in PPP loans
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/ppp-loan-fraud-illinois-cook-county/
— CPS says ‘miscellaneous’ school workers shouldn’t be allowed to unionize. DD: If GAO had unionized sooner, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars 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.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/cps-miscellaneous-school-workers-unionize/
— Deteriorating state of St. Irenaeus Catholic Church reflects changing religious culture in Park Forest. DD: In 1961, when I was in eighth grade, my parents transferred from Trinity Lutheran Church in Crete to Hope Lutheran Church in Park Forest to stay with the Missouri Synod. My newly formed eight grade there had only 8 students. I was confirmed in 1962 and my brother in 1968. My father sang in the choir.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/column-deteriorating-state-of-st-irenaeus-catholic-church-reflects-changing-religious-culture-in-park-forest/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Hope Lutheran Church with its large tower and gorgeous acoustics, is now home to Lilydale Baptist Church.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Mayor Brandon Johnson stresses New Year’s Eve curfew, hopes to avoid another ‘teen takeover.’  Anyone under 18 is required to be with an adult after 10 p.m. Wednesday night while the city hosts “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” along the Riverwalk. DD: Anticipate/expect that sooner or later, Democrat teens will takeover your downtown.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/public-safety/2025/12/29/chicago-new-years-eve-curfew-teen-takeover-brandon-johnson

DAILY HERALD
— DuPage forest preserve board OKs $151 million budget
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251229/news/dupage-forest-preserve-board-oks-151-million-budget/

WCBU
— Southern Illinois restaurant owner headed for deportation. DD: Noncitizens are future Democrats. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise noncitizens and b) fight their deportation. How many noncitizens are there in your county, township, municipality, and school district? If my employers could have hired noncitizens instead of me, they would have. If my Democrat Post Office superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have immediately replaced me with a noncitizen. If my Democrat IRS superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have promoted non-citizens instead of me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. If my Democrat GAO superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have promoted a noncitizen instead of me in 1986 and they would have immediately replaced me with a noncitizen.
https://www.wcbu.org/state-news/2025-12-29/staunton-restaurant-owner-headed-for-deportation

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Call for articles. It would be great if conservative leaders in Illinois would write more articles that promote conservative principles. Far too few articles are being written that promote personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration laws, the damages that vices cause, the importance of the Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race of gender based preference giving). – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Noncitizens are future Democrats. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise noncitizens and b) fight their deportation. How many noncitizens are there in your county, township, municipality, and school district? If my employers could have hired noncitizens instead of me, they would have. If my Democrat Post Office superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have immediately replaced me with a noncitizen. If my Democrat IRS superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have promoted non-citizens instead of me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. If my Democrat GAO superiors could have hired noncitizens, they would have promoted a noncitizen instead of me in 1986 and they would have immediately replaced me with a noncitizen. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What do your critics/opponents say about the jobs that you have/had? My critics/opponents could/would argue that all the jobs that I had were bad jobs that they and my peers would not want. In my defense, what about my peers who lacked job qualifications? In my defense, the Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 would not have hired me if I had not earned an MBA in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. Extremely few of my peers earned MBAs and/or took the CPA examination, let alone passed it on their first attempt. Further, back in 1980s, GAO’s reputation was much stronger than it is now. Further, the Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 would not have hired me if had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination (FSEE). Few of my peers earned bachelor’s degrees and virtually none if not none took the FSEE let alone passed it. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What work experience do you have? Democrats run IRS and GAO. GAO audits IRS. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. IRS had promoted me to GS-9 when I was 23 years old in in 1972. To force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors dramatically ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed what I had learned a) working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year, b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, d) almost completing the requirement for a master’s degree in accounting, and e) that much of what I did for IRS was very similar to what I would do for GAO. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinate used my having to take a pay cut to transfer against me viciously. The hinted/implied/argued/shouted that what I had learned since 1971 was worthless. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Did your employers struggle to meet their Affirmative Action (AA) quotas, goals, and targets? My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their AA quotas, goals, and targets because few qualified minorities and women wanted to work for the Post Office, IRS, or GAO. Qualified minorities and females could get better paying jobs in the private sector. Consequently, to retain and promote their minority and female employees, my Democrat superiors a) gave them tremendous preference and b) wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male. All my coworkers who they promoted over me were Democrats who were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran. They all had less work experience than I had, less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019. All my critics/opponents have used pot, use pot, want to use pot, and/or want make money selling pot. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Why do people use pot? From what I see, overwhelmingly, it is because they have problems, because they have trouble dealing with reality, and/or because they want immediate pleasure. But pot drags you down and causes you more problems. If I had used pot, I would not have been able to a) get an ACT score of 24, b) graduate in the upper 20% of my high school class, b) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree and three job-related master’s degrees, c) pass the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, d) earn four more job-related professional certifications, or e) earn a job-related professional license (CPA).  I would not have been able to get jobs that enabled me to a) buy a 6-year old car when I was 16, b) buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc., c) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, d) or get married when I was 29. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
—  A fired IRS employee decries irony of her being hired to ‘make the IRS ‘more efficient.’ Democrats run IRS. Democrats run GAO. GAO audits IRS. I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980 after I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. The Democrats who ran GAO wasted my knowledge of IRS. They succeeded in keeping me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988 and then they forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. They especially do not want Republicans like me who are conservative, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time to audit Democrats. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Do you have regrets about how you prioritized your work-life balance? I will forever regret my not taking more than one graduate evening course at a time. I took only one graduate evening business course at a time while I worked for Firestone Stores in 1971 and for IRS 1972-1976. I took only one graduate evening accounting course at a time while I worked for IRS 1976-1980 and GAO in 1980. I took only one graduate evening finance course at a time while I worked for GAO 1992-1997. I did that because of the tuition and book expenses and because wanted to keep my jobs my top priority. But consequently, I did not earn an MBA until I was 27. I did not take and pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination until I was 32. I did not earn a master’s degree in finance until I was 48. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. By then, it was too late. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Have you ever served as the chairman of a political organization? I served as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, To end my TAPROOT chairmanship and to destroy TATROOT in 2012, my critics/opponents had their TAPROOT officers and their TAPROOT directors charge me with gross incompetence. They argued/shouted that anyone could do a better job of heading TAPROOT than me. They demonized, denigrated, and condemned the speakers who I had recruited for TAPROOT’s monthly meetings, August Picnics, and December Christmas parties. Previously, to end my membership on the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) Steering Committee (SC) and to destroy ICRC in 2007, they almost got their ICRC SC members to get ICRC to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I should write about my critics/opponents. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— I have type 2 diabetes. I have started using Stelo by Dexcom to continuously monitor my blood sugar level. If you have type 2 diabetes and use Stelo, please phone me at 630-653-0462. My blood sugar spikes to over 250 after I eat. That means I have high hyperglycemia. I am looking for suggestions to stop blood sugar spikes. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

CENTER SQURE ILLINOIS
— Republicans state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dietrich, welcomes possible Marine deployment after Supreme Court ruling
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_8c3e95d3-082b-4d9e-aebe-ec905fd8c8da.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Test Scores, Costs for McHenry County School Districts, Link to All Illinois Districts. DD: As Democrats move in, test scores drop.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/29/test-scores-costs-for-mchenry-county-school-districts-link-to-all-illinois-districts/
— What’s Going On in Richmond Township?  Supervisor, Clerk, Office Administrator Resigning
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/29/whats-going-on-in-richmond-township/
— Chicago Crime Comes to Barrington
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/29/chicago-crime-comes-to-barrington/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— More cases of illegal voting are coming to light as GOP scrubs voter rolls
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/29/cases-illegal-voting-coming-light-gop-scrubs-voter-rolls/
— Jews, get your guns; no one is coming to save the chosen people
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/29/jews-get-guns-no-one-coming-save-chosen-people/
— Russia targeting Mexico with anti-U.S. propaganda. Moscow is exploiting anti-American sentiment in Mexico.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/29/russia-targeting-mexico-anti-us-propaganda/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats move to stop ICE from working with local police nationwide. DD: For Democrat leaders, flooding America with their illegals and keeping them in America is one of their top priorities.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4363620/democrats-stop-ice-working-local-police-nationwide/

NEW YORK POST
— False refugee study used by Dems to justify open borders — and massive spending
https://nypost.com/2025/12/29/opinion/false-refugee-study-used-by-dems-to-justify-open-borders-and-massive-spending/
— Woke is not dead
https://nypost.com/2025/12/29/us-news/son-of-susan-sontag-warns-against-dancing-on-the-grave-of-wokeness-woke-is-not-dead/

AMERICAN THINKER
— How Jobs Become ‘Jobs Americans Just Won’t Do’ DD: My critics/opponents could/would argue that all the jobs that I had were bad jobs that they and my peers would not want. In my defense, what about my peers who lacked job qualifications? In my defense, the Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 would not have hired me if I had not earned an MBA in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. Extremely few of my peers earned MBAs and/or took the CPA examination, let alone passed it on their first attempt. Further, back in 1980s, GAO’s reputation was much stronger than it is now. Further, the Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 would not have hired me if had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination (FSEE). Few of my peers earned bachelor’s degrees and virtually none if not none took the FSEE let alone passed it.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/how_jobs_become_jobs_americans_just_won_t_do.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Mamdani reacts to Musk’s criticism of his new lesbian fire chief’s work experience. DD: What work experience do you have? Democrats run IRS and GAO. GAO audits IRS. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. IRS had promoted me to GS-9 when I was 23 years old in in 1972. To force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors dramatically ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed what I had learned a) working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year, b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, d) almost completing the requirement for a master’s degree in accounting, and e) that much of what I did for IRS was very similar to what I would do for GAO. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinate used my having to take a pay cut to transfer against me viciously. The hinted/implied/argued/shouted that what I had learned since 1971 was worthless.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/29/mamdani-reacts-to-musks-criticism-of-his-new-lesbian-fire-chief-1612678/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani defended his new appointee after Elon Musk called out the fire chief’s lack of “experience.” The soon-to-be sworn-in mayor fired back at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, declaring that “Experience does matter,” in a post on X. “Experience does matter, which is why I appointed the person who spent more than 30 years at EMS. You know, the workforce that addresses at least 70% of all calls coming into FDNY?” Mamdani wrote. Mandani appointed Lillian Bonsignore, a veteran emergency medical services leader, last week to head up the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), making her the city’s first openly gay fire commissioner. But it is her lack of firefighting experience that irked many who reacted to the 56-year-old coming out of retirement to accept the incoming mayor’s appointment. “People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake,” Musk warned.

CATO INSTITUTE
— Ayn Rand: Affirmative Action, Racial Quotas Are “Unfair, Un-American, Unjust.” DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few qualified minorities and women wanted to work for the Post Office, IRS, or GAO. Qualified minorities and females could get better paying jobs in the private sector. Consequently, to retain and promote their minority and female employees, my Democrat superiors a) gave them tremendous preference and b) wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male. All my coworkers who they promoted over me were Democrats who were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran. They all had less work experience than I had, less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.cato.org/blog/ayn-rand-affirmative-action-racial-quotas-are-unfair-un-american-unjust

CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— Best and Brightest. DD: Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly glorify and praise noncitizens. Noncitizens work for less money than citizens and can be much more easily exploited. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://cis.org/Fishman/US-Chamber-Commerce-Second-Thought-H1B-Isnt-Best-and-Brightest-After-All

CENTER SQUARE
— SCOTUS to take up key Second Amendment challenges in 2026. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make clear that thy want to abolish the Second Amendment, that is, that they want get rid of Republicans once and for all.
https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/watch-scotus-to-take-up-key-second-amendment-challenges-in-2026/article_b812eb49-e96c-528a-9b28-339b5f2a0fa5.html

COLLEGE FIX
— ‘1619 Project’ professor Nikole Hannah-Jones pens tribute to convicted cop killer
https://www.thecollegefix.com/1619-project-professor-nikole-hannah-jones-pens-tribute-to-convicted-cop-killer/

FOX NEWS
— Gen Z wants a country committed to them and their well-being. DD: What generation are you? I am a baby boomer. I was born in 1948. My parents and teachers stressed personal responsibility, that I should become a productive member of society, that I should make the most of my potential, and that I should get married and have children.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387054609112

LEGAL NEWS LINE
— Raoul: Marijuana ‘dangers’ justify blocking IL users from owning guns. DD: Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019. All my critics/opponents have used pot, use pot, want to use pot, and/or want make money selling pot. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.legalnewsline.com/cook-county-record/illinois-supports-blocking-marijuana-users-from-owning-guns/article_b289b770-0ba0-4e24-ba69-14611e9693d4.html

MILITARY TIMES
— Department of Veterans Affairs reinstates near-total ban on abortions
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2025/12/29/department-of-veterans-affairs-reinstates-near-total-ban-on-abortions/

PJ MEDIA
— Chinese Government Threatens America as Its Navy Surrounds Taiwan
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/29/chinese-government-threatens-america-as-navy-surrounds-taiwan-n4947654

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

REUTERS
— U.S. could block asylum on public health grounds under Trump regulation. DD: What percent of illegals have serious health problems?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/u-could-block-asylum-public-163024770.html
— Trump renews his threat to bring a lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for what he called “gross incompetence.” DD: To end my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship and to destroy TAPROOT in 2012, my critics/opponents had their TAPROOT officers and their TAPROOT directors charge me with gross incompetence. They argued/shouted that anyone could do a better job of heading TAPROOT than me. They demonized, denigrated, and condemned the speakers who I had recruited for TAPROOT’s monthly meetings, August Picnics, and December Christmas parties. Previously, to end my membership on the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) Steering Committee (SC) and to destroy ICRC in 2007, they almost got their ICRC SC members to get ICRC to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-threatens-sue-feds-powell-will-announce-replacement-next-month-2025-12-29/

ABC NEWS
— Fired IRS employee decries irony of being hired to ‘make the IRS ‘more efficient’ DD: Democrats run IRS. Democrats run GAO. GAO audits IRS. I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980 after I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. The Democrats who ran GAO wasted my knowledge of IRS. They succeeded in keeping me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988 and then they forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. They especially do not want Republicans like me who are conservative, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time to audit Democrats.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fired-irs-employee-decries-hired-make-irs-efficient/story?id=119017800

ABC SAN FRANCIACO
— SF to develop 15-story affordable housing building for LGBTQ+ seniors as aging population grows. “As folks age, incomes become restricted, the cost of living rises and so the need for affordable housing becomes even greater.” DD: How successful have Democrats and RINOs been promoting LGBTQ+ in your county, township, municipality, and school district, that is, how successful have they been destroying traditional marriage and family in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-developing-15-story-affordable-housing-building-lgbtq-seniors-aging-population-grows/18330872/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Justice Department Sues Virginia Over Tuition Aid for Unauthorized Immigrants. DD: UIC admitted me in 1966, NIU in 1969, Loyola in 1972, DePaul in 1976, and IIT in 1992, but they would have admitted noncitizens instead of me if they could have. Virtually all noncitizens are minorities. Democrats and RINOs have always preferred a) noncitizens over citizens and b) minorities over Whites.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/us/politics/us-sues-virginia-tuition-immigrants.html

USA TODAY
— You have a right to love or hate Charlie Kirk. DD: Your attitude toward Kirk and toward his assignation say more about your attitude toward conservatives than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/12/29/charlie-kirk-free-speech-first-amendment-lawsuits/87885212007/
— Safest and most dangerous cities to live in 2025. DD: When Democrats move in, poverty and crime increase. If you move to get away from Democrat poverty and Democrat crime, anticipate/expect that Democrats will follow you and bring their Democrat poverty and Democrat crime with them.
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2025/12/29/ranking-safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-to-live-in-2025/87948778007/
— Popular jobs had their ‘professional’ tag axed. Don’t take it personally. Only 11 made the cut, and many people were quick to point out degrees such as nursing, accounting, architecture and physical therapy were excluded. DD: My greatest successes include my a) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979, b) passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, and c) becoming a licensed CPA when I was 32.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/12/14/professional-jobs-tag-student-loan-debt/87720305007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Andersen’s IPO Makes It Hard for Investors to See Straight. Stock’s debut comes two decades after reversal of namesake accounting firm’s criminal conviction. DD: My next door neighbor was in line to lead Arthur Andersen but he did not succeed. If he had succeeded, my career might have been very different. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32.
https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/andersens-ipo-makes-it-hard-for-investors-to-see-straight-27b6a14e
— I Tried Answering a Big Unknown in Retirement Planning: How Long Will I Live? Longevity calculators can give more-personalized estimates on how many years your savings need to last. DD: How old are you? I am 77. According to Social Security, I have 10.6 years to live and I will die when I am 87.8. But the estimate does “not take into account a wide number of factors such as current health, lifestyle, and family history that could increase or decrease life expectancy.”
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/i-tried-answering-a-big-unknown-in-retirement-planning-how-long-will-i-live-9ef468df

DAILY JOURNAL
— How consumer arbitrators balance fairness, efficiency and economy. DD: I have been an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority since 1998.
https://www.dailyjournal.com/article/389170-how-consumer-arbitrators-balance-fairness-efficiency-and-economy

WVTF
— Democrat leaders do not want Trump to fight crime. Criminals vote for Democrats.
https://www.wvtf.org/2025-12-29/trump-sent-in-the-national-guard-to-fight-crime-in-2025-results-were-unclear

HACKENSACK
— Hackensack HS Students Offered Nearly $2M in Merit Scholarships. DD: My critics/opponents have always used my not getting any scholarships against me. They have always used that to falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that I am stupid and that my parents were filthy rich.
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hackensack/sections/education/articles/hackensack-hs-students-offered-nearly-2m-in-merit-scholarships
(FROM THE ARTICLE: HHS reported some amazing stats from the event: 211 offers of admission. $1,985,800 in Merit Scholarships offered. Totals to $7,943,200 over a four-year term.)

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
— 10 essential skills you’ll need for career success. DD: Democrats run the federal government. For them, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats. To advance in the federal government, you have to be more than just a Democrat, you have to excel at a) advancing Democrat employees who are minority and/or female and b) wasting the careers of and getting rid of Republican employees who are White and/or male.
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/04/17/10-essential-skills-youll-need-career-success

BUSINESS INSIDER
— Prioritizing work-life balance is not a recipe for success. DD: I will forever regret my not taking more than one graduate evening course at a time. I took only one graduate evening business course at a time while I worked for Firestone Stores in 1971 and for IRS 1972-1976. I took only one graduate evening accounting course at a time while I worked for IRS 1976-1980 and GAO in 1980. I took only one graduate evening finance course at a time while I worked for GAO 1992-1997. I did that because of the tuition and book expenses and because wanted to keep my jobs my top priority. But consequently, I did not earn an MBA until I was 27. I did not take and pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination until I was 32. I did not earn a master’s degree in finance until I was 48. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. By then, it was too late.
https://www.businessinsider.com/skims-cofounder-emma-grede-work-life-balance-your-problem-2025-5

ATLANTIC
— The Lonely New Vices of American Life. Booze is down and weed is up, and that’s doing something to us as a country. DD: Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly promote vices to get more votes from LGBTQers, boozers, gamblers, and stoners.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/american-vice-national-character/684785/

FROM OTHER SOURCES

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
— MAY 19, 1997 FLASHBACK: COURT KILLS ODOMETER EXEMPTION FOR OLD VEHICLES. DD: There were more than enough facts to make the Chicago Car Exchange (CCE) suspicious of the car’s claimed mileage, and therefore, to verify its claimed milage. The court left out many of those facts in its written decision. Further, CCE refused to offer to pay me the car’s loss in value because of the odometer discrepancy or the thousands of dollars of improvements that I had made to the car. The odometer exemption decision was rendered moot when the BIG THREE had Congress modify the Federal Odometer Act. I appealed the rest of the decision to the Supreme Court, but Supreme Court refused to hear it.
https://www.autonews.com/article/19970519/ANA/705190719/court-kills-odometer-exemption-for-old-vehicles/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A federal appeals court has tossed out a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulation that exempts motor vehicles more than 10 years old from odometer disclosure requirements. In a unanimous decision, the three-judge panel in Chicago ruled that Congress did not authorize the secretary of transportation to exclude older vehicles from the disclosure provisions of the Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, also known as the Odometer Act. Unless overturned on further appeal, the decision binds sellers of vehicles in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, the three states covered by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Liz Neblett, a NHTSA public affairs officer in Washington, said, ‘We are aware of the case but were not named in the suit. We are looking at the situation to see what, if anything, should be done in the future.’ The decision means a seller must provide an odometer disclosure statement to the purchaser of any car or truck, regardless of age, according to Christopher Langone, who argued the appeal for Chicago Car Exchange. His client specializes in classic and antique vehicles. ‘Dealerships, whether new or used, should give a disclosure statement with every transaction,’ Langone said. In the same decision, however, the appeals court said plaintiff David Diersen cannot press his odometer fraud claim against Chicago Car Exchange. In 1984, he paid $16,790 for a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. He failed to present evidence that the dealership deliberately misrepresented the car’s mileage, the 7th Circuit panel said. Diersen, an auditor for the federal government, contended the disclosure statement he received falsely listed about 22,600 original miles. Instead, he asserted, the actual mileage was about 75,000. The dealership denied that the statement was inaccurate and said it had no reason to disbelieve the sworn statement of the seller. Diersen turned down the dealership’s offer to refund the full purchase price. A judge dismissed the lawsuit without trial. Diersen, representing himself, appealed. In the new decision, Appeals Judge John Coffey rejected the dealership’s argument that the Odometer Act doesn’t cover vehicles more than 10 years old. The 1988 NHTSA regulation purporting to exempt such vehicles is invalid, according to the court. ‘The text of the law does not, either explicitly or implicitly, exempt any class of motor vehicles from its odometer disclosure requirements,’ the appeals court said. Diersen has asked the appeals court for a new hearing on the fraud issue. If he loses there, ‘I’m going to the Supreme Court.’)

December 29, 2025

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

AMERICAN THINKER
— Polling Signals Trouble for Democrats — and Opportunity for Republicans
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/polling_signals_trouble_for_democrats_and_opportunity_for_republicans.html
— Tucker Carlson: Pro-Islam, Anti-American, And Toxic For Republicans
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/tucker_carlson_pro_islam_anti_american_and_toxic_for_republicans.html

DAILY CALLER
— Democratic Lawmaker Says She Feels Guilty For Being White And Kids Should Too. DD: My critics/opponents promote Affirmative Action and DEI. They want more and more and more preference to be given those who are minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, have less money than others, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.aol.com/articles/democratic-lawmaker-says-she-feels-182204161.html

FOX NEWS
— Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/we-not-afraid-erika-kirk-vows-tpusa-continue-campus-debates-nationwide
— Erika Kirk outlines Turning Point USA’s next chapter after Charlie Kirk
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387005291112
— What the conservative think tank wars have to do with you. Mass exodus from Heritage Foundation reveals ideological split between populist Trump agenda and traditional conservative economics.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-what-conservative-think-tank-wars-have-do-you.amp

NEWSMAX
— DOJ Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI
https://www.newsmax.com/us/doj-dei-fraud-law/2025/12/28/id/1239955/

POST MILLENNIAL
— Charlottesville ends license plate cameras over fears data could be used to identify illegal immigrants
https://thepostmillennial.com/charlottesville-ends-license-plate-camera-program-over-fears-data-could-be-used-to-identify-illegal-immigrants

TOWNHALL
— Infighting at TPUSA?
https://townhall.com/columnists/arthurschaper/2025/12/29/title-reflection-on-years-end-infighting-at-tpusa-n2668557
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The TPUSA audience and the general conservative movement are feeling Charlie Kirk’s passing more keenly, since the MAGA Coalition, which he helped forge and flourish, is beginning to fray. Divisions are the norm in politics, especially among party brass and grassroots activists. They all claim the right vision for their party’s standards, but rarely have the conflicts burst to the forefront as they did at TPUSA American First 2025.)

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— A look at aging baby boomers in the United States. DD: I am 77, I am a baby boomer. Who speaks for the baby boomers in America, in Illinois, in your county, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://apnews.com/article/census-baby-boomers-aging-america-demographics-ad275e223615952ce73d52ed714d24b0
(FROM THE ARTICLE: By the end of this decade, all baby boomers will be 65 and older, and the number of people 80 and over will double in 20 years. . .The share of senior citizens in the U.S. population is projected to grow from 18.7% in 2025 to nearly 23% by 2050, while children under 18 decline from almost 21% to a projected 18.4%. . .The projected average U.S. life expectancy at birth rises from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055, according to the CBO.)

USA TODAY
— MAGA split grows as Mike Pence group poaches from Heritage Foundation
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maga-split-grows-as-mike-pence-group-poaches-from-heritage-foundation/ar-AA1SUXHy

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Mike Johnson: House Republicans Had a Great Year. In 2025 we passed tax cuts, helped businesses expand, and repealed harmful regulations.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/house-republicans-had-a-great-year-04efce46
— Justice Department Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI. Google and Verizon among those being investigated under novel interpretation of law applying to government contractors.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-doj-dei-fraud-investigations-93213d52

FORBES
— Common Mid-Career Mistakes That Limit Advancement And Growth. DD: Democrats run the federal government. To advance in the federal government, you have to be more than just a Democrat, you have to excel at a) advancing Democrat employees who are minority and/or female and b) wasting the careers of and getting rid of Republican employees who are White and/or male.
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2025/12/08/common-mid-career-mistakes-that-limit-advancement-and-growth/
— DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizelting/2025/04/09/as-workplace-gender-bias-stalls-career-growth-business-ownership-offers-opportunities-to-break-barriers/

24/7 WALL STREET
— Why Social Security’s COLA Formula Is Failing Baby Boomers in 2026. Over 50% of current Social Security recipients have cut living costs because prices rise faster than their benefits. Benefits have lost around 20% of buying power since 2010 due to the COLA formula underweighting healthcare and housing costs. The 2026 COLA is 2.8% but fails to match retiree inflation because it tracks urban wage earners instead of senior spending patterns.
https://247wallst.com/investing/2025/12/28/why-social-securitys-cola-formula-is-failing-baby-boomers-in-2026/

BUSINESS JOURNAL
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2025/12/womens-advancement-risk-leaders.html

MCKINSEY & COMPANY
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace
https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/new-at-mckinsey-blog/new-mckinsey-book-the-unwritten-rules-about-career-advancement-for-women

SHRM
— DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and/or b) had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.shrm.org/enterprise-solutions/insights/gender-pay-gap-addressing-systemic-modern-challenges

GALLUP
— Addressing the Barriers Blocking Employee Development. Less than half of U.S. employees participate in any education or training for their current job. DD: While I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969, Firestone Stores 1970-1972, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, virtually none of my Democrat coworkers took job-related courses like I did.  I took job-related courses at UIC 1966-1968 and in 1971, at NIU 1969-1970, at Loyola 1972-1976, at DePaul 1976-1980, at Becker CPA review 1978-1979, at Roosevelt 1980-1981, at the Institute of Internal Auditors in 1981, and at IIT 1992-1997.
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/692642/addressing-barriers-blocking-employee-development.aspx

PRECINCT REPORTER
— DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://precinctreporter.com/2025/03/13/discrimination-career-barrier-for-black-women/

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. For them, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. If I had been a Democrat, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service long before I was 40 because I had a) earned master’s degrees in business and accounting, b) passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, and c) became a licensed CPA.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/05/opm-merit-hiring-plan-includes-bipartisan-reforms-politicized-new-test/405687/

AARP
— 5 Ways AARP Is Fighting Age Discrimination. DD: According to my critics/opponents, age discrimination has never existed. They deny that my Democrat IRS superiors used up-or-out, that is, that they used age discrimination, to not promote me to GS-13. I ultimately did make GS-13 when I was 38 in 1986, but it was not until after I had a) earned an MBA in 1976, b) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, c) transferred to GAO in 1980, d) earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, e) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt tin 1981, and f) became a licensed CPA in 1981. My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted many of my Democrat coworkers to GS-13 ahead of me a) who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had no professional certifications, and/or had no professional license and/or b) who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/fighting-against-age-discrimination/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 1. Backing legislation that reinforces worker rights. On a national scale, AARP is backing bipartisan bills that support older workers. In May, AARP sent letters to the House and Senate endorsing the reintroduction of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. This legislation would restore protections, which a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision stripped away, that required older workers to prove their age was the sole reason they experienced an adverse employment action. AARP also threw its support behind two more bipartisan bills in September. The Protecting Older Americans Act lets workers choose to pursue age discrimination claims in court rather than being forced into arbitration. The Protect Older Job Applicants Act would expand protections under federal law to include people who are applying for jobs, even before they have reached the hiring stage.)

AXIOS
—  For the first time, there will be more workers in states with a minimum wage of $15 an hour or higher than those with the federal minimum of $7.25. More than a decade ago, labor advocates’ fight for a $15 an hour wage seemed radical — not so much anymore. DD: Back in the good old days, I worked for the minimum wage (about $13/hour in today’s dollars) part-time during my junior and senior years in high school and full-time the summer in between 1964-1966. With the money I earned, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ) in May or 1966.
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/28/2026-new-year-minimum-wage

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

BUSINESS TODAY
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/deep-dive/story/issues-women-face-at-work-the-silent-load-that-career-women-experience-508008-2025-12-24

STUDY INTERNATIONAL
— What women want: 9 best careers for women. DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://studyinternational.com/news/best-careers-for-women/

INDEPENDENT
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/women-in-the-workplace-report-2025-findings-b2885110.html

December 28, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

DAILY HERALD
— Kane County’s top prosecutor Mosser seeks judicial seat
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251228/news/kane-countys-top-prosecutor-mosser-seeks-judicial-seat/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Barriers to upward mobility. DD: To get more votes from those who are minority, female, and younger, Democrat and RINO candidates and elected officials paint those who are White, male, and older as being barriers.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/study-education-still-pays-but-barriers-to-upward-mobility-persist-in-illinois/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Sickness & Hypocrisy in Academia
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/12/22/sickness-hypocrisy-in-academia

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— I have started using Stelo by Dexcom to continuously monitor my blood sugar level. If you have type 2 diabetes like I do and use Stelo, please phone me at 630-653-0462. My blood sugar spikes to over 250 after I eat. That means I have high hyperglycemia. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Pence becomes unlikely face of conservative opposition to Trump and populism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/4363005/pence-unlikely-face-conservative-opposition-trump-populism/
— With the impending rescheduling of marijuana in the U.S., the transportation industry is searching for answers on whether it still will legally be able to test employees before sending them on the road or in the air. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4363202/dot-realizes-road-safety-concern-with-marijuana-rescheduling/
— More Floridians, Californians moving to Texas
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4363199/more-floridians-californians-moving-to-texas-than-reverse/
— A dangerous Supreme Court decision. In a short three-page decision written with little briefing and no oral argument, a 6-3 majority denied the Justice Department’s request to stay a district court restraining order preventing President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard in Chicago. The court’s holding is tenuously founded, rushed, and will endanger the lives of federal law enforcement officers.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/4362312/dangerous-supreme-court-decision-national-guard/

NEW YORK POST
— Hating the rich may feel good — and win elections — but it’s self-destructive
https://nypost.com/2025/12/27/opinion/hating-the-rich-may-feel-good-and-win-elections-but-its-self-destructive/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— The Pence Mirage: Why the Right Isn’t Leaving Trump. The Heritage Foundation “mutiny” isn’t a conservative realignment so much as the latest anti-Trump mirage, with Mike Pence cast as a moral standard-bearer no one is following.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/28/the-pence-mirage-why-the-right-isnt-leaving-trump/
— Let Americans Choose Their Cars—Not the Government. EVs aren’t failing because consumers don’t want them, but because tariffs block affordable competition—leaving Americans stuck with costly choices the rest of the world has outgrown. DD: I bought a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV early this year. If it had been offered with a Hemi V-8, I would have bought that. I have owned a 2013 Charger R/T Max since 2012. I owned a 1968 Charger R/T 1994-2005. I owned a 1969 Charger SE 1968-1971.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/26/let-americans-choose-their-cars-not-the-government/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Third World cultures have a corruption problem, and Democrats capitalize on it
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/third_world_cultures_have_a_corruption_problem_and_democrats_capitalize_on_it.html
— The dangerous cost of erasing Western wisdom
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/victor_davis_hanson_on_the_dangerous_cost_of_erasing_western_wisdom.html
— Blue states surrendering to Somalis, Islam, and diversity
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/blue_states_surrendering_to_somalis_islam_diversity.html

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE
— Federal workers with a professional degree or doctorate—about 10 percent of the federal workforce—earned about 29 percent less, on average, than their private-sector counterparts. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran IRS 1971-1980 and I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. I earned an MBA in 1976. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. I passed Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. I became a licensed CPA in 1981. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned  a master’s in finance in 1997. In today’s dollars, IRS paid me $112,280/year in 1980 and GAO paid me $153,151/year in 1997.
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60235

BREITBART
— TPUSA Continuing Campus Debates Nationwide
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/12/28/we-are-not-afraid-erika-kirk-says-tpusa-continuing-campus-debates-nationwide/
— Indian Government Protests Rubio’s Visa Curbs That Help Americans
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/27/indian-government-protests-rubios-visa-curbs-that-help-americans/

DAILY CALLER
— Minnesota’s Lt Gov Takes Pandering To Somalis To The Next Level
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/26/minnesota-lt-gov-peggy-flanagan-hijab-somali-migrants/

LIFE NEWS
— New York and Illinois Glorify Suicide in the Name of Compassion
https://www.lifenews.com/2025/12/28/new-york-and-illinois-glorify-suicide-in-the-name-of-compassion/

TOWNHALL
— FBI Teases Denaturalizing, Deporting Eligible Minnesota Fraudsters
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2025/12/28/fbi-teases-denaturalizing-deporting-minnesota-fraudsters-n2668553

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— You cannot be America first and pro-Russia
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5664765-turner-russia-war-aggression-ukraine/

CNN
— It’s time for Republicans to start thinking about 2028 and the post-Trump era
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/28/politics/2028-presidential-election-republicans-vance-rubio-analysis

NBC NEWS
— Much of the Black middle class was built by federal jobs. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 so that they could give my Black subordinate my job and my preferred corner office. He had less work experience than I had. He had less education than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-federal-job-cuts-trump-musk-dei-middle-class-rcna191704

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— GOP coalescing behind Vance as Trump privately dismisses third-term run
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-12-28/gop-coalescing-behind-vance-as-trump-privately-dismisses-third-term-run

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Companies Are Outlining Plans for 2026. Hiring Isn’t One of Them. Large employers indicate that they either want to maintain the size of their teams next year or let go of workers; ‘Everybody’s afraid for their jobs’
https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/2026-job-hiring-growth-plans-10bc3470
— Pritzker’s Illinois Political Clout Faces Test in Senate Primary. Billionaire governor is backing his lieutenant governor in a Democratic face-off, but she has struggled to outshine two top rivals.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/jb-pritzkers-illinois-political-clout-faces-test-in-senate-primary-4140cfa1
— You Can’t Work Your Way Through College Anymore. DD: Back in the good old days, I worked my way through college. The money came from what I earned washing dishes 1964-1966, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, and pumping gasoline in 1966, delivering mail 1966-1969, and working on an automotive assemble line in 1970. My parents provided me with room and board in their Crete home 1966-1968, my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. I graduated debt-free with a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in August of 1970 owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE that I had bought new in 1968.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-cant-work-your-way-through-college-anymore-1521239612

FORBES
— OK, Boomer: Are Baby Boomers Preventing The Upward Mobility Of Younger Employees? DD: I am a baby boomer. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 so that they could give my Black subordinate my job and my preferred corner office. He had less work experience than I had. He had less education than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2019/11/08/ok-boomer-are-baby-boomers-preventing-the-upward-mobility-of-younger-employees/

FORTUNE
— These 10 companies offer workers the best chance to advance. DD: Democrats run the federal government. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats. To advance in the federal government you have to be a Democrat. The more of the following that Democrats are, the faster that they can advance: minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://fortune.com/2022/10/13/american-opportunity-index-best-places-to-work-worker-career-advancement/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 1) AT&T, 2) American Express, 3) Cisco, 4) PG&E, 5) Microsoft, 6) Fiserv, 7) HF Sinclair, 8) Liberty Mutual, 9) International Paper, 10) Southwest Airlines)

HR DAILY ADVISOR
— Steps to Foster Internal Promotions and Career Advancement. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, they focused on making room at the top, that is, they focused on getting rid of their employees who they had not promoted to Senior Executive Service (currently $195,200/year) by age 40 and who were White, male, and/or non-veteran. That ever-increasingly rendered worthless my three job-related master’s degrees (1976, 1980, and 1997), my six job-related professional certifications (1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997), and my job-related professional license (1981).
https://hrdailyadvisor.com/2025/04/23/4-steps-to-foster-internal-promotions-and-career-advancement/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Create Room at the Top. A promotion pipeline’s useless if there’s nowhere to go. Stagnant org charts—where tenured folks squat in senior roles—kill mobility. Some firms hoard headcount, afraid to expand; others cling to “we’ve always done it this way” structures. Shake that up. Regularly audit roles: Are they still relevant? Can they split or scale? A bloated middle management layer might need pruning to open slots above. Turnover is not the enemy here—natural attrition (retirements, lateral exits) can unclog the system. Encourage it gracefully—exit packages or sabbaticals for long-timers can free space without bad blood. And don’t fear invention. If a star performer’s outgrowing their role, craft a new one. A tech firm once turned a standout engineer into a “solutions architect” rather than lose her to a rival. Flexibility beats rigidity.)

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DAILY
— Upward mobility: Unlocking career advancement opportunities. DD: My critics/opponents have always used my having three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license against me. They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that my having the aforesaid and my never having earned more than $153,151/year in today’s dollars and my being forced to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 proves that I am seriously flawed, an abject failure, and even worse things.
https://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/75364/upward-mobility-unlocking-career-advancement-opportunities/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Access to education is a major deciding factor in determining someone’s eligibility for upward mobility. Society members with access to the best schools and universities will find it easier to find higher-paying jobs and qualify for promotions. Lower-income areas in the United States often have subpar educational facilities, making it more difficult for graduates to pursue upward mobility in society.)

HARVARD MAGAZINE
— The Upward Mobility Problem. Most Americans earn less than their parents did. DD: My father often decried his not having a college degree. That motivated me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/faculty/features-upward-mobility-problem

WHARTON
— How Social Class Affects the Career Ladder. DD: What class were you born into? Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/how-social-class-affects-the-career-ladder/

FORDHAM INSTITUTE
— Is military enlistment a pathway to upward mobility? DD: Because my parents lacked money, my plan to earn a college degree was to enlist and use the GI Bill. But because I was able to earn high enough grades taking college preparatory courses, to get an ACT score of 24, and to graduate in the upper 20% of my class, UIC accepted me in 1966. I worked my way through college. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in 1970. I got student draft deferments 1966-1970 and a financial hardship draft deferment 1970-1971.
https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/military-enlistment-pathway-upward-mobility

TUFTS
— Upward mobility is becoming obsolete. DD: Back in the good old days, even though neither of my parents attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, and my mother never attended high school, I was able to work my way through college and earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But because of my bad demographics, I doubt that I could do that today.
https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/10/coffee-table-socioeconomics-upward-mobility-is-becoming-obsolete

BROOKINGS
— The American Dream in crisis: Helping low-wage workers move up to better jobs. DD: Back in the good old days, I was a low-wage worker. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, 1971, and 1972. I delivered mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automobile assembly line in 1970. To qualify myself for better paying jobs, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (1970). I earned three job-related master’s degrees (1976, 1980, and 1997). I earned six job-related professional certifications (1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997). I earned a job-related professional license (1981).
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-american-dream-in-crisis-helping-low-wage-workers-move-up-to-better-jobs/

POLITICO
— The 2028 Race Has Begun. Here’s Who’s Winning. White House hopefuls in both parties are maneuvering for the post-Trump era. Here’s where they stand at the end of 2025.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/12/28/presidential-race-2028-candidates-analysis-00695164

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— Why History Points to Huge 2026 Losses for Trump’s GOP
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/why-history-points-to-huge-2026-losses-for-trumps-gop.html