IRS Archives - Page 185 of 245

December 20 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE WITH COLOR PHOTO: Rauner lays out how second term will be different, blames Emanuel for first-term failures – Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-bruce-rauner-emanuel-sacks-madigan-20171219-story.html
— Rauner on messaging woes: ‘Very, very difficult’ to explain complex issues to 12.5 million people (DIERSEN: It would be great if Rauner would read GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. Reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails helps you keep up to date with Illinois government and political news and commentary that is put out by television stations, newspapers, radio stations, political organizations, activists, etc. GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails go out each and every morning and each and every evening; their format allows for quick reading, they contain no advertising, and they are free.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-bruce-rauner-messaging-20171220-story.html
— FRONT PAGE: Strategist Christopher Robling touted volunteer work for College of DuPage while chairwoman secretly paid his son’s tuition to Georgetown – Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-met-college-of-dupage-consultant-20171204-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: When former College of DuPage board Chairwoman Kathy Hamilton ordered the school to hire her political strategist as a special assistant to the president, she and the strategist repeatedly described him as a volunteer and promised he would donate his salary to charity. But here’s what they didn’t disclose: He was getting money all along. Newly filed court documents show Hamilton was secretly paying the college tuition of strategist Christopher Robling’s son while Robling was employed at the state’s largest community college — payment that experts say may run counter to the state’s ethics and election laws. The private payment became public as part of Hamilton’s divorce case in DuPage County, where she and her estranged husband, John, have been battling over a $45 million estate for more than a year, according to court records. The divorce case explains Hamilton’s departure from the college’s board of trustees for “personal reasons” just months after she became its chairwoman, and it also contains allegations she used marital assets to, among other things, help pay for Robling’s son to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The exact amount wasn’t included in the court documents, but sources say she paid Georgetown about $20,000 between June 2015 and November 2015. During that six-month period Robling served as special assistant to then-college President Joseph Collins, earning and then donating roughly the same amount that Hamilton paid to Georgetown. This wasn’t an unusual arrangement for the Hamiltons, their divorce case shows. The couple paid one year of American University tuition for John Hamilton’s assistant’s daughter, according to records. Robling, who owns a strategic communications firm and serves as a political commentator on local television and radio, acknowledged the money paid to Georgetown during a recent deposition. “I am an alum of Georgetown and he happens to attend Georgetown and I’m very proud of that,” Robling said in the deposition. In portions of the deposition filed as part of the divorce case, Robling declined to say whether he paid taxes on the tuition paid to Georgetown or whether it was considered a gift. Though John Hamilton refers to Robling as his wife’s “paramour” in court filings, Robling declined to answer questions about his personal relationship with Kathy Hamilton during his deposition. Attorney Aldo Botti, who represents both Kathy Hamilton and Robling in the divorce proceedings, says the allegation is false and meant to embarrass Kathy Hamilton. Both Hamilton and Robling declined interview requests through Botti. “She’s a woman of integrity who’s going through a very difficult divorce and who is seeking her fair share of the marital estate,” Botti said. “She’s been through a lot.” One day after the Tribune asked Botti about Hamilton’s tuition arrangement with Robling, Hamilton petitioned the court to seal her divorce file. DuPage County Judge Neal Cerne refused the request, siding with the Tribune after it intervened and asked that the case remain open for public viewing. The divorce proceeding is scheduled to go to trial Wednesday. Before Robling worked for COD, Hamilton personally paid him $2,500 a month between August 2014 and June 2015 for crisis management and to protect her political image, according to Robling’s deposition.)
— The risk of speaking up – Alexandra Olson (DIERSEN: If I had never spoken out against political affiliation discrimination, against reverse discrimination, or against age discrimination, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service long before I was 40 years old in 1988 notwithstanding the fact that I am Republican, White, male, and non-veteran.)
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20171220/281865823832319

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Gov. Rauner wages war with … WBEZ? – Tina Sfondeles (DIERSEN: GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are put together from a Republican perspective. That is why Democrats and Democrats, Libertarians and Libertarian plants, Greens and Green plants, and RINOs do not like them.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/gov-rauner-wages-war-on-wbez/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday accused Chicago public radio station WBEZ of discontinuing an “Ask the Governor” segment with him because “it’s really more of a Democrat station” — a charge the station is adamantly denying. The remarks were made during a Chicago Tribune editorial board meeting. Columnist Eric Zorn tweeted that the governor complained to the board that WBEZ discontinued the segment for political reasons. “Some of the powers that be didn’t want me goin’ on there, it’s really more of a Democrat station,” the governor said, per Zorn’s tweet. That accusation didn’t gel well for the public radio station, which offers extensive local and national political coverage. “WBEZ and Governor Rauner’s team agreed that the ‘Ask the Governor’ segment would have a limited run and end by Labor Day, as it would not be fair to gubernatorial candidates of all parties to allow the governor an hour of airtime each month during the election campaign,” Goli Sheikholeslami, WBEZ’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “WBEZ is committed to providing voters with fair coverage of all candidates, and we look forward to having Governor Rauner join us for our upcoming GOP primary candidate forum in 2018.”)
— Chicago area households may likely lose under GOP tax plan – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/sweet-chicago-area-households-may-likely-lose-under-gop-tax-plan/

DAILY HERALD
— Former DuPage sheriff’s supervisor being investigated in wake of firing – Justin Kmitch
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171219/former-dupage-sheriffs-supervisor-being-investigated-in-wake-of-firing
— GOP tax bill would usher in a bleak future – Fareed Zakaria
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171220/gop-tax-bill-would-usher-in-a-bleak-future
— Vernon Township harassment probe shows need for outsider’s credibility – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171219/editorial-township-harassment-probe-shows-need-for-outsiders-credibility

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— ‘Implicit racial bias’ training is coming to your school, for better or worse – MARK GLENNON
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171220/OPINION/171229999
— GOP House hopeful Shah admits to taking improper tax breaks – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171219/BLOGS02/171219867/gop-house-hopeful-shah-got-tax-breaks-for-two-homes-at-the-same-time

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Rauner administration to appeal AFSCME step pay ruling – Doug Finke (DIERSEN: Have you gotten step increases? My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always been beyond furious that I got step increases and COLAs while I worked for the federal government. They have also always been beyond furious a) that the Post Office hired me in 1966 and let me work there for almost 3 years, b) that IRS hired me in 1971 and let me work there for almost 9 years, c) that IRS promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974, d) that GAO hired me in 1980 and let me work there for almost 18 years, and e) that GAO promoted me in 1986.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171219/rauner-administration-to-appeal-afscme-step-pay-ruling

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Request period open for voting by mail in Illinois Primary – Carol Vorel
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-12-20/request-period-open-voting-mail-illinois-primary.html

MADISON RECORD
— Local governments challenged by underfunded pension plans; Ives calls for amending constitution – Ann Maher
https://madisonrecord.com/stories/511301780-local-governments-challenged-by-underfunded-pension-plans-candidate-for-governor-calls-for-amending-constitution

JACKSONVILLE JOURNAL COURIER
— Ives makes campaign stop – Greg Olson
http://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/117249/ives-makes-campaign-stop

FOX NEWS ILLINOIS
— Representative Jeanne Ives hosts meet and greet in Jacksonville
http://foxillinois.com/news/local/representative-jeanne-ives-hosts-meet-and-greet-in-jacksonville

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Ives Wants State Pension Changes – BRIAN MACKEY
http://northernpublicradio.org/post/gubernatorial-challenger-wants-state-pension-changes

NPR ILLINOIS
— 3 Trump Judicial Nominees Withdraw, Raising Some Questions About Vetting – NINA TOTENBERG (DIERSEN: Who vettes Republican candidates in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois? Are they a) the officers of your township/ward Republican party organization, b) the officers of your Republican county party organization, c) your representative on the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee, d) the IRP offices, and/or e) those who have the most religious, government, political, and/or financial clout? Because Rauner dominates everything that is Republican in Illinois, one could paint Rauner as being responsible for vetting all Republican candidates in Illinois.)
http://nprillinois.org/post/three-trump-judicial-nominees-withdraw-raising-some-questions-about-vetting#stream/0

NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Representative Jeanne Ives hosts meet and greet in Jacksonville
http://newschannel20.com/news/local/representative-jeanne-ives-hosts-meet-and-greet-in-jacksonville-12-20-2017

WJBC
— Congressional candidate’s views shaped by his religious faith, sees tax bill as morally ‘awful’ – Howard Packowitz
http://www.wjbc.com/2017/12/20/congressional-candidates-views-shaped-by-his-religious-faith-sees-tax-bill-as-morally-awful/

OAK LAWN PATCH
— Dist. 218 Knew Employee Was An Alleged ‘Peeping Tom:’ LAWSUIT New lawsuit claims Dist. 218 had received earlier complaints about an employee being an alleged locker room peeper before his 2015 arrest. – Lorraine Swanson
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/dist-218-knew-employee-was-alleged-peeping-tom-lawsuit

CHICAGO REPORTER
— Thousands of black students leave Chicago for other segregated districts – Kalyn Belsha (DIERSEN: Democrats run Illinois and they especially Cook County and Chicago. Democrats used to promote integration, but now they promote segregation.)
http://chicagoreporter.com/black-cps-student-migration/#new_tab

INJUSTICE WATCH
— Rauner appointee to Illinois board accused of racial slurs, ethics violations – Emily Hoerner and Jeanne Kuang
http://www.injusticewatch.org/news/2017/rauner-prisoner-review-board-ethics-racial-slur/

WIREPOINTS
— Chicago’s Pension And Debt Load Worse Than Puerto Rico’s, And A New Moody’s Report Zaps Chicago – Mark Glennon
http://www.wirepoints.com/chicagos-pension-and-debt-load-worse-than-puerto-ricos-and-a-new-moodys-report-zaps-chicago-wirepoints-original/
— Squeezed out, fed up: Property tax hikes from Wilmette to Danville threaten Illinois’ tax base – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
http://www.wirepoints.com/squeezed-out-fed-up-more-property-tax-hikes-from-wilmette-to-danville-means-illinois-risks-losing-its-tax-base-wirepoints-original/

NORTH COOK NEWS
— Rauner loses big in Palatine straw poll – W.J. Kennedy (DIERSEN: In your township/ward and county, which candidates would win straw polls in the following races: a) Rauner/Sanguinetti v. Ives/Morthland and b) Harold v. Grasso? In DuPage County, which candidates would win straw polls in the following races: a) Diganvker v. Jhingan, b) Stella v. Vlakancic, c) Minor v. Grant v. Byrne v. Augustynowicz, d) Kinzler v. Orozco, e) Zito v. Khouri, f) Mendrick v. Bibbiano, g) Tornatore v. DeMichele v. Fichtner v. Gavanes, h) Hart v. Abbott v. Tully v. Broline, i) McGowen v. Almiron v. Eckhoff v. Zaruba v. Tatro v. Chinchilla, j) Wiley v. Zay v. McQuade, k) Russo v. MacKay, l) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, m) etc.?)
https://northcooknews.com/stories/511301118-rauner-loses-big-in-palatine-straw-poll

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Wheaton Chamber of Commerce to honor members’ efforts at Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon – C. M. Schmidlkofer (DIERSEN: What do those who dominate your Chamber of Commerce think of you? Sadly, those who dominate the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce have an extremely low opinion a) of me, b) of my conservatism, c) of my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, d) of my opposition to video gambling, and e) of what I do each year to promote Wheaton’s Independence Day parades. They blame me for their problems. They blame me for your problems. They blame me for my problems. They blame me for everyone’s problems. They blame me for the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce’s problems. They blame me for Wheaton’s problems. In 2011, they abolished the chamber’s Government Affairs Committee to get rid of me, the committee’s senior member.)
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511301116-wheaton-chamber-of-commerce-to-honor-members-efforts-at-volunteer-appreciation-luncheon

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Rauner’s “betrayal” could be costing him endorsements from Illinois congressmen – W.J. Kennedy
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511299891-rauner-s-betrayal-could-be-costing-him-endorsements-from-illinois-congressmen

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— STATE LAWMAKER PLANS TO INTRODUCE TOWNSHIP CONSOLIDATION BILL State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, is working on the framework for a bill that would dramatically improve taxpayers’ ability to eliminate township governments, of which Illinois has about 1,400. – Joe Kaiser
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/state-lawmaker-plans-to-introduce-township-consolidation-bill/

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Views differ on importance of Cook County’s non-binding pot legalization question – Greg Bishop (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/views-differ-on-importance-of-cook-county-s-non-binding/article_f830ea08-e439-11e7-b113-6336b50453ca.html

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Illinois Prisoner Review Board Member – Use of racial slur found in member records – JOHN KRAFT
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/12/illinois-prisoner-review-board-member-use-of-racial-slur-found-in-member-records/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF THE IRS (DIERSEN: IRS does what politicians tell it to do. If you do not like what IRS does, you should be mad at the politicians who tell IRS what to do. Did you vote for politicians who told IRS to do things that you do not like?)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/the-unbearable-weight-of-the-irs.html
— HOLLYWOOD WANTS YOUR MONEY…AND YOUR MIND
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/hollywood-wants-your-moneyand-your-mind.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Rauner: “We had the possibility of a transformation for the state with the crisis that we had”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/20/rauner-we-had-the-possibility-of-a-transformation-for-the-state-with-the-crisis-that-we-had/
— Rauner now says his second term will be successful because the courts will let him bypass Madigan
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/20/rauner-now-says-his-second-term-will-be-successful-because-the-courts-will-let-him-bypass-madigan/

FOX NEWS
— Half of Americans Think Their Taxes Will Go Up Under GOP Plan, Poll Shows
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/12/19/half-americans-think-their-taxes-will-go-under-gop-plan-poll-says

DAILY CALLER
— It’s Time For Jeff Sessions To Bring Hate Crime Charges Against Chicago’s Facebook Live Torture Suspects – William J. Kelly
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/19/its-time-for-jeff-sessions-to-bring-hate-crime-charges-against-chicagos-facebook-live-torture-suspects/

WESTERN FREE PRESS
— Immigration: E-Verify A Must For American Workers – JOHN WALKER
http://westernfreepress.com/2017/12/19/immigration-e-verify-a-must-for-american-workers/

LIFE SITE NEWS
— Dear Cosmopolitan: Your evil sexual advice is literally destroying countless women
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/dear-cosmopolitan-your-evil-sexual-advice-is-literally-destroying-countless

CNN
— A fractured GOP unified to pass a landmark tax plan: Here’s how it came together – Phil Mattingly and Lauren Fox
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/politics/republican-tax-bill-behind-the-scenes/index.html
— GOP borrows ‘Obamacare’ playbook to defend tax bill: You’ll like it once you see it – Stephen Collinson
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/politics/republicans-tax-reform-democrats-obamacare/index.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH THREE BIG COLOR PICTURES: How Tough Is It to Change a Culture of Harassment? Ask Women at Ford Decades after the company tried to tackle sexual misconduct at two Chicago plants, continued abuse raises questions about the possibility of change. – SUSAN CHIRA and CATRIN EINHORN
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/19/us/ford-chicago-sexual-harassment.html

WASHINGTON POST
— With this tax bill, the GOP has finally killed family-friendly conservatism – Jonathan Coppage
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/12/20/with-this-tax-bill-the-gop-has-finally-killed-family-friendly-conservatism/
— Federal agency reports show ‘continuum of harm’ from workplace sexual misconduct – Joe Davidson (DIERSEN: I saw no sexual misconduct while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997. What I did see was that my Democrat superiors and supervisors always gave preference to their employees who were Democrat, and especially to their employees who were female, minority, and/or younger, that is, I saw that they discriminated against their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/20/federal-agency-reports-show-continuum-of-harm-from-workplace-sexual-misconduct/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— What the Tax Bill Does to Homeowners The Republican tax-code overhaul would reduce or eliminate some of the benefits of homeownership that Americans have come to expect. – Christina Rexrode (DIERSEN: Government should encourage homeownership. I have been a homeowner since I was 24 years old in 1972, and my wife and I have been homeowners since we got married in 1978. Government should encourage homeownership.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-the-tax-bill-does-to-homeowners-1513737287
— Tax Reform Means Your Paycheck Will Grow – Paul Ryan (DIERSEN: What do growing paychecks mean for you? Growing paychecks mean nothing for me because the last time I got a paycheck was in 1997 when I was 49 years old. My $50,856/year Civil Service Retirement System pension is only 41% of what my $122,991 GAO salary was in 1997 in today’s dollars.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tax-reform-means-your-paycheck-will-grow-1513728131
— Republican Tax Bill Has Grown More Unpopular, Poll Shows Overall, 41% of Americans in the survey said the tax plan was a bad idea, up from 35% in October. – Janet Hook
https://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-tax-bill-has-grown-more-unpopular-poll-shows-1513720886
— Sexual-Harassment Training Gets a Revamp – Sue Shellenbarger (DIERSEN: Employees who take such training will be even more anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/sexual-harassment-training-gets-a-revamp-1513696545

MOTLEY FOOL
— Why You’ll Need More Retirement Savings Than You Think (and What to Do About it) If retirement savings will be your main source of retirement income, you’ll need to have way more than the typical saver manages. – Wendy Connick (DIERSEN: Where you live in retirement is extremely important. If you live in DuPage County, the cost of living is very high.)
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/12/20/why-youll-need-more-retirement-savings-than-you-th.aspx

December 19 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— What you need to know about Rauner’s ‘Top 10’ accomplishments list (DIERSEN: What will your top 10 accomplishments list for 2017 include? Mine will include putting together and sending out a GOPUSA ILLINOIS email each and every morning and each and every evening.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-top-10-20171219-story.html
— Twitter suspends white nationalists as it enforces new rules – AP (DIERSEN: How soon will Twitter suspend the following groups: Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-bc-us–twitter-abuse-enforcement-20171218-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Jump into the fight, Illinois, to keep the internet free and open to all Americans – Editorial (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents do not want the internet or any other form of communication to be “free and open to all Americans.” My critics/opponents are moral relativists who believe that their end justifies their means. They want to manipulate/dominate all forms of communication including GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. They focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-jump-into-the-fight-illinois-to-keep-the-internet-free/

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: With deduction changes, should you pay next property taxes now? – Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171218/with-deduction-changes-should-you-pay-next-property-taxes-now
— We’re intrigued by Ives’ unit district proposal – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171219/editorial-were-intrigued-by-ives-unit-district-proposal
— ‘Simplified’ tax reform has plenty to offer ‘regulatory parasites’ – Catherine Rampell
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171219/simplified-tax-reform-has-plenty-to-offer-regulatory-parasites
— St. Charles wants to require massage employees to report sexual misconduct – James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171219/st-charles-wants-to-require-massage-employees-to-report-sexual-misconduct

WGN TV
— Twitter suspends white nationalists as it enforces new rules on ‘hateful’ content (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes want everything that they cannot manipulate/dominate to be shut down.)
http://wgntv.com/2017/12/18/twitter-suspends-white-nationalists-as-it-enforces-new-rules-on-hateful-content/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Tobacco mogul stokes Raoul’s bid for Illinois AG – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171219/BLOGS02/171219876

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Illinois lawmakers fear low Medicaid-provider rates could doom plan – AP
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171218/illinois-lawmakers-fear-low-medicaid-provider-rates-could-doom-plan

ALTON RECORD
— Illinois Republicans Ready To Pass Tax Reform – Greg Bishop
http://altondailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=17&id=257096#.Wjj1c4zR-M8

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Public opposition to tax bill grows as vote approaches 55% now oppose GOP tax bill – JENNIFER AGIESTA
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/public-opposition-to-tax-bill-grows-as-vote-approaches/883480025
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Two-thirds see the bill as doing more to benefit the wealthy than the middle class (66%, vs. 27% who say it’ll do more to benefit the middle class) and almost four in 10 (37%) say that if the bill becomes law, their own family will be worse off. That’s grown five points since early November. Just 21% say they’ll be better off if the bill becomes law. President Donald Trump, the bill’s salesperson-in-chief, lands at an overall 35% approval rating in this poll, his worst mark yet in CNN polling by one point. Trump’s approval ratings continue to be the lowest for any modern president at this point in his presidency. As of December of their first year in office, all first-time elected presidents back to Eisenhower have approval ratings of 49% or higher except for Trump. More than six in 10 (63%) see the tax bill as leaving the President and his family better off. Just 5% think it harms the Trump clan. And disapproval of the President’s handling of taxes has risen six points in the last month, to 57%. Almost three-quarters, 73%, say the President should release his tax returns for public review, about the same share that said so as his inauguration approached in January.)

OSWEGO PATCH
— Oswego GOP County Leader Takes On Kinzinger Oswego Republican James Marter is running in the primaries against a three-term incumbent from the 16th congressional district. – Caitlin Ketel
https://patch.com/illinois/oswego/oswego-gop-county-leader-takes-kinzinger

CHICAGO CITY WIRE
— Ives says Illinois taxpayer flight a result of Rauner’s broken promises – Glenn Minnis (DIERSEN: Who wants those who share your demographics to leave your precinct, your municipality, your township/ward, your county, and Illinois? I should write a book about “leaders” who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Milton Township, DuPage County, and in Illinois who want those who share my demographics to leave. These “leaders” are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and/or they a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and/or the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, c) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, d) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, and/or e) are operatives or dupes for the aforesaid. If they do not want you to leave, it means that they are manipulating you or dominating you.)
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511298809-ives-says-illinois-taxpayer-flight-a-result-of-rauner-s-broken-promises

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— GOP lawmakers heading to court to block bill that funds abortions – Caitlin Nordahl
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511296455-gop-lawmakers-heading-to-court-to-block-bill-that-funds-abortions

ILLINOIS CHRONICLE
— Rauner echoes Trump complaining about “fake news”
https://theillinoischronicle.com/chronicle-rauner-echoes-trump-complaining-about-fake-news/

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Women in America: Once Protected and Honored, Now Objectified – Tami Jackson
https://illinoisfamily.org/marriage/women-america-protected-honored-now-objectified/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Senate Republicans deny buying votes for tax bill – David Sherfinski
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/dec/18/senate-republicans-deny-buying-votes-for-tax-bill/

BREITBART
— Trump: ‘We Cannot Secure Our Nation If We Do Not Secure Our Borders’ – PAM KEY
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/12/18/trump-cannot-secure-nation-not-secure-borders/
— Illegal Aliens Arrested in Push for Christmas Amnesty – PENNY STARR
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/18/illegal-aliens-continue-push-amnesty-spending-bill-despite-cost-americans/

BLAZE
— Facebook admitted the site is bad for your mental health. Here’s what they recommend. – Aaron Colen (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes a) want you to know only what they want you to know and b) have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails is bad for your health.)
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/12/18/facebook-admitted-the-site-is-bad-for-your-mental-health-heres-what-they-recommend

POLITICO
— Tax bill whacks liberal big cities ‘This is the screw-New Jersey bill,’ the mayor of Piscataway said. – AARON LORENZO
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/19/cities-republican-tax-bill-304123

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Have You Ever Felt Sorry for the I.R.S.? Now Might Be the Time – Patricia Cohen (DIERSEN: How much do you know about IRS? I know a lot about IRS because I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $79,563-$90,173 and I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years at the GS-13 Step 1-3 levels, currently $94,610-$100,917. However, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always viciously demonized, denigrated, condemned, and wasted my knowledge of IRS. I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/business/irs-tax-bill.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After years of upbraiding and even threatening to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, Republicans must now depend on the agency to carry out their signature legislative accomplishment: a comprehensive revision of the tax code. The task is monumental. While processing tens of millions of tax returns for 2017 under the current rules, the I.R.S. would also have to figure out how to interpret and explain a new system and put it into practice. “Beware,” said John A. Koskinen, who retired last month as I.R.S. commissioner. “If the budget keeps being cut and the agency keeps being given more things to do, the I.R.S. is simply not going to work.” Either the information technology will fail, forcing the filing and refund systems to collapse, he warned, or enforcement and audits will become so scarce that fewer people will be inclined to pay the taxes they owe. The House and Senate were expected to vote on the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul as soon as Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence planned to preside over the vote and, if needed, break a tie and pass the bill.)
— Tax Cuts Benefit the Ultra Rich, but Not the Merely Rich – Andrew Ross Sorkin
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/business/dealbook/tax-bill-wealthy.html
— Republican Tax Cuts Would Lift Some Industries More Than Others – Jim Tankersley and Ben Casselman
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/us/politics/republican-tax-cuts-industries-.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Evanston, Illinois: Teacher Segregation ‘Staff that identifies as individuals of color will meet in Room 226.’
https://www.wsj.com/articles/notable-quotable-teacher-segregation-1513538452
— The Google-Facebook Duopoly Threatens Diversity of Thought A political website pulled an article after Google’s AdSense team threatened to withdraw advertising. – Mark Epstein (DIERSEN: He who pays the piper calls the tunes. Since 2000, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have been beyond furious that I have enough time and money that I do not have to ask any individual, any organization, any company, any government, or any country to give me money to put out GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-google-facebook-duopoly-threatens-diversity-of-thought-1513642519
— Middle Class to Get 23% of Tax Cuts for Individuals Under GOP Bill Benefits mostly peter out after a decade, joint committee on taxation finds – Siobhan Hughes and Shayndi Raice
https://www.wsj.com/articles/middle-class-to-get-23-of-tax-cuts-for-individuals-under-gop-bill-1513644268
— Higher Education Bill Could Heat Up Competition for Adult Students Focus on shorter programs, competency-based offerings is seen providing more options for older students – Melissa Korn and Douglas Belkin (DIERSEN: I was 23 when I started taking graduate business courses at Loyola. I was 27 when I started taking graduate accounting courses at DePaul. I was 43 when I started taking graduate finance courses at IIT. Because I took only one course at a time, it took me 4 years to graduate from Loyola, 4 years to graduate from DePaul, and 5 years to graduate from IIT.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/higher-education-bill-could-heat-up-competition-foradultstudents-1513598400

BLOOMBERG
— Trump Asks ‘How’s Your 401(k)?’ But Most Voters Don’t Have One New campaign slogan celebrates growth of stock market Only 45 percent of private-sector workers have 401(k) plans – Toluse Olorunnipa (DIERSEN: To be able to save for your retirement, you have to qualify yourself for better paying jobs. What have you done to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-19/trump-asks-how-s-your-401-k-but-most-voters-don-t-have-one
(FROM THE ARTICLE: President Donald Trump is trying out a new campaign slogan: “How’s your 401(k) doing?” The answer for more than half of Americans is that they don’t have one. Trump has tested out the line this month at a fundraiser, a campaign rally and in a White House meeting, predicting that the rising U.S. stock market will help him win re-election. But only about 45 percent of private-sector workers participate in any employer-sponsored retirement plan, and the lower-income workers in Trump’s political base are the least likely to hold money in such an account, according to the Government Accountability Office. Trump mentions the stock market almost daily in tweets or public remarks, taking direct credit for record highs by the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other indexes. But only about 14 percent of U.S. families directly own stocks, an asset class dominated by the country’s top earners, according to the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, the president has also rolled back efforts to expand retirement savings options to more middle-class and low-income workers. For a president propelled into office in no small part by resentment that a broad swath of the country has been left behind while an entrenched establishment prospers, continual references to the stock market and 401(k) accounts risk alienating his supporters, said Austan Goolsbee, a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama. How America’s Inequality Machine Is Firing the Dow Into Orbit “As a political slogan, ‘how is your 401(k) doing?’ suggests he’s most interested in the one-third of people who have a 401(k),” said Goolsbee, who teaches economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. “The more you highlight how great that group of financial winners is doing, you at least run the risk of angering and irritating the very people who revolted against what they perceived as the financial and political elites in the first place.” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Trump’s statements reflect “a strong economy” that is “good news for everyone.” “For the Americans that don’t have the opportunity to invest in a 401(k) plan or who choose not to, the Trump agenda of lower taxes, higher wages, and better jobs allows them to save more on their own, and potentially have a better chance of finding a job in the future that provides those benefits,” Walters added in an emailed statement. . .‘Privileged Few’ “And, by the way, how are your 401(k)s doing?” Trump said during a Dec. 8 rally in Pensacola, Florida, where median household income is about $46,000. “ Not too bad, right?” The line was met with light applause. “I’m not sure he understands that only a fraction of the population has 401(k)s,” said Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. “So he just may not realize that he’s speaking to the privileged few.” Only a third of people contribute anything to their retirement accounts, according to a Census study released this year. Among workers in the bottom half of the income scale, less than 25 percent participate in a retirement program, according to the GAO.)

USA TODAY
— Minimum wage hikes: 18 states, 20 cities to lift pay floors Jan. 1 – Paul Davidson
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/12/19/minimum-wage-hikes-18-states-20-cities-lift-pay-floors-jan-1/961213001/

FEDERAL NEWS RADIO
— 6 things agencies did to improve employee engagement this year – Nicole Ogrysko (DIERSEN: QUESTION: What demonstrates employee engagement? ANSWER: Earning job-related college degrees, professional certifications, and professional licenses. I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32. However, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that the undergraduate and graduate courses that I took a) were not job-related, b) did not help me carry out my job duties, c) were taken by me to get a job in the private sector, and d) were a distraction. To keep their jobs and to get promoted, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government focused on getting rid of federal employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://federalnewsradio.com/workforce/2017/12/6-things-agencies-did-to-improve-employee-engagement-this-year/

December 18 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Mendoza says Rauner can’t take criticism ‘from a 5-foot-3 woman from Chicago’ – Rick Pearson)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-susana-mendoza-20171219-story.html
— Lake Forest city manager: Nearly $200K spent lobbying without council OK – Daniel I. Dorfman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-forest/news/ct-lfr-city-manager-lobbying-money-tl-1221-20171215-story.html
— The balance challenge Diversity helps the workplace, but many companies still aren’t making it happen – Rhett Power (DIERSEN: Rhett Power should write a book about the success that Democrats had during the 1980s and 1990s in promoting diversity at GAO, that is, the success that they had in wasting the careers of and getting rid of GAO’s employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who they had not promoted to GS-13 (currently $94,610) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $111,801) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $131,508) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $161,900) by age 40.)
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20171218/281822874154835

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Doug Jones: Trump shouldn’t resign over misconduct allegations – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/doug-jones-trump-shouldnt-resign-over-misconduct-allegations/

DAILY HERALD
— Don’t move backward on marijuana policy – Dr. Aaron Weiner, clinical psychologist and director of addiction services at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville.
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171218/dont-move-backward-on-marijuana-policy
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Recently, two of our state legislators announced they would push for marijuana legalization as a solution to the state’s fiscal crisis when they return to Springfield in January. While quick to tout the potential for increased tax revenue, these politicians are ignoring the long-term, well-documented costs increased marijuana use would bring to our communities. As the director of an addiction service line and clinical psychologist with firsthand experience treating addiction, I know the public health consequences of promoting the sale of another addictive drug in Illinois will far outweigh any temporary benefit. Marijuana policies deserve a robust and informed debate, but that discussion should be driven by science and facts, not the motives of for-profit special interest groups (read: addiction profiteers) lobbying our elected officials. And when it comes to the negative health implications of marijuana use, the science is crystal clear. According to the CDC, one in 10 adults will develop an addiction when using marijuana regularly, and new research has even indicated that one in every three current marijuana users has a diagnosable marijuana use disorder. This is something I see in my clinics often. I treat patients suffering from marijuana addiction — a problem that, according to both my own experiences and published research, undermines my patients’ ability to complete school, achieve their maximum earning potential, hold their jobs, function in a healthy marriage, and find overall life satisfaction. Perhaps most concerning is the disproportionate impact legalizing marijuana would have on our young people. We now know Colorado leads the country in past-month marijuana use by youth. And the Centennial State isn’t an outlier in this trend: Oregon and Washington State, which have also legalized the drug, each rank in the top six states nationwide for past-month marijuana use by adolescents. Making matters worse, marijuana-related emergency room visits by young people in Colorado more than quadrupled since the state legalized marijuana. In fact, more Coloradans in drug treatment are self-reporting heavy use of marijuana than ever before. Moreover, states with legal marijuana are proving the impact of legalization stretches far beyond harms to the individual. A study conducted by the AAA in Washington State showed a doubling in the number of fatal drug-impaired car crashes after legalization. Adding insult to injury, Colorado still faces a $700 million state budget shortfall that it must compensate for through increased taxes or budget cuts elsewhere. Years ago, we realized that exposure to lead created significant adverse public health consequences. In response, we removed lead from nearly everything we could: paint, pencils, window blinds, glass, and so on. Like lead, the greater marijuana’s exposure to the public, the greater the negative health impact. Why move backward? There are far better ways for our state to make money than selling a new intoxicating, addictive substance to our residents. Marijuana commercialization will drive more kids to smoke pot, increase treatment admissions for addiction, and become a significant setback for public health and safety. The answer to criminal justice reform and our state’s financial crisis does not require creating a new industry that preys on our youngest and most vulnerable by marketing pot gummy bears, pot lollipops, and 93 percent THC concentrates. It’s time for politicians in Springfield to stand up to special interest groups campaigning for laws that would create a new for-profit addiction industry — the next Big Tobacco — and choose to promote healthy lifestyles instead. The residents of Illinois are depending on you.)
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: How limit on property, state tax deduction could hurt suburbs – AP (DIERSEN: Do you pay high real estate taxes? Under this “tax overhaul,” the more real estate tax that you pay, the more federal income tax that you will pay.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171218/how-limit-on-property-state-tax-deduction-could-hurt-suburbs
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The sweeping tax overhaul embraced by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers would impose a $10,000 limit on the combined sum of property and state and local income taxes that a household could deduct. And that’s even if taxpayers would have an incentive to itemize anymore. The $10,000 cap will help pay for corporate and personal tax cuts totaling $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Conservatives have argued that unlimited state and local deductions amount to a federal subsidy for the wealthy in high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois with their prosperous suburbs. But many middle-class families in those states face disproportionately high housing costs and depend on deducting their state and local taxes. These households could soon pressure states and localities to ease their burden by cutting taxes — which would likely force cuts to social programs and public services.)

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Rauner keeping public in the dark about rates in Medicaid reboot – KRISTEN SCHORSCH
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171218/NEWS03/171219899

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Some Illinois Lawmakers Think It’s Too Soon To Pass Sexual Harassment Policies – DAISY CONTRERAS
http://northernpublicradio.org/post/some-illinois-lawmakers-think-its-too-soon-pass-sexual-harassment-policies

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Kasich: GOP is ‘losing future’ by ‘turning off millennials’ Gov. says he can’t support party if it isn’t fixed – MAEGAN VAZQUEZ (DIERSEN: Obviously, Kasich and his supporters want the Republican Party to pander to members of Group A and to dump members of Group B. Members of Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and members of Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/kasich-gop-is-losing-future-by-turning-off-millennials/882485890

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Hey, Rahm — Lay Off Trump and Start Fixing Chicago – Steve Cortes
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/12/15/hey_rahm_–_lay_off_trump_and_start_fixing_chicago_135807.html

BLAZE
— The effect that California’s $15 minimum wage will have was just revealed — and it’s devastating – Chris Enloe
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/12/17/the-effect-that-californias-15-minimum-wage-will-have-was-just-revealed-and-its-devastating

BREITBART
— Congress: Illegals-Only Households Will Birth at Least 600,000 Children in Next Decade – NEIL MUNRO (DIERSEN: QUESTION: Which employers prefer hiring illegals instead of citizens of America? ANSWER: Employers that are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/17/cbo-illegals-only-households-will-birth-600000-children-next-decade/
— GAO Audit: TSA Inspectors Only Spend ‘Half Their Working Hours’ on Work amid ‘Increased’ Terror Threat – EDWIN MORA
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/12/17/audit-tsa-inspectors-only-spend-half-their-working-hours-fulfilling-work-amid-increased-terror-theat/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Republicans fear Trump’s ‘nonexistent’ political team will flop in 2020 – David M. Drucker
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-fear-trumps-nonexistent-political-team-will-flop-in-2020/article/2643713

NEW YORK TIMES
— Rebelling Republican Suburbs Offer Democrats Path to House Control – Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/us/politics/house-control-2018-suburbs-trump-republicans-democrats.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The new president, Mr. Russell said, has accelerated things: “They were Republicans for fiscal reasons, and Trump has alienated them from the party they used to belong to.” It is not hard to find such voters in the Illinois district of Representative Peter Roskam, which favored Mrs. Clinton by seven points and has a median income over $90,000. Mr. Roskam is bracing for perhaps his most difficult race since his first election to the House in 2006. Seven Democrats are jockeying to challenge Mr. Roskam in the western suburbs of Chicago, and they have largely gravitated toward a single message. Kelly Mazeski, a planning commissioner in Barrington Hills and a leading Democratic contender, rebuked Mr. Roskam for his positions on health care and taxes, but for one transgression most of all. “Most of the time, I talk about Peter Roskam — that’s who my opponent is,” Ms. Mazeski said. “But to be clear, his voting record is 97 percent of the Trump agenda.” That rebuke resonates with voters like Pat Robinson, a retired teacher inclined to vote for a Democrat in 2018 but waiting to see who will emerge as the nominee. Ms. Robinson, who said she voted for Mrs. Clinton last year as the “lesser of two evils,” said she would not reward a lawmaker allied with the White House. “He’s certainly following Trump’s platform, and I can’t go along with that at all,” Ms. Robinson said of Mr. Roskam.)
— A Tax Plan to Turbocharge Inequality, in 3 Charts – David Leonhardt
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/opinion/taxes-inequality-charts.html
— FRONT PAGE: In One New Jersey Town, Pending Tax Changes Create Anxiety – Patrick McGeehan (DIERSEN: How similar is your municipality to Livingston? How similar is your county to Essex County?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/nyregion/livingston-new-jersey-tax-bill.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Politically speaking, Livingston is not the bluest of the suburbs surrounding New York City. But there are few places where people are feeling any more anxious about the potential impact of the federal tax bill proposed by Republican leaders in Washington. “They’re crippling us,” said Walter Levine, who has lived in this New Jersey community since 1976. As Mr. Levine sees it, Livingston, a fairly affluent town with a population of about 30,000, could become even less affordable as residents face rising tax bills and falling home values. They could be left with less disposable income to spend in the local stores, setting off a “domino effect” that could derail the town’s economy. It is a dire forecast, but not a radical one. Livingston sits on the western edge of Essex County, which Moody’s Analytics, a company that provides economic research, placed at the top of its list of places whose housing markets would suffer the most under the Republicans’ plan. According to Moody’s, the tax proposal could carve as much as 10.5 percent off the projected value of homes in Essex County in two years. Six other New Jersey counties made the top 10 on Moody’s list. Livingston’s Republican representative in Congress, Rodney Frelinghuysen, voted against the House version of the tax bill because, he said, of the “very negative impacts it would have on so many of my fellow New Jerseyans.”)
— FRONT PAGE: Champion of the ‘Little Guy’? Trump’s Actions Tell Another Story – Michael Tackett and Jim Tankersley
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/us/politics/trump-working-class.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Deduction Rollback Hurts High-Tax States, But Exodus Isn’t Assured Taxes look to be just one of many factors in Americans’ decisions about where to live – Ben Leubsdorf
https://www.wsj.com/articles/deduction-rollback-hurts-high-tax-states-but-exodus-isnt-assured-1513526894
— Democrats Against Tax Reform Unlike the past, the GOP has had no help passing these tax cuts. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-against-tax-reform-1513552419
— How to Get American Men Back Into the Workforce Rethink unemployment insurance and increase public investment in improving skills. – Jason Furman (DIERSEN: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-get-american-men-back-into-the-workforce-1513538496

USA TODAY
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Ways to save (or splurge!) on vacations – Larry Bleiberg (DIERSEN: Vacations are expensive. Your GOPUSA Illinois Editor and his wife are not planning any kind of vacation. My $50,856/year pension is only 41% of the $122,991/year salary that I earned in 1997 in today’s dollars. Because my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old, we have at least $72,135 less each year or $6,011 less each month or $1,387 less each week or $198 less each day to spend on vacations. I went on vacations in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. My wife and I went on many vacations, typically four each year, 1978-1992 in connection with her business trips to luxury resorts all across America. Of course, my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were beyond furious about that.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/12/18/save-splurge-europe-beach-and-cruise-options-spender-and-budget-conscious/953201001/
— Retirement tips: 4 steps to a happier retirement – Ken Fisher (DIERSEN: Are you retired? What do you do with your time? Needless-to-say, spending 10+ hours each and every day putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out is NOT fun, but it does give my life purpose.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2017/12/17/retirement-tips-4-steps-happier-retirement/954763001/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 4. Fill your time with fun. Did you know retirement can cause depression? Even if your job was a drag, it gave you purpose. Beat back the boredom blues with hobbies, volunteering or even a part-time job. Check out community college course catalogues for art classes or anything striking your fancy. Offer to teach classes in your specialty. Think about part-timing at some retail boutique you like. To keep fit, find groups for biking, hiking, jogging, tennis or dancing. If volunteering, ponder the most fun way to spend that time — with children, in nature, with animals, at museums, the library — abundant choices. You’ll make friends, too, which reduces depression. Fun is the most important of these four. It affects your attitude, which drives your body. Start now. Have the Merriest Christmas possible by offering extra-fun kindness to those around you. It will pay you back immediately, boosting your psyche heading into 2018. And I’ll see you Jan. 2, when my next column appears.)

December 16 Morning Edition

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Conservative GOP support for pot legalization could tip scale – MARK BROWN (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you are not conservative or Republican. You are Libertarian, Democrat, or Green. If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/brown-conservative-gop-support-for-pot-legalization-could-tip-scale/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Food stamp benefits disrupted for thousands as state launches new eligibility system – Greg Trotter
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-snap-benefits-delayed-20171214-story.html
— There’s a difference between giving thanks and getting played – Austin Berg
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-berg-column-st-1217-20171215-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— 22 months into talks, still no deal in West Chicago District 94 – Katlyn Smith
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/22-months-into-talks-still-no-deal-in-west-chicago-district-94

ABC7
— Cutting bureaucratic bloat in Ill. – BGA (DIERSEN: Are/were you a government employee? Ever since 1966, when I was 18 years old and started working part-time for the Park Forest Post Office, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being bureaucratic bloat.)
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/weekend-watch-cutting-bureaucratic-bloat-in-ill-/2785310/
— Some CTA workers get free parking in paid Blue Line lot – Jason Knowles and Ann Pistone (DIERSEN: In 1973, my 1962 Chevy BelAir was stolen while I was working at IRS’s office at 63rd and Halsted in Chicago.)
http://abc7chicago.com/travel/some-cta-workers-get-free-parking-in-paid-blue-line-lot/2786862/

HERALD & REVIEW
— As Chicago contemplates pot legalization, Decatur officials still skeptical – JAYLYN COOK (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
http://herald-review.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/as-chicago-contemplates-pot-legalization-decatur-officials-still-skeptical/article_a2b4b6f6-eb83-56c6-95ad-ad49c5f0d80a.html

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Duckworth: ‘I do have some real concerns’ with GOP tax plan – Tom Kacich (DIERSEN: What about the housing market crash that taking away itemized deductions will cause?)
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-12-16/duckworth-i-do-have-some-real-concerns-with-gop-tax-plan.html

TIMES
— Windy City guides Illinois politics – David Giuliani
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/column-windy-city-guides-illinois-politics/article_bc1448ad-dc2b-5930-8a02-27e86e0feb6f.html

AFSCME31
— Rauner appeals court ruling that employees owed step increases (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always been beyond furious that I got step increases and COLAs while I worked for the federal government. They have also always been beyond furious a) that the Post Office hired me in 1966 and let me work there for almost 3 years, b) that IRS hired me in 1971 and let me work there for almost 9 years, c) that IRS promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974, d) that GAO hired me in 1980 and let me work there for almost 18 years, and e) that GAO promoted me in 1986.)
http://www.afscme31.org/news/rauner-appeals-court-ruling-that-employees-owed-step-increases

NEWSMAX
— CBO: Legalizing ‘Dreamers’ Would Cost US Nearly $26B Over 10 Years – Wanda Carruthers (DIERSEN: Of course, anti-Trumps want Trump supporters to pay that $26B.)
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/daca-dreamers-congressional-budget-office-economy/2017/12/15/id/832125/

TOWNHALL
— ‘Christ’ Purged from Christmas and the Left Rejoices – Douglas MacKinnon
https://townhall.com/columnists/douglasmackinnon/2017/12/16/christ-purged-from-christmas-and-the-left-rejoices-n2423048

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
— Trump’s tax plan: Why many middle-class Republicans support it UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATIONS While some Trump voters see the bill as a betrayal of his populist campaign promises, more than two-thirds of GOP voters say they support it – even if it may not help them personally. – Christa Case Bryant (DIERSEN: What about the housing market crash that taking away itemized deductions will cause?)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/1215/Trump-s-tax-plan-Why-many-middle-class-Republicans-support-it

POLITICO
— Progressives hunt down one of the last conservative Democrats Chicago-based Congressman Dan Lipinski has never before been targeted with so much political firepower. – NATASHA KORECKI
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/16/dan-lipinski-conservative-democrat-election-299572
— Jeff Sessions Isn’t Giving up on Weed. He’s Doubling Down. Congressional dysfunction may do what the pot-hating attorney general hasn’t managed to do all year: Remove protections for the booming legal weed industry. – JAMES HIGDON (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes talk and/or act like a) they smoke pot, b) they want to smoke pot legally, c) they want to make lots of money selling pot legally, and/or d) they want government to take in lots of revenue from taxing pot. If you are any of the aforesaid, you are not conservative or Republican, you are Libertarian, Democrat, or Green.)
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/jeff-sessions-marijuana-216109

NEW YORK TIMES
— A Middle-Class Tax Cut? Americans Aren’t Buying It – Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/business/economy/tax-survey.html
— Charities’ Fear Under Tax Bill: Less Money to Help the Needy – Ann Carrns
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/business/charities-tax-bill.html
— Facebook Conceded It Might Make You Feel Bad. Here’s How to Interpret That. – Farhad Manjoo
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/technology/facebook-blog-feel-bad.html
— E.P.A. Contractor Has Spent Past Year Scouring the Agency for Anti-Trump Officials – Eric Lipton and Lisa Friedman (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always promoted patronage. Because I have always been a Republican, were it not for federal civil service protections, a) the Post Office would NOT have hired me in 1966 or let me work there for almost 3 years, b) IRS would NOT have hired me in 1971 or let me work there for almost 9 years, c) IRS would NOT have promoted me in 1972, 1973, or 1974, d) GAO would NOT have hired me in 1980 or let me work there for almost 18 years, and e) GAO would NOT have promoted me in 1986.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/us/politics/epa-scott-pruitt-foia.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Law School Is Hot Again as Politics Piques Interest The number of people applying to law school has risen 12%, in the first significant boost in years – Sara Randazzo
https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-school-is-hot-again-as-politics-piques-interest-1513333801
— Facebook Acknowledges Some Social-Media Use Is Harmful Rare admission follows criticism by former executives of Facebook’s imprint on the world – Deepa Seetharaman
https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-acknowledges-some-social-media-use-is-harmful-1513379765

USA TODAY
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Growing wealth gap will lead to retirement crisis – Peter Dunn
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/12/16/how-handle-growing-wealth-gap-crisis/921655001/

DEMOCRAT UNDERGROUND
— If Your Are A Federal Employee You Risk Being Purged If Not Loyal To Trump/GOP Policies. (DIERSEN: Democrats run the federal government. Those Democrats use Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to not hire, to not retain, to not promote, and to get rid of Republicans, and especially Republicans who are White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10029989944

December 15 Evening Edition

ABC7
— President Trump on violent crime in US: ‘What the hell is going on in Chicago?’ – Jesse Kirsch
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/trump-on-violent-crime-in-us-what-the-hell-is-going-on-in-chicago/2784892/

NBC5
— Trump: ‘What the Hell is Going On in Chicago?’ – James Neveau
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/president-trump-again-bemoans-chicago-gun-violence-in-fbi-speech-464455663.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Why Gov. Rauner probably still won’t be ‘in charge’ next year – Rich Miller
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/miller-why-gov-rauner-probably-still-wont-be-in-charge-next-year/
— Rahm’s trust a bust? Fails to raise a dime but has cost taxpayers $5M – Tim Novak
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/rahm-emanuel-infrastructure-trust-a-bust-fails-to-raise-a-dime-in-5-years-but-has-cost-chicago-taxpayers-over-5-million-dollars-the-watchdogs/
— Here’s what’s in final tax bill Republicans plan to send to Trump
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/heres-whats-in-final-tax-bill-republicans-plan-to-send-to-trump/
— We need a broader conversation on sex, workplace issues – Mary Mitchell (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, if you are a male, the more of the following that you are, the more that you are demonized, denigrated, and condemned as being a sexual harasser and even worse things: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, older, rich, gun owner, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/mitchell-we-need-a-broader-conversation-on-sex-workplace-issues/
— Will ‘Me Too’ or general GOP awfulness be the Democratic banner in 2018? – Caitlin Huey-Burns
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/will-me-too-or-general-gop-awfulness-be-the-democratic-banner-in-2018/
— Close veterans home where Legionnaires’ outbreaks persist – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/legionnaires-disease-quincy-illinois-veterans-home/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump singles out Chicago violence again — but underestimates the problem – William Lee
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-met-trump-chicago-shootings-chicago-inc-20171215-story.html
— GOP tax bill slashes rates for corporations and wealthy with smaller benefits for middle class – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-republicans-tax-bill-20171215-story.html
— No tears from African-Americans after Omarosa booted from White House – Dahleen Glanton
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-omarosa-trump-dahleen-glanton-20171215-story.html
— State rep’s daughter, boyfriend given probation for attack on primary rival – Megan Crepeau
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-state-rep-daughter-guilty-misdemeanor-20171215-story.html
— Trump judicial nominee fumbles through painfully awkward confirmation hearing gone viral – Derek Hawkins (DIERSEN: I should write a book about what I learned about the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when I pursued Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange and Diersen v. GAO in federal court.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-judicial-nominee-matthew-petersen-20171215-story.html
— GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeanne Ives says U46 too big, needs to be reduced – Rafael Guerrero
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elgin-courier-news/news/ct-ecn-ives-u46-downsizing-st-1217-20171215-story.html
— Some brush off politics unless it affects their daily lives – Ted Slowik
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-why-it-matters-st-1217-20171215-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— 3 weeks into new budget, Kane County sheriff coming up short – James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171215/3-weeks-into-new-budget-kane-county-sheriff-coming-up-short
— German government says it backs ‘open and free internet’ – AP (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents do not want an “open and free” internet. They only want an internet that they can manipulate if not dominate. They do not want anyone to first learn of anything by reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. They refuse to keep diersen@aol.com on their press advisory and press release lists. They do not want me to know about their events and other activities. They do not want me to promote their events and other activities. They do not want me to attend their events. They do not want me to report on their events or activities. They want me to carry out their blacklist orders. They are furious that I circulate nominating petitions in my precinct for all the candidates instead just for candidates they approve of. I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes. They claim to be conservative and/or Republican, but ever-increasingly they talk and act like they are Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, or RINOs.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20171215/news/312159952/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Chicago lawyers: not a diverse lot – CLAIRE BUSHEY
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171215/NEWS04/171219914/chicago-lawyers-not-a-diverse-lot

PEORIA PUBLIC RADIO
— Durbin Fears ‘Mistakes’ In Rushed Republican Tax Bill – RYAN DENHAM (DIERSEN: Cutting/eliminating itemized deductions will cause the housing market to crash. Will renters take advantage of that crash and buy homes?)
http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/durbin-fears-mistakes-rushed-republican-tax-bill#stream/0

WGAL
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Second-grader brings marijuana to school, shares with a friend (DIERSEN: Who is leading the fight against pot in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois?)
http://www.wgal.com/article/second-grader-brings-marijuana-to-school-shares-with-a-friend/14440593

CHICAGO CITY WIRE
— Illinois GOP release states Pritzker ‘continues to lie to Illinoisans’ – Robert Hadley
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511281883-illinois-gop-release-states-pritzker-continues-to-lie-to-illinoisans

KANE COUNTY REPORTER
— Oberweis says he’s ‘extremely disappointed’ Rauner signed sanctuary state bill – Karen Kidd
https://kanecountyreporter.com/stories/511286741-oberweis-says-he-s-extremely-disappointed-rauner-signed-sanctuary-state-bill

WEST COOK NEWS
— Leader Durkin Had Role in Strip Club vs. Broadview Fight – Lgistheme Reports
https://westcooknews.com/stories/511298864-leader-durkin-had-role-in-strip-club-vs-broadview-fight

METRO EAST SUN
— Don Moore, Republican candidate in the 108th House District, is uneasy about Durkin-Madigan relationship – Carrie Bradon
https://metroeastsun.com/stories/511296463-moore-is-uneasy-about-durkin-madigan-relationship

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Citizens of Illinois pay attention: 36 Counties- 55 illegal assessors! – KIRK ALLEN (DIERSEN: Did you meet legal requirements when you were hired? I did. I had both a job-related master’s degree and a job-related professional certification when GAO hired me at the GS-9 level in 1980. I had a job-related bachelor’s degree and I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination when IRS hired me at the GS-7 level in 1971. I had a high school diploma and I had passed an employment examination when the Post Office hired me at the GS-4 level in 1966.)
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/12/citizens-of-illinois-pay-attention-36-counties-55-illegal-assessors/

ILLINOIS HOMPAGE
— Duckworth responsible for legionnaires issue? – Raquel Martin
http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/capitol-news/duckworth-responsible-for-legionnaires-issue/881873477

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— GOP Gubernatorial Primary 2018: Competent Uniter v. Incompetent Divider – John Biver
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2017/12/gop-gubernatorial-primary-2018-competent-uniter-v-incompetent-divider/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— THORNER: PARTY DIVISIONS SPARK AT REPUBLICAN WOMEN’S EVENT IN LAKE COUNTY (DIERSEN: Are you a Republican Precinct Committeeman? What policy does your Republican township and/or county party organization have on committeemen supporting candidates in contested Republican primaries? Officially, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee (MTRCC) does not endorse candidates, committeemen are free to support whichever candidates that they want to support, but committeemen are required to support the candidates who win the primaries. However, sadly, if not tragically, that is not how it works in real life. Those who have dominated MTRCC at least since 2000 have lots of religious, government, political, and financial clout in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, and in DuPage County. They do everything that they can to destroy committeemen who support candidates who they do not like. I should write a book about their efforts to destroy me since 2000. They blame me for all losses that Republican candidates have suffered in general elections in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois since 2000.)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/thorner-party-divisions-spark-at-republican-womens-event-in-lake-county.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Rauner complains it’s “hard to overcome” the “biased” Illinois media
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/15/rauner-complains-its-hard-to-overcome-the-biased-illinois-media/
— Reader comments closed until Tuesday (DIERSEN: GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails have gone out each and every morning since 2004 and each and every evening too since 2015. Those emails have included links to more than 289,200 articles and information on many upcoming events.)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/15/reader-comments-closed-until-tuesday-25/

ONE NEWS NOW
— Way down deep, Dems want folks hooked on gov’t largess – Steve Jordahl
https://www.onenewsnow.com/politics-govt/2017/12/15/way-down-deep-dems-want-folks-hooked-on-govt-largess

DAILY CALLER
— Google Is Using Its Immense Power To Censor Content That Doesn’t Fit Its Political Goals. Everyone In America Should Be Concerned About That – Neil Patel
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/15/google-is-using-its-immense-power-to-censor-content-that-doesnt-fit-its-political-goals/
— America’s Longest-Serving Bomber (B-52) Sets New Record For Most Smart Bombs Dropped On An Enemy – RYAN PICKRELL
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/15/americas-longest-serving-bomber-sets-new-record-for-most-smart-bombs-dropped-on-an-enemy/

GOPUSA
— Black women seek rewards from Democrats after Alabama race
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35324
— Democrat lawmaker: Women’s clothing an ‘invitation’ for harassment
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35223
— Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers (DIERSEN: If you accuse Trump of sexual harassment, anti-Trumps will give you lots of money.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35361
— Kirstjen Nielsen, new DHS chief, says agents cause ‘fear’ in illegals (DIERSEN: My Democrat superiors in the federal government focused on causing “fear” in their employees like me who were Republican, and especially those like me who were White, male, older, and non-veteran. They used Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to waste the careers of and to get rid of their employees like me who were Republican, and especially those like me who were White, male, older, and non-veteran.)
http://www.gopusa.com/kirstjen-nielsen-new-dhs-chief-says-agents-cause-fear-in-illegals/

BREITBART
— CBO Report: DACA Amnesty Would Cost American Taxpayers $26 Billion – JOHN BINDER
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/15/cbo-report-daca-amnesty-would-cost-american-taxpayers-26-billion/
— CNN: Four GOP Senators Negotiate Amnesty With Democrats – NEIL MUNRO
http://www.breitbart.com/economics/2017/12/15/cnn-four-gop-senators-negotiate-amnesty-democrats/
— Exodus: Jews Flee Paris Suburbs over Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism – SIMON KENT
http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/12/15/exodus-french-jews-forced-islamists-anti-semitism-rises-across-europe/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Why Al Franken should not resign – Robin Wolf
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/12/why_al_franken_should_not_resign.html

FEDERALIST
— Why Criminalizing Sexual Harassment Fosters Witch Hunts Sexual harassment digests a degenerate thug like Harvey Weinstein with a college student who makes an awkward pass or a well-intentioned boss who compliments a dress. – Maureen Mullarkey
http://thefederalist.com/2017/12/15/criminalizing-sexual-harassment-fosters-witch-hunts/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Too Many Americans Are Going to College – Too Many Americans Are Going to College – Kyle Smith
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454680/bryan-caplans-case-against-education-persuasive&arubalp=8e2c40a0-eb99-4df9-ad36-82ce3139f3

CONSERVATIVE HQ
— Cultural Divide Deepens in First Year of Trump Presidency – George Rasley (DIERSEN: What percent of those in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors?)
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/27033
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A pair of recent polls assessing patriotism attitudes in the American population reveal that, as the first year of the Trump presidency ends, there are two competing definitions of patriotism and distinct divergence in the underlying priorities of Americans operating in our country. The vast differences that were found between how those who self-identified as Liberal or Conservative rated the meaning of traditional components of patriotism, such as “Freedom of Speech,” the “National Anthem,” and the “American flag,” suggest that there is a deepening division in the American understanding of patriotism in terms of its symbols and freedoms. Most Americans surveyed reflected this same concern – only 13% of the adults surveyed believe the citizens of the United States are becoming more patriotic; 50% believe their fellow citizens are becoming less so. Only 22% of Americans surveyed said they strongly agree they would feel safe wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. The findings suggest that we are more divided than ever – and neither the Left nor the Right are content to cede patriotism to the other. We see that general terms, such as “freedom of speech,” which in the past may have been associated with patriotism are murkier in meaning than before; those who want to communicate about American patriotism should know their audiences have quite different ideas about what that means. While results suggest political affiliation can predict how patriotism is defined, 85% of liberals consider themselves to be patriotic in some sense, compared to 97% of conservatives and 83% of moderates. Drilling down into the differences in the perceived patriotism of brands according to political party affiliation, Conservatives said the NRA is “very patriotic” – the highest ranked of the choices by them, Moderates deemed it is the U.S. Supreme Court, and Liberals chose the Democrat Party. Planned Parenthood was one percentage point behind the Democrat Party in Liberals’ estimation of “very patriotic” brands. Likewise, overall, the National Rifle Association was considered “very patriotic” by a plurality, 33%; the same percent said the National Football League’s Colin Kaepernick was most strongly understood to be “not at all” patriotic.)

POLITICO
— Democratic lawmaker: Women’s clothing an ‘invitation’ to harassment ‘I saw a member yesterday with her cleavage so deep it was down to the floor,’ Rep. Marcy Kaptur tells fellow Democrats at a private meeting. – HEATHER CAYGLE
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/marcy-kaptur-womens-clothing-sexual-harassment-294974

CNN
— Want to fix sexual harassment? Don’t hire jerks – Robert Sutton (DIERSEN: According to those who are anti-men, all men are jerks, and those men who are members of the following groups are especially jerks: Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/15/opinions/sexual-harassment-dont-hire-jerks-sutton-opinion/index.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals? Some Are Worried – Laurie Goodstein (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes do everything that they can to turn religious people against me. They stress a) that I am not a member of any church, b) that I do not attend church services, c) that I do not give money to a church, d) that I was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran, and e) that I oppose the promotion of dependency on government, dependency on charities, LGBTQ activity, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot and other vices, race and gender based preference giving, age discrimination, abolition of the First and Second Amendments, etc.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/us/alabama-evangelical-christians-moore.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “It grieves me,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, a prominent evangelical school in Illinois. “I don’t want ‘evangelical’ to mean people who supported candidates with significant and credible accusations against them. If evangelical means that, it has serious ramifications for the work of Christians and churches.” . . . People have had the impulse to jettison the evangelical label before, according to Mr. Stetzer of Wheaton College. It came up after the televangelist scandals involving Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980s. But the idea received new attention and momentum soon after Mr. Trump was elected.)

WASHINGTON POST
— Rubio’s last stand highlights tax bill’s corporate skew – Tory Newmyer (DIERSEN: Cutting/eliminating itemized deductions will cause the housing market to crash. Will renters take advantage of that crash and buy homes?)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-finance-202/2017/12/15/the-finance-202-rubio-s-last-stand-highlights-tax-bill-s-corporate-skew/5a33032830fb0469e883fbd3/
— Trump judicial nominee fumbles basic questions about the law – Derek Hawkins (DIERSEN: I should write a book about what I learned about the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when I pursued Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange and Diersen v. GAO in federal court.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/12/15/trump-judicial-nominee-fumbles-basic-questions-about-the-law/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: For five painfully awkward minutes, Petersen, a member of the Federal Election Commission and a lawyer with no trial experience, fumbled with Kennedy’s questions, visibly uncomfortable as the lawmaker pressed him about how things work in a federal courtroom. “Hoo-boy,” Whitehouse wrote in a widely circulated tweet of the exchange, seizing on the moment for maximum political effect. In Wednesday’s hearing, Kennedy started by asking Petersen and the four other nominees who appeared with him: “Have any of you not tried a case to verdict in a courtroom?” Petersen alone raised his hand. Kennedy, a first-term Republican who has challenged some of Trump’s previous judicial nominations, bore down. Had Petersen ever handled jury trial? “I have not,” the nominee responded. Civil? No. Criminal? No. Bench trial? No. State or federal court? No. How many depositions had he taken — fewer than five? “Probably somewhere in that range,” Petersen said. Had he ever argued a motion in state court? Federal court? No on both counts. Kennedy then asked the last time Petersen had read the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure — the standards that govern civil cases in U.S. District Court, where Petersen is hoping to get a lifetime appointment.)
— Racial divides have been holding American workers back for more than a century – Calvin Schermerhorn (DIERSEN: Schermerhorn should write about what GAO did during the 1980s and 1990s a) to hire, retain, and promote young Democrat minorities and young Democrat females and b) to make way for them by wasting the careers of and by getting rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/15/racial-divides-have-been-holding-american-workers-back-for-more-than-a-century/

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
— GOP lawmakers race to pass tax bill without regard to details, fallout – Editorial (DIERSEN: Cutting/eliminating itemized deductions will cause the housing market to crash. Will renters take advantage of that crash and buy homes?)
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Breaking-the-bank-12432073.php

NEWSWEEK
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: MARIJUANA-INFUSED WINE IS COMING TO LEGAL WEED STATES – JANICE WILLIAMS
http://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-legal-states-wine-california-747711

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— OPM Tells Agencies to Stop Working Collaboratively with Unions – Erich Wagner
http://www.govexec.com/management/2017/12/opm-tells-agencies-stop-working-collaboratively-unions/144617/?oref=top-story

FEDERAL NEWS RADIO
— Despite having 7 ways to recruit, retain mission critical talent, agencies rarely use them – Nicole Ogrysko (DIERSEN: In 1980, I had almost 9 years of “mission critical talent.” GAO audits IRS. In 1980, I had worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $79,563-$90,173. But instead of offering me a promotion to GS-13 to transfer from IRS to GAO, GAO forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut to transfer. During the 1980s and 1990s, GAO’s Chicago office almost always led audits of IRS’s Collection Division. While GAO did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division 1986-1988, all during the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, it never assigned me to an audit of IRS’s Collection Division. In my opinion, GAO’s refusal to assign me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division is almost criminal if not criminal.)
https://federalnewsradio.com/your-job/2017/12/agencies-have-7-different-ways-to-recruit-and-retain-mission-critical-talent-but-they-rarely-use-them/

December 14 Evening Edition

NBC5
— Community Groups File Suit Against Assessor’s Office Over Allegations of Racial Bias – James Neveau
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/community-groups-file-suit-against-assessors-office-over-allegations-of-racial-bias-464185233.html
— Lisa Madigan Joins Group of Officials Opposing Net Neutrality Rollback – James Neveau
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/madigan-joins-group-of-officials-opposing-net-neutrality-rollback-464222233.html

CBS2
— Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin Suggests U.N. Send Troops To Fight ‘Quiet Genocide’ Of Gun Violence In Chicago
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/14/richard-boykin-united-nations-gun-violence/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC, ILLEGAL, AND EVEN WORSE THINGS: Emanuel on Thursday unveiled an example of the municipal ID card he wants to offer to people in this country illegally and others as part of his stand against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies – John Byrne
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-rahm-emanuel-municipal-id-launch-20171214-story.html
— Lawsuit targets Berrios over biased residential assessments in Cook County – Jason Grotto and Hal Dardick
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-cook-county-assessor-berrios-sued-met-20171214-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Trump says “How the 2018 election could end the nightmare of Trump.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-trump-2018-election-nightmare20171214-story.html
— Survey finds 42 percent of women report discrimination at work – Jena McGregor
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-sexual-harassment-survey-20171214-story.html
— Evanston District 202 board takes a swipe at transparency – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-evanston-school-board-foia-20171214-story.html
— House to vote on spending bill that Senate won’t pass, rekindling shutdown showdown – Mike Debonis and Ed O’Keefe
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-spending-bill-government-shutdown-20171214-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— What’s in GOP tax accord: Big cuts for business, wealthy – AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/whats-in-gop-tax-accord-big-cuts-for-business-wealthy
— Vernon Twp. board: Assessor shouldn’t be investigating harassment claims – Doug T. Graham
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/vernon-twp-board-assessor-shouldnt-be-investigating-harassment-claims
— AUGUST 11, 2005 FLASHBACK: Milton Twp. Assessor, Accuser Reach Settlement – James Fuller (DIERSEN: Have you been charged with sexual harassment? Because I refused to take sides in Carol Scholl v. Jim Gumm, those who continue to side with Scholl a) continue to demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me and b) continue to hint/imply/argue/shout that I am a White supremacist, Nazi, KKK member, hater, racist, sexist, bigot, and even worse things.)
https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135085189.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The woman who once accused Milton Township Assessor Jim Gumm of sexually harassing her agreed to settle a lawsuit Wednesday that could have made her liable for up to $1 million in damages. The settlement all but ends a legal battle that began with former township employee Carol Scholl accusing Gumm of sexual harassment. The township eventually settled that claim. Gumm then fired Scholl, and she filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for improper dismissal. Gumm soon filed his own lawsuit against several township officials and employees, including Scholl, claiming a clandestine effort to smear his name and have him booted from office.)

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Rubio a ‘no’ on tax bill unless he gets child tax credit Floor vote on bill possible next week – LAUREN FOX (DIERSEN: They all should be a big ‘no’ unless all itemized deductions and the personal exemption are kept.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/rubio-a-no-on-tax-bill-unless-he-gets-child-tax-credit/881230438

WGLT
— Durbin Fears ‘Mistakes’ In Rushed Republican Tax Bill – RYAN DENHAM
http://wglt.org/post/durbin-fears-mistakes-rushed-republican-tax-bill#stream/0

WIFR
— Governor candidate William Kelly speaks out on his decision to run as Independent
http://www.wifr.com/content/news/Governor-candidate-William-Kelly-speaks-out-on-his-decision-to-run-as-Independent-464236053.html

CHICAGO NOW
— Character counts in Alabama, but still not in Chicago and Illinois – Dennis Byrne
http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2017/12/character-counts-in-alabama-but-still-not-in-chicago-and-illinois/

WILL COUNTY NEWS
— Ives Leads the Charge on Property Tax Reform – Steve Balich
http://willcountynews.com/2017/12/14/ives-leads-the-charge-on-property-tax-reform/

CHICAGO CITY WIRE
— McSweeney joins Ives in calling for investigation into resignation of Rauner’s top lawyer – Caitlin Nordahl
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511297090-mcsweeney-joins-ives-in-calling-for-investigation-into-resignation-of-rauner-s-top-lawyer

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— After financial crash, Illinois property taxes rise despite drop in home value – Cole Lauterbach (DIERSEN: High property taxes depress home values.)
https://www.ilnews.org/news/economy/after-financial-crash-illinois-property-taxes-rise-despite-drop-in/article_6a626bc6-e04b-11e7-ab49-9ff680d1fb77.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Pritzker apologizes for language he used to describe American Muslims Council in 1998
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/14/pritzker-apologizes-for-language-he-used-to-describe-american-muslims-council-in-1998/

GOPUSA
— Loyola Muslims bemoan Catholic university’s Christmas bias, unequal ‘public festivity’
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35279
— Time to Understand: Accusations Are Not Convictions
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35152

BREITBART
— Poll: Majority of Americans Continue to Believe Amnesty Encourages More Illegal Immigration – JOHN BINDER
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/14/poll-majority-of-americans-continue-to-believe-amnesty-encourages-more-illegal-immigration/

PATRIOT POST
— The Government’s Gender Hiring Gap Politicians who hypocritically criticize the private sector for gender gaps should first examine their own staffs. – Caroline Camden Lewis (DIERSEN: Lewis should write an article about what GAO did during the 1980s and 1990s a) to hire, retain, and promote young Democrat women and young Democrat minorities and b) to make way for them by wasting the careers of and by getting rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who had not made GS-13 (currently $94,610) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $111,801) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $131,508) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $161,900) by age 40.)
https://patriotpost.us/articles/52940

POLITICO
— The FCC repealed its Obama-era net neutrality rules on Thursday, a step critics warn will upend the internet by allowing cable companies to control where their customers can go online. – MARGARET HARDING MCGILL
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/14/fcc-votes-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules-295500

NEW YORK TIMES
— F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules Internet providers will have more power over the web, allowing them to favor certain sites. – Cecilia Kang
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html

WASHINGTON POST
— The FCC just voted to repeal its net neutrality rules, in a sweeping act of deregulation FCC repeals net neutrality rules, allowing Internet providers to speed up, slow down or block service for apps and websites – Brian Fung
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/12/14/the-fcc-is-expected-to-repeal-its-net-neutrality-rules-today-in-a-sweeping-act-of-deregulation/

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
— Fear compromises health, well-being of immigrant families, survey finds – Anna Gorman (DIERSEN: Who has wanted you to be fearful? While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, my Democrat superiors always wanted me to fear that they would take stronger adverse actions against me. Were it not for federal civil service protections, a) the Post Office would NOT have hired me in 1966 or let me work there for almost 3 years, b) IRS would NOT have hired me in 1971 or let me work there for almost 9 years, c) IRS would NOT have promoted me in 1972, 1973, or 1974, d) GAO would NOT have hired me in 1980 or let me work there for almost 18 years, and e) GAO would NOT have promoted me in 1986. Adverse actions that my Democrat GAO superiors took against me included forcing me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranking me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, not promoting me beyond GS-13, keeping me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forcing me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. Adverse actions that my Democrat IRS superiors took against me included not promoting me beyond GS-12, disallowing my education deductions in 1978, and disallowing my partial day per diem claims in 1974. Adverse actions that my Democrat Post Office superiors took against me included forcing me resign in 1969 and disallowing my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/13/570027/

RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Most Call for Trump’s Resignation If Sex Allegations Are True.”
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/december_2017/most_call_for_trump_s_resignation_if_sex_allegations_are_true

December 13 Evening Edition

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— The Milton Township Republican Central Committee held an outstanding Christmas party Wednesday evening, December 13, 2017, at the Wheaton Bowl Banquet Hall. The many outstanding speakers included Jeanne Ives. Attendees included Almiron, Berlin, Bibbiano, Carlson, Caruso, Cherry, Cleveland, Connelly, Cooper, Crane, Dangelo, Falbo, Fitzpatrick, Grant, Hinds, Hinkle, Holan, A. & R. Jorgensen, Keller, Krzyzewski, C. & A. LeVan, Lofgren, Lollino, McGowen, Minor, Molitor, Muehlfelt, A. & B. Murphy, Nathwani, Prater, Rash, Romano, Russo, Shaw, Tatro, Wehling, Whelan, Wilson, C. & J. Zaruba, and Zay. – Dave Diersen
https://gopillinois.com

ABC7
— Alabama election reaction pours in; Illinois comptroller Mendoza: ‘Loser perv lost anyway’ – Craig Wall (DIERSEN: With their success in defeating Moore, anti-Trumps will increasingly allege that all Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. Are you a Republican? How soon, if not already, will Mendoza say that you are a White supremacist, Nazi, KKK member, hater, racist, sexist, bigot, and even worse things?)
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/alabama-election-reaction-pours-in;-mendoza-loser-perv-lost-anyway/2777327/

NBC5
— Governor Rauner Under Fire for Deaths at Quincy Veteran’s Home – Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/governor-bruce-rauner-under-fire-for-legionnaires-deaths-in-quincy-464005493.html
— Democratic Candidates for Illinois’ 6th District Speak at Forum – Mary Ann Ahern (DIERSEN: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, the organization would be hosting candidate forums for a) Rauner v. Ives, b) Sanguinetti v. Morthland, c) Harold v. Grasso, d) Diganvker v. Jhingan, e) Stella v. Vlakancic, f) Minor v. Grant v. Byrne v. Augustynowicz, g) Kinzler v. Orozco, h) Zito v. Khouri, i) Mendrick v. Bibbiano, j) Tornatore v. DeMichele v. Fichtner v. Gavanes, k) Hart v. Abbott v. Tully v. Broline, l) McGowen v. Almiron v. Eckhoff v. Zaruba v. Tatro v. Chinchilla, m) Wiley v. Zay v. McQuade, n) Russo v. MacKay, o) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, p) etc.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/democratic-candidates-6th-district-illinois-roskam–463936223.html

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— BEYOND DISGUSTING, BEYOND TRAGIC: Cook County voters to be asked next year about legalizing marijuana – Hal Dardick (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-cook-county-recreational-marijuana-20171212-story.html
— Republicans reach compromise plan on taxes, expanding tax cuts for the wealthy – Damian Paletta and Erica Werner (DIERSEN: From what I see, the more that you have benefited from itemizing your deductions, the more federal income tax that you will pay.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-tax-package-20171213-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Overall, the tax rewrite would impact virtually every American household and business because of how the plan lowers tax rates while putting new curbs on tax deductions that have been in place for decades. . .Several analyses have found that most Americans would see their taxes fall, at least in the short term, but millions would see an increase because they would loser certain deductions.)
— Illinois video gambling parlors must split profits with terminal operators, judge rules – Ally Marotti
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-gambling-parlor-lawsuit-20171213-story.html
— ‘He is a bully’: Sen. Gillibrand hits back at Trump over tweet on ‘Today’ – Amy B. Wang
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-gillibrand-20171213-story.html
— With net neutrality decision imminent, Thursday could be the day the internet died – Robert Reed
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/reed/ct-biz-net-neutrality-debacle-robert-reed-1214-story.html
— Steve Bannon gets a pro-abortion Democrat elected in Alabama – Marc A. Thiessen (DIERSEN: How fast would the Washington Post fire Thiessen if he was charged with sexual harassment? My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes blame me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails for all the losses that Republicans have suffered in Illinois since 2000. Should I write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-steve-bannon-roy-moore-20171213-story.html
— Trump unintentionally advances sexual equality – Steve Chapman (DIERSEN: What do you say to men who demonize, denigrate, and condemn men to curry favor with women?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman/ct-perspec-chapman-trump-sexual-harssment-women-1214-story.html
— Tom Cullerton: “Governor Rauner has failed our veterans once again”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/glen-ellyn/community/chi-ugc-article-tom-cullerton-governor-rauner-has-failed-ou-2017-12-13-story.html
— Roskam praises Republican tax compromise as Democrats push back hard – Katherine Skiba
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-peter-roskam-tammy-duckworth-taxes-20171213-story.html
— ‘We should hold our public officials to the highest ethical standards’ – Ted Slowik
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-will-county-clerk-st-1214-20171213-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— Megyn Kelly finds audience by delving into sexual misconduct – AP (DIERSEN: From what I see, Kelly’s goal in life is not only to use “sexual misconduct” to bring down Trump, but to use “sexual misconduct” to bring down all heterosexual men. Those who promote LGBTQ activity are overjoyed with Kelly.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20171213/entlife/312139920/
— Governor candidate Ives: ‘Every school district should be a unit district’ – Marni Pyke
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171213/governor-candidate-ives-every-school-district-should-be-a-unit-district

WLS AM
— Gov candidate Biss: Let’s not have a “coronation” for Pritzker.
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/12/13/gov-candidate-biss-lets-not-have-a-coronation-for-pritzker/
— Pritzker blaming Rauner for Legionnaires’ deaths at Quincy – Bill Cameron
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/12/13/pritzker-blaming-rauner-for-legionnaires-deaths-at-quincy/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Families blame state in veterans home Legionnaires’ outbreak
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171213/families-blame-state-in-veterans-home-legionnaires-outbreak
— Pritzker foundation gave $50 million in 3 years – Bernard Schoenburg
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171213/schoenburg-pritzker-foundation-gave-50-million-in-3-years

TIMES
— Now is the time to commit to being an informed voter – Editorial (DIERSEN: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, the organization would be hosting candidate forums for a) Rauner v. Ives, b) Sanguinetti v. Morthland, c) Harold v. Grasso, d) Diganvker v. Jhingan, e) Stella v. Vlakancic, f) Minor v. Grant v. Byrne v. Augustynowicz, g) Kinzler v. Orozco, h) Zito v. Khouri, i) Mendrick v. Bibbiano, j) Tornatore v. DeMichele v. Fichtner v. and Gavanes, k) Hart v. Abbott v. Tully v. Broline, l) McGowen v. Almiron v. Eckhoff v. Zaruba v. Tatro v. Chinchilla, m) Wiley v. Zay v. McQuade, n) Russo v. MacKay, o) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, p) etc.)
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/editorial/now-is-the-time-to-commit-to-being-an-informed/article_bdf46aa7-65c6-580c-9057-3d50ce492ea2.html

NORTHWEST HERALD
— Rep David McSweeney calls for abolishment of Algonquin Township
http://www.nwherald.com/2017/12/08/rep-david-mcsweeney-calls-for-abolishment-of-algonquin-township/avu6pst/

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— Illinois lawmakers keep leash on their sexual harassment watchdog – Editorial
http://www.bnd.com/opinion/editorials/article189532219.html

ROCK RIVER TIMES
— Springfield, communications key to home rule discussion – Shane Nicholson
http://rockrivertimes.com/2017/12/13/rockford-home-rule-springfield/

CHICAGO CITY WIRE
— McSweeney sides with Ives in call for an investigation into Rauner firing of top attorney – Glenn Minnis
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511296200-mcsweeney-sides-with-ives-in-call-for-an-investigation-into-rauner-firing-of-top-attorney

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Common Core: School Test Scores Are Nosediving – Jane Robbins and Emmett McGroarty
https://illinoisfamily.org/education/common-core-school-test-scores-nosediving/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— IVES RESPONDS TO WALL STREET JOURNAL’S EDITORIAL ON ILLINOIS
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/ives-responds-to-wall-street-journals-editorial-on-illinois-.html
— WALL STREET JOURNAL SCORCHES ILLINOIS’ DISMAL FINANCES
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/wall-street-journal-scorches-illinois-dismal-finances.html
— 13 ILLINOIS VETERANS DIE OF LEGIONNAIRES IN STATE-RUN FACILITY; 11 FAMILIES SUE FOR NEGLIGENCE
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/13-illinois-veterans-die-of-legionnaires-in-state-run-facility-11-families-sue-for-negligence.html
— RAUNER RESPONDS TO QUINCY VETERANS’ HOME STORY
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/rauner-responds-to-quincy-veterans-home-story.html
— 61% SAY FOOD STAMP AND WELFARE RECIPIENTS SHOULD BE DRUG TESTED
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/61-say-food-stamp-and-welfare-recipients-should-be-drug-tested.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Leader Durkin’s campaign now out-Profting Dan Proft
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/leader-durkins-campaign-now-out-profting-dan-proft/
— Rauner refuses to answer questions about Murashko’s departure
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/rauner-refuses-to-answer-questions-about-murashkos-departure/
— Kennedy, Ives, Rauner respond *** Political blowback begins over Quincy Veterans Home debacle
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/political-blowback-begins-over-quincy-veterans-home-debacle/
— Rauner does bill-signing event at center which was whacked hard by impasse
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/rauner-does-bill-signing-event-at-center-which-was-whacked-hard-by-impasse/
— Ives responds *** We’re number one! (and not in a good way)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/were-number-one-and-not-in-a-good-way/

FOX NEWS
— Results suggest allegations weighed heavily on Moore candidacy – Benjamin Brown (DIERSEN: With their success in defeating Moore, anti-Trumps will increasingly allege that all Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things.)
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/13/sexual-misconduct-allegations-weighed-heavily-on-moore-candidacy-results-suggest.html

DAILY CALLER
— The Truth About Racial Profiling Is That Everyone Does It, Especially Leftists – Lloyd Marcus
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/13/the-truth-about-racial-profiling-is-that-everyone-does-it-especially-leftists/
— Alabamians Rejected A Creepy Kook, Not Trump – Scott Greer
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/13/alabamians-rejected-a-creepy-kook-not-trump/

THE HILL
— Kinzinger rips ‘RINO’ Bannon for ‘morally inept strategies’ – AVERY ANAPOL
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/364655-gop-lawmaker-rips-rino-bannon-for-morally-inept-strategies

POLITICO
— Alabama shocker threatens GOP agenda Republicans will struggle next year as their fragile majority narrows. – SEUNG MIN KIM
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/what-does-doug-jones-victory-mean-for-senate-294244

AOL NEWS
— Republicans blame Steve Bannon for Roy Moore’s shocking loss in Alabama – MAXWELL TANI (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes blame me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails for all the losses that Republicans have suffered in Illinois since 2000. Should I write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes?)
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/13/republicans-blame-steve-bannon-for-roy-moores-shocking-loss-in-alabama/23305953/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Republican Tax Bill Overhauls Rules Many Were Counting On – Deborah B. Solomon
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/business/republican-tax-bill-overhauls.html

FOX RENO
— Republicans say Alabama loss was rejection of Roy Moore, not the GOP – Stephen Loiaconi
http://foxreno.com/news/connect-to-congress/republicans-say-alabama-loss-was-rejection-of-roy-moore-not-the-gop

NEWSWEEK
— BILL CLINTON, ACCUSED RAPIST, CELEBRATES ROY MOORE LOSS IN ALABAMA IN CAMPAIGN ABOUT WOMEN’S RIGHTS – NICOLE RODRIGUEZ
http://www.newsweek.com/bill-clinton-accused-rapist-celebrates-roy-moore-loss-alabama-campaign-about-746422

FORBES
— Working In Retirement: Wishful Thinking? – Richard Eisenberg (DIERSEN: Who does not want you to work in retirement? My critics/opponents do not want me to get a job that would be appropriate for someone with my education, work experience, professional certifications, and professional license. My getting a good job would raise questions about why they wasted my career and forced me to retire. My Democrat GAO superiors stress that they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. My Democrat IRS superiors stress that they did not promote me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974. My Democrat Post Office superiors stress that they forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2017/12/13/working-in-retirement-wishful-thinking/#1b3dfefa3f28

BLOOMBERG
— Alabama Win Gives Democrats More Leverage on Budget, Immigration – Laura Litvan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-13/alabama-win-gives-democrats-more-leverage-on-budget-immigration

BBC
— Roy Moore defeat: Republicans ponder ‘humbling’ result (DIERSEN: Anti-Trumps want Republicans to lose elections. Anti-Trumps will use Moore’s defeat to hint/imply/ague/shout that Republicans should stop running candidates who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42342377

December 13 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DuPage Election Commission merger question OK’d for spring ballot – Gary Gibula (DIERSEN: What has disappointed you the most about the DuPage County Election Commission (DCEC). For me, it has been DCEC’s a) failure/refusal to do more to remove deadwood from the voting rolls and b) failure/refusal to deal directly with elected precinct committeemen concerning proposed changes to their polling place and to their precinct lines.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-dupage-board-election-commission-st-1213-20171212-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Question about legalizing marijuana could go on Cook County ballots – Hal Dardick (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you promote destruction.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-cook-county-marijuana-20171213-story.html
— Illinoisans want Trump sexual misconduct investigation – Katherine Skiba
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-cook-county-marijuana-20171213-story.html
— Illinois’ home health care industry rife with fraud, tainted by unscrupulous physicians – Michael J. Berens
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-home-health-main-met-20171212-story.html
— Making way for transgender troops – Editorial (DIERSEN: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government 1966-1969 and 1971-1997, they made way for young Democrat minorities and for young Democrat females by wasting the careers of and by getting rid of their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. Democrats use Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to get rid of Republicans, and especially to get rid of Republicans who are White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-transgender-20171211-story.html
— A cooking fire at a homeless encampment sparked a wildfire last week that destroyed six homes in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, authorities said Tuesday, while the fifth-largest wildfire in California history burning northwest of the city kept expanding and kept thousands out of their homes. – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-california-wildfires-20171212-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Those who are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors march in Naperville.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-community-unity-march-st-1213-20171212-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG COLOR PICTURE AND GRAPHIC: Why four small Lake County suburbs spent thousands at the Illinois Municipal League conference in Chicago – Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171213/why-four-tiny-suburbs-spent-thousands-at-chicago-conference
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: If you vote against the Second Amendment, those who will never vote for a Republican love you.
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171213/editorial-roskam-gets-gun-vote-right-hultgren-doesnt
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Adjunct faculty, Elmhurst College at odds over union vote – Marie Wilson
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171212/adjunct-faculty-elmhurst-college-at-odds-over-union-vote

WTTW
— List of Top 200 Pension Earners Shows Potential for Big Payouts – Paris Schutz
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/12/12/list-top-200-pension-earners-shows-potential-big-payouts

WBEZ
— Protesters Disrupt Meeting, Call For Palos Trustee To Quit Over ‘Racist’ Comments – Linda Lutton
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/protesters-disrupt-meeting-call-for-palos-trustee-to-quit-over-racist-comments/18461cd8-0df1-403c-9024-e06b85f91b97

NORTHWEST HERALD
— Time to get rid of township government – Editorial
http://www.nwherald.com/2017/12/08/our-view-time-to-get-rid-of-township-government/a38rxj9/

DEKALB DAILY JOURNAL
— Kendall GOP chief James Marter to challenge Kinzinger in 16th District No requirement for residency in congressional district, only in state – TONY SCOTT (DIERSEN: How long have you lived in Illinois, in your county, in your township/ward, in your municipality, and in your precinct. I have lived in Illinois since 1948, in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978, and in my precinct since 1984.)
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2017/12/11/kendall-gop-chief-to-challenge-kinzinger-in-16th-district/a9e321v/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Government for the insiders – Editorial
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2017-12-13/government-the-insiders.html

WSIL TV
— Candidates set for March Primaries – Andrew Feather
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37053669/candidates-set-for-march-primaries

WTAX
— “Top integrity” demanded, says guv (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents do not demand integrity. They demand blind loyalty. They do everything that they can to punish and destroy those individuals, those organizations, those companies, those governments, and those countries that they cannot manipulate/dominate.)
http://wtax.com/news/101101-top-integrity-demanded-says-guv/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— USA Today bashes Trump as ‘not fit to clean the toilets’ in Obama’s presidential library Editorial board reacts to Trump’s Gillibrand tweet – CHRIS CILLIZZA
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/usa-today-trump-as-not-fit-to-clean-the-toilets-in-obamas-presidential-library/880252842

SOUTHERN
— HUD’s new Midwest director Joseph Galvan was forced out as chairman of Illinois’ housing finance agency – MOLLY PARKER
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/acha/hud-s-new-midwest-director-was-forced-out-as-chairman/article_06c340dc-a3f9-528a-83b6-f0615b732d3f.html

RIPON ADVANCE
— Republicans oppose tax provision hitting graduate students (DIERSEN: What about proposed tax provisions that hit homeowners, hit people who have high medical and dental expenses, and hit those who pay for job-related graduate courses?)
https://riponadvance.com/featured/republicans-oppose-tax-provision-hitting-graduate-students/

DUPAGE COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION
— Results of Lottery Drawing for Simultaneous Filing 2018 General Primary Election

http://www.dupageco.org/Election/Election_Commission_News/2017/56460/

WIRE POINTS
— Fitch Ratings: Illinois debt burden highest in nation – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
http://www.wirepoints.com/fitch-ratings-illinois-debt-burden-highest-in-nation-wirepoints-original/
— Major attention to Illinois emigration data from Wall Street Journal but nothing in Illinois press. What gives? – Mark Glennon
http://www.wirepoints.com/major-attention-to-irs-data-from-wall-street-journal-but-nothing-in-illinois-press-what-gives-quicktake/

CHICAGO CITY WIRE
— Ives running mate says Rauner sold state ‘a bill of goods’ – Glenn Minnis
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511285544-ives-running-mate-says-rauner-sold-state-a-bill-of-goods

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Ives slams Rauner during appearance on southern Illinois radio show – Caitlin Nordahl (DIERSEN: Who slams you and why? I should write a book about those who slam me and why they do it.)
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511286619-ives-slams-rauner-during-appearance-on-southern-illinois-radio-show
— Illinois lost 86,000 people, $4.75 billion to other states in 2015-16, Illinois Policy Institute says – Caitlin Nordahl
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511286611-illinois-lost-86-000-people-4-75-billion-to-other-states-in-2015-16-illinois-policy-institute-says

HEARTLAND INSTITUTE
— Occupational Licensing Craziness (DIERSEN: I became a licensed CPA in 1981. I had worked for GAO for more than a year, I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, I had earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, and I had worked for IRS 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $79,653-$90,173.)
http://www.icontact-archive.com/maf-9-s7_-akggRj2BorjvoB8XVQ7Odf?w=4

ILLINOIS HOMEPAGE
— Rauner on Murashko: ‘A gentleman resigned’ Video shows state employee on Rauner campaign turf – Mark Maxwell
http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/local-news/rauner-on-murashko-a-gentleman-resigned/880350773

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— AG says Illinois taxpayers to begin paying for elective abortions Jan. 1 – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/ag-says-illinois-taxpayers-to-begin-paying-for-elective-abortions/article_9824953e-df88-11e7-934e-bbe2af49a82c.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Ethics complaint filed against Murashko, Deputy Governor Childress probed
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/report-ethics-complaint-filed-against-murashko-deputy-governor-childress-probed/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: If you seek a government office or a political office, sooner or later, your critics/opponents will draw attention big time to assessed valuation reductions that you sought/obtained. There is a lot in the public record about my success during the 1980s and 1990s in getting a small reduction of the assessed valuation of my home at 915 Cove Court in Wheaton.)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/13/apples-and-organges/

GOPUSA
— Sex Vigilantes Trash Due Process
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35084

FOX NEWS

— Washington Post reporters barred from Roy Moore election night party – Nicole Darrah
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/12/washington-post-reporters-barred-from-roy-moore-election-night-party.html

INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW
— Rep. Peter King (R-NY) Says Steve Bannon Doesn’t Belong in Politics: ‘He Looks Like a Disheveled Drunk’ – JOSH BILLINSON
http://ijr.com/the-response/2017/12/1033978-gop-rep-says-steve-bannon-doesnt-belong-in-politics-he-looks-like-a-disheveled-drunk/

CNS NEWS
— Trump Congratulates Democrat Doug Jones on ‘Hard-Fought Victory’; Says He Knew Moore Couldn’t Win – Susan Jones
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/trump-congratulates-democrat-doug-jones-hard-fought-victory

AMERICAN THINKER
— Illinois residents still fleeing state in record numbers – Rick Moran
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/12/illinois_residents_still_fleeing_state_in_record_numbers.html
— Leftists: Establishing a Religion – Tom Trinko
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/12/leftists__establishing_a_religion.html

NET RIGHT DAILY
— Are Americans losing faith in the U.S. justice system? – Printus LeBlanc (DIERSEN: How bad are your demographics? Ever-increasingly, the more of the following that you are, the more likely that you will lose in court: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, gun owner, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time. The more of the aforesaid that you are, the more likely that summary judgment will be granted against you. The more of the aforesaid that you are, the worst that your “jury appeal” is.)
http://netrightdaily.com/2017/12/americans-losing-faith-u-s-justice-system/

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW
— The media today: The loss of net neutrality threatens local journalism – Mathew Ingram
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/net-neutrality-local-news.php

THE HILL
— Jones wins Alabama Senate seat for Dems – BEN KAMISAR AND LISA HAGEN
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/364547-jones-wins-alabama-senate-seat-for-dems

HUFFINGTON POST
— Four Reasons Why The Republican Tax Bill is a Disaster for Latinos – Hector E. Sanchez Barba
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/four-reasons-why-the-republican-tax-bill-is-a-disaster_us_5a311d58e4b0b73dde46a8ce

POLITICO
— Alabama earthquake: Democrat Jones wins Republican Roy Moore is defeated in a huge blow for President Donald Trump and his former strategist Steve Bannon. – DANIEL STRAUSS
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/12/alabama-election-results-2017-293309

CNN
— Alabama election: Doug Jones scores stunning win, but Moore won’t concede – Eric Bradner
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/politics/alabama-senate-election-mainbar/index.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE: ‘Fake News,’ Trump’s Obsession, Is Now a Cudgel for Strongmen – Steven Erlanger (DIERSEN: Who are the strongmen in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois? I should write a book about past and present strongmen, their operatives, and their dupes in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/world/europe/trump-fake-news-dictators.html
— Tax Plan’s Biggest Cuts Could Be in Living Standards – Eduardo Porter (DIERSEN: What has cut your living standards? For me, since 1997 when I was 49 years old, it has been my Democrat GAO superiors’ success in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer.” My pension is only 41% of my ending salary in today’s dollars. Previously, they always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. Before that, my Democrat IRS superiors did not promote me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974. Before that, my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/business/economy/tax-plan-standard-of-living.html
— Once a Long Shot, Democrat Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Race – Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/us/politics/alabama-senate-race-winner.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, female anti-Trumps viciously demonize men, viciously denigrate men, and viciously condemn men. Ever-increasingly, female anti-Trumps make it clear that they want to get rid of men once and for all.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/upshot/sexual-harassment-workplace-prevention-effective.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Doug Jones declared victor in Alabama race for Senate; Roy Moore may seek recount – Sean Sullivan, David Weigel and Michael Scherer
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/voters-head-to-the-polls-in-contentious-senate-race-in-alabama/2017/12/11/26e36b56-deb7-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html
— Alabama presented the demographic nightmare that’s been looming for the Republican Party – Philip Bump (DIERSEN: Those who want Republicans to lose want Republicans to pander to those who are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/12/12/alabama-presented-the-demographic-nightmare-thats-been-looming-for-the-republican-party/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Illinois Drives People Away The taxpayer migration continues from the Land of Ever Higher Taxes. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/illinois-drives-people-away-1513125224
— Democrat Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Seat, AP Calls Upset victory in Alabama shrinks GOP Senate majority – Janet Hook and Joshua Jamerson
https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-look-beyond-alabama-senate-race-1513124366
— When It’s Illegal to Ask, ‘How Much Do You Make?’ – Gerald Skoning (DIERSEN: If you are/were a government employee, your salary is public record. From the beginning of time, government employees have been viciously demonized, viciously denigrated, and viciously condemned as being overpaid by those who would never seek or take a government job because they view the salaries as being too low. In my defense, I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-its-illegal-to-ask-how-much-do-you-make-1513124971

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Republicans say “Doug Jones’s Victory Shows Why Democrats Must Compete Everywhere.”
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/joness-victory-shows-why-democrats-must-compete-everywhere.html

SALON
— Never mind the sex scandals: Roy Moore is a son of the Confederacy Controversial Alabama U.S. Senate candidate has extensive ties to white nationalists and Christian supremacists – MATTHEW SHEFFIELD (DIERSEN: Have you or any of your ancestors ever lived in one of the Confederate states? Ever-increasingly, if you, or any of your ancestors have ever lived in one of the Confederate states, anti-Trumps demonize, denigrate, and condemn you as being a White supremacist, Nazi, KKK member, hater, racist, sexist, bigot, and even worse things. I have lived in Illinois since 1948, in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978, and in my precinct since 1984. All my ancestors have lived in northeast Illinois since the 1840s and 1850s.)
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/12/never-mind-the-sex-scandals-roy-moore-is-a-son-of-the-confederacy/

BBC
— Who are the poor Americans? – Jay Shambaugh
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41930107

December 12 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Attack ads from Bruce Rauner, Joe Berrios heat up – Craig Wall
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/attack-ads-from-rauner-berrios-heat-up/2774248/

NBC5
— Emanuel Declares Chicago a ‘Trump-Free Zone’ on Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ – Shelby Bremer (DIERSEN: Who sides with Emanuel? ANSWER: Those individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/emanuel-colbert-463676883.html

CBS2
— Gov. Rauner Accuses Pritzker Of Working The Tax System
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/12/gov-rauner-accuses-pritzker-of-working-the-tax-system/
— Tammy Duckworth Slams Trump Over Tweet, Calls Him ‘Cadet Bone Spurs’ (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, if you are not a combat veteran like Duckworth, and especially if you are an old White male Republican, and even more especially if you avoided the draft like I did, you are viciously demonized, viciously denigrated, and viciously denigrated as being a patriotic hypocrite, a coward, and even worse things. In 2006, Duckworth had one of her thugs throw me out of an event in Wheaton that was open to the news media.)
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/12/tammy-duckworth-donald-trump-tweet/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Rauner declines to explain quick reversal on top lawyer’s departure – Monique Garcia
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-bruce-rauner-dennis-murashko-20171212-story.html
— On probation, Hastert faces new restrictions on porn, contact with minors – Jason Meisner
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-dennis-hastert-restrictions-tightened-20171212-story.html
— Southland homeowners feel impact of Cook’s flawed assessment system – Ted Slowik
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-cook-county-assessments-st-1213-20171212-story.html
— Trump attacks Gillibrand in tweet Democrats say is sexist, crude Trump says senator ‘would do anything’ for cash – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-donald-trump-sexual-misconduct-allegations-20171212-story.html
— Poll shows that large majorities of Americans oppose plan to repeal net neutrality rules – Brian Fung
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-americans-net-neutrality-rules-20171212-story.html
— Carol Stream police to be first in Illinois to try new drug test for high drivers – Robert McCoppin (DIERSEN: If pot is legalized for recreational use in Illinois, more and more and more will drive while they are high. There will be more and more and more traffic accidents.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-met-police-drug-driving-test-20171205-story.html
— Don’t penalize workers for retiring later – Ferdinando Giugliano (DIERSEN: If my Democrat GAO superiors had not forced me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old, I might be paying $8,609 a year into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) instead of the CSRS paying me $50,856 a year.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-retire-age-pensions-benefits-penalty-1213-20171212-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The last decade has seen most countries in the rich world raise the retirement age in order to improve the sustainability of their pension systems at a time when people are living longer, healthier lives.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Rahm to Rauner: Look in the mirror before demanding Berrios resign – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/rahm-to-rauner-look-in-the-mirror-before-demanding-berrios-resign/
— Judge to Dennis Hastert: Stay away from porn, sex phone numbers – Jon Seidel
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/judge-to-dennis-hastert-stay-away-from-porn-sex-phone-numbers/

DAILY HERALD
— DuPage voters to decide if election commission should be dissolved – Robert Sanchez (DIERSEN: How much have you dealt with the DuPage County Election Commission (DCEC)? I have dealt with the DCEC a lot as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, as the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2000-2004 and 2008-2010, as committeeman of a precinct that lost its nearby polling place, and as a committeeman of a precinct that was gerrymandered in 2015. I should write a book about that.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171212/dupage-voters-to-decide-if-election-commission-should-be-dissolved

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— GOP tax overhaul will hit these Chicago-area home values hardest – DENNIS RODKIN (DIERSEN: Are you a homeowner? How much will the “GOP tax overhaul” drive down the value of your home?)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20171212/CRED0701/171219977/gop-tax-overhaul-will-hit-these-chicago-area-home-values-hardest
— 7,000 reasons for Illinois taxpayers to rise up – ANDY SHAW
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171208/ISSUE07/171209881/7000-reasons-for-illinois-taxpayers-to-rise-up

WLS AM
— Emanuel critical of Rauner’s criticism of Berrios – Bill Cameron
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/12/12/emanuel-critical-of-rauners-criticism-of-berrios/

LASALLE NEWS TRIBUNE
— ‘IT COULD TURN INTO A NIGHTMARE’ Your internet freedom could be at risk if FCC ends net neutrality – Ali Braboy
http://www.newstrib.com/free/your-internet-freedom-could-be-at-risk-if-fcc-ends/article_c217c722-df50-11e7-856e-6f2d98a83b98.html

CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE
— Cedar Rapids Iowa governor Reynolds disagrees with congressman King’s diversity comments But she plans to keep him as a 2018 campaign co-chair (DIERSEN: Democrats use Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to get rid of Republicans, and especially Republicans who are White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-governor-reynolds-disagrees-with-congressman-kings-diversity-comments-20171212

PEORIA PUBLIC RADIO
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: LaHood says “Tax Reform Plays in Peoria.” What about those who itemize their deductions?
http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/rep-lahood-tax-reform-plays-peoria#stream/0

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Tax overhaul could mean major changes to your paycheck APA issues warning – JEANNE SAHADI (DIERSEN: I have not had a paycheck since I was 49 years old in 1997. Back then, in today’s dollars, GAO was paying me $122,991/year.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/business/tax-overhaul-could-mean-major-changes-to-your-paycheck/879560347

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Ives wants answers from Rauner on firing of general counsel – Glenn Minnis
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511296059-ives-wants-answers-from-rauner-on-firing-of-general-counsel

NORTH COOK NEWS
— Ives calls for Berrios to step down as Cook County assessor – Glenn Minnis
https://northcooknews.com/stories/511296429-ives-calls-for-berrios-to-step-down-as-cook-county-assessor

WILL COUNTY GAZETTE
— Straub: “Sanctuary state” bill should be repealed – Glenn Minnis
https://willcountygazette.com/stories/511289544-straub-sanctuary-state-bill-should-be-repealed
— Will County Board member Steve Balich criticizes ‘sanctuary state’ legislation – Angela Underwood
https://willcountygazette.com/stories/511287108-will-county-board-member-criticizes-sanctuary-state-legislation

CAPITOL FAX
— ILGOP talks about Berrios, DGA talks about Trump
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/ilgop-talks-about-berrios-dga-talks-about-trump/
— Ives, Pritzker slam Rauner on a wide range of topics
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/ives-pritzker-slam-rauner-on-a-wide-range-of-topics/
— Kennedy on Pritzker: “If that’s not tax cheating, I don’t know what is”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/kennedy-on-pritzker-if-that%E2%80%99s-not-tax-cheating-i-don%E2%80%99t-know-what-is/

GOPUSA
— NY officials tell public that terrorist attacks are reality and the new normal
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35009
— Fordham U. coffee shop boots College Republicans for violating ‘safe space’
http://www.gopusa.com/fordham-u-coffee-shop-boots-college-republicans-for-violating-safe-space/

BREITBART
— CNN’s Acosta: ‘Journalists Make Honest Mistakes’ – They Don’t ‘Intentionally Mislead’ – IAN HANCHETT (DIERSEN: From what I see, far too many journalists deny it, but they do everything that they can to promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.)
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/12/12/cnns-acosta-journalists-make-honest-mistakes-they-dont-intentionally-mislead/

DAILY CALLER
— Elizabeth Warren Says Trump Is Guilty Of ‘Slut’ Shaming – Robert Donachie
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/12/elizabeth-warren-says-trump-is-guilty-of-slut-shaming/

CONSERVATIVE HQ
— Why Do We Continue To Let These Vipers Into America? – George Rasley
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/27006

INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW
— Franken and Others Are Entitled to Due Process and Shouldn’t Resign – WILL RICCIARDELLA
http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/12/1033296-nyt-op-ed-franken-others-entitled-due-process-shouldnt-resign/

WASHINGTON POST
— GAO finds regression for black managers in financial services industry – Joe Davidson (DIERSEN: Will GAO tell the financial services industry to treat its old White male non-veteran employees like GAO treated me? In 1997, even though I had earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997, even though I had become a Forensic Accountant in 1997 and a Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and even though I had worked on audits of federal financial industry regulators since 1990, my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old. Previously, they had always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/12/federal-report-finds-regression-for-black-managers-in-financial-services-industry/

FORBES
— The Reason Why Millennials Don’t Want The Typical Office Job – Rocco Baldassarre (DIERSEN: I had typical office jobs 1971-1997; IRS 1971-1980 and GAO 1980-1997.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/12/12/the-reason-why-millennials-dont-want-the-typical-office-job/#73fb6b117c84
(FROM THE ARTICLE: According to a 2014 report by the Intelligence Group, 72% of millennials want to be their own boss one day. Being your own boss defines freedom. It determines a certain lifestyle, making choices for yourself and shows a meaning of independence. With the technology we have today, anyone can do anything with the right set of tools and aspirations.)

FED SMITH
— Maximized Pension vs Survivor Protection: A Fresh Take on an Age Old Debate – Tom Walker (DIERSEN: My Civil Service Retirement System pension would be much less with full survivor protection. Instead, with minimum survivor protection, I have carried more life insurance.)
https://www.fedsmith.com/2017/12/12/maximized-pension-vs-survivor-protection-fresh-take-age-old-debate/

December 12 Morning Edition

NBC5
— Biss Wins Straw Poll of Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates – Mary Ann Ahern (DIERSEN: Which candidates would win straw polls in the following races: a) Rauner/Sanguinetti and Ives/Morthland, b) Harold and Grasso, c) Diganvker and Jhingan, d) Stella and Vlakancic, e) Minor, Grant, Byrne, and Augustynowicz, f) Kinzler and Orozco, g) Zito and Khouri, h) Mendrick and Bibbiano, i) Tornatore, DeMichele, Fichtner, and Gavanes, j) Hart, Abbott, Tully, and Broline, k) McGowen, Almiron, Eckhoff, Zaruba, Tatro, and Chinchilla, l) Wiley, Zay, and McQuade, m) Russo and MacKay, p) Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee candidates, q) etc.?)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Biss-Wins-Straw-Poll-of-Democratic-Gubernatorial-Candidates-463535663.html

CBS2
— Woman, 77, Mauled To Death By Dog In Alsip
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/11/woman-77-mauled-to-death-by-dog-in-alsip/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— 3 Trump accusers speak out, call for congressional probe – AP
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/national/3-trump-accusers-speak-out-call-for-congressional-probe

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout that if you are a Republican, the longer that your ancestors have been in America, a) the more that you have benefited from their discrimination against minorities and against women and b) the more that you should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/jackson-alabama-is-choosing-between-its-past-and-its-future/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Monday was the deadline to object to candidates’ petition signatures they need to get on the March primary ballot. Among the challenged candidates: Democratic attorney general hopefuls state Rep. Scott Drury and Renato Mariotti, and Republican AG candidate Gary Grasso. The State Board of Elections listed 147 such objections, and that number doesn’t even count the many county-level challenges.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-forrest-claypool-20171212-story.html
— Rauner calls Claypool situation ‘very, very tragic’
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-forrest-claypool-20171212-story.html
— Chicago police union official blasts $31 million wrongful conviction settlement as part of ‘cottage industry’ – John Byrne
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-chicago-police-englewood-four-settlement-20171211-story.html
— Black Americans cross jobs milestone, though victory is tenuous – Bloomberg (DIERSEN: Federal employment is a “zero sum game.” What would your superiors say that they did help Blacks? My Democrat GAO superiors would stress that they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. My Democrat IRS superiors would stress that they did not promote me beyond GS-12, that they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and that they disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974. My Democrat Post Office superiors would stress that they forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968. My aforesaid Democrat superiors would stress that the aforesaid adverse actions that they took against me directly benefited their employees who were Black.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-tns-bc-jobs-blacks-20171207-story.html
— Can the #MeToo movement free black men of the sexual predator stereotype? – Dahleen Glanton
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-glanton-metoo-black-men-20171211-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE: Pentagon to allow transgender people to enlist in military – AP (DIERSEN: In 1966, when I was 18 years old, I was 1-A for the draft notwithstanding the fact that my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, I had partial red/green color blindness, and I had Osgood-Schlatter disease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood%E2%80%93Schlatter_disease).)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20171211/news/312119901/
— Admin says big revenue from GOP tax plan; analysts less rosy – AP (DIERSEN: If itemized deductions are limited or cut, the housing market will crash and then the economy will crash.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20171212/news/312129975/

WTTW
— How Stress and Anxiety Are Hurting Children – Alexandra Silets (DIERSEN: How much stress were you under when you were young? When you were in high school, were you “college material?” While I attended Crete-Monee High School 1962-1966, I took college preparatory courses notwithstanding the fact that many, if not most, if not virtually everyone at the time viewed me as NOT being “college material.” Neither of my parents had attended college. My father was the first of his ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I spent my junior and senior years and the summer in between washing dishes for the minimum wage in the basement of the S.S. Kresges in Chicago Heights. I just barely made into the top 20% of my class, my ACT score was only 24, I was draft bait, my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, I had partial red/green color blindness, and I had Osgood-Schlatter disease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood%E2%80%93Schlatter_disease).)
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/12/11/how-stress-and-anxiety-are-hurting-children

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Westerfield, Hicks, Senor among candidates hit with petition objections – Bernard Schoenburg (DIERSEN: Of the candidates who want to be on March 20, 2018 Republican primary ballots in your precinct, which ones have been hit with petition objections? The contested races in my precinct are a) Rauner/Sanguinetti and Ives/Morthland, b) Harold and Grasso, c) Minor, Grant, Byrne, and Augustynowicz, d) Mendrick and Bibbiano, e) McGowen, Almiron, Eckhoff, Zaruba, Tatro, and Chinchilla, and f) Russo and MacKay.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171211/westerfield-hicks-senor-among-candidates-hit-with-petition-objections

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Champaign/Urbana News Gazette promotes Pritzker. To promote Pritzker is to promote pot. To promote pot is to promote destruction.
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2017-12-12/pritzker-run-keeps-picking-steam.html

TIMES
— James Marter, through a supporter, filed an objection to the petitions of another candidate, Jaye DeBates. – David Giuliani
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/gop-hopeful-s-petition-challenged/article_d18ffc81-43c4-5216-a935-b5e38f01b279.html

CHICAGO MAROON
— UC Dems Condemn College Republicans for Staying Silent on Roy Moore – University of Chicago Democrats (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, members of Group A call for everyone to condemn members of Group B. Members of Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and members Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.chicagomaroon.com/article/2017/12/12/uc-dems-condemn-college-republicans-staying-silent/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— EMANUEL on COLBERT – Natasha Korecki (DIERSEN: How soon, if not already, will Emanuel officially banish individuals, organizations, and companies from Chicago that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time, like Hitler banished Jews from Germany?)
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2017/12/12/politico-illinois-playbook-emanuels-alabama-worries-rauner-berrios-want-to-fire-each-other-229989
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s comeback tour took a swing through the Late Night world as he sat down with host Stephen Colbert to trash Trump, talk Chicago as a sanctuary city and promote his podcast. Emanuel talked about declaring Chicago a “Trump-free zone.” “Our motto: A city he’ll never sleep in,” Emanuel said. “We don’t want him.” Colbert asks how he can do that when there’s a Trump hotel. Emanuel plowed ahead, listing ways he’s combated Trump policies through legal challenges and policy initiatives, including on the environment. When Colbert pressed Emanuel on the legality of immigration policies, the mayor dipped into his oft-told tale about the grandson of an immigrant becoming the mayor of Chicago. “That doesn’t necessarily answer my question,” Colbert challenged. “How does it not violate federal law?” Emanuel then said it wasn’t the job of Chicago police to enforce immigration policies.)

UPSTREAM IDEAS
— “Rauner Is The Fringe Candidate” (DIERSEN: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. If you run as a Republican, the more planks in the Republican Party platform that you reject, the more of a fringe candidate that you are. You definitely are a fringe candidate if you reject the traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, gambling, Second Amendment, or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks.)
http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/rauner-is-the-fringe-candidate

WIRE POINTS
— When will Springfield accept the blame for the pension crisis? – Ted Dabrowski
http://www.wirepoints.com/dabrowski-when-will-springfield-accept-the-blame-for-the-pension-crisis-opinion-chicago-tribune/

NORTH COOK NEWS
— 53rd District candidate Katie Miller says immigration legislation wrong for Illinois – Angela Underwood
https://northcooknews.com/stories/511287106-53rd-district-candidate-says-immigration-legislation-wrong-for-illinois

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Nybo wants health care providers kept in the loop on state’s new Medicare program – Angela Underwood
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511287105-nybo-wants-health-care-providers-kept-in-the-loop-on-state-s-new-medicare-program
— Conroy opponent Jay Kinzler disagrees with law establishing sanctuary state – Chandra Lye
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511289193-conroy-opponent-disagrees-with-law-establishing-sanctuary-state

WILL COUNTY NEWS
— GOP Rep. McSweeney: “The ‘Fringe Candidate’ Is Bruce Rauner. He Stands For Nothing.” – Steve Balich
http://willcountynews.com/2017/12/12/gop-rep-mcsweeney-the-fringe-candidate-is-bruce-rauner-he-stands-for-nothing/

METRO EAST SUN
— Don Moore says making Illinois a sanctuary state is ‘pandering to the left’ – Carrie Bradon
https://metroeastsun.com/stories/511292443-moore-says-making-illinois-a-sanctuary-state-is-pandering-to-the-left

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois lawmakers allowed to pick which harassment cases their own ethics watchdog pursues – Cole Lauterbach
https://www.ilnews.org/news/justice/illinois-lawmakers-allowed-to-pick-which-harassment-cases-their-own/article_82da2cc0-dec0-11e7-b3f0-bf2bcb4a1c51.html
— As release of 2017 numbers approaches, will Illinois continue to lead the nation in population decline? – Cole Lauterbach (DIERSEN: Obviously, Democrats want Republican individuals, organizations, and companies to leave Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and my precinct, and especially those that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/as-release-of-numbers-approaches-will-illinois-continue-to-lead/article_98c3eb90-dc57-11e7-8309-bba5270b5f2f.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Rauner releases new digital ad “Nightmare for Illinois”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/rauner-releases-new-digital-ad-nightmare-for-illinois/
— Dodge says Rauner is doing what he can “to put Illinois on the right track”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/dodge-says-rauner-is-doing-what-he-can-to-put-illinois-on-the-right-track/
— Biss crows about straw poll result
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/biss-crows-about-straw-poll-result/
— Rauner piles on Claypool
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/12/rauner-piles-on-claypool/

GOPUSA
— With three weeks left in year, Chicago exceeds 630 homicides
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=34983
— Women realizing harassment accusations could backfire in workplaces
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=34952

DAILY CALLER
— GOP Tax Bill Will Cause Dem States To Face Reality – Robert Donachie (DIERSEN: The GOP tax bill will make those who have itemized their deductions pay more federal income taxes. Those who have itemized their deductions are typically homeowners, those who have high medical and dental expenses, and/or those who give more money to 501(c)(3) organizations.)
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/11/gop-tax-bill-will-cause-dem-states-to-face-reality/
— Sarah Sanders Gets Into It With CNN Over Fake News Question: ‘I’m Not Finished!’ – Benny Johnson (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, a) the only news that is not fake new is the news that they put out and b) GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are full of fake news because they contain links to articles written those who they do not like. My critics/opponents a) refuse to keep diersen@aol.com on their press advisory and press release lists. They do not want me to know about their events and other activities. They do not want me to promote their events and other activities. They do not want me to attend their events. They do not want me to report on their events. They paint themselves as being anti-Diersen.)
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/11/sarah-sanders-gets-into-it-with-cnn-over-fake-news-question-im-not-finished/

REUTERS
— Trump’s push to cut federal jobs has modest impact, mostly in defense – Jason Lange (DIERSEN: Democrats have always run GAO. During the 1980s and 1990s, Republican push to cut GAO jobs had a tremendously negative impact on GAO employees like me who were Republican, White, male, older, and non-veteran. When I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980, I was already “old,” I was 31 years old.)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-effect-federal-employment/trumps-push-to-cut-federal-jobs-has-modest-impact-mostly-in-defense-idUSKBN1E61DK

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Escalates His Criticism of the News Media, Fueling National Debate – Peter Baker and Sydney Ember (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who since 2000 have demonstrated the most hatred against me because of what I do for you as your GOPUSA Illinois Editor. They blame me for their problems, for your problems, for my problems, and for everyone’s problems. They blame me for all the losses that Republican candidates have suffered in Illinois since 2000.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/us/politics/trump-news-media-new-york-times.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: President Trump has escalated his fiery attacks on the news media, seizing on a recent string of mistaken reports to bolster his case that he is being persecuted by a left-leaning establishment out to bring him down and fueling a national debate over truth, accountability and a free press. In a series of broadsides reflecting his own profound grievances while also resonating with his populist conservative base, Mr. Trump castigated ABC News for a “horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report,” declared that CNN’s slogan should be “THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS” and insisted that a Washington Post reporter “should be fired.” While every president has groused about his coverage, Mr. Trump has proved to be the most vocal and visceral news media critic in the Oval Office in at least a generation. In recent days, news outlets have provided him ammunition with reporting errors. But the barrage has deepened concern among media executives about what they see as a concerted campaign to discredit independent journalism. The tension erupted Monday in the White House briefing room when Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the president’s press secretary, engaged in a testy exchange with reporters. She said bias in news reports has gotten “out of control” and “should be taken seriously,” dismissing journalists who attributed recent errors to honest mistakes that were corrected.)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps shout that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things. What did Hitler say that Jews in Germany were during the 1930s and 1940s?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opinion/white-supremacy-caucus.html

WASHINGTON POST
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE IN THE DAILY HERALD: #MeToo spotlight increasingly pointed at past Trump conduct – Jonathan Lemire
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/metoo-spotlight-increasingly-pointed-at-past-trump-conduct/2017/12/11/edb625de-ded5-11e7-b2e9-8c636f076c76_story.html

USA TODAY
— America’s growing income inequality The chairman of the world’s biggest hedge fund is worried about the growing wealth gap in America. – John Maxfield (DIERSEN: What would your superiors say that they did to fight income inequality? My Democrat GAO superiors would stress that they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. My Democrat IRS superiors would stress that they did not promote me beyond GS-12, that they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and that they disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974. My Democrat Post Office superiors would stress that they forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968. My aforesaid Democrat superiors would stress that the aforesaid adverse actions that they took against me directly benefited their employees who were poor, and especially their poor employees who were Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/12/12/a-foolish-take-americas-growing-income-inequality/108303078/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— White House Opposes Push by Trump Accusers for Sexual-Misconduct Probe President faced more than a dozen allegations of sexual-misconduct during campaign, which he has denied – Rebecca Ballhaus
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-accusers-ask-congress-to-probe-sexual-misconduct-allegations-1513016298
— How the Richest Got That Way – Gregory Clark (DIERSEN: Where did your wealth come from? My wealth came from a) money that I earned by doing yard work and delivering newspapers 1962-1964; washing dishes 1964-1966; cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, and pumping gasoline in 1966; delivering mail 1966-1969; working on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumping gasoline 1971-1972; collecting delinquent taxes 1971-1980; and auditing federal agencies 1980-1997 and b) my Civil Service Retirement System pension since 1997 and Social Security since 2010.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-how-the-richest-got-that-way-1513036026

ZERO HEDGE
— “I Feel Tremendous Guilt”: Former Facebook Exec Says Company Is “Ripping Apart The Social Fabric Of Society” – Tyler Durden
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-11/i-feel-tremendous-guilt-former-facebook-exec-says-company-ripping-apart-social-fabri