Tag: pension

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— Protests held in Chicago over ICE shooting in Minneapolis, Trump admins military action in Venezuela. A major one held in the city temporarily brought the Magnificent Mile to a halt.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/protests-held-in-chicago-ice-shooting-military-action-venezuela/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois lawmakers return to Capitol facing $2.2B budget gap while pushing election-year affordability message
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/11/illinois-spring-legislative-session-2026/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/11/editorial-dont-blame-chicago-cops-for-ice-and-border-patrol-misconduct/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/charles-selle-column-immigrant-raids/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise their Venezuelans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/11/venezuela-chicago-maduro-immigration/
— DD: How soon will Democrats try to impeach Trump again?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/11/column-donald-trump-midterms-impeachment-venezuela-jan-6-page/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DD: Democrats call for arrest of ICE agent in fatal shooting. Will they succeed in making Renee Good George Floyd 2?
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/local/2026/01/10/protesters-in-springfield-called-for-the-arrest-of-an-ice-agent/88110144007/

SOUTHERN
— Illinoisans speak out amid childcare funding freeze. DD: Back in the good old days, my father earned enough money that my mother could stay home and raise me and my brother. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21.
https://thesouthern.com/news/we-cant-afford-to-do-this-illinoisans-speak-out-amid-child-care-funding-freeze/article_8f04a803-7a56-5ac1-8c7e-2d09b799bd37.html

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly organize against Republicans those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, have less money than others, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries. When will Republican leaders come to their defense? When will Republican leaders organize those who are the aforesaid? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinopis.com

JOHN KASS
— Democrats in the Cheeze Barrel with Walz
https://johnkassnews.com/democrats-in-the-barrel-with-walz/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Pro-Life Leader David Smith Endorses Dabrowski Even as Pro-Choice Democrat Donors Linked to Pritzker, Johnson Bankroll His Campaign
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/pro-life-leader-david-smith-endorses-dabrowski-even-as-pro-choice-democrat-donors-linked-to-pritzker-johnson-bankroll-his-campaign.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Elite colleges are admitting Asian students at incredible rates, post affirmative action. DD: According to Democrats and according to RINOs, Blacks and Hispanics have problems because Republicans discriminate against them. Do Asians succeed because Republicans do not discriminate against them?
https://www.aol.com/articles/elite-colleges-admitting-one-student-201500181.html

AMERICAN THINKER
— Local and state officials are complicit in attacks against ICE. Life has become increasingly difficult for ICE officers all over the country.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/local_and_state_officials_are_complicit_in_attacks_against_ice.html
— New York Dems’ childcare focus isn’t about the children. When both Hochul and Mamdani start doing the “it’s for the children” shtick, anyone even slightly cynical would question their motives. DD: My parents sending me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools in Crete and Park Forest 1953-1962 and Crete-Monee High School 1962-1966 put me on track to earn a) a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/a_cynic_s_guess_that_the_new_york_dems_childcare_focus_isn_t_about_the_children.html

DAILY CALLER
— Mamdani’s Socialist Child Care Plan And The American Baby Bust. DD: Back in the good old days, my father earned enough money that my mother could stay home and raise me and my brother. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/10/opinion-mamdanis-socialist-child-care-plan-and-the-american-baby-bust-andrew-moran/

FOX NEWS
— Washington Post rips Chicago Teachers Union for pursuing social justice initiatives as students struggle. The Post’s editorial board slammed the union for focusing on social justice initiatives ‘in a school district that can hardly teach kids to read and write.’ DD: My parents sending me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools in Crete and Park Forest 1953-1962 and Crete-Monee High School 1962-1966 put me on track to earn a) a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-rips-chicago-teachers-union-pursuing-social-justice-initiatives-students-struggle
— ICE arrests in Minnesota surge include numerous convicted child rapists, killers. Criminal illegal immigrants had deportation orders dating back decades.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ice-arrests-minnesota-surge-include-numerous-convicted-child-rapists-killers

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Rand Paul Highlights Government Waste. DD: Paul should highlight how the Democrats who ran the Post Office, IRS, and GAO wasted my career and forced to retire when I was 49 in 1997. They wasted what I learned earning a) a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), b) three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), c) six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and d) a job-related professional license (CPA).
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/rand-paul-highlights-wild-government-waste-in-annual-festivus-report/

REAL CLEAR POLICY
— Childcare Subsidy Fraud Makes Childcare Unaffordable. DD: Back in the good old days, my father earned enough money that my mother could stay home and raise me and my brother. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21.
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/2026/01/10/childcare_subsidy_fraud_makes_childcare_unaffordable_1158018.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— Omar rallies crowd at anti-ICE protest. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/11/us/video/ilhan-omar-mn-minneapolis-minnesota-ice-protest-renee-good-vrtc-digvid

MSN
— As average Americans cut back on vacations, luxury travel is booming. DD: My critics/opponents stress that because I avoided the Vietnam War draft, I could and did take vacations in 1969 and 1970 (Florida), 1971 (Bahamas), and 1973-1977 (Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Washington DC). They stress that because I got married in 1978 and my wife had a good job, we took vacations following her four business trips to luxury resorts across America each year 1978-1992. My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors, supervisors, and subordinates were furious about the aforesaid.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/as-average-americans-cut-back-on-vacations-luxury-travel-is-booming/ar-AA1Qi3g2

NEW YORK TIMES
— As Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA Pushes Into High Schools, Dissension Follows. DD: Who heads Turning Point USA in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/politics/charlie-kirk-turning-point-usa-high-schools.html
— 220,000 Fewer Workers: How Trump’s Cuts Affected Every Federal Agency. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/09/upshot/trump-workforce-cuts-table.html
— DD: Will Democrat leaders succeed in making Renee Good George Floyd 2?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/opinion/renee-good-minnesota-shooting-ice.html
— DD: How successful will Democrat leaders be making the Pope anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-those who have more money than others, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, anti-etc.?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/opinion/pope-leo-trump-world-order-peace.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you vote for Democrats, soon, healthcare will be free for Democrats
https://healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/nyt-can-we-really-afford-to-let-health

WASHINGTON POST
— Thousands protest ICE presence in Minneapolis and cities nationwide. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/10/nationwide-ice-protests-minneapolis-shooting/
— Trump’s 2026 affordability message. DD: What has helped you afford things? For me it includes a) my following conservative principles, b) my taking bad jobs that my peers would never stoop to take, c) my working my way through college, d) my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree, e) my earning three job-related master’s degrees, f) my earning six job-related professional certifications, and gf) my earning a job-related professional license. But according to my critic/opponents, the following has helped me far more than the aforesaid: a) my benefitting from discrimination against minorities and against females and b) my avoiding the Vietnam War draft.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/10/trump-affordability-gop-midterms/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote LGBTQ, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/01/10/dating-with-intention/
— More workers are stuck in part-time jobs in warning for the economy. The share of workers with multiple jobs is at its highest level in more than 25 years, as Americans cobble together new work arrangements. DD: My pumping gasoline part-time for a Firestone Store in Chicago Heights 1971-1972 while I worked for IRS in Chicago and then in Harvey helped me a) help support my mother and brother 1971-1972, b) buy a new Corvette in 1971, c) pay for graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972, and d) buy and furnish a new townhome in University Park in 1972.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/08/multiple-part-time-jobs-economy/

FOX CAROLINA
— Lawmakers target housing affordability as top 2026 priority. DD: Where did your first down payment come from? For me, back in the good old days, it came from what I earned a) working for IRS for 15 months and b) working for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. I bought a new townhome in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 years old in 1972. In addition, I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971 and I paid for graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972. According to Zillow, if that townhome was for sale today, you could buy it for $92,200.  In today’s dollars, when I bought it in 1972, my IRS salary was $68,999/year.
https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/01/10/lawmakers-target-housing-affordability-top-2026-priority/

DESERET NEWS
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that to succeed in America if you are a minority or a female, you have to get massive government preference and assistance, and that if you do not succeed, it is because older White male Republicans discriminated against you. My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that at everyone around them.
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2026/01/10/upward-mobility-act-benefit-cliffs-state-welfare/

EXPRESS NEWS
— Repaying student loans is a personal responsibility
https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/letters-editor/article/personal-responsibility-student-loans-21282640.php

BLOOMBERG
— Why stay on the job when you can clearly retire? Staying on the job despite being able to retire often comes down to personal fulfillment, purpose or practical considerations. You may love your work, finding it meaningful or energizing, and retiring might feel like losing a part of your identity. Financially, staying employed can further boost your already substantial savings, delay you tapping into retirement funds, or maintain benefits such as health insurance, which is projected to increase significantly. DD: When I was 45 years old In 1993, to get rid of their employees like me who had 25 or more years of federal service, who they had not promoted into their Senior Executive Service (currently $197,200/year), and were Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran, my Democrat GAO superiors “offered” us a $25,000 ($55,600 in today’s dollars) buyout if we took early retirement. The buyout “offer” expired in 1 year and the early retirement “offer’ in 4 years. I survived until their early retirement offer expired when I was 49 on September 30, 1997. Being forced to retire early is devastating. I should write about that.
https://www.boomermagazine.com/ready-for-retirement/

FORBES
— Forbes America’s Best Employers For Company Culture 2025. DD: Culture is code for politics. If you do not share your employer’s politics, your employer will waste your career and get rid of you. The federal government is Democrat employer. It wastes the careers of its Republican employees and gets rid of its Republican employees. The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because I was not active in Republican politics and they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. As they ever-increasingly realized that I would never become a Democrat, they ever-increasingly wasted my career. It all culminated in their forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.forbes.com/lists/employers-culture/
— 90% Of Companies Make Better Hires Based On Skills Over Degrees. DD: GAO audits IRS. To outrageously, disgustingly, and falsely justify forcing me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled what I had learned a) working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, b) almost completing the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting, c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and d) earning an MBA in 1976. They ignored/dismissed/belittled the fact that what much of what IRS Revenue Officers do is every similar to what GAO Analysts do. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cynthiapong/2024/12/26/90-of-companies-make-better-hires-based-on-skills-over-degrees/

FED SMITH
— Can OPM Make Federal Service ‘Cool’ Again? Lessons from JFK for Today’s Workforce. President Kennedy made federal service aspirational in the 1960s. OPM Director Scott Kupor is trying to do the same today—modernizing government to attract the next generation. DD: What is your attitude toward federal employees and federal retirees? I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and I have been a federal retiree for more than 28 years. Anyone considering working for the federal government should be advised that they will be despised/hated by virtually everyone. I would not have become a postal employee when I was 18 in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment examination. I would not have become an IRS employee when I was 22 in 1971 if my Firestone Store boss had not rudely fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/01/07/can-opm-make-federal-service-cool-again/

HR MAGAZINE
— Benefits of being an equal opportunity employer. DD: Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI are the opposites of equal opportunity.  Democrat and RINO employers use AA and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/corporate-wellness/benefits-of-being-an-equal-opportunity-employer/420021

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

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER
— ‘She could have been any of us’: Faith leaders mourn Renee Good in Minneapolis. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://www.ncronline.org/news/she-could-have-been-any-us-faith-leaders-mourn-renee-good-minneapolis

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

AL JAZEERA
— Rallies across US after ICE agent kills Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Protests erupt after ICE agent fatally shoots mother of three, fueling anger at Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/1/11/rallies-across-us-after-ice-agent-kills-renee-nicole-good-in-minneapolis

DAILY MAIL
— Anti-ICE protests explode across the country as irate demonstrators flood Austin and LA streets after Renee Good’s death. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15453195/Anti-ICE-protests-explode-country-irate-demonstrators-flood-Austin-LA-streets-Renee-Goods-death.html

INDEPENDENT
— Protests erupt across the country after Renee Good’s death as new footage of shooting released. Demonstrations, named ‘ICE Out for Good’ demand accountability for ICE officers and remember Renee Good. DD: If/when ICE comes to your county, township, and/or  municipality, how successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Democrat protests?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ice-shooting-minneapolis-victim-video-live-updates-b2898038.html

OBSERVER
— Pensioners have been cushioned for too long. It’s time for Labour to get off the sofa on welfare. DD: Are you a pensioner? Ever since my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, I have gotten a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension of $68,640/year in today’s dollars. That is $1.95 million in today’s dollars. If I was still working for GAO, I would gotten none of that $1.95 million and I would have paid 7% of my salary into the CSRS all that time.
https://observer.co.uk/news/opinion-and-ideas/article/pensioners-have-been-cushioned-for-too-long-its-time-for-labour-to-get-off-the-sofa-on-welfare