Tag: pension

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Brandon Johnson’s City Hall can’t find anyone willing to collect debt on the city’s behalf. Shocking, but hardly surprising. DD: Just kidding, but should form a company to collect those debts? I 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 $100,059-$113,402/year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/09/editorial-brandon-johnson-debt-collection-budget-banks-aldermen/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has informed aldermen that a proposed sale of outstanding debts owed to the city of Chicago, which was supposed to net $90 million in this year’s budget, is garnering no interest from banks or other financial services firms. The apparent failure of the debt sale looks like it will blow a hole in the current year’s budget that will need to be addressed, although the size of that shortfall is yet to be determined. We certainly agree with members of the council majority who included the debt sale among other revenue-raising measures that the mayor and his administration gave their idea no real chance of succeeding. From the start, Johnson castigated the plan to sell some of the $8 billion owed to the city in unpaid ambulance charges, water bills, red-light and speeding camera tickets and other obligations as “immoral” and “morally bankrupt.” This page rejected his argument, saying among other things that it’s unfair to the people who pay their debts to give a tacit pass to those who just don’t. Johnson allowed the budget containing the proposed debt law to become law without his signature.)

HERALD WHIG
— Bailey pledges to lead Illinois with integrity.
https://whig.com/2026/08/08/bailey-pledges-to-lead-illinois-with-integrity/

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/article_fbe4e232-596c-4374-8400-f8538c003d9e.html

ABC7
— DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/jim-durkin-illinois-house-republican-resigning/12678017/

VILLA PARK PATCH
— League of Women Voters “Unite & Rise” for Voting Rights!
https://patch.com/illinois/villa-park-il/calendar/event/20260808/2f82b133-686c-4891-a6ff-41630e21389c/league-of-women-voters-unite-rise-for-voting-rights

JUSTICE FOR ALL
— Justice For All is an American Human Rights organization, specifically advocating for the rights of Muslim minorities. Its main office is located in Chicago, with additional teams in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Toronto, and Ottawa.
https://www.justiceforall.org/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— The Democratic Socialists Are Coming!
https://johnkassnews.com/the-democratic-socialists-are-coming/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— GOP State Senate Calls Out Democrats on Ethics
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/gop-state-senate-calls-out-democrats-on-ethics/
— 80 Years for Gun Toting Marengo Circle K Robber
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/80-years-for-marengo-circle-k-robber/
— DeWitte Criticizes Chicago School District’s Lust for Money from the Rest of Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/dewitte-criticizes-chicago-school-districts-lust-for-money-from-the-rest-of-illinois/
— Where School Spending Goes
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/where-school-spending-goes/
— State Senator Darby Hills Explains New E-Bike Law and Channel 7
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/darby-hills-explains-new-e-bike-law-and-channel-7/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The media act like cheerleaders with press credentials — they’re supposed to be instant replay. DD: The mainstream news media exists a) to elect and to reelect Democrats and b) to defeat Republicans.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4674625/media-bias-objective-journalism-press-referees/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Wealth Taxes Don’t Work. Envy is the second of the seven deadly sins, and Zohran Mamdani seems to want a more envious New York (and America). Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/wealth-taxes-don-t-work/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Inciting envy is the modus operandi of all socialists. It is their means of fomenting division and attracting voters, but it is a particularly ugly way of doing so because it demeans the very people they would lead and creates the potential for violence.  One reason envy is so destructive is that it saps the initiative of those who might otherwise be striving to improve their own situation.  Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up?  This has always been the American way, but socialists undermine this healthy instinct and replace it with the promise of equality of outcomes, which is their means of gaining power.  Anyone who has studied the history of socialism knows that it does not produce equality.
Zohran Mamdani and others like to pretend wealth taxes can produce enough revenue to pay for their promises of free transportation, free daycare, subsidized groceries, and even Medicare for all.)
— How Little has Changed Between ‘Political Correctness’ and ‘Woke.’
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/how-little-has-changed-between-political-correctness-and-woke/
— The Democrat embrace of Islamo-socialism is party suicide.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/the-democrat-embrace-of-islamo-socialism-is-party-suicide-comments/
— The Mohammunist Manifesto—Public Or Private, Nothing Is Beyond Our Control. Whether the government is Islamic or communist, the leaders can reach into every sphere of life and can truly make the rules up as they go along.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/the-mohammunist-manifesto-public-or-private-nothing-is-beyond-our-control/

BREITBART
— Reject Cheap Foreign Labor. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/08/reject-cheap-foreign-labor-former-utah-rep-jason-chaffetz-condemns-sen-john-curtiss-amnesty-plan/
— Democrats Are Running to Destroy the Country, They Want to Blow Up the Constitution.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/08/blackburn-democrats-running-to-destroy-the-country-they-want-to-blow-up-the-constitution/amp/

COLLEGE FIX
— Illegal alien students demand U. California system comply with court ruling, hire them for campus jobs.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/illegal-alien-students-demand-u-california-system-comply-with-court-ruling-hire-them-for-campus-jobs/
— The Education Department is being praised by some for recently ending its disparate impact race-quota regulations, with an editorial in The Washington Post arguing civil rights laws “exists to protect individuals from discrimination, not to guarantee equal statistical outcomes.” The department in late July removed disparate impact from Title VI regulations, meaning it will no longer treat neutral school policies or practices that produce unequal outcomes by race as violations of federal law. DD: To curry favor with minorities and with females, my critics/opponents want equal outcome. Only about 20% of those who take the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations pass the examinations on their first attempt like I did. Virtually all of those who passed the examinations on their first attempt with me were White males.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/in-washington-post-education-department-praised-for-ending-outcome-based-discrimination-rules/

FEDERALIST
— RINOs Are Tanking The Entire Republican Party, Not Just Trump. DD: RINOs fail/refuse to defend and advance the Republican Party platform.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/07/rinos-are-tanking-the-entire-republican-party-not-just-trump/
— The Average Man Rejected Socialism. White Affluent Liberals Chose It For Him. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/05/the-average-man-rejected-socialism-white-affluent-liberals-chose-it-for-him/

FOX BUSINESS
— America is the envy of the world.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403015347112

FOX NEWS
— Socialism appeals to young voters because the ideology allows them to blame external systems rather than taking personal responsibility. DD: According to my critics/opponents, if I had worked in the private sector instead of the public sector, I would not have gotten the promotions that I got. According to my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, if I had worked for GAO instead of IRS, I would not have gotten promoted to GS-9 (currently $68,999/year) when I was 23 in 1972, to GS-11 (currently $83,482/year) when I was 24 in 1973, and to GS-12 (currently $100,059/year) when I was 25 in 1974. They stress that I did not earn an MBA until I was 27 in 1976 and that I did not pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30 in 1979. They used that to force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 (currently $113,403/year) to GS-9 Step 10 (currently $89,703/year).
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/truth-socialisms-appeal-young-voters-115047273.html
— Gen Z spending faces scrutiny amid affordability concerns. DD: While I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, I took and analyzed financial statements from many taxpayers who wanted payment agreements.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403080483112
— Vance slams blue states for failing to verify welfare eligibility.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403054464112

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Socialists Want the DNC to Sign Its Own Death Warrant.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/the-socialists-want-the-dnc-to-sign-its-own-death-warrant/
— A Foreseeable and Dire Munitions Crisis. DD: I worked for GAO on an audit of the Department of Defense FY 1990 ammunition budget request. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-90-23.pdf
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/a-foreseeable-and-dire-munitions-crisis/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA28yb43
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/08/politics/video/smerconish-will-the-democratic-party-become-the-party-of-democratic-socialism

AOL
— DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-sending-kids-college-become-100232000.html

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— Republicans Must Stop Being Democrat-Lite. DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-gops-problem-in-its-strategies-or-its-policies/republicans-must-stop-being-democrat-lite
— Affordable New Cars With Lots of Horsepower in 2026. DD: Because I wanted to buy a new car before I graduated from Crete-Monee High School in 1966, In May of 1966, I bought a new Pontiac Tempest Sprint  ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ), a poor man’s GTO, instead of a GTO. But then my Park Forest Post Office salary enabled me to buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and then a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/cheap-cars-with-a-lot-of-horsepower
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Our Top Picks  Overall: 2026 Ford Mustang — The Ford Mustang rolls into 2026 with a few styling tweaks and no other changes, which means this sports car is still a fantastic driving machine.)

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Gains a Loyal Enabler at the Justice Dept. DD: My critics/opponents was loyal enablers. They destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify or praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/us/politics/blanche-attorney-general-doj-trump-power.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/us/politics/gustavo-gordillo-democratic-socialists.html
— DD: Socialists win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of capitalism. Democrats win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of Republicans. All my coworkers who my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors promoted over me did little or nothing to get promoted. They got promoted because they were Democrats, minorities, females, and/or veterans. To get promoted, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and a job-related professional license (CPA). All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had. Consequently, because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, my Democrat IRS superiors beyond GS-12, and my Democrat GAO superiors beyond GS-13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/opinion/socialist-wave-democratic-party.html
— The Bagpiper’s Endless Quest for a Place to Practice. DD: Between 2005 and 2019, I raised $2,500 a year from Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders for “DuPage Republicans” to be the lead sponsor for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. My critics/opponents ended that by stopping sponsorships. $1,000 each year of the money I raised was for bagpipers to walk in the parades. My critics/opponents do not like, if not despise, if not hate bagpipers. For them, they walked too slow.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/nyregion/bagpipes-new-york.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG GRAPHIC: How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots. Melting pot, tapestry, mosaic, kaleidoscope, salad bowl. Every cliché is true. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me the fact that all my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany during the 1840s and 1850s when slavery was legal. In their defense, I have always stressed that they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/us/america-identity-ancestry-census.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After 1840, immigration from Western Europe began to rise quickly as political instability in Germany and the famine in Ireland drove people to leave. Asian immigrants, drawn by the discovery of gold in California in 1848, were recruited to work on farms and railroads. Later in the 19th century, pogroms across Eastern Europe and the aftermath of Italian reunification drove a surge of migration to the United States. From 1880 to 1920, 24 million immigrants arrived. They went almost everywhere except the South, where the land-owning elite already had cheap labor from the formerly enslaved and poor tenant farmers. Cities swelled. In 1910, according to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, three-quarters of the residents of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and New York City were immigrants or children of immigrants.)
— FRONT PAGE: For More College Graduates, Moving Home Is a No-Brainer. DD: I lived with and helped support my mother and brother in Crete for 25 months after I graduated from college. My father died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in October of 1969. He was earning $50,000/year in today’s dollars. My mother had never attended high school, she had never worked outside the home, and my brother was having problems. I graduated from NIU in August of 1970 and I got a job working for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights that month. I applied for and I got a financial hardship draft deferment. I lived with them in Crete and helped support them until September of 1972 when I bought a new townhome in University Park.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/business/college-graduates-living-at-home.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Moving Back Home After College? All Your Friends Are Doing It. More young adults are living with their parents. The development suggests that they face a weak job market, but also that fewer face stigma in returning to the roost.)

UNION LEADER
— Socialism is a sin and a death sentence for America.
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/mary-jane-beauregard-socialism-is-a-sin-and-a-death-sentence-for-america/article_5dd566ea-6124-47bb-82b0-66b1a4e219d9.html

DALLAS EXPRESS
— Why Young Americans Are Turning To Socialism — And What JD Vance Says Must Change.
https://dallasexpress.com/national/why-young-americans-are-turning-to-socialism-and-what-jd-vance-says-must-change/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Vance stated that “A lot of Americans look at this rising tide of socialism and say, ‘How did we get here?’ We got here by 40 years of bipartisan leaders selling our industrial base to foreign countries, allowing low-wage immigrants to come in and compete with Americans for jobs, by destroying the foundation of the middle class. That’s how you got socialism.” He continued: “How you fix that problem is by doubling down on Donald Trump’s economic nationalism, not going back to the way we’ve done things for the past 40 years. It’s failed everywhere it’s tried, and it always leads to socialism. It always leads exactly where we are. The only way to get out of it is to double down on the economics of the past 18 months.” Vance also described Democratic candidates he called “limousine socialists” as offering redistribution rather than industry or good jobs, saying manufacturing remains the foundation of middle-class prosperity.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics. Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/ice-surveillance-internet-critics-e3b22f49

24/7 WALL STREET
— Only 30% of Americans Ever Receive an Inheritance. Those Who Do Get It at 58, Not 30. DD: My wife and I never anticipated receiving inheritances. Therefore, we lived our lives like that. We saved as much as we could for our retirement.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/06/24/only-30-of-americans-ever-receive-an-inheritance-those-who-do-get-it-at-58-not-30/

MONEY LION
— These 16 US Colleges Now Cost More Than $100K a Year. DD: University of Chicago is $103,821/year. Back in the good old days, in 1970, I was able to graduate debt-free with a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE a) by working part-time for the Park Forest Post Office while classes were in session and full-time during the summers 1966-1969 and b) by living with my parents in Crete while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. In today’s dollars, my postal salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour.
https://www.aol.com/articles/16-us-colleges-now-cost-153011000.html

COMPLETE COLORADO
— Democratic socialism is just an opening act for communism. Socialism is a devil’s brew of delusional utopianism, economic malpractice, hatred of capitalism, and unlimited government control of every aspect of our lives. It’s a philosophy based on envy and resentment dressed up as “social justice.”
https://completecolorado.com/2026/08/03/democratic-socialism-opening-act-communism/

COLORADO POLS
— Pence Slams Trump at Revamped Western Conservative Summit. DD: Ever-increasingly, the more conservative that you are, that is, the more conservative principles that you promote, that is, the more planks in the Republican Party platform that you promote, the faster that you are gotten rid of. I am no longer a) the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks, b) the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, c) an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, and d) the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster.
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/227239/pence-slams-trump-at-western-conservative-summit
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “In our movement there are people who have been nibbling away at the very principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free and have defined a conservative agenda,” said former Vice President Mike Pence, CCU’s newest 2026 faculty member, who refused President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “In fact, in many respects in recent years we’ve seen our movement toss about at a tempest of populism, protectionism, and on occasion even isolationism. On the world stage, we saw the administration’s initial stops and starts when it comes to Ukraine after that brutal and unprovoked invasion by Russia four years ago. I have held since that moment that America, as the leader of the free world, should continue to marshal the West to give the brave Ukrainian people what they need to repel and defeat that Russian invasion. “At home, we’ve seen the rise of protectionist policies,” continued Pence. “The so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs of a year ago represented the largest tax increase in American history, imposed on friend and foe alike. They impacted families, literally at the grocery store and at the counter. We’ve also witnessed populist policies that have taken on the free market tradition of our movement, nationalizing American businesses. The headlines this morning are that a dozen more businesses have received direct equity investments by the federal government. And we’ve seen price controls on everything from consumer credit to medicines. And perhaps most troubling to traditional conservatives like me is there’s been a marked departure, a marginalizing of our commitment to the sanctity of human life.”)

ALTOONA MIRROR
— Reunions a time to reflect, reconnect. DD: Sadly, it looks like there will not be a 60th reunion for my Crete-Monee High School Class of 1966. Sadly, my interaction with my classmates decreased dramatically during my junior and senior years because I worked 28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between washing dishes for the minimum wage in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights.
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2026/08/reunions-a-time-to-reflect-reconnect/

POST AND COURIER
— Education pathways to prosperity.  DD: When you were young, what did you do to advance your career? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981.
https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/education-pathways-to-prosperity/article_8678cc81-0b75-40e0-a27c-9d7c1d27ff10.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: August marks back-to-school season. It’s a season filled with anticipation for new coursework and academic progress, but also a time for students and families to reflect on the career pathways that education can help make possible. It’s understandable that many young people are questioning the value of higher education. National student loan debt now exceeds $1.87 trillion, with borrowers in South Carolina carrying an average balance of about $34,000 per learner, slightly below the national average of roughly $37,000 to $39,000. Meanwhile, unemployment among South Carolinians ages 16 to 24 is approximately 9.2 percent, twice the state’s overall unemployment rate of 4.6 percent. While concerns about the value of college are very real, the data indicate that post-secondary education still provides the best pathways to increased lifetime income. In South Carolina, community college graduates will earn $220,000 to $335,000 more over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma. Four-year graduates (including transfer students) will earn nearly $800,000 more over their lifetime. However, the biggest barriers to obtaining a college degree are cost, time to completion, accessibility and flexibility to accommodate competing life priorities. Certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. Post-secondary education provides multiple pathways to economic success through professional certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The key is to choose the pathways that offer the best job security and ROI. Professional certificates are the fastest and least expensive way to earn a credential that validates a desired skillset. Certificates can serve as a stackable on-ramp toward a degree, provide timely skills, or help you qualify for upward mobility.)

TRIB LIVE
— Potential of 3-year bachelor’s degrees spark debate of affordability, quality. DD: Immediately after I completed 16 graduate evening business courses one course at a time 1972-1976 and earned an MBA from Loyola, Loyola cut its requirement for an MBA to 12 courses if you had a bachelor’s degree in business which I did. My not earning an MBA sooner than I did harmed my IRS career.
https://community.triblive.com/news/4110996

CENTER FOR RETIREMENT RESEARCH
— Let’s Elect Candidates Who Will Make the Wealthy Pay Taxes. DD: The less income you have, the less income tax that you pay.
https://crr.bc.edu/lets-elect-candidates-who-will-make-the-wealthy-pay-taxes/

COMMON DREAMS
— Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class? DD: My critics/opponents look down on if not despise the working class. I was a member of the working class 1962-1997.  I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/who-is-the-working-class

LAW
— DD: Democrats and RINOs will always use Affirmative Action, DEI, and wokeness/wokeism to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.law.com/article/almID/53G6-WMG1-JBM3-R52C-00000-00/

FEDERAL RETIREMENT
— DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I qualified myself for both a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension, currently $68,640/year, and Social Security, currently $18,712/year. I paid into Social Security for 10 years and into CSRS for almost 30 years including into both at the same time for almost 3 years. While I worked part-time for the Post Office for almost 3 years, I paid into both Social Security and CSRS and  got full-time CSRS credit even though I worked only part-time. They are beyond furious that because of a Bill that Biden signed, my Social Security increased from about $3,000/year to about $6,000/year and then to $18,712/year.
https://federalretirement.net/social-security/csrs-social-security/

COLLEGE NEWS
— Best U.S. Companies for Entry-Level Jobseekers. DD: After you earned your bachelor’s degree, what was your entry-level job? When I graduated from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in management in 1970, I accepted the only job offer that I got. It was to be the Retail Sales Manager for the Firestone Store in the Chicago Heights. Potential employers saw me as being draft bait. They did not believe that my application for a financial hardship draft deferment to help support my mother and brother would be approved. Because advancement working for Firestone looked bleak, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971, but Oldsmobile withdrew that offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My Firestone Store boss rudely fired me because I accepted that offer. Because I had to have a job, I accepted a job offer that I got from IRS. I had taken and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination while I was a NIU student.
https://www.collegenews.com/which-are-the-best-us-companies-for-entry-level-jobseekers/