December 26 Morning Edition

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Abuse claims of Human Services residents up, reviews slower – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/abuse-claims-of-human-services-residents-up-reviews-slower/
— How solid local journalism delivered in Chicago in 2017 – Madeleine Doubek (DIERSEN: Many in Illinois first learn of what investigative journalists deliver by reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/chicago-illinois-failed-people-2017-doubek/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Those are just some of the gifts we got this year from the investigative journalists at the Better Government Association where I work.)

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Generation Grumpy is frustrated – Editorial (DIERSEN: What did you do during your “prime earning years” age 45-54? When I was 49 years old in 1997, my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer.” My ending salary in today’s dollars was $122,991. My Civil Service Retirement System pension is only $50,856.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-grumpy-20171212-story.html
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Look around. At year’s end markets are up, this nation’s rate of economic growth is rising and paychecks are about to get bigger. Americans 45 to 54 years old see all of this, sure. But they also have economic war stories to mull. In their adult lives they’ve experienced a remarkable mix of boom and bust, pleasure and pain. Yes, their income and net worth have grown, but this group also has endured several recessions and stock market crashes, plus the upheaval of globalization and the arrival of the internet. Now they’re in prime earning years, with retirement on the horizon, unhappy with their economic state of being. They are grumpy, in fact. “Let’s call them the Grumpy Middle,” data analysis reporter Robert Gebeloff writes in The New York Times. “They are unhappier than previous generations. And they’ve been this way for years.” This rings true. We know some fine people in their 50s still shaking off the effects of the 2007-09 Great Recession. The value of their homes declined, their retirement accounts went backward and they took pay cuts or missed out on better raises. They are worried because they need to make up for those lost years before they’re handed gold (or maybe tin?) watches.)
— Lessons learned from coming out at work (DIERSEN: From what I see as those who promote LGBTQ activity take over the world, if you do not promote LGBTQ activity, those who promote LGBTQ activity, their operatives, and their dupes will get rid of you.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/success/fastcompany/tca-lessons-learned-from-coming-out-at-work-20171110-story.html
— 4 myths about safe spaces at NU and other campuses – Morton Schapiro (DIERSEN: Those who promote safe places are filled with hatred of individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-safe-spaces-snowflake-myths-pc-university-universities-northwestern-university-morton-schapiro-1226-story.html

 

DAILY HERALD
— Stocking full of coal: Illinois shrinkage poses major problems – Austin Berg
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171226/stocking-full-of-coal-illinois-shrinkage-poses-major-problems
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Trump says “As the year ends, the moral authority of the presidency is in tatters.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171226/as-the-year-ends-the-moral-authority-of-the-presidency-is-in-tatters
— FRONT PAGE: You can’t overstate power of information – Editorial (DIERSEN: Since 2000, according to my critics/opponents, everything in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails has been “fake news.” According to my critics/opponents, the only government and political news and commentary that is not fake is that which they publish.)
http://e-edition.dailyherald.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=3d07b42a-29db-4211-8017-3f990e817c62
— PAGE 6: The heart of the threat facing free press The ongoing dangerous assault on the media demands constant, staunch response – Editorial (DIERSEN: Since 2000, according to my critics/opponents, everything in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails has been “fake news.” According to my critics/opponents, the only government and political news and commentary that is not fake is that which they publish.)
http://e-edition.dailyherald.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=3d07b42a-29db-4211-8017-3f990e817c62

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, and Aaron DeGroot, communications director for the Illinois Republican Party, took to Twitter on Christmas Day to announce some personal news. “We’re getting married!,” Bourne tweeted.
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171225/state-rep-avery-bourne-aaron-degroot-engaged
— Ex-administrators fault management in nursing home closure fallout – Dean Olsen
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171226/ex-administrators-fault-management-in-nursing-home-closure-fallout
— Promises made, promises kept – Darin LaHood (DIERSEN: Government should encourage homeownership and paying for job-related education. The tax bill discourages homeownership and paying for job-related education. QUESTION: Who wants itemized deductions to be cut if not eliminated? ANSWER: Those who do not itemize. Overwhelmingly, those who do not itemize a) are younger, b) are not married, c) are not homeowners, d) do not pay lots of state income tax, e) do not have high medical and dental expenses, f) do not give lots of money to 501(c)(3) organizations, and/or g) do not pay for job-related education. I itemized 1972-1977 and my wife and I have itemized since we got married in 1978. I have have been a homeowner since 1972 and my wife and I since 1978. I paid state income tax 1964-1997 and my wife 1966-2017. Increasingly, our medical and dental expenses have increased. We have always given money to 501(c)(3) organizations. I deducted job-related my job-related education expenses 1972-1983 and 1992-1997.)
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171225/darin-lahood-tax-relief-promises-made-promises-kept

 

QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— ‘Trust us’ policies no way to combat corruption – Editorial
http://qconline.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-trust-us-policies-no-way-to-combat-corruption/article_cb58f800-6f3a-598e-9b7c-7d9a58743ed6.html

 

PEORIA PUBLIC RADIO
— Illinois Gets Tougher On Hate Crimes – RACHEL OTWELL (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps encourage hate crimes against those 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://peoriapublicradio.org/post/illinois-gets-tougher-hate-crimes#stream/0
— Illinois Agencies Will Have To Disclose All Their Bills – BRIAN MACKEY
http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/illinois-agencies-will-have-disclose-all-their-bills#stream/0

 

CHICAGO NOW
— No, Chicago Reader, Mount Greenwood is one of Chicago’s best – not worst – neighborhoods – William J. Kelly (DIERSEN: I should write a book about vile, mean-spirited, intolerant, and bigoted people in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who attack, demonize, denigrate, and condemn my hometown Crete.)
http://www.chicagonow.com/kelly-truth-squad/2017/12/no-chicago-reader-mount-greenwood-is-best-not-worst/

 

WILLIAM J. KELLY
— Kelly Responds to Chicago Reader’s Attack on Mount Greenwood (DIERSEN: I should write a book about vile, mean-spirited, intolerant, and bigoted people in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who attack, demonize, denigrate, and condemn my hometown Crete.)
http://www.williamjkelly.org/news/kelly-responds-to-chicago-readers-attack-on-mount-greenwood

 

POLITICO
— Universities fear a violent 2018 – KIMBERLY HEFLING (DIERSEN: Anti-Trumps want to get rid of Trump supporters.)
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/26/white-nationalists-antifa-university-violence-305014

 

WASHINGTON POST
— DAILY HERALD HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: ‘Words can build up or tear down’ Trumps hear homily on power of speech – Kayla Epstein (DIERSEN: I should write a book about religious, government, political, and financial “leaders” in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who use abuse their elected or appointed positions to tear down those like me a) who they cannot manipulate/dominate, b) who do not glorify and praise them, c) who do not pander to them, d) who do not serve as one of their operatives or dupes, and/or e) who do not give them money.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/12/25/trump-hears-christmas-homily-about-the-power-of-words/?utm_term=.cabca12059a9

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Uncharitable Charities The philanthropy lobby wins big but still trashes tax reform. – Editorial (DIERSEN: Starting next year, for joint filers, if their itemized deductions other than charitable contributions do not exceed $24,000, they will be discouraged from making charitable contributions.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-uncharitable-charities-1514237452

 

OBSERVER
— The 5 Tightest Gubernatorial Races to Watch in 2018 – John A. Tures (DIERSEN: Will Rauner use Ives to paint himself as being a “good” Republican, that is, a Republican who rejects the traditional family, right to life, immigration, and many other planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform?)
http://observer.com/2017/12/races-to-watch-for-governor-in-2018-illinois-california-ohio/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Illinois: The Land of Lincoln has a Republican governor, but perhaps not for long. Not only has he attracted several tough Democratic opponents, but he also faces some primary opponents who could either oust him or drain his support. Bruce Rauner, a former businessman who defeated Democratic Governor Pat Quinn four years ago, has struggled to make in-roads the way the GOP has in state houses in Maryland and Massachusetts. He has feuded frequently with the state legislature, as well as members of his own party. He faces TV producer and media strategist William Kelly, as well as State Representatives Jeanne Ives and Richard Morthland, in the GOP primary. Should Rauner survive, he’ll face a strong Democratic opponent; the only question is who it will be. Will it be the son of Robert F. Kennedy, businessman and University of Illinois Trustee Chris Kennedy? Or Hyatt heir J. B. Pritzker? Or perhaps Dan Biss, a veteran of the state legislature and the college classroom? Or will Bob Daiber, the Madison County Superintendent of Schools, prevail against them all? While the state’s Democratic leanings and Rauner’s approval ratings should help the Democrats, a nasty primary could cost the party unless they find a way to unite around the nominee.)

 

FORBES
— Make 2018 the Year to Improve Your Employees’ Experience – William Craig (DIERSEN: What did your superiors do to damage your employee experience? My Democrat GAO superiors 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 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 forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2017/12/26/make-2018-the-year-to-improve-your-employees-experience/#4584f8624fc2

December 24 Morning Edition

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Ives’ candidacy a thorn in Rauner’s side – Tom Kacich
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-12-24/tom-kacich-ives-candidacy-thorn-rauners-side.html

 

ABC7
— Judge partially lifts Trump administration ban on refugees – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/judge-partially-lifts-trump-administration-ban-on-refugees/2817496/

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump criticizes FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe as he plans retirement – AP (DIERSEN: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, my Democrat superiors always wanted to replace me with a Democrat, and especially with a Democrat who was minority, female, and/or younger. 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://chicago.suntimes.com/news/trump-reacts-to-reports-of-fbi-deputy-directors-retirement/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: McCabe plans to retire in about 90 days, when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits, The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the situation. Trump and his Republican allies have made it clear that they want McCabe out of the FBI. But McCabe is a civil service employee who cannot be fired without clear evidence of wrongdoing.)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: In an all-of-the-front page editorial unethically made to look like a news article, anti-Trumps glorify and praise a) those who come to America illegally, b) those who stay in America illegally, and c) those who bring others to America illegally.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/maria-no-documents-no-health-insurance-cancer-fight-angels-rush/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Mexico’s leftist presidential front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador puts country first, resists Trump comparison – AP (DIERSEN: Constructively, Mexico has declared war on America. If elected, will Obrador a) stop Mexico from sending many millions of its citizens into America illegally; b) bring back to Mexico its many millions of citizens who are in America illegally, and c) stop Mexico from sending many mountains of illegal drugs into America illegally?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-mexico-leftist-presidential-front-runner-20171223-story.html

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Answers must be provided in Quincy Veterans Home outbreaks – Editorial
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171223/our-view-answers-must-be-provided-in-quincy-veterans-home-outbreaks

 

DEKALB DAILY CHRONICLE
— Thumbs-down to obstacles to letting the public decide size of their government – Editorial
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2017/12/22/our-view-thumbs-down-to-obstacles-to-letting-the-public-decide-size-of-their-government/a51me3n/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Thumbs-down: To state Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock. Reick has filed a bill in Springfield that would make it harder for residents to decide the size and scope of their local government. Reick’s proposal, House Bill 4190, would require township trustees to pay an independent contractor for a cost study before they could ask voters about whether to eliminate township road districts. Reick apparently thinks that an independent contractor needs to give the OK before residents can have a voice in shaping their government. That’s nonsense. This proposal is a transparent attempt to make it more difficult to pare down township government, likely at the behest of officials who work in township government and their political allies. Here’s the truth: Those Illinoisans who haven’t already fled this state are tired of paying high property taxes to support the most units of local government of any state in the nation. We need officials to remove the roadblocks and allow us to decide how many people govern us, and what they are paid to do it. Voters will not approve a ballot initiative that they do not believe will benefit them.)

 

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Illinois drops to No. 6 among most populous states – Chris Coates
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/illinois-drops-to-no-among-most-populous-states/article_f3720c93-4e93-523e-af48-224cff74fa71.html

 

HERALD NEWS
— Minooka village levy to increase for funding pension plans – KRIS STADALSKY
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/12/20/minooka-village-levy-to-increase-for-funding-pension-plans/a23efvv/

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois Republican congressmen differ on national concealed carry reciprocity – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/illinois-republican-congressmen-differ-on-national-concealed-carry-reciprocity/article_01f0e068-e686-11e7-b192-4bb6a92ab262.html

 

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Coalition Letter Urges Trump Administration to Resist Courts on “Transgenders” in Military – John Biver
https://illinoisfamily.org/religious/coalition-letter-urges-trump-administration-resist-courts-transgenders-military/

 

BREITBART
— Amnesty: GOP ‘Gang of 33’ Silent on Required Tax Increases, Budget Cuts – NEIL MUNRO
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/23/amnesty-gop-gang-34-silent-required-tax-increases-budget-cuts/

 

NBC NEWS
— Liberal or Conservative? Where you shop reveals how you vote – DANTE CHINNI
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/business-of-the-holidays/liberal-or-conservative-where-you-shop-reveals-how-you-vote-n831536

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Life, Death and Taxes in Inequality City – Ginia Bellafante
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/nyregion/life-death-and-taxes-in-inequality-city.html

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Protesters head to Chuck Schumer’s house to blast failure on Dream Act – DALE W. EISINGER and RICH SCHAPIRO
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/protesters-blast-chuck-schumer-failure-safeguard-dream-act-article-1.3718108

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats aim to turn tax plan into cudgel in 2018 midterms – AP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dems-aim-to-turn-tax-plan-into-cudgel-in-2018-midterms/2017/12/24/2d0a7b72-e8ae-11e7-956e-baea358f9725_story.html
— Most federal employees in D.C.-Baltimore area to receive 2.3 percent raise in January – Eric Yoder
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/23/most-federal-employees-in-d-c-baltimore-area-to-receive-2-3-percent-raise-in-january/?utm_term=.e8ca8d7b0493
— Washington careerists work to undermine Trump’s agenda – Christopher Flavelle and Benjamin Bain (DIERSEN: Because I have always opposed political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, a) my Democrat GAO superiors 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; b) 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; and c) my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/washington-careerists-work-to-undermine-trump-s-agenda/article_4e69fbf6-1fc2-5770-afdc-693af7b2c9a6.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In the long run, career staff can face consequences for resisting presidential policy. While it’s hard to outright fire a civil servant, congressional Republicans in January gave themselves the ability to reduce the annual pay for any individual federal employee to $1. An administration can also punish bureaucrats through punitive reassignments, designed to make them quit. Joel Clement, a senior policy manager at the Department of Interior, was moved to the accounting office in June — retaliation, he alleged, for speaking out about the risks of climate change.)

 

MONEY MAGAZINE
— The Insane Amount of Money Millionaires Say They Need to be Happy – KRISTEN BAHLER (DIERSEN: What is the main reason why you have less money than you have now? For me, it was my Democrat superiors who wasted my career and forced me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
http://time.com/money/5071182/money-happiness-million/

 

MOTLEY FOOL
— 3 Money Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Retirement If you make this mistake, you face almost a 60% chance of running out of cash during retirement. – Christy Bieber
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/12/24/3-money-mistakes-that-could-ruin-your-retirement.aspx

(FROM THE ARTICLE: 3. Retiring too early Because of historically low bond rates and Americans’ longer life spans, many longstanding ideas about retirement — like the assumption that you can withdraw 4% or more from your retirement accounts each year without running out of money — no longer apply. In fact, in 2013 researchers from The American College and Morningstar found that a senior following the 4% rule stood a 57% chance of running out of cash when returns were calculated based on current rates. Retiree spending falls into predictable patterns. Retirees spend more during early retirement, when they’re healthy enough to travel and indulge their hobbies. They spend less during the middle of retirement as their health declines and energy wane, and in the late stage of retirement they spend more as costly health issues arise. This means that if you exhaust your savings, you’re likely to be short on cash at a time when you’re too old to work. To avoid this predicament, it’s imperative you accurately calculate how much you’ll need for retirement and how much you can safely withdraw without putting your future at risk. If your projected withdrawals don’t provide enough money to cover your expected costs, think about working longer or lowering your costs of living.)

December 23 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Lax oversight of Ill. nuclear power plants – BGA
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/weekend-watch-lax-oversight-of-ill-nuclear-power-plants/2812679/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Miss America leadership resigns in email shaming scandal – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-miss-america-leadership-resigns-email-scandal-20171223-story.html
— 10 things you might not know about fingerpointing – Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-10things-1231-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— 3 Miss America officials resign, 1 apologizes to ex-winner – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/3-miss-america-officials-resign-1-apologizes-to-ex-winner/

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Rauner’s top 2017 achievement is school funding reform? Really? – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171223/statehouse-insider-rauners-top-2017-achievement-is-school-funding-reform-really
— Will the 2018 elections be about Trump or peace and prosperity? – Ed Rogers
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171222/ed-rogers-will-2018-elections-be-about-trump-or-peace-and-prosperity
— Tax bill will be big issue in 2018 elections – Bernard Schoenburg
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20171223/bernard-schoenburg-tax-bill-will-be-big-issue-in-2018-elections

 

BELLVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— Twas the night before public pension reform, when we sold our house – Editorial
http://www.bnd.com/opinion/editorials/article190896499.html

 

TIMES
— We need more talk about school consolidation – Scott Reeder
http://www.mywebtimes.com/opinion/columnists/statehouse-reeder-we-need-more-talk-about-school-consolidation/article_03c6fd10-879f-5b2a-9ba1-9f854100e2d3.html

 

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— BEYOND TRAGIC: Statewide test results: 90 percent of Whittier students failed math
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511290167-statewide-test-results-90-percent-of-whittier-students-failed-math
— BEYOND TRAGIC: Statewide test results: 80 percent of Whittier failed English language arts
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511288811-statewide-test-results-80-percent-of-whittier-failed-english-language-arts
— BEYOND TRAGIC: Analysis: 85 percent of Whittier students fail annual tests
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511292755-analysis-85-percent-of-whittier-students-fail-annual-tests

 

WIREPOINTS
— Bridgeview, Like Chicago, Sells Its Future To Back Bonds. Many More Will Follow. – Mark Glennon
http://www.wirepoints.com/bridgeview-like-chicago-sells-its-future-to-back-bonds-many-more-will-follow-wirepoints-original/

 

FOX NEWS
— Media warn about a tax apocalypse and other outlandish journalistic offenses – Dan Gainor
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/12/23/media-warn-about-tax-apocalypse-and-other-outlandish-journalistic-offenses.html

 

GOPUSA
— Patriotism in U.S. driven by faith, politics
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35799

 

DAILY CALLER
— After Close Elections, Why Isn’t Meticulous Scrutiny Of The Vote Routine? – Alan Keyes
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/23/after-close-elections-why-isnt-meticulous-scrutiny-of-the-vote-routine/

 

NEWSMAX
— Wealthy Americans Flood Advisers to Take Advantage of Tax Law
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/wealthy-americans-tax-law/2017/12/22/id/833414/

 

TOWNHALL
— WSJ: The Democratic Party Is Rooting Against The American Worker And Our Country’s Success – Matt Vespa
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/12/22/wsj-the-democratic-party-is-rooting-against-the-american-worker-and-our-countrys-success-n2426254

 

LIFEZETTE NEWS
— Border Hawks Scoff at Durbin’s ‘Compromise’ on DACA Democrat DREAM Act sponsor from Illinois hopes opponents accept token provisions of proposed immigration security law – Brendan Kirby
https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/border-hawks-blast-durbins-compromise-on-daca/

 

THE HILL
— Trump’s tax law creates new challenges for IRS – NAOMI JAGODA
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/366252-trumps-tax-law-creates-new-challenges-for-irs
— Republicans, fearing midterm disaster, seek course correction – ALEXANDER BOLTON
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/366229-republicans-fearing-midterm-disaster-seek-course-correction
— Democrats see tax bill as giving them midterm advantage – AMIE PARNES
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/366152-dems-see-tax-bill-as-giving-them-midterm-advantage
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, members of the following groups a) glorify and praise citizens of foreign countries and b) demonize, denigrate, and condemn citizens of America: 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://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/366175-give-me-your-tired-your-poorand-they-will-create-jobs

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Could Save More Than $11 Million Under the New Tax Plan – JESSE DRUCKER and AUDREY CARLSEN
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/22/us/politics/trump-tax-savings.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— A preview of the U.S. without pensions – Peter Whoriskey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/i-hope-i-can-quit-working-in-a-few-years-a-preview-of-the-us-without-pensions/2017/12/22/5cc9fdf6-cf09-11e7-81bc-c55a220c8cbe_story.html
— Extreme poverty returns to America The U.N. finds growing numbers of Americans are living in the most impoverished circumstances. How did we get here? – Premilla Nadasen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/21/extreme-poverty-returns-to-america/
— Will Americans punish Republicans for cutting taxes for the rich? Maybe not: Voters often hope to become rich themselves. – Stephanie Leiser
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/12/22/will-americans-punish-republicans-for-cutting-taxes-for-the-rich/

 

FORBES
— Mass Exodus From States Run By Top Democratic Governors Continues – Patrick Gleason
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2017/12/23/mass-exodus-from-states-run-by-democratic-machines-continues/#5488a7456d6a

 

BLOOMBERG
— Wealthy Americans Are Already Trying to Exploit the New Tax Law The legislation changes incentives on homeownership, commuting, and even marriage and divorce. – Ben Steverman
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-22/wealthy-americans-are-already-trying-to-exploit-the-new-tax-law

December 23 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Democrats who supported spending bill face angry backlash over immigration – David Weigel and Ed O’Keefe
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-daca-democrats-spending-bill-20171222-story.html
— Proposed bill would ban sale of commercially bred pets in Will, DuPage counties – Erin Hegarty
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-commercial-pet-sale-ban-bill-st-1224-20171222-story.html
— How to know when holiday drinking is hurting your brain – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-holiday-drinking-brain-health-20171219-story.html
— Carpentersville doubles video gaming fee – Erin Sauder
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elgin-courier-news/news/ct-ecn-carpentersville-gaming-machine-fees-st-1227-20171226-story.html

 

DAILY HERALD
— A month-by-month look at what you should expect from the Republican tax bill – Philip Bump
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171223/a-month-by-month-look-at-what-you-should-expect-from-the-republican-tax-bill
— New year to be a challenge for Republicans in Congress – AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20171223/news/312239976/

 

ABC7
— Miss America suspends CEO in email flap – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/entertainment/miss-america-suspends-ceo-in-email-flap/2815659/

 

TIMES
— Kinzinger: Trump has done ‘great job’ – David Giuliani
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/column-kinzinger-trump-has-done-great-job/article_49d55ebf-1cf3-519c-a795-49448d475d6b.html
— Kinzinger and Marter disagree on DACA – David Giuliani
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/congressman-rival-disagree-on-daca/article_2ba5ffe5-4963-5021-beda-faa623b484ce.html

 

ALTON DAILY NEWS
— Federal Tax Plan Hits Illinois – Benjamin Yount
http://www.altondailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=17&id=257293#.Wj5TO4zR-M8

 

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Justice Department rolls back guidance on fining poor defendants – DAVID SHORTELL AND JESSICA SCHNEIDER (DIERSEN: One could look at it this way: Since September 30, 1997, in today’s dollars, my Democrat GAO superiors have been fining me $198 a day or $1,387 a week or $6,011 a month or $72,135 a year for my opposing political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. On September 30, 1997, to punish me for the aforesaid opposition, they succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” of $50,856 a year, or only 41% of my $122,991 a year salary in today’s dollars. So far, in today’s dollars, I have been fined $1,460,673 or $6,011 X 243 months.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/justice-department-rolls-back-guidance-on-fining-poor-defendants/886728546

 

WSIL TV
— Congressman Bost predicts tax law will become more popular – Brandon Richard
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37130399/congressman-bost-predicts-tax-law-will-become-more-popular

 

KANE COUNTY CONNECTS
— KANE BOARD CHAIRMAN: UNFUNDED STATE PENSION LIABILITIES ARE ‘FISCAL CALAMITY’
http://kanecountyconnects.com/2017/12/kane-board-chairman-unfunded-state-pension-liabilities-are-fiscal-calamity/

 

NPR ILLINOIS
— What The Tax Bill Could Mean For Lawmakers During The Midterms
http://nprillinois.org/post/what-tax-bill-could-mean-lawmakers-during-midterms#stream/0
— Why Mental Health Is A Poor Measure Of A President – JON HAMILTON (DIERSEN: Sooner or later, Democrats paint all non-Democrats as being mentally ill.)
http://nprillinois.org/post/why-mental-health-poor-measure-president#stream/0

 

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Ives proposes constitutional amendment to address pension reform – Glenn Minnis
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511301761-ives-proposes-constitutional-amendment-to-address-pension-reform

 

SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS NEWS
— Bailey vows to reverse trend of taxpayers fleeing the state – Glenn Minnis
https://seillinoisnews.com/stories/511301836-bailey-vows-to-reverse-trend-of-taxpayers-fleeing-the-state

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Batinick: More than 200 new laws adopted, none tackle Illinois’ major issues – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/lawmaker-more-than-new-laws-adopted-none-tackle-illinois-major/article_50ac2fc4-e680-11e7-99fa-4b0ef07a8c8c.html

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Berrios spox says Tribune story “extremely unbalanced and, typically, unfair” *** ILGOP, Kaegi react to new Tribune story on Berrios
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/21/ilgop-kaegi-react-to-new-tribune-story-on-berrios/

 

BREITBART
— Cardinal Cupich: ‘It Would Be a Horrible Injustice’ Not to Give Amnesty to DACA Illegal Aliens at Americans’ Expense – JOHN BINDER (DIERSEN: It appears that the overwhelming majority of those who are in America state that they are Catholic. What if Cupich proposed that the Catholic Church would support the illegals, that is, provide them with medical care, food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, jobs, etc.? But, of course, very soon, the Catholic Church would be bankrupt.)
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/22/cardinal-cupich-horrible-injustice-not-to-give-amnesty-to-daca-illegal-aliens/

 

COLLEGE FIX
— Enough with race-based admissions
http://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/enough-race-based-admissions/

 

THE HILL
— Karl Rove: ‘Bad idea’ for Trump to hold a lot of rallies in 2018 – MAX GREENWOOD
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/366273-karl-rove-a-very-bad-idea-for-trump-to-hold-a-lot-of-rallies-in-2018

 

ABC NEWS
— Tax overhaul leads to end-of-year rush to pay property bills – GEOFF MULVIHILL (DIERSEN: Are you a homeowner? How much will the “GOP tax overhaul” harm you? The more that you have paid in real estate tax and/or state income tax over $10,000 a year, the more that you will be harmed. How much of your estimated real estate tax bill due next year can you afford to pre-pay by the end of this year?)
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/tax-overhaul-leads-end-year-rush-pay-property-51957744

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Tax Bill Is Great for Accountants — Unless They Have Holiday Plans – Tiffany Hsu and Julie Creswell
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/business/republican-tax-plan-accountants-auditors-holidays.html
— Homeowners Rush to Soften Tax Bill’s Impact – Jeffery C. Mays
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/nyregion/cuomo-assist-as-homeowners-rush-to-prepay-property-tax-bill.html
— E.P.A. Officials, Disheartened by Agency’s Direction, Are Leaving in Droves – Lisa Friedman, Marina Affo and Derek Kravitz (DIERSEN: QUESTION: Which GAO employees left GAO in drovers during the 1980s and 1990s? ANSWER: Those who were Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, and/or accounting degree holders. WHY? Democrat politicians wanted to replace them with employees who were Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or public policy degree holders.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/climate/epa-buyouts-pruitt.html

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: VERY SAD: Households Are Spending Rather Than Saving – Harriet Torry and Suzanne Kapner
https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-shop-more-save-less-this-holiday-season-1513978732

 

NEWSWEEK
— MISS AMERICA CEO SAM HASKELL’S WEBSITE IS LITTERED WITH VIAGRA ADS – EMILY GAUDETTE
http://www.newsweek.com/miss-america-2018-sam-haskell-emails-viagra-756975

 

FED SMITH
— Order Issued on 2018 Pay Raise for Federal Employees – Ralph R. Smith (DIERSEN: If was still working for GAO at the GS-13 Step 10 level, my 2018 salary would increase by $2,334 or by 1.9% to $125,325.)
https://www.fedsmith.com/2017/12/22/order-issued-2018-pay-raise-federal-employees/

December 22 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD IN NAPERVILLE SUN: Naperville aims for $1 tax cut to help homeowners hurt by GOP tax overhaul – Erin Hegarty (DIERSEN: Are you a homeowner? How much will the “GOP tax overhaul” harm you? The more that you have paid in real estate tax and/or state income tax over $10,000 a year, the more that you will be harmed. How much of your estimated real estate tax bill due next year can you afford to pre-pay by the end of this year?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-property-tax-naperville-2018-st-1222-20171220-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Naperville City Council trimmed another $2.1 million from the budget this week in the wake of federal tax code changes, a move that will reduce property tax bills by a dollar for the average homeowner. Council members Tuesday approved a nearly $49 million tax levy and directed staff to return with options that include both cost reductions and new revenue that would further reduce the levy. By trimming $2.1 million, the owner of a home valued at $395,000 will save about $1 next year. “If that is a direction from council, we will find it,” City Manager Doug Krieger said. The city has until March to finalize any property tax abatements. Councilwoman Patty Gustin was the lone “no” vote and Councilwoman Judy Brodhead was absent. Without the $2.1 million to be found in increased savings and additional revenue, the city’s portion of property tax bills would have gone up — a move Mayor Steve Chirico said wouldn’t pair well with the national tax code overhaul. The GOP tax plan would cap the amount from state and local taxes taxpayers can deduct from their federal tax bill at $10,000. “One of the only credible arguments that I have heard from people about why it’s OK to have a little bit higher property tax is because people could deduct it. And that’s a completely legitimate argument,” Chirico said. “For residents of Naperville, that argument has now been eliminated. If we’re cost shifting a little bit of these revenues from property taxes to another funding source — now that we are unable to have any (financial) benefit of having property tax in terms of writing it off — it does make good sense for our residents.”)
— T-Mobile, Amazon, and others companies accused of using Facebook ads to exclude older Americans from jobs – Elizabeth Dwoskin (DIERSEN: All my critics/opponents, all their operatives, and all their dupes have always promoted age discrimination.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-older-american-facebook-ads-2017121-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Under U.S. law, companies are prohibited from discriminating based on age in employment advertising, recruiting, and hiring, and it is also unlawful to publish a job ad that indicates a preference related to age. The lawsuit takes issue with a practice — the targeting of ads by age and demographics — that is ubiquitous in online advertising and is not limited to Facebook. Facebook, however, takes additional steps to explain to users why they are seeing an ad. These steps, which appear in a window after a user clicks on an ad, served as the documentation of the demographic categories used by different corporations. The lawsuit comes at a moment when Facebook and other technology giants are facing pressure to mitigate the negative social consequences of content posted on their platforms, particularly the impact of ad-targeting. Facebook, Google, and Twitter are under fire for creating tools that enabled Russian operatives to target specific groups of Americans ahead of the 2016 election. Facebook’s software also enabled advertisers to send ads based on other undesirable categories, such as Jew-hater, and to send targeted ads for housing to whites only (Facebook claimed that it had subsequently tweaked its systems so that this can longer happen, but a recent report in ProPublica suggested otherwise). In addition to employment, civil rights laws prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, lending, voting, and education. Ageism and bias against older job candidates is a longstanding issue, particularly in Silicon Valley. But as job searches have migrated online in recent years, the situation has worsened due to ad-targeting categories, the plaintiff argue. “Due to this lawsuit, older workers may finally understand why their job searches- that have migrated online in recent years-are more difficult than they ought to be,” they wrote.)
— Microsoft hands #MeToo major victory by allowing workers to sue over sexual harassment – Danielle Paquette (DIERSEN: Businesses that force arbitration know that they would lose if complaints against them were presented to a jury.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-microsoft-arbitration-sexual-harassment-20171221-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Microsoft’s announcement that it will allow employees to sue the company for sexual harassment has handed the #MeToo campaign an important victory after months of revelations about predatory behavior and assault by powerful men in media, entertainment and technology, advocates said. The software giant said this week it was scrapping employment agreements that require workers to settle harassment complaints in private and called itself the first Fortune 100 company to back a bill before Congress that would ban companies from forcing such disputes into closed-door arbitration.)

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Why Ford is in hot water — again — over harassment in Chicago – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/ford-plants-sexual-harassment-editorial/
— The big boys panic, fear doom – Roger Simon
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/simon-the-big-boys-panic-fear-doom/

 

DAILY HERALD
— Reform plan violates basic tenets of capitalist tax policy – Ralph Martire (DIERSEN: The more money that you pay for real estate taxes and/or for state income taxes, the less money that you have to pay federal income taxes.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171222/reform-plan-violates-basic-tenets-of-capitalist-tax-policy
(FROM THE ARTICLE: First, it’s fundamental that tax policy should accurately determine the amount of income a taxpayer has to pay taxes with. After all, it’s not possible to allocate tax burden fairly among taxpayers unless the calculation of taxable income is realistic. This is why both the federal government and all 41 states with an income tax don’t impose it on an individual’s gross annual income, but rather some lesser amount, which is reduced by various deductions and credits. The idea behind this is simple: if someone is obligated to spend a portion of his or her gross income on various items, obviously that money is not actually available to pay taxes. Now, an interesting discussion can be had about whether all the various deductions and credits which have become part of the Internal Revenue Code over time are legitimate as currently crafted, or whether they should be modified or even eliminated. However, capping the deduction taxpayers receive for paying state and local taxes — as the current version of the Republican tax package does — makes no sense at all. The reason: folks have a legal obligation to pay state and local taxes. Which means whatever someone is compelled to spend on state and local taxes, is not available to pay federal income taxes. Period. After all, no one can spend the same dollar twice. Limiting the state and local tax deduction is particularly pernicious, given that in many instances, these taxes are higher than local authorities would otherwise assess, because they’re covering unfunded mandates flowing down from the feds. These unfunded mandates are both numerous and costly, involving everything from security at public transit agencies to the cost of complying with the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It violates even the most basic concept of fairness for the feds to drive up state and local taxes with unfunded mandates and then cap the deduction folks can take at the federal level for paying them.)
— Townships must do more to tout accomplishments – Jake Serafini, Dundee Township
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171222/townships-must-do-more-to-tout-accomplishments
— Want to prepay property taxes? When Trump signs bill makes little difference – Elena Ferrarin
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171221/want-to-prepay-property-taxes-when-trump-signs-bill-makes-little-difference

 

WTTW
— Details for Women’s March to the Polls – Kristen Thometz (DIERSEN: Anti-Trumps promote hatred. Anti-Trumps want women to hate individuals, hate organizations, hate companies, hate governments, and hate countries that are members of 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://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/12/21/details-women-s-march-polls
— Retired Illinois Educators Taking Home Millions in Pensions – Paris Schutz
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/12/21/retired-illinois-educators-taking-home-millions-pensions
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Retirement can be lucrative for some former Illinois educators who are taking home pensions from the state’s Teachers Retirement System. The top pension earner this year is Lawrence A. Wyllie, an indicted former superintendent of Lincoln-Way High School District 210, who stands to make $321,443 this year. In September, Wyllie pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges. Prosecutors alleged that he steered taxpayer money to personal pet projects, misused millions in bond money and illegally cashed out $30,000 in unused sick days and a retirement bonus. If convicted, Wyllie lose all of his TRS pension. Second on the list is former New Trier Superintendent Henry S. Bangser, who will pocket $312,460 from his pension. He retired at age 57 and has already collected nearly $3 million in retirement. Number three is Gary Catalani, former Wheaton Warrenville District 200 superintendent who later held a superintendent job in Arizona. He’ll pocket $310,070 this year. Chicago Tonight submitted a records request for the top 200 pension earners in TRS. (Download the list.) Every annuitant is well into the six figures, with the last person on the list standing to make $190,675. Many of the top earners took advantage of loopholes used to boost their retirement, like calculating unused vacation and sick days, and big raises in their final years into the calculation of their pension. Some annuitants, like Reginald L. Weaver, who will earn $289,745 this year, was able to base his pension off of his salary as head of the National Education Association, which paid him a substantially higher salary than he made as a teacher. That loophole allowed public sector workers to be paid a pension based upon their salary as a union official and has been closed.)

 

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Rauner is not wrong about Speaker Madigan – Editorial
http://www.pantagraph.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-rauner-is-not-wrong-about-speaker-madigan/article_5937eab6-247d-5b97-8646-70a38a90527f.html

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— City to pay $333K in attorney’s fees in panhandling case – Crystal Thomas
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171221/city-to-pay-333k-in-attorneys-fees-in-panhandling-case

 

SPRINGFIELD DAILY
— Ives criticizes public corruption and Rauner at Jacksonville event
https://springfielddaily.com/politics/illinois-govt/ives-criticizes-public-corruption-rauner-jacksonville-event/

 

NPR ILLINOIS
— Now That The GOP Tax Bill Is Approved, The IRS Gets Busy – BRIAN NAYLOR (DIERSEN: Federal agencies do what Congress tells them to do. If you do not like what a federal agency does, you should complain to your U.S. Representative and to your U.S. Senators. If you would ask the Post Office, IRS, and GAO why they wasted my federal career and forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, they will tell you that they treated me just like my U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators wanted those agencies to treat me.)
http://nprillinois.org/post/now-gop-tax-bill-approved-irs-gets-busy#stream/0
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Republicans in Congress are promising that their tax bill will create jobs. One place where we know it’s going to create a lot of work is at the IRS. That agency will have to figure out how to interpret and implement the hundreds of pages of changes to the tax code that were just passed, at a time when it is already struggling with budget cuts and staff reductions. The Trump administration says it’s already working with the IRS to update tax forms and withholding tables, promising that most taxpayers will notice a difference in their pay stubs by February. It sounds relatively simple to change withholding tables — just plug some new numbers into the computer. But former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen says even simple changes are complex, thanks to Kennedy-era computer programs the agency uses. “A lot of our forms are hard-coded, so you don’t just enter a little thing in your computer, you actually have to go into the code and change the date or change the forms,” he says. Making the job more difficult, the IRS’s budget has been slashed by $900 million since 2010, resulting in 21,000 fewer employees. Koskinen, an Obama appointee who stepped down from the agency in November, worries the IRS could find itself in a disastrous spiral. “My concern has been that if the budget continues to be cut, and that’s what the Senate and the House are proposing to do even with this massive tax overhaul … you’re actually at some point gonna make the IRS dysfunctional,” he says. In 1986, the last time a major tax overhaul was approved, Congress actually appropriated more money for the IRS to hire additional personnel. This time, the president and House and Senate leaders have all proposed deeper cuts in the agency’s budget. The House Appropriations Committee would cut the IRS budget by an additional $155 million, and the Senate Appropriations Committee would do so by $124 million, according to the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents federal employees including those at the IRS. Tony Reardon, president of the NTEU, says Congress is “adding massive, massive new responsibilities to the IRS and expecting them to handle it with less money and even fewer employees. That makes for a very difficult situation for the agency and for its employees.” One place where the lack of IRS personnel might be most apparent is the agency’s taxpayer help line. “It’s going to be a nightmare,” says Jennifer MacMillan, chair of the Government Relations Committee for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, which represents tax preparers. She says the IRS couldn’t keep up with all the calls from taxpayers seeking help with their returns last year; many were kept waiting on hold for over an hour. In 2018, MacMillan expects much confusion with the new law. “Lots and lots of people are going to be calling, not only to find out what the implications to them might be,” she says. “I think a lot of people are going to have a misunderstanding and think its going to affect their filing of 2017 tax returns.” And that’s important to note. Many taxpayers wont notice all the new changes until they go to file their 2018 taxes, due in April 2019. One place where the lack of IRS personnel might be most apparent is the agency’s taxpayer help line. “It’s going to be a nightmare,” says Jennifer MacMillan, chair of the Government Relations Committee for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, which represents tax preparers. She says the IRS couldn’t keep up with all the calls from taxpayers seeking help with their returns last year; many were kept waiting on hold for over an hour. In 2018, MacMillan expects much confusion with the new law. “Lots and lots of people are going to be calling, not only to find out what the implications to them might be,” she says. “I think a lot of people are going to have a misunderstanding and think its going to affect their filing of 2017 tax returns.” And that’s important to note. Many taxpayers wont notice all the new changes until they go to file their 2018 taxes, due in April 2019.)

 

CHICAGO READER
— Why Chicago’s not buying Rahm’s new liberal hero persona Critics say Mayor 1 Percent’s rhetoric doesn’t line up with the policies he’s enacting. – Kari Lydersen
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/rahm-emanuel-worst/Content?oid=37056728
— Unless Illinois is very, very unlucky, Governor Bruce Rauner will be out on his ass in 2018 Bruce blames everyone but himself for beggaring his state. – Noah Berlatsky
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bruce-rauner-worst/Content?oid=37058989

 

EAST CENTRAL REPORTER
— Ives campaign makes stop in Mattoon
https://eastcentralreporter.com/stories/511301748-ives-campaign-makes-stop-in-mattoon

 

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— PROGRAMMING NOTE: Illinois Playbook will be off next week — we’ll be back Jan. 2. Happy holidays! (DIERSEN: America has been in 12-hour news cycle for many years. If you are a legitimate source for government and political news and commentary, you publish each and every day. A GOPUSA ILLINOIS email has gone out each and every morning since 2004 and each and every evening since 2015.)
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2017/12/22/cook-county-assessor-joe-berrios-deemed-worst-of-chicago-rauner-goals-for-new-term-womens-march-anniversary-233384

 

ILLINOIS HOMEPAGE
— Shady campaign cash flows to GOP candidate Gary Grasso: Caymans, Capos and Convicts – Mark Maxwell
http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/local-news/shady-campaign-cash-flows-to-gop-candidate/886067891

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Darin LaHood: U.S. tax reform ‘shot across the bow’ for high Illinois taxes – Benjamin Yount
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/congressman-u-s-tax-reform-shot-across-the-bow-for/article_3d11ba7c-e5b0-11e7-9f80-9b955e173b65.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: One of the pieces of the new federal tax reform plan is going to put pressure on state and local leaders to deal with high taxes in Illinois. The new federal tax reform package caps the amount of state and local taxes that people can deduct from their IRS bill at $10,000. That’s not really a problem for most people downstate, said central Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood, R-Peoria. But the change could mean a much heavier tax burden for many in and around Chicago because they won’t be able to deduct the full weight of their tax bills, including sky-high property taxes. “It’s going to effect a lot of people,” LaHood said. “Particularly if you live in or around Chicago, where Rahm Emanuel continues to raise taxes at the city level. And in [Cook] County where taxes continue to go up and up and up.” LaHood said leaders in Chicago and the collar counties have for years used the federal deduction as a crutch to lessen the impact of their tax increases. Downstate, LaHood said the impact of the deduction change won’t be as large. “Most middle class folks who live in central and west central Illinois don’t pay more than $10,000, so they’ll still get the deduction,” LaHood said. “But it should be a shot across the bow and a warning to state legislators and leaders at the county and local level that you can’t keep raising taxes. There are going to be consequences.” LaHood said he expects state lawmakers and local leaders to feel the pressure to hold the line on taxes because taxpayers will feel more of the weight of what they’re paying.)

 

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— WHERE DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GET ALL THAT MONEY? (DIERSEN: 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 $79,563-$90,173. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years while I was at the GS-13 Step 1-3 levels, currently $94,610-$100,917.)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/12/where-does-the-federal-government-get-all-that-money.html

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Silverstein accuser drops out of House race
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/22/silverstein-accuser-drops-out-of-house-race/
— Ford County GOP upset with Sen. Barickman for backing legal marijuana
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/22/ford-county-gop-upset-with-sen-barickman-for-backing-legal-marijuana/
— Kennedy, Kass blast Pritzker on property taxes, Berrios
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/22/kennedy-kass-blast-pritzker-on-property-taxes-berrios/
— Gary Grasso “C’mon, man. That was just an accusation”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/22/cmon-man-that-was-just-an-accusation/

 

GOPUSA
— Jodie Foster: ‘Pretty much every man over 30’ culpable for sexual misconduct cases (DIERSEN: I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who are especially anti-older people and/or are especially anti-men. What do you say to a) older people who demonize, denigrate, and condemn older people to pander to those who are anti-older people and b) men who demonize, denigrate, and condemn men to pander to those who are anti-men?)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35816

 

BREITBART
— Facebook Scraps ‘Disputed’ Fake News Tag, Claims ‘Opposite Effect to What We Intended’ – LUCAS NOLAN (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always disputed virtually everything in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. They dispute virtually everything that is in the public realm except for what they themselves publish.)
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/12/21/facebook-scraps-disputed-fake-news-tag-as-it-has-opposite-effect-to-what-we-intended/
— Christmas Sidelined at German School After Muslim Complains Over Carols – VIRGINIA HALE (DIERSEN: How soon will Germany become Islamic and ban Christianity?)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/12/21/christmas-sidelined-german-school-muslim-complaint-carols/

 

BLAZE
— ‘Punch them in the face’: Student tells cheering crowd how to shut up College Republicans – Dave Urbanski (DIERSEN: If I had been active in Republican politics when I was in high school, the Post Office would not have offered me a job in 1966. If I had been active in Republican politics while I was earning my undergraduate degree, IRS would not have offered me a job in 1971. If I had been active in Republican politics while I was earning my graduate degrees, GAO would not have offered me a job in 1980.)
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/12/21/punch-them-in-the-face-student-tells-cheering-crowd-how-to-shut-up-college-republicans

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Thousands of Federal Inmates Are in the U.S. Illegally, Administration Says – Vivian Yee
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/us/undocumented-immigrants-crimes.html
— Tax-Cut Santa Is Coming to Town He likes it when you’re naughty, as long as you’re already rich. – PAUL KRUGMAN
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/opinion/tax-cut-santa.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— In private meeting, Schumer angrily confronted by Hispanic Caucus members as prospects for DACA deal slip again – Ed O’Keefe (DIERSEN: Individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that promote illegals 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/powerpost/wp/2017/12/21/in-private-meeting-schumer-angrily-confronted-by-hispanic-caucus-members-as-prospects-for-daca-deal-slip-again/

 

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Congress to the Dreamers: You don’t matter to us – Scott Martelle (DIERSEN: Democrats are counting on Dreamers to get rid of Republicans once and for all.)
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ed-congress-dreamers-trump-20171221-story.html

 

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— What Makes America Great Trump’s slogan suggests our country was once great but is no longer. Is that true? – Katie Packer Beeson (DIERSEN: How long have you been alive? I have been alive since 1948. What troubling trends do you see? I see America getting more and more and more 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. Voters elected Trump to stop the aforesaid troubling trends.)
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-jefferson-street/articles/2017-12-22/the-hollowness-of-trumps-promise-to-make-america-great-again

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Signs Sweeping Tax Overhaul Into Law President also approves bill keeping government funded until mid-January – Louise Radnofsky
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-signs-sweeping-tax-overhaul-into-law-1513959753?mod=djemalertNEWS
— The Slow Death of the American Mall – Esther Fung and Yaryna Serkez
http://www.wsj.com/graphics/death-of-the-american-mall/
— Saipan: The Island Where Chinese Mothers Deliver American Babies Women looking to give birth to U.S. citizens have found a loophole in the Pacific on the island of Saipan – Jon Emont (DIERSEN: Democrats run the federal government. They shout at citizens of foreign countries that the federal government gives preference to those who are minority and/or female, that is, that the federal government discriminates against those who are White and/or male.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-island-where-chinese-mothers-deliver-american-babies-1513852203

 

USA TODAY
— Lawrence O’Donnell’s new book shows how Roger Ailes helped get Nixon elected in 1968 – Ray Locker (DIERSEN: What did you do in 1968? I worked as a part-time mailman for the Democrats who ran the Park Forest Post Office. I was a full-time student at UIC. I lived with my parents and brother in Crete. I sold my 1968 Oldsmobile 442 and bought a 1969 Dodge Charger SE. I saved money for college expenses.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2017/11/20/new-book-lawrenchow-1968-presidential-election-gave-us-richard-nixon-and-changed-u-s-politics-foreve/867251001/

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 Evening Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— GOP on verge of huge tax overhaul — with one hiccup Stephen Ohlemacher and Marcy Gordon
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-tax-bill-20171219-story.html
— Illinois Republicans, Democrats in Congress stick with their parties on tax vote – Katherine Skiba
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-congress-taxes-20171219-story.html
— Tax plan a windfall for companies, but will anything trickle down to the rank and file? – Robert Reed
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/reed/ct-biz-tax-plan-wages-jobs-robert-reed-1220-story.html
— When people wouldn’t believe two dogs killed their owner, the sheriff described the horror – Kristine Phillips
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-dogs-maul-owner-virginia-20171219-story.html
— Suicide expert says rampant stress not a new problem for Naperville students – Suzanne Baker
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-naperville-suicide-expert-st-1220-20171219-story.html
— The toughest job in state government – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-dcfs-walker-rauner-abuse-20171219-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: If you promote pot in Illinois, you promote the destruction of Illinois.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-marijuana-legalization-st-1220-20171219-story.html
— Why doesn’t Trump get credit for revving up the economy? – Ed Rogers
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-economy-trump-gross-domestic-product-ed-rogers-1220-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— How Illinois lawmakers voted on House tax bill. But there is a snag. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/how-illinois-lawmakers-and-others-voted-on-house-tax-bill/

 

DAILY HERALD
— Aurora Election Commission could be on chopping block in March vote – Susan Sarkauskas
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171219/aurora-election-commission-could-be-on-chopping-block-in-march-vote

 

ABC7
— Senate expected to pass massive tax reform bill after hiccup – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/senate-expected-to-pass-massive-tax-reform-bill-after-hiccup/2799415/
— Mauled by dogs: Sheriff offers gruesome details about death of woman killed by her own pets – CNN
http://abc7chicago.com/mauled-by-dogs-sheriff-offers-gruesome-details-about-death-of-woman-killed-by-her-own-pets/2799855/

 

NBC5
— House Needs to Vote Again on $1.5T GOP Tax Bill Democrats called the bill a giveaway to corporations and the wealthy – Stephen Ohlemacher and Marcy Gordon
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/GOP-Roll-Trillion-Final-Tax-Bill-House-Senate-465150303.html

 

CBS2
— Palatine Township Board Delays Vote On Hiring Parliamentarian – Craig Dellimore
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/19/palatine-township-parliamentarian/

 

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— GOP on the verge of huge tax overhaul — with one hiccup – AP
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/congress-tax-vote

 

WLS AM
— Ives out with a rescue plan for state’s pension problem – Bill Cameron
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/12/19/ives-out-with-a-rescue-plan-for-states-pension-problem/
— Chicago area Congressmen on WLS to debate tax bill – John Dempsey
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/12/19/chicago-area-congressmen-on-wls-to-debate-tax-bill/

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Rauner says nobody will buy plant that state helped sell – Bernard Schoenburg
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171219/schoenburg-rauner-says-nobody-will-buy-plant-that-state-helped-sell

 

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— Teen arrested trying bring pot into Peoria County courthouse – Phil Luciano
http://www.pjstar.com/news/20171218/teen-arrested-trying-bring-pot-into-peoria-county-courthouse

 

TIMES
— High school journalists should not be censored – Liza Buhr
http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/youth/buhr-high-school-journalists-should-not-be-censored/article_89269742-8887-51ee-a00d-7ef52119ebec.html

 

WSIL TV
— Political expert weighs in on “Rauner’s Top 10 Accomplishments” – Roni LeForge
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37104258/political-expert-weighs-in-on-rauners-top-10-accomplishments

 

SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS NEWS
— Bailey sees flight from Illinois as another Rauner failure – Glenn Minnis
https://seillinoisnews.com/stories/511300724-bailey-sees-flight-from-illinois-as-another-rauner-failure

 

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Straub notes Durkin role in aiding taxpayer flight from state – Glenn Minnis
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511301030-straub-notes-durkin-role-in-aiding-taxpayer-flight-from-state

 

REAL GOP ILLINOIS
— Shades of Rauner’s nursing home scandal in Quincy veterans death case
https://realgopillinois.com/2017/12/18/shades-rauners-nursing-scandal-quincy-veterans-home-case/

 

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Ives for Governor “Meet and Greet” – Coles County – December 20, 2017 – KIRK ALLEN
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/12/ives-for-governor-meet-and-greet-coles-county-december-20-2017/
— John Clough, Illinois Prisoner Review Board Member Electioneering with State Vehicle – JOHN KRAFT
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/12/john-clough-illinois-prisoner-review-board-member-electioneering-with-state-vehicle/

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Rauner claims WBEZ canceled monthly show for political reasons
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/rauner-claims-wbez-canceled-monthly-show-for-political-reasons/
— ILGOP weighs in against Straub *** Oppo dump!
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/oppo-dump-10/
— Ives proposes pension changes
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/ives-proposes-pension-changes/
— Rauner touts his top 10 accomplishments
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/rauner-touts-his-top-10-accomplishments/
— The most negative campaign ever
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/the-most-negative-campaign-ever/
— Rauner talks up contributions to pro-life candidates while campaign highlights Dems’ worst moments of 2017
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/19/rauner-talks-up-contributions-to-pro-life-candidates-while-campaign-highlights-dems-worst-moments-of-2017/

 

CNS NEWS
— Rep. Roskam: ‘Low Expectations’ on Tax Plan Will Work in Republicans’ Favor – Susan Jones
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/rep-roskam-low-expectations-tax-plan-will-work-republicans-favor

 

LIFE NEWS
— Illinois Gov Bruce Rauner: Pro-Life People Should Vote for Me Even Though I Forced Them to Fund Abortions – MICAIAH BILGER
http://www.lifenews.com/2017/12/19/illinois-gov-bruce-rauner-pro-life-people-should-vote-for-me-even-though-i-forced-them-to-fund-abortions/

 

GOPUSA
— University of Virginia stonewalls conservative club for restricting membership to conservatives (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois who claim to be conservative and/or Republican, but a) who do lots of anti-conservative and/or anti-Republican things and/or b) focus on destroying those who are conservative and/or Republican. They really are Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, or RINOs. Most commonly, they reject the traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. Most commonly, they promote LGBTQ activity, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, age discrimination, political affiliation discrimination, and patronage.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=35538

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump cheers on a stock market he once called a ‘big, fat, ugly bubble’ – Michael Scherer and Jenna Johnson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-cheers-on-a-stock-market-he-once-called-a-big-fat-ugly-bubble/2017/12/19/811cce82-e4de-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html

 

NEW REPUBLIC
— The Democrats’ Risky Pursuit of Suburban Republicans The strategy threatens to alienate the party’s base in the age of Trump. – JEET HEER
https://newrepublic.com/article/146345/democrats-risky-pursuit-suburban-republicans

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 17 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Ethics, redemption become issues in Will County clerk race – Ted Slowik
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-will-county-clerk-st-1214-20171213-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: I wondered this week how Lauren Staley-Ferry’s admission and apology for a felony forgery charge she faced 15 years ago in Arizona would affect her candidacy for Will County clerk. Staley-Ferry, 39, of Joliet, is one of two candidates running in the March 20 Democratic primary for county clerk. The other is Denise Mushro-Rumchak, 59, of Crest Hill.)
— I got kicked out of diversity training – Joanne Cleaver (DIERSEN: 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/commentary/ct-perspec-diversity-feminism-white-privilege-20171217-story.html

 

WBEZ
— Are Taxpayers Footing The Bill For Patriotic Tributes At College Games? – Monica Eng (DIERSEN: Anti-Trumps are anti-patriotic.)
https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/are-taxpayers-footing-the-bill-for-patriotic-tributes-at-college-games/d81a450a-b7e5-41a7-bbcd-46a3dbce251f

 

ALTON DAILY NEWS
— Illinois Has Highest Pension Liability In Nation – Greg Bishop
http://altondailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=17&id=256991#.WjaRKt-nGM8

 

QUINCY HERALD WHIG
— TRAGIC: Quincy City Council considers raising cap on video gaming terminals – Doug Wilson
http://www.whig.com/20171216/quincy-city-council-considers-raising-cap-on-video-gaming-terminals#//

 

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

 

SOUTHERN
— At campaign stop, Pritzker tells Southern Illinois Democratic Women he’s ‘ready to resist’ – K. JANIS ESCH (DIERSEN: Ever-increasing, Pritzker makes it clear that if he is elected, he will drive out of Illinois all the individuals, organizations, and companies that are a member of one or more of 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://thesouthern.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/at-campaign-stop-pritzker-tells-southern-illinois-democratic-women-he/article_0f2d9e0e-80f6-5606-b20f-33b82437a0b0.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: During a campaign-stop luncheon hosted by the Southern Illinois Democratic Women on Saturday afternoon, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful J.B. Pritzker billed himself as a feminist ally and a proud member of the anti-Trump resistance. Pritzker, a billionaire investor and entrepreneur, told a crowd of 250 people at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 that he was “ready to listen … ready to resist and ready for the fight ahead.” After his speech, Pritzker moderated a panel discussion featuring female leaders. His running-mate, Juliana Stratton, state representative of the 5th District, noted in her introductory remarks that Pritzker was the first candidate in the race to choose a woman for the lieutenant governor position. “This is a partnership, and together, we’re going to put Springfield back on the side of women and families,” she said. In 2016, Stratton said, Illinois women made an average of $41,327, compared to the average for men of $52,161. She said equal pay for equal work will be a top priority for Pritzker’s administration. Pritzker spoke about his disappointment after the 2016 election, when Donald Trump won the presidency in a stunning upset over Hillary Clinton. “I was sad for our country, I was sad for the direction that it would take us in and for what it meant about and for our values. I was sad that my daughter witnessed a misogynistic, racist man defeating a deeply qualified woman for president,” Pritzker said.)

 

RIVER CITIES READER
— Can Rauner Really Take Out Madigan? – Rich Miller
https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/can-rauner-take-out-madigan

 

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Ives outscores Rauner in tax group’s policy survey – W.J. Kennedy
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/511287066-ives-outscores-rauner-in-tax-group-s-policy-survey

 

HUFFINGTON POST
— If Congress Doesn’t Act Soon To Save Dreamers, It Might Not Save Them At All Immigration reform advocates want legal status for undocumented young people as part of a government spending bill. – Elise Foley
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/government-shutdown-dreamers_us_5a2989ece4b0b185e53a3098

 

BLAZE
— Pope Francis says journalists commit ‘sins of communication’ – Teri Webster (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes will hint/imply/argue/shout that the Pope is talking about me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/12/16/pope-francis-says-journalists-commit-sins-of-communication
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Pope Francis weighed in on the issue of freedom of the press as he delivered a sermon to a group of journalists Saturday about “the sins of communication,” NPR News reported. Who was there? The Pope made his comments to members of the Italian Periodical Press Union and the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies, reports state. According to the Pope, journalism is a field “dominated by the anxiety of speed” and is driven by sensationalism. Reliable information, he said, is at a premium. Pope Francis also spoke about the perils of disinformation and slander, NPR reported. What did Pope Francis say? “You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins of communication:’ disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalized, or defamation, looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today,” he said. Pope Francis added: “We must not fall prey to the ‘sins of communication’: disinformation that is, giving just one side of the argument, slander, which is sensationalistic, or defamation, looking for outdated and old things, and bringing them to light today. They are very grave sins, which damage the heart of the journalist and harm people.” The world can expect to hear similar sermons from the pope in the future. Pope Francis plans to make “fake news and journalism for peace,” the topic of his 2017 World Communications Day speech. The pope has waded into media issues in the past, as well. NPR reported last year that the pope told “journalists and media consumers” that an interest in dredging up scandals is similar to “the sickness of coprophilia,” which is an abnormal interest in feces “that can include elements of sexual arousal.”)

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— The Tax Bill That Inequality Created – Editorial
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/opinion/sunday/tax-bill-inequality-created.html
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Many Want Nothing to Do With the ‘R’ Word A growing number of older Americans continue to work for a variety of reasons. – Claudia Dreifus (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes, what I do 10+ hours each and every day putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out is NOT work. They hint/imply/argue/shout that because no one pays me for what I do as your GOPUSA Illinois Editor, that because I send the emails out free of charge, and that because the emails contain no advertising, what I do as your GOPUSA Illinois Editor is worthless.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/business/asked-about-retiring-they-have-a-simple-answer-why.html
— Bringing Down Our Monsters – Maureen Dowd (DIERSEN: The more of the following that you are, the harder that anti-Trumps work to destroy you: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owner, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/opinion/sunday/sexual-harassment-salma-hayek.html
— Are You Old? Infirm? Then Kindly Disappear – FRANK BRUNI (DIERSEN: If you work for the federal government and you are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran, the federal government wants you to disappear if you do not make 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.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/opinion/sunday/are-you-old-infirm-then-kindly-disappear.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump labor adviser’s plan for cutting federal compensation, potentially even paid holidays – Joe Davidson (DIERSEN: Many millions have not and will not seek a job with the federal government a) because the pay and benefits are terrible, b) because the advancement opportunities are terrible, c) because they lack required education, work experience, professional certifications, and/or professional licenses, d) because they cannot pass an employment examination, e) because they cannot pass a background investigation, f) because they cannot pass a physical examination, g) because they cannot take the demonization, denigration, and condemnation that comes with being a federal employee or federal retiree, and/or h) because they are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and they know that the federal government discriminates against the aforesaid.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/12/18/trump-labor-advisers-plan-for-cutting-federal-compensation-potentially-even-paid-holidays/

December 15 Morning Edition

ABC7
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC, ILLEGAL, AND TREASONOUS: Chicago has unveiled the design of a new municipal identification card that will be available next year to immigrants living in the country without legal permission and others. – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/society/chicago-unveils-municipal-ids-to-be-available-in-march/2782904/

 

NBC5
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC, ILLEGAL, AND TREASONOUS: Chicago has unveiled the design of a new municipal identification card that will be available next year to immigrants living in the country without legal permission and others. – AP
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Chicago-Unveils-Municipal-IDs-to-Be-Available-in-March–464286113.html

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— On the Republican side, state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton reported raising $369,500 so far to take on wealthy Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Of the total, $25,000 came from what had been her state legislative campaign account. Rauner had put $50 million in his re-election account a year ago and had $65.6 million to start October. Since then he’s added $185,787, state records show. – Rick Pearson
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-governor-fundraising-20171215-story.html
— Oak Brook trustee Michael Manzo doesn’t believe allegations against Roy Moore, alleges smear campaign by Democrats – Chuck Fieldman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-brook/news/ct-dob-manzo-comments-tl-1221-20171214-story.html
— ‘It can be really ostracizing’: After Trump and Moore, some evangelicals find label too toxic to use – Julie Zauzmer
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-moore-evangelicals-20171215-story.html
— Mundelein approves property tax hike to cover pension payments – Rick Kambic
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/mundelein/news/ct-mun-property-tax-levy-approved-pensions-tl-1221-story.html#new_tab

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Families blame state in veterans home Legionnaires’ outbreak – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/families-blame-state-in-veterans-home-legionnaires-outbreak/

 

DAILY HERALD
— Ives poses legitimate threat to both Rauner and Democrats – Ed Murnane
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20171215/ives-poses-legitimate-threat-to-both-rauner-and-democrats
— FRONT PAGE: 3 DuPage candidates (Daniel Hebreard, Irfan M. Ibrahim, and Jim Broline) must fight to stay on the March ballot – Robert Sanchez
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/3-dupage-candidates-must-fight-to-stay-on-the-march-ballot
— Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti will join several local leaders from various public entities in Schaumburg on Friday, to recognize their efforts to consolidate, share services and save taxpayers money.
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/sanguinetti-in-schaumburg-friday-to-honor-local-governments
— Kane County Board attorney selected by Lauzen resigns – James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/kane-county-board-attorney-selected-by-lauzen-resigns
— Shaughnessy named Antioch Township Supervisor – Mick Zawislak
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171214/shaughnessy-named-antioch-township-supervisor

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Chicago housing strength rises—from dead last – DENNIS RODKIN (DIERSEN: Taking away itemized deductions will cause the housing market to crash.)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20171214/CRED0701/171219942

 

SOUTHERN
— Families blame state in veterans home Legionnaires’ outbreak – AP
http://thesouthern.com/news/state-and-regional/families-blame-state-in-veterans-home-legionnaires-outbreak/article_b052b8e6-cb7b-5dab-a2de-35a9734e25dc.html

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Video gambling numbers level off in Springfield – Tim Landis
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171214/video-gambling-numbers-level-off-in-springfield

 

WIRE POINTS
— US markets up 200 percent, Illinois pensions down 65 percent – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
http://www.wirepoints.com/us-markets-up-200-percent-illinois-pensions-down-65-percent-wirepoints-original/

 

CHICAGO WIRE
— Ives calls report on deaths at veterans home ‘sickening’ – Glenn Minnis
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511297558-ives-calls-report-on-deaths-at-veterans-home-sickening

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— State senator Dan McConchie warns day of reckoning is near as Illinois’ pension liability leads nation – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/state-senator-warns-day-of-reckoning-is-near-as-illinois/article_451a8772-e0ff-11e7-8ee6-1382a64156f3.html

 

SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS NEWS
— Bailey calls for change in direction as he takes on Reis in District 109 – Glenn Minnis
https://seillinoisnews.com/stories/511297140-bailey-calls-for-change-in-direction-as-he-takes-on-reis-in-district-109

 

REAL GOP ILLINOIS
— Bruce Rauner’s watch: 13 deaths at Quincy veteran’s home and GOP said nothing
https://realgopillinois.com/2017/12/14/bruce-rauners-watch-15-deaths-quincy-home-gop-said-nothing/

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Republicans get into the “holiday spirit”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/12/15/republicans-get-into-the-holiday-spirit/

 

BREITBART
— Wealthy CEOs Lecture Americans To Show ‘Courage’ by Submitting to Diversity and Amnesty – NEIL MUNRO (DIERSEN: If you are a White and/or male citizen of America, the less money that you have, the more that Affirmative Action, Diversity, Inclusion, and Amnesty harm you.)
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/14/wealthy-ceos-lecture-americans-show-courage-submit-to-diversity-amnesty/

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— Republicans Despise the Working Class Unless you own a business or live off assets, you’re a second-class citizen in their eyes. – Paul Krugman (DIERSEN: All of my critics/opponents despise the working class. I was a member of the working class 1962-1997. I did yard work and delivered newspapers 1962-1964; washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; delivered mail 1966-1969; worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumped gasoline 1971-1972; collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980; and audited federal agencies 1980-1997.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/opinion/republicans-working-class-taxes.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— After Trump and Moore, some evangelicals are finding their own label too toxic to use – Julie Zauzmer and Sarah Pulliam Bailey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/after-trump-and-moore-some-evangelicals-are-finding-their-own-label-too-toxic-to-use/2017/12/14/b034034c-e020-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Corrupting the Body Politic What’s breaking our politics, says the author, is not ideological polarization but our sense that politicians are in it for themselves. Barton Swaim reviews ‘The Republic of Virtue’ by F.H. Buckley. – Barton Swaim
https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-corrupting-the-body-politic-1513293821

 

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE: HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Frats thrive as hazing trauma fades – Sean Rossman and Trevor Hughes (DIERSEN: Were you a member of a frat? I was not. My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes stress that I a) lived with my parents and brother in Crete while I attended UIC 1966-1968, b) came home weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969 to keep my part-time Post Office job, and c) lived with my parents and brother in Crete during the summer of 1969.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/12/14/collateral-damage-how-fraternities-can-continue-thrive-after-pledges-die/920502001/

 

NPR
— Federal Investigation Finds ‘Significant Issues’ At Immigrant Detention Centers – Richard Gonzales
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/14/570984026/federal-investigation-finds-significant-issues-at-immigrant-detention-centers