Tag: pension

CAPITOL FAX
—  Haevers leaves – Rodriguez leaves *** Mahoney is latest top Rauner administration official to resign (DIERSEN: In Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Glen Ellyn, and in Wheaton, when there is news of interest to Illinois Republicans, routinely, Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, and RINOs first give that news to the Democrat news media, and especially to Rich Miller. Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, and RINOs do not want Illinois Republicans to first learn of anything by reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails. Further, when there is news of actions taken by the DuPage County Election Commission (DCEC) that might adversely affect elected DuPage County Republican Precinct Committeemen, Democrats and Democrat plants, Libertarians and Libertarian plants, Greens and Green plants, and RINOs certainly do not want me to know about it. They know that if I was given the names and contact information of those elected DuPage County Republican Precinct Committeemen who are affected by DCEC’s proposed precinct line changes, I would immediately notify them.  Just kidding, but not completely, I ask should I consider forming a “DuPage County Elected Republican Precinct Committeeman Association.” What about politicians who want precinct lines to be changed a) to reward those who pander to them and b) punish those who do not pander to them?)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/07/17/mahoney-is-latest-top-rauner-administration-official-to-resign/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Mike Mahoney, the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Legislative Affairs, resigned this morning. I’m told the parting was amicable Here’s Sneed from last week… “The big question: Will Mike Mahoney, the governor’s policy chief, be told to leave? “Mike was the guy who kept the troops together, but the expectation is that there is a lot more to come in the cleaning house department,” a Rauner source said.” It almost goes without saying that this is yet another big loss for the administration. Mahoney was a key player and both House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady reportedly asked the governor to do what he could to keep Mahoney on the payroll. In the end, however, he really had no choice but to leave. I’m told that more resignations are expected as early as today, so stay tuned.  Sources close to the governor’s office confirm that the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Engagement Phil Rodriguez has also resigned. Rodriguez worked for Comptrollers Topinka and Munger and ran both of their campaigns. He’s moving over to the Tollway.  The governor’s body man, Kyle Haevers, has been told his services were no longer needed and was asked to find an agency to move to. His replacement is Ben Tracy, who has already begun traveling with the governor. Kyle was a loyal Raunerite and has been part of Rauner World since 2014 and helped on the Rep. McAuliffe race last fall.)
— More on the Mike Z resignation
https://capitolfax.com/2017/07/17/more-on-the-mike-z-resignation/
— “Radical Candor”  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what group of people are likely behind the new RadicalCandorIL Twitter account. I followed it closely all weekend and since the resignations are continuing, I thought you might want a ScribbleLive feed…
https://capitolfax.com/2017/07/17/live-coverage-radical-candor/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— RAUNER BEGINS MAJOR OFFICE STAFF RENOVATION; PANIC SPREADS AMONG SPRINGFIELD INSIDERS (FROM THE ARTICLE: Miller is furious because he liked the way things were before.)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/07/rauner-begins-major-office-staff-renovation-panic-spreads-among-springfield-insiders.html

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Trump-inspired ‘Make America Great Again’ swimsuit stirring online craze
http://www.fox32chicago.com/entertainment/268295944-story

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Rauner staff shift doesn’t bode well for state government, Democratic lawmaker Elaine Nekritz says – Rick Pearson  (DIERSEN: GAO’s staff shift during the 1980s and 1990s did not bode well for its employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-morning-spin-monday-edition-20170716-story.html
— McHenry County braces for early week flooding as waters recede in Lake County – Yadira Sanchez Olson and Tony Briscoe
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/-ct-lns-flooding-northern-illinois-st-0717-20170716-story.html
— Delta tells Ann Coulter her insults are ‘unacceptable’ – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-ann-coulter-delta-airlines-20170717-story.html
— 7.1 million Venezuelans vote in symbolic rejection of president’s plan to rewrite constitution – AP  (DIERSEN: Those in Group A want to rewrite the U.S. Constitution to get rid of those in Group B. Those in Group A are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and those in Group B are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-venezuela-constitution-vote-20170716-story.html
— Fans embrace Ivanka Trump’s brand as a political statement – Matea Gold and Drew Harwell
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-ivanka-trump-brand-fans-20170717-story.html
— Business group warns Republican health-care bill could cost companies – Carolyn Y. Johnson
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-republican-health-care-bill-business-20170717-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps encourage people to come to America illegally, to stay in America illegally, and to bring others to America illegally.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-find-the-heart-president-trump-to-protect-dreamers/
— Illinois college students relieved MAP grants available again – Lauren FitzPatrick  (DIERSEN: Government is nasty.  Politics is nasty.  If I sought a government office or a political office, my critics/opponents, their operatives, an dupes would use Emma Sheikh to demonize me, to denigrate me, and to condemn me as being someone a) whose parents were undeservedly filthy rich, b) who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, c) who has always been privileged, and d) who was grossly overpaid when 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; and worked on an automobile assemble line and as a security guard in 1970. They would stress that I bought a 1958 Chevy BelAir in 1964 when I was 16, a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint when I was 17, a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 when I was 19, a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE when I was 20, and that I outrageously graduated debt-free from NIU in 1970. They would stress that I avoided the draft with student deferments 1966-1970 and with a financial hardship deferment 1970-1971.)
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/illinois-college-students-relieved-map-grants-available-again/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Area lawmakers discuss Trump’s relationship with Congress – Chris Kaergard
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170716/area-lawmakers-discuss-trumps-relationship-with-congress
— Illinois Bicentennial planning kicks into high gear – David Blanchette  (DIERSEN: My ancestors have lived in northeast Illinois since 1844, but I have lived in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton only since 1978.  Because of that, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes in DuPage County, in Milton Township, and in Wheaton demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me as being a newcomer.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170716/illinois-bicentennial-planning-kicks-into-high-gear

SAUK VALLEY
— Law enforcement hits the road to raise money Illinois State Police Memorial Park – John Reynolds
http://www.saukvalley.com/2017/07/16/law-enforcement-hits-the-road-to-raise-money-illinois-state-police-memorial-park/afw5ye7/
— Big wheels from Illinois roll into D.C. for ‘Made in America’ week – Chris Kaergard
http://www.saukvalley.com/2017/07/16/big-wheels-from-illinois-roll-into-d-c-for-made-in-america-week/a2s6ind/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— White House announces more theme weeks  Manufacturing. Veterans. ‘Dreams’ – ELI WATKINS  (DIERSEN: What if Trump has a “Federal Employee” week and/or a “Retired Federal Employee” week?  Of course, that would be viciously ridiculed. Ever-increasing, everyone blames their problems on federal employees and on retired federal employees.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/white-house-announces-more-theme-weeks/766909149
— Collins: GOP bill would affect ‘most vulnerable’ – ELI WATKINS  (DIERSEN: How vulnerable have you been, and how vulnerable are you now?  My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted a) that I have never been vulnerable and that I never will be vulnerable because I am a White male and b) that I should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion because of that, and because I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, because I have always been privileged, because I am healthy, because I avoided the draft, because the federal government overpaid me, because my wife has always had a job, because my wife and I gave up trying to have children, because we did not adopt, and because we did not become foster parents.)
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/collins-gop-bill-would-affect-most-vulnerable/766824994

CHICAGO NOW
— Leading Dem Gov Primary Candidates Pritzker, Kennedy & Biss at Rainbow Push: Eye on the Prize. – Jeff Berkowitz
http://www.chicagonow.com/public-affairs-with-jeff-berkowitz/2017/07/leading-dem-gov-primary-candidates-pritzker-kennedy-biss-at-rainbow-push-eye-on-the-prize/

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— 36 former employees of Milton Township receiving the highest annual pension payouts
http://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511139924-here-are-the-36-former-employees-of-milton-township-receiving-the-highest-annual-pension-payouts

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Governor Rauner Views Sandbagging and Beginning of Flooding – Cal Skinner
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2017/07/16/governor-rauner-views-sandbagging-and-beginning-of-flooding/

UPSTREAM IDEAS
— Change Is Coming
http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/hkhtb1m20rin3yzyar1om2njwz7qlj

REBOOT ILLINOIS
— Rauner’s staff shakeup sends clear signal of what’s to come – Rich Miller  (DIERSEN: One could argue that the Democrats who ran GAO during the 1980s and 1990s sent clear signals to their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran of what was to come.  They forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, they kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, they did not promote me beyond GS-13, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, and they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
https://rebootillinois.com/2017/07/17/rauner-staff-shakeup-sends-clear-signal/

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— AG: Naperville Police improperly denied School Shooting 911 call and radio traffic – KIRK ALLEN
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/07/ag-naperville-police-improperly-denied-school-shooting-911-call-and-radio-traffic/

NEWSMAX
— South Carolina Had Almost 150,000 Attempts to Hack Voter-Registration System Election Day Last Year – Brian Freeman  (DIERSEN: How many attempts have been to hack your election commission?  How many of those hacks were successful?  According to the DuPage County Election Commission (DCEC), only 137 in my precinct voted for Trump, but 211 voted for Clinton.  That is inconsistent with the precinct’s voting history. I am considering asking the DCEC to allow me to look at the actual ballots to verify the 137 and 211 numbers.)
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/South-Carolina-voter-registration-hack-President-Donald-Trump-Russian-hacking/2017/07/16/id/801957/
— Trump Trolls Poll on Twitter – Eric Mack
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-tweet-trolls-polls/2017/07/16/id/801905/

DAILY CALLER
— Trump Attacks ‘Fake News Media’ In Latest Round Of Tweets – Amber Athey
http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/16/trump-attacks-fake-news-media-in-latest-round-of-tweets/

THE HILL
— Texas Republicans take aim at liberal cities – REID WILSON  (DIERSEN: When will Illinois Republicans take aim at liberal cities?)
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/342291-texas-republicans-take-aim-at-liberal-cities

POLITICO
— Trump triggers flood of Democratic candidates  For better and for worse, crowded House primaries are becoming a familiar sight on the Democratic side. – CARLA MARINUCCI and MATT FRIEDMAN  (DIERSEN: Will lots of RINOs run as anti-Trumps in Republican primaries?)
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/16/trump-triggers-flood-of-democratic-candidates-240597

NBC NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps crow over their success in driving Trump’s favorable poll numbers down and driving his unfavorable poll numbers up.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/trump-s-standing-takes-hit-even-places-he-won-2016-n783611
— Criticism of College Culture Is Not Higher Education Rejection – ESTHER J. CEPEDA
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/opinion-criticism-college-culture-not-higher-education-rejection-n783101

WASHINGTON POST
— As companies relocate to big cities, suburban towns are left scrambling – Jonathan O’Connell (DIERSEN: When a company moves from a Republican area to a Democrat area, that company shouts that it is dumping its customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, etc. that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-companies-relocate-to-big-cities-suburban-towns-are-left-scrambling/2017/07/16/81c12cea-618d-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

USA TODAY
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: In a front page top of fold editorial unethically made to look like a news article, anti-Trumps ask “At the six-month milestone, can Trump turn around his struggling presidency?”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/16/analysis-six-months-can-trump-turn-around-his-presidency/478470001/
— STUDY: 69% of 2017 grads expect to make more than $35,000, but only 49% of 2015/2016 grads do.  (DIERSEN: I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in 1970.  In 1971, I started working for IRS as a GS-7 (currently $44,853) Revenue Officer.)
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-arizona-republic/20170717/281809988946636

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— La Raza Finally Loses ‘the Race’  The leftist Chicano outfit rebrands itself as UnidosUS. – Mike Gonzalez  (DIERSEN: To support La Raza, or now UnidosUS, is to shout that you are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than your ancestors.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/la-raza-finally-loses-the-race-1500229809
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Since its inception in 1968, made possible in part by a grant from the Ford Foundation, La Raza has been far more dependent on boardrooms and government than grass-roots support. But with government largess drying up, the liberal political-advocacy group may find itself needing greater support from the rank and file. This won’t be easy. The nation’s “Hispanics” are undergoing a radical shift that most politicians are missing: A white majority is likely to persist in America. “Many children growing up today in mixed families are integrating into a still largely white mainstream society,” sociologist Richard Alba noted in American Prospect last year. These children are “likely to think of themselves as part of that mainstream, rather than as minorities excluded from it.” The name La Raza—“the race” in Spanish—flies in the face of this reality. It is off-putting to many “Hispanics,” an artificial Census category comprising many razas. The organization’s CEO, Janet Murguia, admitted as much in a video announcing the name change: “We must make sure that our name and our organization evolves along with and remains relevant to our ever changing Hispanic community.” Appealing to a broader swath of this diverse group is necessary now that the “fat years” under President Obama are gone. The Obama Justice Department made a practice of settling lawsuits against corporate defendants by requiring they make large donations to groups like La Raza. It was, in the words of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, “a scheme to funnel money to politically favored special interest groups.” In a letter sent to Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the closing days of the Obama administration, Mr. Goodlatte noted that “in just the last two years, DOJ has directed nearly $1 billion to activist groups, entirely outside of Congress’s spending and oversight authority.” Taxpayer money was flowing into La Raza coffers too. When Cecilia Munoz, a top La Raza lobbyist, joined Mr. Obama’s Domestic Policy Council, federal subsidies for La Raza went from $4.1 million to $11 million a year. And La Raza loyally promoted Mr. Obama’s policies as pro-Latino. You can expect the group to continue agitating on behalf of the Democratic Party. Whether UnidosUS becomes more grass-roots-driven than La Raza remains to be seen. The group’s corporate board of advisers still includes Comcast , AT&T , Bank of America , Chevron , Coca-Cola , Ford, Con-Agra Foods and other Fortune 500 firms. Its more than 260 local affiliates train and mobilize an activist core of community organizers but have only a third of the vote on the board. This week’s name change may be a recognition of an imperfect model. Or it may be nothing more than a marketing ploy. The latter is more likely.)
— Republicans Aren’t Team Players – Fred Barnes  (DIERSEN: Those who hint/imply/argue/shout that I am not a team player focus on destroying those like me who fail/refuse to a) glorify and praise them, b) pander to them, c) serve as one of their operatives or dupes, and/or d) give them money.  I should write a book about those who hint/imply/argue/shout that I am not a team player.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-arent-team-players-1500229048
— South Carolina May Prove a Microcosm of U.S. Election Hacking Efforts  There were nearly 150,000 attempts to penetrate the voter-registration system on Election Day 2016, State Election Commission says – Alexa Corse  (DIERSEN: How many attempts have been to hack your election commission?  How many of those hacks were successful?  According to the DuPage County Election Commission (DCEC), only 137 in my precinct voted for Trump, but 211 voted for Clinton.  That is inconsistent with the precinct’s voting history. I am considering asking the DCEC to allow me to look at the actual ballots to verify the 137 and 211 numbers.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-carolina-may-prove-a-microcosm-of-u-s-election-hacking-efforts-1500202806
— Learn a Language, but Not a Human One  Fluency in coding is a more useful skill than French, Spanish or Russian. – Andy Kessler
https://www.wsj.com/articles/learn-a-language-but-not-a-human-one-1500229654

IVN
— You Thought Gerrymandering in Wisconsin Was Bad, Illinois Is Worse – Carl Wicklander
https://ivn.us/2017/07/17/gerrymandering-wisconsin-bad-illinois-worse/

MOTLEY FOOL
— 7 Countries With Worse Income Inequality Than the United States  It’s not a problem unique to us, and it doesn’t always mean gloom and doom, either. – Brian Stoffe  (DIERSEN: What would your past/present employers say that they did to fight income inequality?  My Democrat GAO superiors would stress that they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.  My Democrat IRS superiors would stress that they did not promote me beyond GS-12, that they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and that they disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974.  My Democrat Post Office superiors would stress that they forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.  My aforesaid Democrat superiors would stress that the aforesaid adverse actions that they took against me directly benefited their employees who were poor, and especially their poor employees who were Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.)
https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/17/7-countries-with-worse-income-inequality-than-the.aspx