Tag: pension

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps ask “What to do about racial hate?”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/john-fountain-what-to-do-about-racial-hate/
— Trump cabinet choices in for a rude awakening  The greatest culture shock for Cabinet members who’ve never worked in government will be how little authority they have to make major changes. – Linda Chavez  (DIERSEN: Have you ever worked for the federal government?  I did for almost 30 years.  I worked for GAO for almost 18 years on audits of federal financial industry regulators for almost 9 years, on audits of IRS for 3 years, and on audits of many other federal agencies for almost 6 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 levels, currently $92,632-$120,427.  I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $77,899-$88,286.)
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/linda-chavez-trump-cabinet-choices-in-for-a-rude-awakening/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Driver education not necessary for high school graduation – Editorial  (DIERSEN: If I had not had a drivers license and a car, I would not have gotten the jobs that I did washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-editorial-driver-education-naperville-st-1218-20161216-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— Another step toward streamlining DuPage County, elections board are building ‘new model for better government’ – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161217/discuss/161219067/
— Fair trade store to help trafficking victims, others launches in Wheaton – Jessica Cilella  (DIERSEN: The cost of living in Wheaton is extremely high in part because, unlike Naperville, much of the real estate in Wheaton is off the tax rolls.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161216/news/161219080/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Pollino is the owner and founder of My Half of the Sky, a new retailer in downtown Wheaton that sells goods made by people in the U.S. and around the world who have been trafficked, overcome addiction, are rising out of extreme poverty or have faced other adversities. Her items include candles made by teen moms in Chicago, necklaces crafted by people transitioning out of homelessness in Los Angeles, jewelry made by women saved from trafficking in China, and crocheted products from Africa and Peru. The shop is in an 1800s house at 121 W. Wesley St. It opened on Black Friday and will be open Saturday, Dec. 17, as well as Thursday and Friday, Dec. 22 and 23, for holiday shopping. It then will close for a build-out to add a small coffee shop, meeting spaces and a fitness area to the building before reopening at the end of February. “We’re creating this space for people just to hang out, get some work done and do things we love to do, and then the money goes back into the cause,” Pollino said. “(Retail is) a hard business to be successful in and if we just did the retail products, it would probably not pay the bills. That’s where the coffee and everything else comes into the picture.” In addition, a Kickstarter campaign has been launched to raise money for My Half of the Sky to rent a kitchen space where refugees and other local women in need will be employed and make food for the coffee shop. Pollino said she has been planning the business for more than five years, doing extensive research about best practices for social enterprise. “Wheaton is a great community to start an enterprise like this because they care about social justice, they really do,” she said. Pollino said people who have their lives turned around often come to a standstill because they are lacking the education or skills necessary to get a job.)
— Activist Ron Allen remembered as soldier in fight against injustice – Kerry Lester  (DIERSREN: What do you fight for?  I fight for the Republican Party platform, the Illinois Republican Party platform, and the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161217/news/161218993/
— Central American migrants await asylum in southern Mexico – AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161217/news/312179967/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Sometimes it seems like the state is stuck in a movie plot – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161217/statehouse-insider-sometimes-it-seems-like-state-is-stuck-in-movie-plot
— Speeding ticket numbers down, fatalities up on Illinois roads – John Reynolds
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161217/speeding-ticket-numbers-down-fatalities-up-on-illinois-roads
— Prayer at county board raises church-state question – Bernard Schoenburg  (DIERSEN: What do your critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes pray for?  My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes pray a) that GOD would stop me from putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out, b) that GOD would stop everyone from reading those emails, and c) that GOD would “smite me down” so that Wheaton could have video gambling.)
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20161217/bernard-schoenburg-prayer-at-county-board-raises-church-state-question

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Madigan still king, but his crown is tarnished – Jim Dey
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2016-12-18/jim-dey-madigan-still-king-his-crown-tarnished.html
— Heading to the courts  AFSCME’s best shot at overturning impasse decision is to win in appellate court. – Editorial
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2016-12-18/heading-courts.html
— Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Dan Flannell will become the new “city administrator” in Sullivan for an initial salary of $92,500. But our cash-compensation calculation of Flannell’s five-year contract reveals a total taxpayer cost estimate of $786,939. – ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI  (DIERSEN: When will someone write an article about my Democrat GAO superiors?  In 1997, they succeeded in a) forcing me to stop paying into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and b) forcing the CSRS to pay me $50,720 a year in today’s dollars.  So far, the CSRS has paid me $976,360 in today’s dollars.)
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/guest-commentary/2016-12-18/guest-commentary-what-gives-sullivan.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Earlier this spring, at OpenTheBooks.com, we identified more than 50,000 Illinois public employees who make at least $100,000 per year. These “highly compensated” public servants cost Illinois taxpayers over $8 billion. We found Cook County animal-control officers making $105,000; suburban school administrators at $503,000; university doctors earning $1.3 million; and 72 small-town ‘managers’ out-earning every governor of all 50 states. This research helps explain why Illinois has a net outward migration of residents. In order to pay these exorbitant salaries, Illinois has burdensome property taxes that are driving people out of the state. Illinois also has the double dippers — 15,000 “retired” public employees who go back to work in government and acquire a second pension. There’s former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, who took $2.25 million in salary from the University of Illinois between 2000-2013 while also receiving more than $2 million in pension from a two-term stint as governor. Former state Rep. Roger Eddy now makes $322,200 — $291,725 as executive director of Illinois Association of School Boards and $30,500 from his lawmaker’s pension. Public pay and pension envy in Illinois is real. The hard-working private sector doesn’t have benefits even remotely close to government workers. Last month, tipped by an article in this newspaper, we found another “highly compensated” double dipper.)

NORTHWEST HERALD
— Illinois electors split over system to select president – AP
http://www.nwherald.com/2016/12/17/illinois-electors-split-over-system-to-select-president/axy4684/

QUAD CITY TIMES
— Illinois prison population down 9 percent under Rauner – Dan Petrella
http://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/illinois-prison-population-down-percent-under-rauner/article_e48dc152-d04e-5c6b-80b2-40d8b5846be8.html
— Change is the only option in Illinois – Michael Frerichs
http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/guest/guest-view-change-is-the-only-option-in-illinois/article_ecbd73fb-68cb-5b2b-a3b3-429dc8919d57.html

QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Rauner should negotiate contract, not dictate it – Michael T. Carrigan
http://www.qconline.com/opinion/rauner-should-negotiate-contract-not-dictate-it/article_529288ff-1d52-503a-9822-609d6a0afa39.html
— A look back at folksy Jim Thompson, Illinois’ longest-serving governor – Tom Emery  (DIERSEN: Those who promote patronage promote Jim Thompson and promote Jim Edgar.)
http://www.qconline.com/news/illinois/a-look-back-at-folksy-jim-thompson-illinois-longest-serving/article_24b6833b-6702-58f2-8cff-2f8a37703a4b.html

PEORIA JORNAL STAR
— Sometimes it seems like the state is stuck in a movie plot – Doug Finke
http://www.pjstar.com/news/20161217/statehouse-insider-sometimes-it-seems-like-state-is-stuck-in-movie-plot

QUINCY HERALD WHIG
— Illinois budget impasse hits local people, institutions – Doug Wilson (DIERSEN: To what extent do those in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois rely on state spending?)
http://www.whig.com/20161217/illinois-budget-impasse-hits-local-people-institutions#

SOUTHERN
— The Trump Cabinet: Bonfire of the agencies – Charles Krauthammer  (DIERSEN: Will the Trump cabinet hire Charles Bowsher?  During the 1980s and 1990s, Bowsher had great success wasting the careers of and getting rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
http://thesouthern.com/news/opinion/editorial/krauthammer/krauthammer-the-trump-cabinet-bonfire-of-the-agencies/article_7d25cad4-1031-5f78-87df-2a9bd3603c23.html

GATEWAY PUNDIT
— Trump Could Create Long Term Majority – And Change Politics as We Know It – Jim Hoft
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/12/top-pollster-trump-create-long-term-majority-change-politics-know-video/

HOT AIR
— Democrats already accusing Trump of “treason” a month before he takes office – JAZZ SHAW
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/12/18/democrats-already-accusing-trump-of-treason-a-month-before-he-takes-office/

CNS NEWS
— Census Bureau: 4 Richest Counties in U.S. Are Suburbs of D.C. – Terence P. Jeffrey
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/census-bureau-4-richest-counties-us-are-suburbs-dc

CHRISTIAN TODAY
— 5 Surprising Truths About Nonchurchgoers – Czarina Ong  (DIERSEN: Virtually all of my nasty/disgusting/vicious critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes crow that they are a member of a church, crow that they attend church services, and crow that they give money to a church.  Should I write a book about them and their churches?  They paint themselves as being operatives or as dupes for their churches.  They harm their churches immensely.)
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/5.surprising.truths.about.nonchurchgoers/103090.htm
(FROM THE ARTICLE: What sets regular churchgoers and nonchurchgoers apart? Their differences aren’t all that stark, and they aren’t the antagonistic, argumentative bunch that some Christians peg them to be. “Because many church leaders and members have such misperceptions about them, churches often fail to reach them, or even attempt to reach them,” Thom Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, wrote on his website, referring to Christians who do not go to church. LifeWay Research conducted a study on 2,000 of these unchurched Christians in partnership with Billy Graham Center for Evangelism in Wheaton. The “unchurched,” as defined, are people who have not attended worship service in the past six months. Rainer and his team discovered five surprising truths about the unchurched. First, most of them have some church background. “Contrary to some perceptions, the great majority of unchurched have a church background. Almost two-thirds of them (62 percent) went to church regularly as a child,” he said. Next, most unchurched quit church because they got out of the habit of going to church. A number of them left the church for negative reasons, but majority simply quit because they felt like quitting. Third, one-third of the unchurched actually have plans to return to church in the future. Rainer said this is good enough reason for the church to actively invite them and get them interested. Fourth, the unchurched are actually very open to gospel conversation. “Nearly half (47 percent) would interact freely in such a conversation. Another third (31 percent) would listen actively without participating,” shared Rainer. He said it’s time that Christians stop using the “poor excuse” that the unchurched aren’t really interested in gospel conversations, because in reality, it is the church members themselves who are not interested in initiating gospel conversations. Lastly, Rainer said if Christians invite the unchurched to attend worship services, they will definitely come. “Among the unchurched, 55 percent said they would attend church if invited by a family member. And 51 percent said they would attend church if invited by a friend or neighbor. These numbers are staggering. The opportunities are incredible.” Rainer said this is an incredible opportunity that the church must take, wondering just how many will even seize this God-given moment.)

CBS NEWS
— What’s to be done about fake news? – Editorial  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes would want a) the Milton Township Republican Central Committee officers, b) the DuPage County Republican Central Committee officers, c) the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee members, d) the IRP officers, and e) the IRP National Committeewoman and National Committeeman to approve each and every article before I could include a link to those articles in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-to-be-done-about-fake-news/

CNBC
— With water cannons and Southern belles, Trump ends ‘thank you’ tour – Reuters
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/18/with-water-cannons-and-southern-belles-trump-ends-thank-you-tour.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG COLOR PICTURE: DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps promote citizens of foreign countries.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/world/americas/syrian-refugees-canada.html
— Preaching the Gospel of Diversity, but Not Following It – Liz Spayd  (DIERSEN: To promote diversity is to get rid of those who are Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoider, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/public-editor/new-york-times-diversity-liz-spayd-public-editor.html
— The New Suburbia: More Urban – MARCELLE SUSSMAN FISCHLER  (DIERSEN: Overwhelmingly, my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates despised, if not hated suburbia.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/realestate/the-new-suburbia-more-urban.html
— White Resentment on the Night Shift at Walmart – TRACIE McMILLANDE  (DIERSEN: What if I had not earned a college degree? What if I had listened to those who hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I was not “college material?  What if I had NOT a) earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) earned job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) earned a job-related professional license when I was 33.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/opinion/sunday/white-resentment-on-the-night-shift-at-walmart.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Much of it seemed to come from feeling they had been promised an easy path to the American dream, and had found only a dead end. They weren’t wrong. More than 90 percent of Americans born in 1940 earned more than their parents, but only 50 percent of those born in 1980 will, according to the Equality of Opportunity Project. And while the loss of wealth after the Great Recession was steepest for minority families, it was steep for whites, too. A report by the Social Science Research Council estimates that black families will have 40 percent less wealth by 2031 because of the Great Recession. It also estimates that white families will have 31 percent less. That is better. It is still bad. Nobody I worked with had the luxury of my aerial view. They had high school diplomas and uncertain futures, and no easy explanation for why the dream didn’t work out for them. If being white made life so much easier, the thinking seemed to go, why was it still so hard? The ready-made answers that are front and center in our culture — a rigged system, new workers taking jobs, corrupt politicians — are a big part of what put Donald J. Trump in office. At its ugliest, whites’ resentment is channeled along race lines, often toward groups that many white people believe compete against them for resources — or don’t deserve resources at all. Grappling with this idea of who deserves benefits is a longstanding, difficult conversation. But the anxiety over economic competition is easier to answer. Working-class whites aren’t losing out because other groups are taking limited resources. They, along with the minority workers who the Economic Policy Institute says constitute about 40 percent of the working class, are facing uncertainty because of structural economic change. That ranges from the decline of unions and manufacturing to the rise of an urban service economy. Collectively, this translates to lower wages for working people, while the fruits of economic growth accrue at the top.)

WASHINGTON POST
— A new poll shows an astonishing 52% of Republicans incorrectly think Trump won the popular vote – John Sides  (DIERSEN: Should I write a book about Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, and RINOs in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who since 2000 have a) focused stopping me from putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out and b) focused on stopping everyone from reading GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails?)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/18/a-new-poll-shows-an-astonishing-52-of-republicans-think-trump-won-the-popular-vote/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Fakebook  The social-media site empowers a journalism cartel. – JAMES TARANTO
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fakebook-1481914459
— Poll Finds Americans Believe Trump Will Bring Change but Are Divided Over What Kind  Majority of those surveyed believe Donald Trump will change the way business is conducted in Washington – MICHAEL C. BENDER
http://www.wsj.com/articles/poll-finds-americans-believe-trump-will-bring-change-but-are-divided-over-what-kind-1482069601

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “CIA director: FBI and CIA find ‘strong consensus’ that Russian hacks were intended to help Trump win election.”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-cia-director-fbi-and-cia-find-strong-1481920045-htmlstory.html
— At Alabama rally, Trump promises hope for the ‘forgotten men and women’ – David G. Savage  (DIERSEN: Who are the forgotten men and women in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois.  Who is responsible for not forgetting them?)
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-trump-promise-hope-for-the-forgotten-1482020798-htmlstory.html
— CHICAGO TRIBUNE ARTICLE TITLE: American Dream fades away – Melissa Etehad and Natalie Kitroeff
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-american-dream-study-20161208-story.html

NEW YORK POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Trump’s stock market rally won’t last forever.”
http://nypost.com/2016/12/17/experts-warn-trumps-stock-market-rally-wont-last-forever/

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Donald Trump is Russia’s ‘Manchurian candidate’ as ‘Saturday Night Live’ debuts John Goodman as oil mogul Rex Tillerson – Nicole Hensley
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/donald-trump-russia-manchurian-candidate-snl-article-1.2914690

USA TODAY
— Critics trying to use Electoral College to de-legitimize Trump – David M Jackson  (DEIERSEN: In your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois, who focuses on de-legitimizing those who are Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors?)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/12/18/donald-trump-reince-priebus-electoral-college–russia-hacking/95582484/
— The Trump trolling rolls on as Baldwin returns to ‘SNL’ – Jayme Deerwester
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/12/17/alec-baldwin-trolling-trump-snl/95578822/
— Some big givers win big Trump roles – Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/16/analysis-some-big-givers-win-big-trump-roles/95492428/

FORBES
— Side Hustle: A New Dance Or A Way Of Life For Millennials? – Neale Godfrey  (DIERSEN: I worked part-time for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights while I worked full-time for IRS in the Loop in 1971 and for IRS in Harvey in 1972.)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nealegodfrey/2016/12/18/side-hustle-for-millennials/#2c2b08153dd3

TUSCALOOSA NEWS
— In Alabama, Trump promises hope for ‘forgotten’  (DIERSEN: Who are the forgotten in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois.  Who is responsible for not forgetting them?)
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20161217/in-alabama-trump-promises-hope-for-forgotten

HARVARD CRIMSION
— High School Students File for Amicus Status in Harvard Admissions Lawsuit – MICHAEL E. XIE  (DIERSEN: Have you and/or have your children personally benefited from Affirmative Action (AA), from Diversity, and/or from Inclusion? Of course, obviously, needless-to-say, and without question, those who have personally benefited from AA, from Diversity, and/or from Inclusion promote AA, Diversity, and/or Inclusion.  Who should pay the price of AA, Diversity, and/or Inclusion? Of course, obviously, needless-to-say, and without question it is those who are Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/12/18/hs-students-amici-status/

DAILY BEAST
— The Fix for Fake News: Outrage  The government doesn’t want to be involved. The big tech companies are reluctant at best. So what to do? – Ben Collins  (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes would want a) the Milton Township Republican Central Committee officers, b) the DuPage County Republican Central Committee officers, c) the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee members, d) the IRP officers, and e) the IRP National Committeewoman and National Committeeman to approve each and every article before I could include a link to those articles in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/18/the-fix-for-fake-news-outrage.html

DAILY KOS
— Dear Washington journalists: Access is dead. Get used to it – Kerry Eleveld  (DIERSEN: What do you say to “Republican” activists, candidates, elected officials, party leaders, major donors, political consultants, etc. a) who do not want me know about their activities or events, b) who do not want me to promote their activities or events, c) who do not want me to attend their events, d) who do not want me to report on their events, and e) who pander to the Democrat news media?  The aforesaid talk and act like they are Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, or RINOs.)
http://m.dailykos.com/stories/1611475

SALON
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats and RINOs want to turn America into Mexico and into other third world countries.  That is a major reason why Trump won and Clinton lost.
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/18/latino-voters-will-reshape-american-politics-as-we-know-it-and-heres-the-proof/

PETITIONS TO CONGRESS
— Sign Petition To Congress On Trump’s Plan On Federal Employee Hiring Freeze  (DIERSEN: During virtually all the 18 years that worked for GAO 1980-1997, the agency was under a hiring freeze and/or a promotion freeze.)
http://petitionstocongress.com/sign-petition-to-congress-on-trumps-plan-on-federal-employee-hiring-freeze/

GUARDIAN
— Saturday Night Live: Trump played as a pawn – Elise Czajkowski  (DIERSEN: Who are the pawns in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois?  Who are they pawns for?)
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/18/saturday-night-live-trump-played-as-a-pawn-while-clinton-goes-all-love-actually