Tag: retirement

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured and flown out of country
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-venezuela-news-strikes-country-says-venezuelan-president-nicols-maduro-captured-wife/18346121/

CBS2
— U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live-updates/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— US strikes Venezuela and says leader Nicolás Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/03/us-strikes-venezuela-nicolas-maduro/

DAILY HERALD
— New laws: Illinois expands job-protected leave for parents with a newborn in a neonatal intensive care unit
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260102/business/new-laws-illinois-expands-job-protected-leave-for-parents-with-newborns-in-nicu/
— Illinois’ electric grids may soon face power shortages and further price increases as fossil fuel plants go offline and data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence demand ever-increasing amounts of power.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260102/business/as-state-regulators-warn-of-impending-energy-shortfalls-capacity-prices-rise-again/

JOURNAL COURIER
— Morgan Republicans plan meet-and-greet with gubernatorial candidate. DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/morgan-republicans-set-gathering-gubernatorial-21272921.php

NPR ILLINOIS
— Naps, bruising, cognitive tests: Trump addresses aging questions. DD: How old are you? I am 77. What do you stress to defend your age? I stress the GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters that I put together and send out. Putting those newsletters together and sending them out takes lots of time and focus.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-02/naps-bruising-cognitive-tests-trump-addresses-aging-questions

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump tries to beat back questions about health: Key takeaways.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/trump-tries-to-beat-back-questions-about-health-key-takeaways/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— 9th Congressional District Democratic Party Hopeful Bushra Amiwala Joins Others in Attacking the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/03/9th-congressional-district-democratic-party-hopeful-bushra-amiwala-joins-others-in-attacking-the-american-israel-public-affairs-committee/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois local governments lose out on $10.9B in state taxes
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-local-governments-lose-out-on-10-9b-in-state-taxes/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

BREITBART
— 41 Percent of Netflix Shows for Children Contain LGBTQ+ Content in 2025
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/01/02/report-says-41-percent-of-netflix-shows-for-children-contain-lgbtq-content-in-2025/

CHRISTIAN POST
— Mamdani’s inaugural address: ‘Godless, rancid ideology’
https://www.christianpost.com/news/top-responses-zohran-mamdani-inaugural-address.html

EPOCH TIMES
— Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down California Ban on Open Carry of Firearms
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-california-ban-on-open-carry-of-firearms-5965490

FOX NEWS
— Mamdani ignites fierce backlash on day one in office
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdL7ph03298
— Mamdani’s inauguration fuels debate over Gen Z shift toward socialism, away from free markets. Zohran Mamdani’s first moments in office embraced ‘collectivism’ as Republicans warn Gen Z is rejecting free markets.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdanis-inauguration-fuels-debate-over-gen-z-shift-toward-socialism-away-from-free-markets.amp
— Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/redistricting-battles-brewing-across-country-parties-compete-power-ahead-2026-midterms.print

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Horse Therapy, Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, and Hate Crime Work Leave: The Wild Blue State Laws of 2025
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/horse-therapy-gender-neutral-bathrooms-and-hate-crime-work-leave-the-wild-blue-state-laws-of-2025/amp/
— Mamdani to Establish New ‘Office of Mass Engagement’ Led by Veteran Socialist Organizer
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/mamdani-to-establish-new-office-of-mass-engagement-led-by-veteran-socialist-organizer/
— Let’s Hire Professors Purely on Merit. DD: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I passed the following tests because standardized tests are biased in favor of those who share my demographics: a) the postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966, b) the ACT test with a score of 24 in 1966, c) all the tests that I needed to pass to graduate in the upper 20% of my high school class in 1966, d) the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970, e) all the tests that I needed to pass to earn a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970 and master’s degrees from Loyola in 1976, DePaul in 1980, and IIT in 1997, f) the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. and g) the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. In my defense, neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/lets-hire-professors-purely-on-merit/

TOWNHALL
— Socialism in the City
https://townhall.com/columnists/christalgo/2026/01/03/socialism-in-the-city-n2668789
— Pritzker’s Pretzels
https://townhall.com/columnists/alanjosephbauer/2026/01/02/pritzkers-pretzels-n2668747

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump insults Pritzker with AI-generated social media post
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5670567-trump-pritzker-ai-image-feud/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Mamdani Acts on Vow to Protect Renters With Move Against a Big Landlord. DD: Have you been a landlord? I was  reluctant landlord 1976-1984 because I could not sell my University Park townhome ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) unless I took a big loss.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/nyregion/mamdani-pinnacle-housing.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those in America who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/business/us-immigration-trump-1920s.html

YAHOO
— Nobody Cares About Your Career. DD: During my federal career working for the Democrats who ran the Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, 1997, only two of my superiors cared about my career. I should write the IRS manager who promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. Because he did that, my Democrat IRS superiors forced him to transfer to Dallas. I should write about the GAO manager who arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980 and who was finally able to assign me to audits or IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. Because he did that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced him to retire in 1987. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and never promoted me to GS-13. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer, b) delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5, c) kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988, d) never promoted me to GS-14, e) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and f) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. In today’s dollars, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is less that what my IRS salary was when I was 23 in 1972.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nobody-cares-career-mcdonalds-ceo-000116698.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Corruption of the Welfare State
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/minnesota-welfare-fraud-immigrants-government-handouts-8076eb83
— Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoring. DD: My critics/opponents want everyone to ignore my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus those who were/are a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) elected Republican leaders in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders, and e) religious leaders.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/critical-ignoring-social-media-7e236f52

FORBES
— Should An Experienced Professionals Take Internships To Change Careers? DD: Have you changed careers? Have you wanted to change careers? I have not. Due to circumstances, I have wanted to be a career federal employee since I was 18 years old in 1966. However, to waste my federal career and get rid of me, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors outrageously, disgustingly, and unethically panted a) my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) my earning job-related masters degrees when I was 27 in 1976, 31, and 48, c) my earning job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and d) my earning a job-related professional license when I was 32 a) as being efforts by me to change my career and get a job in the private sector, b) as being justification to disallow my job-related education deductions in 1978, and c) to force me to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. I should write about the aforesaid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecenizalevine/2025/06/25/should-an-experienced-professional-take-internships-to-change-careers/

EDUCATION
— Professional Certifications Worth It in 2026. DD: What is your position on professional certifications? I sought and obtained professional certifications to defend/advance my federal career. I became a CPA when I was 30 in 1979, a Certified Internal Auditor when I was 32, a licensed CPA when I was 32, a Certified Fraud Examiner when I was 41, a Certified Government Financial Manager when I was 45, a Certified Financial Services Auditor when I was 47, and a Certified Forensic Accountant when I was 48. But my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled that a) because I was a Republican who complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40. I should write about the aforesaid.
https://vocal.media/education/is-investing-in-professional-certifications-worth-it-in-2026

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— Karoline Leavitt calls out Mamdani’s wife as White House quits playing nice with ‘communist’ mayor
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/karoline-leavitt-calls-out-mamdani-s-wife-as-white-house-quits-playing-nice-with-communist-mayor/ar-AA1Ttrwy
— Mamdani unveils plan conservatives claim will usher in communism
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15429711/amp/zohran-mamdani-warmth-collectivism-socialist.html

BUSINESS STANDARD
— Mamdani takes action against Israel with his oath?
https://www.tbsnews.net/videos/tbs-stories/mamdani-takes-action-against-israel-his-oath-1325186

NDTV
— “Antisemitic Gasoline On Open Fire”: Israel vs Mamdani Over Revoked Orders
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/zohran-mamdani-vs-israel-over-revoked-order-on-antisemitism-definition-10237972

TIMES OF ISRAEL
— Anti-Zionism Was Never Harmless. Now It Governs. DD: Have your critics/opponents painted you as being an antisemite? Democrats have always painted Republicans as being antisemites. Because of my demographics, Democrats have especially painted me as being an antisemite.  Needless-to-say, my Democrat Chicago office GAO superiors’ efforts to paint me as being an antisemite were stymied when I volunteered to work for their only Jewish group manager in late 1989. In 1989, to get rid of me because in late 1988, I had become the office’s only active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, they had a) thrown me off the group that audited IRS, b) gave me a very bad job assignment, c) gave me unfair performance expectations, d) gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and e) ranked me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. She managed the office’s group that audited federal financial industry regulators. She reluctantly had to accept me a) because very few of my coworkers would work for her because she was Jewish, b) because I had previously worked on audits of federal financial industry regulators, c) because I had become a licensed CPA in 1981, d) because I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, e) because I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, and d) because I had earned an MBA in 1976. She was very demanding. But beyond that, my coworkers were intimidated a) by her having an MBA from the University of Chicago, b) by her having passed the CPA examination on her first attempt, c) by her being wealthy, d) by her being younger, and e) by her being attractive. Because she demanded that her subordinates have master’s degrees in finance, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992 and earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997. I succeeded in making her a member of IIT’s advisory group for that graduate program. Further, I became certified fraud examiner in 1990, government financial manager in 1994, financial Services Auditor in 1996, and forensic accountant in 1997. I was her only defender/promoter in the office. But nevertheless, when my Democrat GAO Chicago office superiors decided to force me to retire when I was 49 in 1997, she took the lead in doing that. I should write about the foresaid.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/anti-zionism-was-never-harmless-now-it-governs/