FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Community leaders call for accountability after Southwest Side street takeover. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-community-leaders-call-accountability-southwest-side-street-takeover-47th-cicero-avenue/19633041/
NBC5
— Dolton board votes to move up curfew, set penalty in effort to curb teen gatherings. The unanimously approved ordinance established a 9 p.m. curfew in Dolton for anyone under the age of 18, and any teens caught out without adult supervision could be fined between $250 to $2,500. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/dolton-board-votes-to-move-up-curfew-establish-penalty-in-effort-to-curb-teen-gatherings/3971192/
CBS2
— Chicago’s own Mamdani? Behind DSA’s fight to elect socialists to City Council first. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-mamdani-effect-dsa-election-socialism/
FOX32
— Dolton combatting teen takeovers with curfew of 9 p.m. for children. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-razxmsyro71otja5.amp
WTTW
— What Happened to the American Dream? New Documentary Asks 1,000 People Across 50 States. DD: When you were young, what did you do to pursue the American Dream? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/23/what-happened-american-dream-new-documentary-asks-1000-people-across-50-states
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Chicago grocers are severely affected by reductions to SNAP: ‘We need to bail out this industry.’ DD: How dependent on SNAP are the grocers in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/chicago-grocery-stores-snap-cuts/
— Disability advocates march on Gov. JB Pritzker’s office demanding more alternatives to nursing homes. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office for almost 18 years, they assigned me to supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/nursing-home-alternatives-rally-pritzker/
— Man who jumped fence into JB Pritzker’s backyard didn’t know it was governor’s home.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/jb-pritzkers-backyard/
— DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/letters-080526-democratic-socialists/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/chicago-dj-tunjo-ice-midway-airport/
BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Chicago grocers are severely affected by reductions to SNAP: ‘We need to bail out this industry.’ DD: How dependent on SNAP are the grocers in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://pantagraph.com/news/state-regional/business/article_845819ec-b858-589b-b99f-8a9f938898fb.html
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Alexi Giannoulias is spending six figures to introduce himself to Chicago voters as a mayoral candidate — not secretary of state.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/08/06/welch-hindsight-is-20-20-01026606
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/06/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-785/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/05/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-572/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— To advance under socialism, all you need to do is be a socialist. To advance under Democrats, all you need to do is be a Democrat. When you were young, if America had been socialist, would your career have advanced more? My career would not have advance more because just like I refused to become a Democrat to advance, I would have refused to become a socialist to advance. While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, you had to be a Democrat to be promoted to GS-14. While I worked for the Democrats who ran IRS 1971-1980, you had to be a Democrat to be promoted to GS-13. While I worked for the Democrats who ran the Post Office 1966-1969, you had to be a Democrat to be promoted to GS-5. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Socialism disincentivizes work. Capitalism and pursuit of the American Dream motivated me to work my way through college and earn a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and a job-related professional license (CPA). Sadly, extremely few of my peers did anything close to that. My peers included my Crete-Monee High School classmates 1962-1966, my UIC classmates 1966-1968, my NIU classmates 1969-1970, my Post Office coworkers 1966-1969, my IRS coworkers 1971-1980, and my GAO coworkers 1980-1997. Under socialism, even fewer of my peers would have done anything close to what I did. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Back in the 1970s, the Democrats who ran IRS’s Chicago office wanted the broadest definition possible of Chicago’s commuting area to make it easier for them to meet their Affirmative Action quotas. My grievance frustrated that big time. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/b-180010.11.pdf – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Indianapolis TV Station Features Vacation Spots in McHenry County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/indianapolis-tv-station-features-vacation-spots-in-mchenry-county/
— Dem Says ICE Detention in Kentucky Devastating, They Could Be in McHenry County Jail without Dems’ Law
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/dem-says-ice-detention-in-kentucky-is/
— Corbett Calls Bailey Extremist on IDV, Relates Personal Experience
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/corbett-calls-bailey-extremist-on-idv-relates-personal-experience/
— Six Months for Libertyville Man Threatening Judges
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/six-months-for-libertyville-man-threatening-judges/
— Brilliant Takedown of an Unresponsive City Council
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/brilliant-takedown-of-an-unresponsive-city-council/
— Another Federal Gun Prosecution, This Time After Illinois Judge Releases Felon Under SAFE-T Act Rules
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/another-federal-gun-prosecution-this-time-after-illinois-judge-releases-felon-under-safe-t-rules/
— Juliana Stratton’s Position on Medicare for All Criticized by Washington Post: “Taxes for All”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/juliana-strattons-position-on-medicare-for-all-criticized-by-washington-post-taxes-for-all/
— Deep Southern Illinois Legislator Reveals Concern at Pritzker’s Moving Jobs into the Chicago Metropolitan Area
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/deep-southern-illinois-legislator-reveals-concern-at-pritzkers-moving-jobs-into-the-chicago-metropolitan-area/
— McLaughlin Warns of BIG Pension Problem
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/mclaughlin-warns-of-big-pension-problem/
— Part of Woman’s Head Decapitated When Speeding Boat Crashed into Her Boat Found in Fox River
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/part-of-womans-head-decapitated-when-speeding-boat-crashed-into-her-boat-found-in-fox-river/
— Pritzker Takes the Typical Democratic Party Attack Approach – “He’s Too Extreme!!”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/21424/
— Inspired by Constituent Tragedy, McLaughlin Law Requires Training in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver for Day Care Centers with More Than 12 Kids
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/21414/
— State Sets Up Whistle Blower Webpage for Many Licensed Professionals
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/31/state-sets-up-whistle-blower-webpage-for-many-licensed-professionals/
— The Results of One Party Government
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/01/21386/
— Kat Off the Hook, Whether It Helped or Hurt Her Campaign Up in the Air
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/05/kat-off-the-hook/
— Video of Apparition in McHenry County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/26/video-of-apparition-in-mchenry-county/
— Illinois Stopped from Allowing Illegal Aliens Lower Tuition Than Americans Living Out of State
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/26/illinois-stopped-from-allowing-illegal-aliens-lower-tuition-than-americans-living-out-of-state/
— Support for Cessation of Treating Illegals Better Than American Citizens
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/27/support-for-cessation-of-treating-illegals-better-than-american-citizens/
— UPDATE: Allegedly Drunk Fox River Killer Boat Driver Set To Remain in McHenry County Jail Until August 5th; Before SAFE-T Act, Meeting Large Cash Bail Would Have Probably Gotten Him Out FROM STATE’S ATTORNEY
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/27/drunk-fox-river-killer-boat-driver-set-to-remain-in-mchenry-county-jail-until-august-5th-before-safe-t-act-meeting-large-cash-bail-would-have-probably-gotten-him-out/
— Republican Marty Mohr Gains Union Endorsement
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/28/marty-mohr-gains-union-endorsement/
— McHenry County Farmer Scores $45,000 of $4 Million Grant Money
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/28/mchenry-county-scores-45000-of-4-million-grant-money/
— Background Discussion on the Rodeo Ordinance That Didn’t Pass Last Tuesday
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/28/background-discussion-on-the-rodeo-ordinance-that-didnt-pass-last-tuesday/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump vows to punish ‘leakers’ who said U.S. munitions are running short. DD: I worked for GAO on an audit of the Department of Defense FY 1990 ammunition budget request.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/6/donald-trump-vows-punish-leakers-who-said-us-munitions-running-short/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Social media has jeopardized immigrant assimilation. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly discourage assimilation. Because my ancestors were slow to assimilate, my father was only the first of them to earn a high school diploma and my mother never attended high school. All my grandparents spoke German.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4666462/social-media-immigrant-assimilation/
— The conservative case for a market-based immigration system. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4669862/conservative-case-market-based-immigration/
— America was never just an idea — or just a heritage. DD: America is a country with borders and laws.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4669755/american-heritage-culture-creed-assimilation-immigrants/
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Mamdani Backs Squatters’ Rights in Video Demonizing ‘Billionaire’ Jewish ‘Slumlord.’
https://freebeacon.substack.com/p/mamdani-backs-squatters-rights-in-9f4
AMERICAN THINKER
— Catastrophe Is Left-Wing. When left-wing or socialist policies dominate power, crises not only arrive — they worsen.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/catastrophe-is-left-wing/
— Ceuta: The Time-Lapse Photo Of Western Collapse. Just one week in Ceuta provided a perfect microcosm of what’s been happening across Europe for a decade, and always with European governments’ connivance.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/ceuta-the-time-lapse-photo-of-western-collapse/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Major gun ruling could spark chain reaction ending at Supreme Court.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/08/05/major-gun-ruling-could-spark-chain-reaction-ending-at-supreme-court-1653543/
BREITBART
— Illegal Alien Caught with Several Molotov Cocktails in Mokena.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/05/prosecutors-illegal-alien-caught-with-several-molotov-cocktails-in-chicago-suburb/
— The Fatal Flaw With Democratic Socialists: ‘You Can’t Just Steal People’s Money’
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/08/05/joe-rogan-explains-the-fatal-flaw-with-democratic-socialists-you-cant-just-steal-peoples-money/amp/
CAMPUS REFORM
— Southern Illinois University system continues DEI agenda despite Trump’s crackdown. Southern Illinois University’s latest strategic progress report continues to identify DEI as a core institutional priority while celebrating a national DEI leadership award. The report comes as the Trump administration has directed federally funded institutions to eliminate DEI programs that may conflict with federal civil rights law. DD: Democrats use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/southern-illinois-university-system-continues-anti-racism-dei-agenda-despite-trumps-crackdown/30373
DAILY CALLER
— Major Gun Ruling Could Spark Chain Reaction Ending At Supreme Court.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/05/third-circuit-ruling-could-thrust-another-case-to-supreme-court/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Senate Committee Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt of Congress.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/06/all-he-had-to-do-was-tell-the-truth-senate-committee-advances-contempt-votes-on-fauci/
DAILY WIRE
— Socialists Sweep the Primaries.
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-260806
EPOCH TIMES
— 12 Glaring Realities of Marxist Socialism.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/twelve-glaring-realities-of-marxist-socialism-6068509
— Progressive El-Sayed Wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary. El-Sayed faced more than $60 million in outside spending in support of Stevens, compared with about $4.6 million spent to support his campaign. The race became a flashpoint in a wider ideological battle taking place nationwide in the Democratic Party between progressives and establishment centrists.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/progressive-el-sayed-wins-michigans-democratic-senate-primary-6070694
FOX BUSINESS
— Can Republicans beat socialism in the Midterms? The far-left of the Democratic party has a field day in the Michigan primaries.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/larry-kudlow-can-republicans-beat-socialism-midterms
FOX NEWS
— Taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants in GOP’s crosshairs: ‘It’s got to stop.’ The legislation would also deny Community Development Block Grants to sanctuary cities and require citizenship verification. DD: The second audit I worked for GAO on in 1980 was of Community Development Block Grants in Aurora.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/taxpayer-funded-housing-illegal-immigrants-gops-crosshairs-got-to-stop
— Trump blasts Democratic socialist candidate as ‘full of s—‘ and Dems are skipping socialism ‘for communism.’ President argues Dems are embracing communism, calling it the greatest threat facing the US.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-blasts-democratic-socialist-candidate-full-dems-skipping-socialism-communism
NATIONAL REVIEW
— El-Sayed’s Coalition Is More Highly Educated and White Than He Lets On. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/el-sayeds-coalition-is-more-highly-educated-and-white-than-he-lets-on/
— The Pendulum Has Swung Back: Standardized Testing Is Again a Core Requirement in College Admissions.
https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/pendulum-has-swung-back-standardized-testing-again-core-requirement-college
NEWSMAX
— New York Business Leaders Cave to Mamdani.
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/zohran-mamdani-socialism-new-york/2026/08/05/id/1265158/
— 62 Percent of Voters Support SAVE America Act.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/save-america-act-poll-majority-support/2026/08/05/id/1265183/
OPM
— OPM Launches Online Service for Former Federal Employees to Access Personnel Records. DD: I should take advantage of this.
https://www.opm.gov/news/news-releases/opm-launches-online-service-for-former-federal-employees-to-access-personnel-records/
PATRIOT POST
— Zohran Mamdani Should Be Barred From 9/11 Memorial.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/129680-zohran-mamdani-should-be-barred-from-9-11-memorial-2026-08-05
— Why Are Muslim American Politicians Uniformly Democrats? DD: Islam rejects democracy.
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/129710-why-are-muslim-american-politicians-uniformly-democrats-2026-08-05
TOWNHALL
— Driving DEI Through Litigation.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kenblackwell/2026/08/06/driving-dei-through-litigation-n2680746
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
— Illinois Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes. DD: While I worked for IRS’s Collection Division 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, I collected lots of delinquent employment taxes.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr/illinois-man-sentenced-15-months-prison-failing-pay-employment-taxes
(FROM THE PRESS RELEASE: Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 30, 2026, United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller sentenced George Dilles (age 55) of Inverness, Illinois, to 15 months in prison. Dilles had pled guilty to one count of failure to truthfully account for and pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7202. According to court records, Dilles was the president and part-owner of NG Enterprises, Inc. (d.b.a. Visiting Angels), a company that provided elderly home personal care in the Milwaukee area and employed from 50 to 110 workers. Dilles was required to withhold federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, hold those amounts in trust, and pay them over to the IRS. Additionally, he was responsible for filing quarterly tax returns (Forms 941) reporting those amounts to the IRS, and for paying the employer’s matching portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes. For 17 quarters from 2019 through 2023, Dilles willfully failed to file employment tax returns and pay over taxes to the IRS of more than $1.2 million. Dilles used some of the funds on personal expenses, including mortgage payments and purchases of a Maserati and a McLaren. He also used employment tax returns, which he had not filed with the IRS, to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program loan in the amount of $312,500. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized the serious nature of Dilles’ conduct, the substantial loss to the IRS, and the need to provide adequate deterrence to others who might engage in similar conduct. He also ordered Dilles to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release.)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Democrats quickly coalesce around El-Sayed after Michigan primary win.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6011745-democrats-back-el-sayed-vs-rogers/
— Vance says El-Sayed has no ‘constituency among the working class.’ DD: I was a member of the working class 1964-1997, that is, I was a wage earner 1964-1997. My critics/opponents look down on the working class, that is, they look down on wage earners. According to them, wage earners are grossly overpaid. They stress that in today’s dollars, I was paid $154,682/year in 1997.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6012719-vance-criticizes-el-sayed-michigan/
CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-democratic-socialism-is-shifting-politics-in-washington/
— Federal workers sour on government work, decrying eroding job security. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. I am none of the aforesaid. To get rid of me, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors punished me a) for my not becoming a Democrat, b) for my avoiding the Vietnam War draft, c) for my complaining about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, and d) for my being an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-workers-survey-public-service-job-security/
— DD: What are you loyal to? I am loyal to conservative principles and to the Republican Party platform.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-attacks-supreme-court-justice-neil-gorsuch-loyalty/
NBC NEWS
— DD: What are you loyal to? I am loyal to conservative principles and to the Republican Party platform.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-loyalty-test-thomas-massie-primary-kentucky-georgia-pennsylvania-rcna345556
REUTERS
— Republicans seize on Michigan progressives’ wins, but party is split on socialism message. DD: What positions on socialism do the Republican candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot in your precinct have on socialism?
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/republicans-seize-michigan-progressives-wins-party-is-split-socialism-message-2026-08-05/
AOL
— Planning to work until 65 is a risky strategy. DD: Federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who are the following are expected/forced to retire as soon as they are eligible, that is, as soon as they have 30 years of service and are 55 years old: Republican, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. I became eligible to take GAO’s early retirement “offer” when I was 45 in 1993. My Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” when I was 49 in 1997 because since I was 40 in 1988, I had been an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. That dramatically reduced my CSRS pension and my retirement savings.
https://www.aol.com/articles/suze-orman-says-planning-until-104500000.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— Inside the Oval Office Showdown Between Trump and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She told Trump that his interior secretary, Doug Burgum, had misled him with a self-serving cover story for his own mistakes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/us/politics/trump-jeanine-pirro-showdown.html
WASHINGTON POST
— July sees most ICE arrests of Trump’s second term. The agency continued its heightened enforcement efforts despite two fatal shootings, detaining more than 43,000 people last month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/08/06/july-sees-most-ice-arrests-trumps-second-term/
— DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push socialism on Blacks. Under Democrats, all you need to do to succeed is to be a Democrat. Under socialism, all you need to do to succeed is to be a socialist. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less education than I had, b) who had less work experience than I had, c) who had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/05/black-voters-views-democratic-socialism-resist-categorization/
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialists.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/08/04/michigan-primary-democrats-republican-scare-tactics/91152627007/
— This is the salary needed ($110,000/year) to afford a typical US home in 2026. DD: Back in the good old days, I bought a new townhome in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 in 1972. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it in today’s dollars and the down payment would have been about $36,000 in today’s dollars. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $92,200. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park. I did not earn $110,000/year in today’s dollars until I was 29 in 1978. I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a that townhome I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. See Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on my wife and I at https://gopillinois.com/documents/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/08/05/income-needed-afford-typical-us-home-2026-redfin-report/91185869007/
FORTUNE
— Socialism is a disaster. DD: My critics/opponents blame some, many, most, virtually all, if not all their problems on conservative principles and on planks in the Republican Party platform, most commonly, its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. But some, many, most, virtually all, if not all of them also blame capitalism.
https://fortune.com/2026/08/05/socialism-disaster-ackman-mamdani-left-wing-housing-policy-affordability/
24/7 WALL STREET
— A City Electrician Dreaded the Windfall Elimination Cut to His Social Security. Then a 2025 Law Erased It. DD: Because of that law, my Social Security increased from about $3,000/year to about $19,000/year.
https://www.aol.com/articles/city-electrician-dreaded-windfall-elimination-110124000.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Social Security Fairness Act repealed both WEP and GPO in January 2025, restoring benefits for roughly 2.7 million retirees and surviving spouses. Teachers, police, firefighters, and municipal workers who split careers between covered and non-covered jobs benefited most; lifelong private-sector workers saw no change. Affected retirees should confirm SSA recalculated their benefit by July 2025 and revisit tax withholding, since higher Social Security income can increase federal tax exposure.)
BLACK WALL STREET TIMES
— 600,000 Black Women Pushed Out of the Workforce. DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and/or b) who had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2026/08/05/600000-black-women-pushed-out-of-the-workforce-new-iwpr-report-examines-why/
BANKING RATES
— All the Jobs that you can get Notoriously Overpaid. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I was always grossly overpaid.
https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/jobs/overpaid-jobs/
NBC SAN DIEGO
— Housing affordability remains out of reach for most San Diegans; average home over $1M. In San Diego County, 17% of households could afford to purchase the county’s median-priced single-family home of $1.075 million during the second quarter, according to a new report by the California Association of Realtors. DD: What is the average home price in your precinct? What is the average household income in you precinct? Home prices and household incomes are extremely diverse in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/housing-affordability-holds-steady-in-san-diego-county/4057720/
ROCHESTER SENTINEL
— DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promise to give Blacks more and more and more preference forever.
https://www.rochsent.com/news/national/white-parents-who-tell-their-kids-that-race-doesn-t-matter-are-ignoring-the-long/article_39cc079a-c883-5ad7-b4a2-48e8e6a707e5.html
KFOX TV
— Ted Cruz: Democrat El-Sayed’s primary success part of Islamic ‘takeover’ of US. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for Islam.
https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/senator-ted-cruz-michigan-democrat-abdul-el-sayeds-senate-primary-success-part-of-islamic-takeover-of-us
JD SUPRA
— Illinois Employers Should Prepare for New Menopause Accommodation and Anti-Discrimination Requirements Under HB 5284. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office for almost 18 years, they assigned me to supervise all the female \employees they hired.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/illinois-employers-should-prepare-for-4140607/
GOVERNING
— Promising Approaches for Keeping Our Seniors Housed and Healthy. States and localities need to improve housing affordability, availability and accessibility. DD: My wife and I saved far more for our retirement than our peers. My critics/opponents ignore/dismiss/belittle/badmouth that. They stress that I avoided the Vietnam War draft and that my wife and I gave up trying to have children without trying IVF, we did not adopt, and we did not become foster parents.
https://www.governing.com/urban/promising-approaches-for-keeping-our-seniors-housed-and-healthy
FED SMITH
— Facing a RIF, Suitability Action, or Probationary Firing? Here Is Your New, Narrower Appeal Process. RIF retention now runs on performance, not tenure, and appeals go to OPM instead of MSPB. Here is what federal employees need to know. DD: Federal employees who are the following have no Civil Service protections: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Unions provide some protection. But GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized when I transferred from IRS in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors might not have been able to take the many big adverse actions against me that they did including forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/08/04/new-narrower-appeal-process-for-rif-suitability-or-probationary-firing/
FED WEEK
— For 250 Years, Federal Workers Have Kept America Running. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. I am none of the aforesaid. To get rid of me, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors punished me a) for my not becoming a Democrat, b) for my avoiding the Vietnam War draft, c) for my complaining about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, and d) for my being an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid.
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/for-250-years-federal-workers-have-kept-america-running/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Key parts of federal employee performance overhaul ‘non-negotiable,’ OPM says. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, they used the subjectivity in their employee performance systems a) to waste the careers of their Republican employees and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2026/08/key-parts-of-federal-employee-performance-overhaul-non-negotiable-opm-says/
— Comment on veterans’ preference shines a light on the broken hiring process. Pete Waterman touched the third rail of federal hiring. He publicly criticized the use of veterans’ preference. DD: Because I was not a veteran, but more significantly, because I avoided the Vietnam War draft, my Democrat Post Office, Firestone Store, IRS, and GAO superiors used the veterans’ preference to waste my career and to get rid of me. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me who were Democrat veterans a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had. I should write about my many Democrat superiors and supervisors who took many big adverse actions against me.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2026/08/comment-on-veterans-preference-shines-a-light-on-the-broken-hiring-process/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The thing about Waterman’s comments on his personal LinkedIn account, in which he expressed his frustrations with the process and how it kept FedRAMP from hiring the best and brightest cloud security engineers, is he said out loud what many federal executives have been saying privately for decades. The problem Waterman highlighted, maybe less eloquently than he should’ve, has nothing to do with not supporting veterans or recognizing their sacrifice for the country. The issue Waterman shined the light on is all about the federal hiring process. “Pete’s problem is he was dumb enough to stay it out loud, but he shouldn’t be punished for it. People have been saying this behind the scenes for years and have found ways around it,” said Traci DiMartini, the former chief human capital officer at the General Services Administration and the IRS. “It’s not veterans’ preference that is bad. It’s how we are adjudicating the best candidates for the job.”)
FACT CHECK
— DD: I often served as a fact checker while I worked for GAO 1986-1997 at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $118,984-$154,682/year.
https://www.factcheck.org/2026/08/trumps-cherry-picked-inflation-boast/
GALLUP
— 39% view socialism positively. DD: The more problems that you have, the more likely that you view socialism positively. What did you do to avoid problems? I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and a job-related professional license (CPA). Extremely few of my peers did anything close to that. My peers included my Crete-Monee High School classmates 1962-1966, my UIC classmates 1966-1969, my NIU classmates 1969-1970, my Post Office coworkers 1966-1969, my IRS coworkers 1971-1980, and my GAO coworkers 1980-1997.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/713144/americans-view-capitalism-socialism-free-enterprise.aspx
POLITICO
— Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt.
https://www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ROM26376.pdf
— The new fight over who gets to be ‘working class.’ Candidates are struggling to define who’s struggling in an age of affordability woes. DD: I was a member of the working class 1964-1997, that is, I was a wage earner 1964-1997. My critics/opponents look down on the working class, that is, they look down on wage earners. According to them, wage earners are grossly overpaid. They stress that in today’s dollars, I was paid $154,682/year in 1997.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/06/the-new-political-arms-race-proving-youre-working-class-01023704
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
— DD: America-haters ever-increasingly encourage false amnesty claims.
https://www.amnestyusa.org/toolkits/a-guide-to-fighting-authoritarian-practices-in-the-u-s-without-losing-hope/
WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE
— Michigan primary shows continued shift to the left in US.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/08/06/ezkd-a06.html
