December 26, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

FOX32
— Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, soon, if not already, everyone in America will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/st-sabina-christmas-chicago-2024

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Electric school buses take off in Illinois, with over 200 on the road: A ‘phenomenal climb’ (COMMENT: The only time that I rode a school bus was October 1961-May 1962 between Crete and Park Forest when I attended Hope Lutheran Grade School.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/12/26/illinois-electric-school-bus/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/2024/12/25/mayor-johnson-creates-group-to-study-stop-killing-of-trans-women
— Nearly 300 Illinois laws taking effect in 2025 include digital driver’s licenses, AI rules, health reform (COMMENT: Because Democrats run the federal government, everything that they say and do promotes the Democrat Party platform.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2024/12/23/new-illinois-laws-2025-health-insurance-minimum-wage-ai
(COMMENT: Politics and religion at work  Employees can’t be required to sit through work meetings discussing religion or politics starting Jan. 1. Senate Bill 3649, an initiative of the Illinois AFL-CIO, creates new protections for employees who skip out on such meetings and prevents employers from retaliating against them. The law does not prohibit discussing religion or politics at work, but employees are not required to participate in the discussions if such activities are not part of their job. The law excludes nonprofit and advocacy groups, where politics or religion may be part of job.)

DAILY HERALD
— Fate of Trump’s Cabinet picks unclear as Republicans prepare to take power in Senate
https://www.dailyherald.com/20241225/nation-and-world/fate-of-trumps-cabinet-picks-unclear-as-republicans-prepare-to-take-power-in-senate/
— FRONT PAGE: The Democrat Party platform promotes homelessness.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20241225/news/journeys-clearing-a-pathway-to-hope-for-the-homeless-and-near-homeless/
https://www.dailyherald.com/20241226/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-plans-to-clear-homeless-encampment-in-elgin-must-address-what-comes-next/

SHAW LOCAL
— Pritzker and Stratton polls for popularity point to potential future runs (COMMENT: Which Republican do you hope/wish/want to be the next Governor of Illinois?)
https://www.shawlocal.com/opinion/2024/12/24/rich-miller-pritzker-and-stratton-polls-for-popularity-point-to-potential-future-runs/

QUAD CITIES
— Up and Coming Neighborhoods in the Quad Cities That You May Want to Move to (COMMENT: When a Republican home goes on the market in my neighborhood, four out of five times it is bought by a Democrat.)
https://www.quadcities.com/other-news-of-interest/up-and-coming-neighborhoods-in-the-quad-cities-that-you-may-want-to-move-to/

CITIES 92.9
— Pritzker touts rising minimum wage as Illinois’ unemployment rate has increased  (COMMENT: During the 1960s, I worked for 18 months at the minimum wage which was $12.41/hour in today’s dollars. If I had to be paid $15/hour in today’s dollars, I might not have been hired.)
https://www.cities929.com/2024/12/25/pritzker-touts-rising-minimum-wage-as-illinois-unemployment-rate-has-increased/

WSIL TV
— Turkey’s soaring costs are creating a ‘lost generation’ of kids forced to help their families get by. (COMMENT: Because my father died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in 1969, I helped support my mother, who had never worked outside of the home, and my brother.)
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/national/turkeys-soaring-costs-are-creating-a-lost-generation-of-kids-forced-to-help-their-families/article_40b1af90-3094-5656-9002-9155ed15bc27.html

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Democrat and RINO leaders are going fight deportation of their illegals tooth and nail.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/trump-faces-roadblocks-to-ambitious-border-crackdown/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker: Defender of Illegal Aliens
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/12/26/pritzker-defender-of-illegal-aliens/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— According to Democrat and RINO leaders, illegals take the bad jobs that Americans ever-increasingly fail/refuse to take. But how many illegals will take the bad jobs that I took?  I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automobile assembly line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. Having bad jobs on your resume harms your ability to get good jobs. – Dave Diersen
http://www-gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Where on Chicago Transit Authority are you most likely to be crime victim?
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/where-on-chicago-transit-authority-are-you-most-likely-to-be-crime-victim/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Elon Musk slams outdated tech plaguing federal government. America’s new IT consultant: Musk slams outdated tech plaguing federal government. (COMMENT: While I worked for GAO during the early 1990s, because GAO did not provide me with a computer system that I could use in my office, I bought one and I used it in my office.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/25/musk-m-america-new-consultant/
— Google lets you review members of Congress, and the appraisals are brutal  (COMMENT: If Google let Illinois Republicans review Republican political and government news and commentary aggregators like me, what kind of reviews would I get? How many would complain that I am too conservative?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/24/google-lets-review-members-congress-appraisals-bru/
— Shelters to be opened in Mexico to prepare for Trump deportations (COMMENT: From what I see, most, if not virtually all will immediately return.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/25/shelters-opened-mexico-prepare-donald-trump-deport/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The fight against illegal immigration, sanctuary cities, and what lies in store for Homan (COMMENT: It is one thing to deport illegals, it is another to stop them from coming back in.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3267306/fight-against-illegal-immigration-sanctuary-cities-tom-homan/
— A nation of childless scrooges (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who have demonized, denigrated, and condemned me the most because my wife and I gave up trying to have children, we did not adopt, and we did not become foster parents. According to them, if we had children, I would not have been able to a) earn professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, b) earn master’s degrees in 1980 and 1997, c) earn a professional license in 1981, d) have a home built in 1984, e) buy collector cars in 1989 and 1994, f) etc.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/3269383/nation-of-childless-scrooges/
— Biden’s sickly distorted lens on crime and non-punishment
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3269543/biden-sickly-distorted-lens-crime-non-punishment/
— Having learned nothing from the elections, Democrats turn left again
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3262165/having-learned-nothing-from-elections-democrats-turn-left-again/

NEW YORK POST
— Biden’s horrific commutations are a grotesque abuse of the US justice system
https://nypost.com/2024/12/23/opinion/bidens-commutations-a-grotesque-abuse-of-us-justice-system/
— NYC ICE director declares ‘it would take a lifetime’ to deport the city’s migrant criminals (COMMENT: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally is to demonstrate gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country.)
https://www.aol.com/nyc-ice-director-declares-lifetime-173618778.html
— Democrats finds party’s woes run much deeper than 2024 election disaster (COMMENT: To be a Democrat is to be anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.aol.com/troubling-research-dems-finds-party-222154865.html
— Musk urges supporters not to donate to Wikipedia after it spent $50M on DEI: ‘Wokepedia’
https://nypost.com/2024/12/25/business/elon-musk-urges-supporters-not-to-donate-to-wikipedia-over-dei/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— What Was So Different This Time About Trump’s Election? (COMMENT: Under Biden, voters saw that the Democrat Party platform destroys America.)
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/26/what-was-so-different-this-time-about-trumps-election/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Leftists think like communists
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/12/nate_silver_shows_how_leftists_think_like_communists_not_like_human_beings.html
— The dirty little secret of California’s ‘rebounding’ population (COMMENT: What percent of those in California are in America illegally?)
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/12/the_dirty_little_secret_of_california_s_rebounding_population.html
— Rand Paul’s annual Festivus report reveals an orgy of government waste (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. They wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Since 1997, they have forced the Civil Service Retirement System to pay me $1.8 million in today’s dollars.)
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/12/rand_paul_s_annual_festivus_report_reveals_an_orgy_of_government_waste.html
— America’s Unsolvable Spending Crisis: Brace for Impact
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/12/america_s_unsolvable_spending_crisis_brace_for_impact.html
— Contrary to today’s leftists, early Christians knew Christ was from Judea, not ‘Palestine’  Jesus was not a refugee but a resident of Nazareth whose family was required to go to Bethlehem for a census.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/12/contrary_to_today_s_leftists_early_christians_knew_christ_was_from_judea_not_palestine.html

BREITBART
—  Rand Paul: ‘I Have a Lot of Problems with Big Spenders in Both Parties’
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/12/24/rand-paul-i-have-a-lot-of-problems-with-big-spenders-in-both-parties/

DAILY CALLER
— There Should Be No Price Tag For Border Security
https://dailycaller.com/2024/12/25/will-davis-tom-homan-price-tag-border-security/

DAILY SIGNAL
— How To Get Trump’s Agenda Through Congress
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/12/26/how-get-trumps-agenda-through-congress/

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Issues Christmas Message to Trudeau, Greenland, China, Panama. ‘If Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60 percent, their businesses would immediately double in size,’ Trump said.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-issues-christmas-message-to-trudeau-greenland-chinese-soldiers-in-panama-5781852

FOX NEWS
— Oregon AG creates sanctuary ‘toolkit’ ahead of likely Trump-Homan illegal immigration crackdown. Oregon became the first ‘sanctuary state’ in 1987. (COMMENT: How strongly are the Democrats who run Illinois going to fight Trump? Trump got 2.4 million votes in Illinois.)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/oregon-ag-creates-sanctuary-toolkit-ahead-likely-trump-homan-illegal-immigration-crackdown
— These are Trump’s three priorities for Homan
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6366437715112
— Newsom draws up plans to help illegal immigrants dodge Trump deportation plan
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6366451494112

POST MILLENNIAL
— Wikipedia spends $50 MILLION in 2023-24 on DEI
https://thepostmillennial.com/wikipedia-spends-50-million-annually-on-dei

TOWNHALL
— Since When Did We Republicans Start Being Against Punishing Criminals? (COMMENT: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally is to demonstrate gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country.)
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2024/12/26/since-when-did-we-republicans-start-being-against-punishing-criminals-n2649448
(FROM THE ARTICLE: There are a lot of nice Republicans out there who think that we should just let bygones be bygones. They want us not to deport, prosecute, or otherwise sanction the illegal aliens who haven’t been yet caught committing any crimes after they committed the crime of being here illegally, those who imprisoned us for being their political opponents, and those who abused us with censorship and COVID decrees. We’re supposed to give them all a pass for some reason.)
— Legal Group Puts Sanctuary Jurisdictions on Notice Ahead of Trump’s Mass Deportation Operation
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/12/25/america-first-legal-sanctuary-jurisdictions-n2649531

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump tells 37 people with sentences commuted by Biden to ‘go to hell’ in lengthy Christmas post
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5056113-trump-sentences-commuted-christmas-post/
— Of those illegals who are employed, what percent are “off the books,” that is, what percent are paid with cash under the table?
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/5055305-undocumented-immigrants-pay-more-than-their-fair-share-of-taxes/
— Missing congresswoman’s case shows Congress needs new rules on attendance
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/opinion-missing-congresswoman-s-case-shows-congress-needs-new-rules-on-attendance/ar-AA1wtiiv
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Have you ever heard of Kay Granger? Probably not. She’s a Republican congresswoman from Texas who has been in office almost 30 years. But that’s not why I’m writing about her. I’m writing about her because she hadn’t been in her office or even seen for six months. She was just gone — poof. And there wasn’t really anything the House was able or willing to do about it. That has to change. If you stopped showing up to work, what would happen? After a series of unanswered phone calls and emails, you’d be fired. In Congress, though, there is no boss to fire anyone. There is a Speaker of the House, who can call for a vote for expel members who violate their oaths of office or for egregious violations of Congressional ethics, but that happens only rarely. In 1983, Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) admitted to having sex with an underage House page and “made sexual advances” toward two other kids. He was censured, and he turned his back on the chamber as it voted. Then he was reelected, repeatedly, until 1997. If contempt in the face of your exposure for molesting pages can’t get you booted from the House, almost nothing can. More recently, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was actually expelled, but it took a federal indictment to make Congress act. In that context, a mere poor attendance record is not going to get you removed. We know this because Granger was AWOL for half the year, for crying out loud. She didn’t run for reelection, but probably only because she would have had to offer proof of life to the voters at some point. Granger was recently discovered living in a $4,000 per month nursing home that specializes in treating dementia patients. Certainly no one would wish that on anyone, but Granger should not have clung to her job if she was not capable of doing it. As matters stand, her constituents have had no representation in the House for a very long time.)

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Americans tune out of the news ahead of Trump’s return  (COMMENT: Your GOPUSA Illinois Editor does not tune out. The December 25, 2024 GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletter had links to 69 articles, the December 24 to 96, the December 23 to 84, the December 22 to 59, the December 21 to 72, the December 20 to 78, etc.)
https://au.news.yahoo.com/americans-tune-news-ahead-trumps-133746491.html

MSN
— Ever-increasingly, Democrat and RINO leaders hint/imply/argue/shout that because they have flooded America with so many millions of their illegals, a) it is futile to deport any of them and b) America will soon be a Hispanic nation.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/can-america-afford-trump-s-mass-deportation-plan-8-things-to-know/ss-AA1u2NHZ
— Trump launches foul-mouthed attack on ‘woke’ in America (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always been woke and they are ever-increasingly woke. To be woke is to be anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-launches-foul-mouthed-attack-on-woke-in-america/ss-AA1wnv1U
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/donald-trump-slams-woke-culture-earns-elon-musks-support-at-americafest-rally/ar-AA1wlsMO
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Donald Trump slammed the ‘woke’ liberal mindset as ‘bulls**t’ in a fired-up speech to the conservative faithful on Sunday. ‘Woke has to stop, because along with everything else, it is destroying our country,’ he said in his keynote address at Turning Point’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona.)
— US judge upholds Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions policies (COMMENT: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts upheld Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, the courts upheld race and gender based preference giving, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. The decision strongly discourages those who are the following from working for GAO: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, married, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Potential GAO employees can see how GAO treats those who share my demographics.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-judge-upholds-naval-academys-race-conscious-admissions-policies/ar-AA1voO4g
— Lockland, Ohio ‘overwhelmed’ by 3,000 African migrants living tax-free. (COMMENT: Lockland today, your municipality tomorrow.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/tiny-ohio-town-overwhelmed-by-3-000-african-migrants-living-tax-free/ss-AA1t3Y5p?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhoverent

NEWSWEEK
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus is a liberal Democrat who rejects the concept of nations and wants open borders, that is, that Jesus is not only anti-Trump, but anti-America.
https://www.newsweek.com/petition-donald-trump-immigration-christian-2005973

NEW YORK TIMES
— Assist or Resist: Local Officials Debate Trump’s Mass Deportation Threat (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect that the Democrat and the RINO leaders of America, Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district will fight deportation tooth and nail. Democrat and RINO leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans and illegals are their soldiers in their army.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/us/trump-deportations-migrants-san-diego.html
— Trump’s Re-election Defines a New Era of American Politics (COMMENT: From what I see, Trump’s re-election motivates Democrat and RINO leaders to do even more to get rid of Republicans once and for all who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, married, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/upshot/trump-era-republicans-democrats.html
— Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly reject Trump’s election and the rule of law.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/opinion/judges-trump-rule-of-law.html

WASHINGTON POST
— After backing Trump, low-income voters hope he doesn’t slash their benefits (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always had more income than I have had. My critics/opponents have their operatives and their dupes do their dirty work. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have the most income.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/12/26/trump-voters-federal-benefits-food/

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Democrats have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat army.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/editorial-immigrants-are-californias-lifeblood-they-need-support-now-more-than-ever/ar-AA1wtw2P
— Trump’s deportations are on a collision course with a California economy built on hypocrisy.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/abcarian-trump-s-deportations-are-on-a-collision-course-with-a-california-economy-built-on-hypocrisy/ar-AA1womlD
— How press freedoms could fare under the second Trump administration (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who have blamed me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters the most for their problems, for your problems, for my problems, and for everyone’s problems. I would focus on those who have the most religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois and who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.)
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-12-26/journalist-leak-investigations-donald-trump

USA TODAY
— Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly reject Trump’s election and the rule of law.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2024/12/26/trump-mass-deportation-los-angeles-sanctuary-city/76890251007/
— Rebuild worker attendance accountability  (COMMENT: While I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, I took far fewer sick days than my coworkers and subordinates.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2024/12/17/how-enforce-attendance-policies-hr/77007333007/

CUBAEN MIAMI
— The United States received more than half a million Cubans in just two years
https://www.cubaenmiami.com/en/The-United-States-received-more-than-half-a-million-Cubans-in-just-two-years/

TUCSON
— Trump’s early endorsement in AZ governor’s race riles conservatives (COMMENT: Which Republicans do Trump want to run for offices in Illinois?)
https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/elections/president-elect-donald-trump-endorses-karrin-taylor-robson-2024-arizona-governor-race-riling-conservatives/article_5946740a-c15c-11ef-87be-d31440a858f0.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Price of Rivian’s $6 Billion Rescue. The company vows not to oppose the UAW at its Illinois factory.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/rivian-automotive-uaw-unions-biden-administration-subsidies-electric-vehicles-f96e93be
— Trump Can Pull the Plug on EV Mandates
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-can-pull-the-plug-on-ev-mandates-emissions-standards-policy-california-0c197138
— Inside the Plan to Halt U.S.-Bound Migrants at the Treacherous Darién Gap. The U.S. ‘border is actually here,’ Panama’s president says, describing jungle route many take on their way to America.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/trump-immigration-policy-panama-darien-gap-05c2861e
—  Ballooning Costs Rewrite the Math of Owning a Home
https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/home-insurance-property-tax-vs-mortgage-cost-43ab76ed
— Hunger for Electricity Seen Keeping Renewable-Power Investment Flowing Under Trump. Private-equity managers expect electricity demand to drive the incoming president’s energy policy.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/hunger-for-electricity-seen-keeping-renewable-power-investment-flowing-under-trump-b7e7c616

BUSINESS TODAY
— ‘Right wing civil war will be over Indians,’ says US political commentator; triggers debate. “High-skilled Indians is the one group where racism is the only explanation for wanting to restrict numbers,” said US political commentator Richard Hanania. (COMMENT: From what I see, Democrat and RINO employers prefer citizens of India over citizens of America.)
https://www.businesstoday.in/world/us/story/right-wing-civil-war-will-be-over-indians-says-us-political-commentator-triggers-debate-458476-2024-12-25

NEW REPUBLIC
— What if Trump Does Everything He’s Promised—and the People Don’t Care? (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. They use Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI to waste the careers of and to get rid of Republican employees. If Trump had been President earlier and had stopped AA and DEI earlier, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service before I was 40 years old in 1988. I had earned an MBA in 1976. I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981.)
https://newrepublic.com/article/189233/trump-2025-second-term-agenda-democracy

GOTHAMIST
— Suspect in subway fire death was deported 6 years ago, only to find his way to NYC (COMMENT: What percent of deported illegals return?)
https://gothamist.com/news/suspect-in-subway-fire-death-was-deported-6-years-ago-only-to-find-his-way-to-nyc

PHYS
— Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-businesses-caving-political-pressure-abandoning.html

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.