February 13 Morning Edition

CAPITOL FAX
— ILGOP Leader Stan Bond passed. Rom. 8:38-39 I am convinced that neither death nor life neither angels nor demons neither present nor future nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of GOD in Christ Jesus – Allen Skillicorn
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/13/live-coverage-161/
— Everybody, calm down (DIERSEN: Pot pushers do everything that they can to get rid of me, just like those who push dependency on government, dependency on charity, LGBTQ activity, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, and other vices, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. I should write a book about those who have worked the hardest to paint themselves as being anti-Diersen. They would love it.)
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/13/everybody-calm-down-2/
— AS THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S STRANGLEHOLD ON ILLINOIS, ON COOK COUNTY, AND ON CHICAGO TIGHTENS: The black exodus
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/13/the-black-exodus/
— Daley called “Bruce Rauner’s mayor” for taking $1 million from Ken Griffin
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/13/daley-called-bruce-rauner%e2%80%99s-mayor-for-taking-1-million-from-ken-griffin/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Unhappy with border fence deal, Trump still expected to sign it and avoid shutdown – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-shutdown-wall-20190213-story.html
— Illinois’ wealthiest man giving $1 million to Chicago mayoral candidate Bill Daley – Gregory Pratt
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-ken-griffin-bill-dailey-donation-20190212-story.html
— Civic Federation says Illinois should tax retirement income and cap spending, but Pritzker unlikely to go along – Dan Petrella (DIERSEN: A major reason why more taxpayers have not left Illinois is that Illinois has not taxed their retirement income. Overwhelmingly, those who have more retirement income, say more than $50,000/year, own their homes and pay big real estate taxes.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-budget-civic-federation-20190212-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The call to tax retirement income echoes a similar proposal last week from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, which is made up of the city’s business elite. The Civic Federation has been pushing the idea for several years, though its recommendation hasn’t gained traction in Springfield. The watchdog group’s report notes that Illinois is one of only three states that have an income tax but don’t tax any retirement income. All of Illinois’ neighbor states tax retirement income in some form. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall called the state’s policy “an outdated and expensive exemption” that shifts the tax burden from wealthy retirees to working people. By taxing all retirement income that is subject to the federal income tax, Illinois could bring in $2.5 billion during the budget year that begins July 1, according to the report. Last week, the Pritzker administration projected a $3.2 billion budget deficit for the next fiscal year in a report that set the stage for a low-expectations budget plan next week.)
— Trump can only win again if Democrats keep moving leftward – Jonah Goldberg
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/sns-201902121032–tms–jgoldbrgctnjg-a20190213-20190213-column.html
— A teaching moment from Virginia Democrats: The dogma lives loudly within them – John Kass
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-met-virginia-democrats-kass-20190212-story.html
— IRS watchdog: Shutdown caused ‘shocking’ drop in phone help – AP (DIERSEN: 45 years ago, in 1974, when I was a 25-year-old GS-11 (currently $67,638/year) IRS employee, I was in charge of all the many IRS employees in IRS’s Chicago office who answered taxpayer phone inquiries. Because of my performance on that assignment, IRS promoted me to GS-12 (currently $81,071/year.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-irs-watchdog-impact-of-shutdown-20190212-story.html

 

DAILY HERALD
— Glen Ellyn trustee reverses course, won’t resign from current term – Katlyn Smith
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190212/glen-ellyn-trustee-reverses-course-wont-resign-from-current-term

 

HERALD & REVIEW
— Four Democratic lawmakers propose expanding reproductive, abortion rights in Illinois – REBECCA ANZEL
https://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/four-democratic-lawmakers-propose-expanding-reproductive-abortion-rights-in-illinois/article_f2ab69f0-d8e5-5fb2-ad1b-66913ade87c8.html

 

MARION
— Illinois faces $3.2M budget deficit – Jeff Rogers
http://www.dailyrepublicannews.com/news/20190211/illinois-faces-32m-budget-deficit

 

FOX ILLINOIS
— Budget deal allows far less money than Trump wanted for wall – AP
https://foxillinois.com/news/connect-to-congress/budget-deal-allows-far-less-money-than-trump-wanted-for-wall
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Taxpayer-funded abortions increase by 1,758 percent in one year – Rachel Droze
https://newschannel20.com/news/local/taxpayer-funded-abortions-increase-by-1758-percent-in-one-year
— National debt hits new milestone, topping $22 trillion – MARTIN CRUTSINGER
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/national-debt-hits-new-milestone-topping-22-trillion
— Ted Cruz wants to pass ‘El Chapo Act’ to make notorious drug lord pay for border wall – Quixem Ramirez (DIERSEN: All individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that have encouraged illegal immigration should pay for The Wall.)
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/ted-cruz-wants-to-pass-el-chapo-act-to-make-notorious-drug-lord-pay-for-border-wall
— New bill working to repeal Illinois Parental Notice Abortion Act – Leslie Moreno
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/it-could-soon-be-legal-for-your-daughter-to-undergo-a-medical-procedure-without-your-conse
— Sangamon County ranked as one of the best places to retire – Katie Bandish
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/sangamon-county-ranks-as-one-of-the-best-places-to-retire

 

NPR ILLINOIS
— As Goes Journalism, So Goes the Community
http://www.nprillinois.org/post/attend-goes-journalism-so-goes-community#stream/0
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The number of news reporters has been declining for years – in print and broadcast, and markets of all sizes. One need only look at the Illinois State House Press Corps, whose numbers have dwindled from several dozen full-time, year-round reporters to a handful of credentialed journalists today, or the decreased size of local media news staff, to see the trend in our area.)

 

MCHENRY TIMES
— Rep Skillicorn: Pritzker ‘does not have what it takes to reform’ – Karen Kidd
https://mchenrytimes.com/stories/511773044-rep-skillicorn-pritzker-does-not-have-what-it-takes-to-reform

 

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— DUPED: HOW MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AFSCME MEMBER DUES FLOW TO POLITICS – Vincent Caruso
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/duped-how-millions-of-dollars-in-afscme-member-dues-flow-to-politics/

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti says he won’t enforce proposed assault weapons ban – Cole Lauterbach
https://www.ilnews.org/news/justice/prosecutor-says-he-won-t-enforce-proposed-assault-weapons-ban/article_9249b6fc-2efc-11e9-81d9-43ea345d4568.html

 

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— CONSERVATIVE GROUP URGES “NO” TO VOTE-BY-MAIL BILL
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/02/oppose-vote-by-mail.html
— THERE ARE BETTER CHOICES THAN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS (DIERSEN: I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who have used against me the most the fact that I attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete 1953-1961 and Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest 1961-1962. Ever-increasingly, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes paint themselves as being anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/02/get-them-out-of-public-schools.html

 

FREEDOM’S JOURNAL
— MARIJUANA, MENTAL ILLNESS A​ND VIOLENCE – Walter E. Williams
https://freedomsjournalinstitute.org/latest-news/opinion/marijuana-mental-illness-a%e2%80%8bnd-violence/

 

BREITBART
— Tech Elites, Donor Class Unite with GOP/Dems to Outsource White-Collar American Jobs – John Binder (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, employers talk and act like they want to get rid of their employees who are citizens of America and replace them with citizens of foreign countries.)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/12/tech-elites-donor-class-unite-with-gop-dems-to-outsource-white-collar-american-jobs/
— GOP/Dem Deal Keeps Catch and Release for Thousands of Illegal Aliens – John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/12/gop-dem-deal-keeps-catch-and-release-for-thousands-of-illegal-aliens/
— Extremism, Scandals Rip Apart Democrat Party: Radicalism, Racism, Anti-Semitism, Sexism, Socialism Threaten Left’s Return to Power – Matthew Boyle
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/12/extremism-scandals-rip-apart-democrat-party-radicalism-racism-anti-semitism-sexism-socialism-threaten-lefts-return-to-power/
— GOP/Dem Deal Keeps Catch and Release for Thousands of Illegal Aliens John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/12/gop-dem-deal-keeps-catch-and-release-for-thousands-of-illegal-aliens/

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Republicans claim victory with border wall ‘down payment’ in spending deal – David Sherfinski and Stephen Dinan
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/republicans-secure-border-wall-down-payment-spendi/
— Black Virginia voters may forgive Democrats: ‘I can’t oust Gov. Northam for acting white in America’ – S.A. Miller (DIERSEN: Will Northam hint/imply/argue/shout at Black Virginia voters that if the let him say, he will do everything that he can to get rid of Whites?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/ralph-northam-virginia-democrats-may-be-forgiven-b/
— How Castro’s communism drives illegal immigration – Steve Hecht
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/how-castros-communism-drives-illegal-immigration/
— Migrant mini-caravan breaches border near site of Trump wall rally – Stephen Dinan
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/migrant-mini-caravan-breaches-border-near-donald-t/

 

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Media Won’t Admit Walls Work—Study Shows Otherwise – Elizabeth Harrington
https://freebeacon.com/blog/media-wont-admit-walls-work-study-shows-otherwise/
— Report: More Than 1,700 Red Flag Orders in 2018 Law allows for temporary seizure of firearms from those deemed a threat to themselves or others – Stephen Gutowski
https://freebeacon.com/issues/report-more-than-1700-red-flag-orders-in-2018/
— Ocasio-Cortez Living in Luxury Navy Yard Apartment Building Democratic socialist had publicly worried about whether she could afford rent – Brent Scher
https://freebeacon.com/politics/ocasio-cortez-living-in-luxury-navy-yard-apartment-building/

 

HOT AIR
— Looks Like The Citizenship Question Is Back On The Census Again – JAZZ SHAW
https://hotair.com/archives/2019/02/12/looks-like-citizenship-question-back-census/

 

CONSERVATIVE HQ
— Capitol Hill GOP Caves On Border Wall Deal
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/29674

 

CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
— Trump: Money from Border Deal ‘Will Be Hooked Up With Lots of Money from Other Sources’ – R. Mitchell
https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2019/02/trump-money-from-border-deal-will-be-hooked-up-with-lots-of-money-from-other-sources/
— Menendez Attacks Trump For Classifying Drunk Driving Illegals As ‘Criminal’ – Tim Pearce (DIERSEN: If you are in a country illegally, you are a criminal.)
https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2019/02/menendez-attacks-trump-for-classifying-drunk-driving-illegals-as-criminal/
— More than 300 Illegal Aliens Taken into Custody by Border Patrol Agents in New Mexico – R. Mitchell
https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2019/02/more-than-300-illegal-aliens-taken-into-custody-by-border-patrol-agents-in-new-mexico/

 

TOWNHALL
— Sheriff Organizations and Law Enforcement Officials Concerned About Dem ‘Poison Pill’ on Border Funding – Sarah Lee
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/sarahlee/2019/02/12/sheriff-organizations-and-law-enforcement-officials-concerned-about-dem-poison-pill-on-border-funding-n2541370

 

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE
— AN INCOMPLETE COMPROMISE BORDER DEAL Will President Trump accept and fill in the gaps on his own? – Joseph Klein
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272857/incomplete-compromise-border-deal-joseph-klein

 

DAILY CALLER
— GINSBURG’S HEALTH RAISES FRIGHTENING HISTORY OF INCAPACITY AND DISABILITY ON THE SUPREME COURT – Kevin Daley
https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/12/supreme-court-ginsburg-incapacity/

 

AMERICAN THINKER
— Single-Payer: The Gateway to Socialist Paradise – Andrew Thomas
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/02/singlepayer_the_gateway_to_socialist_paradise.html

 

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— White Privilege Doesn’t Mean Anything—And That’s the Point – Mark Bauerlein (DIERSEN: How have Affirmative Action (AA), Diversity, and Inclusion impacted you? Because of AA, Diversity, and Inclusion, I became a federal employee. In 1971, when I was 22 years old, Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. That made me unemployed because Firestone Stores, my employer at the time, had fired me for accepting Oldsmobile’s offer. My being unemployed directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS.)
https://www.amgreatness.com/2019/02/12/white-privilege-doesnt-mean-anything-and-thats-the-point/

 

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— When Irish Eyes Are Closed to History If Ireland stops teaching its past, are they doomed to repeat it? – JOHN RODDEN AND JOHN ROSSI
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/when-irish-eyes-are-closed-to-history/

 

LIFE SITE NEWS
— Trump shreds Dems for wanting to ‘execute’ babies, promises to protect ‘millions’ of innocent unborn – Calvin Freiburger
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-shreds-northam-for-infanticide-millions-of-innocent-beautiful-babies

 

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Jabs at Beto O’Rourke for Smaller Rally Size – PETR SVAB
https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-jabs-at-beto-orourke-for-smaller-rally-size_2798684.html

 

THE HILL
— Presidential hopefuls underline Democrats’ strong leftward drift – DAVID WEBB
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/429711-webb-presidential-hopefuls-underline-democrats-strong-leftward-drift
— Americans continue their march to low-tax states – JONATHAN WILLIAMS
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/429623-americans-continue-their-march-to-low-tax-states

 

CNN
— Trump intends to sign border deal to avoid another shutdown – Dana Bash, Betsy Klein and Veronica Stracqualursi
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/politics/trump-border-security-deal/index.html

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: For Parade, Trump Asks If July 4 Would Work – Helene Cooper (DIERSEN: Every year, Democrats and Democrat plants, Libertarians and Libertarian plants, Greens and Green plants, and RINOs work harder a) to discourage Republican candidates, Republican elected officials, Republican organizations, Republican party leaders, and Republican major donors from contributing money to help sponsor Wheaton’s Independence Day parades and b) to discourage Republican candidates, Republican elected officials, Republican organizations, and Republican party leaders from participating in the parades.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/us/politics/trump-parade-washington.html
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: After Shutdown, Americans Feel ‘Extreme Frustration’ Toward I.R.S. – Jim Tankersley and Patricia Cohen (DIERSEN: A major reason why I left IRS in 1980 when I was 31 years old was to get away from the extreme hatred toward IRS employees.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/your-money/irs-government-shutdown.html
— Women Sue Yale Over a Fraternity Culture They Say Enables Harassment – Anemona Hartocollis
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/us/yale-fraternities.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Federal employees prepare for shutdown if tentative budget deal falters “I’m stronger. … I survived 35 days” of recent shutdown. – Joe Davidson (DIERSEN: My Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government wanted all federal employees to be painted as being underpaid, and therefore, as having financial problems. In 1978, when I was 29 years old, they were BEYOND FURIOUS when Money Magazine reported a) that IRS was paying me $89,178/year in today’s dollars, b) that I owned a one-bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building in downtown Chicago, c) that I was renting out a town home in University Park, d) that I owned a 1972 Corvette, e) that I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, f) that I was taking graduate accounting courses at DePaul, and g) that I had gone on vacations to Jamaica, Mexico, Hawaii, the Bahamas.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/12/employees-prepare-shutdown-if-tentative-budget-deal-falters/
— On El Paso’s Shelter Place, an American divide over immigrants and immigration – Jenna Johnson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-el-pasos-shelter-place-an-american-divide-over-immigrants-and-immigration/2019/02/12/083d76fa-2e3a-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— He Has a Purple Heart, but the VA Wouldn’t Call Him a Veteran Because he left the service with ‘bad paper,’ Alejandro Garcia was denied benefits for almost nine years. – Rose Carmen Goldberg (DIERSEN: My Democrat GAO superiors gave me extremely “bad paper.” They forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, gave me unfair performance expectations and appraisals, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, got rid of my mentor in 1987, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take a $19,203 (26%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/he-has-a-purple-heart-but-the-va-wouldnt-call-him-a-veteran-11550015053
— Shutdown Inflicted ‘Real Harm’ on Taxpayers, IRS Watchdog Says Americans are waiting longer to get help from overburdened agency, report finds – Richard Rubin
https://www.wsj.com/articles/shutdown-inflicted-real-harm-on-taxpayers-irs-watchdog-says-11549985281

 

EL PASO TIMES
— Miles from Trump rally in El Paso, 300 immigrants walk around border wall into US – Daniel Borunda
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2019/02/12/trump-rally-el-paso-border-patrol-detains-300-migrants-wall-sunland-park-nm/2852894002/

 

VIRGINIA PIOLET
— Why Wisconsin’s Marsha Howard, a Chicago native who played at Crete-Monee High School, sits alone while her teammates stand for the national anthem – Shannon Ryan
https://pilotonline.com/sports/college/elsewhere/basketball/article_d19b0c5a-0a47-5952-aa0f-8423c53351be.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Howard also played flute in the band and was passionate about cheerleading. On the basketball court, she was ferocious. She was a leader, a three-star recruit ranked No. 10 in the state. Off the court, she encouraged teammates with complicated home lives to stick with basketball. “She was always a voice of reason,” Crete-Monee coach Christina Cobbins said. “We always knew she was special. She realized she was a leader.” After seeing Kaepernick take a knee on the sideline when he played for the 49ers to protest racial injustice in 2016 — an act he and others believe has resulted in him being blackballed from the NFL — Howard understood she could also use sports to urge fans to think about inequities in society. She talked to other black student-athletes and students at Wisconsin, some of whom encouraged the athletes to use their platforms for all of them.)

 

WBUR
— FEBRUARY 6, 2019 FLASHBACK: Political Strategists React To Trump’s State Of The Union Remarks (DIERSEN: QUESTION: What do political strategists who are Democrat plants, Libertarian plants, Green plants, or RINOs advise Republican candidates and political organizations in Illinois to do? ANSWER: Do NOT defend or advance the traditional family, right to life, immigration, Second Amendment, illegal drugs, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and the Republican Party platform. Get rid of individuals, organizations, companies, and governments that support the aforesaid planks. Disgustingly, tragically, ever-increasingly, it looks like Republican candidates and political organizations in Illinois are taking that advice.)
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/02/06/trump-state-union-praise-criticism

 

STARS AND STRIPES
— Federal employees brace for another shutdown, just in case – TODD C. FRANKEL, KIMBERLY KINDY AND LISA REIN (DIERSEN: My Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government wanted all federal employees to be painted as being underpaid, and therefore, as having financial problems. In 1978, when I was 29 years old, they were BEYOND FURIOUS when Money Magazine reported a) that IRS was paying me $89,178/year in today’s dollars, b) that I owned a one-bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building in downtown Chicago, c) that I was renting out a town home in University Park, d) that I owned a 1972 Corvette, e) that I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, f) that I was taking graduate accounting courses at DePaul, and g) that I had gone on vacations to Jamacia, Mexico, Hawaii, the Bahamas.)
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/federal-employees-brace-for-another-shutdown-just-in-case-1.568414

 

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— In what ways are/were you a minority? – Dave Diersen
(THE ARTICLE: In what ways are/were you a minority a) in the employer(s) that you work/worked for, b) in the organization(s) that you are/were a member of, c) in your precinct, d) in your municipality, e) in your township/ward, f) in your county, g) in Illinois, and h) in America? While I worked for the federal government 1966-1969 and 1971-1980, I was almost always a minority because I am Republican, conservative, Protestant (baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran (MSL)), German American, non-veteran, gun owner, my ancestors have been in America for a long time (1844), and I have no financial problems or major health problems. Since I became a member of the Milton Township Republican Central Committee in 1999 and while I was a TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004, I have almost always a minority because I am Republican (not a Democrat plant, Libertarian plant, Green plant, or RINO), conservative (I have always supported all the planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and the Republican Party platform, MSL, German American, non-veteran, gun owner, my ancestors have been in America for a long time (1844), and I have no financial problems or major health problems. Since 1984, because I am a Republican, I am increasingly a minority in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Wheaton, and in my precinct as more and more and more vote for Democrat candidates.)
http://www.gopillinois.com

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.