February 21 Evening Edition

NBC5
— State Sen. Jim Oberweis to Challenge Rep. Lauren Underwood in 2020 – Benjamin Conboy
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/jim-oberweis-to-run-against-lauren-underwood-in-2020-race-506178821.html
— Body Cameras Proposed for Politicians Doing Illinois Business Rep. John Cabello said the intent of the bill he introduced is to reduce corruption
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/body-cameras-proposed-for-illinois-politicians-doing-business-506149511.html

 

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Police say Smollett faked attack to ‘promote his career’ – AP
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/crime/police-empire-actor-faked-attack-to-promote-his-career-

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Gov. Pritzker, don’t dismiss the Republicans too quickly – David Greising
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-pritzker-budget-speech-bipartisanship-rauner-greising-0222-20190221-story.html
— Judge scolds Jussie Smollett over allegations he staged racist, anti-gay attack: ‘Vile and despicable’ – Megan Crepeau, Jason Meisner and Jeremy Gorner
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-jussie-smollet-arrest-20190221-story.html
— Wisdom from Eddie Johnson: Jussie Smollett owes Chicago an apology – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-smollett-eddie-johnson-chicago-police-jussie-20190221-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Sorry, bigots, but I’m not sorry for once believing Jussie Smollett.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-dahleen-glanton-jussie-smollett-apology-20190221-story.html
— Medical marijuana growers are lobbying for licenses that also would allow them to control supply of recreational pot in Illinois – Robert McCoppin
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-marijuana-companies-lobbying-to-limit-recreational-licenses-20190214-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett released from Cook County Jail – Sam Charles and Andy Grimm
https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/jussie-smollett-arrested-in-chicago-for-allegedly-staging-hate-crime-police/

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Pritzker continues to reach out to cautious GOP – Bernard Schoenburg
https://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20190220/schoenburg-pritzker-continues-to-reach-out-to-cautious-gop

 

GALESBURG REGISTER NEWS
— Pritzker’s pot revenue depends on unfiled legalization legislation – Jerry Nowicki
https://www.galesburg.com/news/20190221/pritzkers-pot-revenue-depends-on-unfiled-legalization-legislation

 

CHICAGO PATCH
— Here Are The Hate Groups Operating In Chicago The number of hate groups has skyrocketed in the last four years. See the groups operating in Chicago. – Amber Fisher
https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/here-are-hate-groups-operating-chicago

 

DES PLAINES PATCH
— Anti-Muslim Group Puts Des Plaines On SPLC’s ‘Hate Map’ The number of active hate groups is at its highest level in two decades, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. – Jonah Meadows (DIERSEN: If the groups that you are a member of do not promote Islam, sooner or later, SPLC will call them hate groups.)
https://patch.com/illinois/desplaines/anti-muslim-group-puts-des-plaines-splcs-hate-map

 

NAPERVILLE PATCH
— Here Are The Hate Groups Operating In Naperville The number of hate groups has skyrocketed in the last four years. See the groups operating in Naperville. – Lisa Marie Farver (DIERSEN: If the groups that you are a member of do not promote LGBTQ activity, sooner or later, SPLC will call them hate groups.)
https://patch.com/illinois/naperville/here-are-hate-groups-operating-naperville

 

KANE COUNTY REPORTER
— Skillicorn pushes for audit of Fed – Glenn Minnis
https://kanecountyreporter.com/stories/511783950-skillicorn-pushes-for-audit-of-fed

 

CAPITOL FAX
— A look at some of Pritzker’s increased spending
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/21/a-look-at-some-of-pritzkers-increased-spending/
— A quick look at Pritzker’s new revenue streams
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/21/a-quick-look-at-pritzkers-new-revenue-streams/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Criminals support a Supreme Court decision.
https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/21/a-big-nail-unanimously-driven-into-the-drug-wars-coffin/

 

FOX NEWS
— Citizen Kelly on Fox & Friends: Punish Smollett with prison time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrGaNL6AQB0

 

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Border apprehensions jump 84 percent, 606,000 expected this year – Paul Bedard
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/border-apprehensions-jump-84-606-000-expected-this-year

 

FRONT PAGE MAGAZINE
— SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER BLAMES TRUMP FOR INCREASE IN BLACK NATIONALIST HATE GROUPS – Daniel Greenfield
https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/272950/southern-poverty-law-center-blames-trump-increase-daniel-greenfield

 

PJ MEDIA
— Illinois Lawmakers Want to Send Government Agents into Every Home School – MEGAN FOX
https://pjmedia.com/trending/illinois-lawmakers-try-to-send-government-agents-into-every-homeschool-home/

 

CONSERVATIVE HQ
— The Left’s 2018 victory was fueled by millions of small-dollar donors—if Conservatives don’t catch up quickly, we will lose America – Richard A Viguerie (DIERSEN: What encourages you to donate? For me, it is seeing that the candidate or the organization will use the money to defend and advance all the planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and the Republican Party platform, and especially the traditional family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks.)
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/29728

 

TURNING POINT USA
— VIDEO: Conservative Student Attacked By Violent Leftist At UC Berkeley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbXrl-jVRcM&feature=youtu.be

 

GOPUSA
— The left is openly cheering for the demise of America

The left is openly cheering for the demise of America


— Mexican national transports $12.7M in meth in shipment of strawberries
http://www.gopusa.com/mexican-national-transports-12-7m-in-meth-in-shipment-of-strawberries/
— Austin boy called ‘Little Hitler’ for selling hot chocolate to raise ‘over $9,000’ for border wall
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=65436

 

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Sending Our Prisoners to College Just think of it as an up-front investment, one that will pay dividends down the road. – NILA BALA AND EMILY MOONEY (DIERSEN: Good people get college degrees so that they do not have to take bad jobs. Bad people commit crime so that they do not have to take bad jobs.)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/sending-prisoners-to-college-criminal-justice/?mc_cid=1f7156d40f&mc_eid=2e2743e91e

 

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Taxpayer-Funded Abortions on the Rise in Illinois – MICHAEL J. NEW
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/taxpayer-funded-abortions-on-the-rise-in-illinois/
— Warren Backs Government Reparations for African Americans – JACK CROWE (DIERSEN: How much money will Warren want you to pay in reparations? For what I see, the more of the following that you are, the more money that Warren will want you to pay in reparations: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, gun owner, German American, draft avoider, and if your ancestors have been in America for a long time. From what I see, if you are any of the aforesaid, the longer that your ancestors have been in America, the money that Warren will want you to pay in reparations.)
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/warren-backs-government-reparations-for-african-americans/

 

THE HILL
— Trump reacts to Smollett charges: ‘What about MAGA’ – BRETT SAMUELS AND JUDY KURTZ
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/430953-trump-reacts-to-smollett-charges-what-about-maga

 

WASHINGTON POST
— The fiscal nightmare in Illinois shows Democrats exactly what not to do – Henry Olsen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/21/fiscal-nightmare-illinois-shows-democrats-exactly-what-not-do/

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Police Say Smollett Faked Hate Crime Because He Was Dissatisfied With His Salary ‘Empire’ actor said he was victim of a racist and homophobic attack last month – Erin Ailworth
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jussie-smollett-arrested-after-charge-of-filing-false-report-of-attack-11550753504

 

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Are you on the government’s endangered species list? – Mike Causey
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/mike-causey-federal-report/2019/02/are-you-on-the-governments-endangered-species-list/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: If anybody in your office has been with the government since the early 1980s take him or her to lunch. Your veteran office mate is golden and like many precious resources, their numbers are dwindling fast. In fact, if Uncle Sam kept a list of endangered workers, folks under the old Civil Service Retirement System would be at the top. Less than six of every 100 workers still on the payroll are under the generous system that was phased out in the mid 1980s, in favor of a retirement package more like those in the private sector. It is the Federal Employees Retirement System, or FERS, and it covers those hired since 1984. Although CSRS and FERS employees work alongside each other in many offices, their situations are very different. CSRS provides a much more generous retirement annuity than FERS, while the latter group of employees are eligible for both Social Security and get a government match of up to 5 percent of their total pay to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. The TSP is a good investment for CSRS workers and a must for FERS employees because of their smaller annuities. In a Congressional Research Service study of the two retirement plans in fiscal year 2016, the average monthly federal benefit for retiring FERS workers was $1,714 versus an average of $4,755 per month for those leaving under the CSRS plan. Because of the less generous civil service benefit and less inflation protection in retirement some people believe that those under FERS work longer than their CSRS counterparts.)
— Federal government’s employer brand is in trouble – Jeff Neal (DIERSEN: Potential federal employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran should be advised a) that the federal government will waste their career and get rid of them if they do not make GS-13 (currently $96,403) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $113,920) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $134,000) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $164,200) by age 40 and b) that extremely few federal employees make the aforesaid promotion deadlines.)
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2019/02/federal-governments-employer-brand-is-in-trouble/

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.