March 2 Evening Edition

NBC5
— What’s Next for AFSCME After Strike Approved? – Mary Ann Ahern
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Whats-Next-for-AFSCME-After-Strike-Approved-415242533.html
— Rep. Rush Says Trump Agreed to Visit Chicago – Tom Schuba
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/rush-says-trump-agreed-visit-chicago-415248963.html

 

CBS2
— Chance The Rapper To Meet Rauner On Friday To Talk CPS Funding  (DIERSEN: Are you an elected official? If so, who are you going to meet with on Friday and why?)
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/03/02/chance-the-rapper-to-meet-rauner-on-friday-to-talk-cps-funding/

 

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Ex-Clinton volunteer loses job after swipe at widow of fallen SEAL
http://www.fox32chicago.com/politics/239128392-story

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Feds raid Caterpillar headquarters in Peoria – Ally Marotti
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-law-enforcement-search-caterpillar-0303-biz-20170302-story.html
— Rauner, Chance the Rapper to meet Friday – Haley BeMiller  (DIERSEN: Are you an elected official? If so, who are you going to meet with on Friday and why?)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-chance-the-rapper-met-20170302-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Trump says “Trump would rather build walls than carve out space for effective leadership.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-leadership-trump-wall-dan-walker-governor-perspec-0303-jm-20170302-story.html
— Will CPS pull an ‘I’ for incomplete? – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-chicago-school-year-funding-lawsuit-edit-20170302-story.html
— Illinois attorney general warns CareerBuilder, other job-search firms about age bias – Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz  (DIERSEN: How old are you?  Are you a loser?  The federal government writes off its non-veteran White male employees as being losers if they do not make GS-13 ($94,610) by age 25, GS-14 ($111,801) by age 30, GS-15 ($131,508) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service ($161,900) by age 40.  Needless-to-say, if the federal government writes you off as being a loser, the private sector flushes you down its toilet.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-age-discrimination-careerbuilder-job-search-0303-biz-20170302-story.html
— Chicago man terminated for tweet about widow of Navy SEAL killed in Yemen – Corilyn Shropshire
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-man-tweets-navy-seal-widow-gets-fired-0303-biz-20170302-story.html
— Naperville Country Club ordered to refund $700,000 in ex-members’ fees – Bill Bird  (DIERSEN: Several years ago, the DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC) amended its bylaws to bar DuPage County Republican Precinct Committeemen like me from attending its meetings.  What is your opinion on that?  Of course, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes support the bar.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/crime/ct-nvs-naperville-country-club-lawsuit-st-0303-20170302-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Naperville Country Club Board of Directors acted improperly when it amended the club’s bylaws concerning initiation fees, and must return nearly $700,000 to 27 former club members, a DuPage County judge has ruled. Attorneys for the board of directors have asked Circuit Judge Dorothy French Mallen to reconsider her Feb. 8 ruling in favor of the ex-club members. That request is to be heard March 24, according to court documents.)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps a) paint themselves as being anti-male and b) paint Trump and his supporters as being anti-female. Anti-Trumps are disciples of Saul Alinsky.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/stevens/ct-womens-history-museum-balancing-0302-20170302-column.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps glorify and praise immigrants.  Generally, anti-Trumps glorify and praise foreign countries, but in this case, they do not glorify and praise Nigeria.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-unoma-azuah-nigeria-city-refuge-perspec-0303-jm-20170302-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Chance the Rapper to meet with Rauner the governor Friday – Tina Sfondeles (DIERSEN: Are you an elected official? If so, who are you going to meet with on Friday and why?)
http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/chance-the-rapper-to-meet-with-rauner-the-governor-friday/
— Pence used personal email for Ind. state business—and was hacked – USA TODAY
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pence-used-personal-email-for-state-business-and-was-hacked/amp/
— Senate toys with tax on private eyes, piercings — but little else – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/senate-toys-with-tax-on-private-eyes-piercings-but-little-else/

 

DAILY HERALD
— Federal agents raid Caterpillar offices – AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170302/business/170309747/
— Wheaton board recommends approval of controversial Loretto subdivision – Katlyn Smith
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170302/news/170309647/

 

WQAD
— Lawmakers move to have employers help pay student loans – SARAH TISINGER  (DIERSEN: Because I paid for all my college expenses with money that I earned doing yard work, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, working as a security guard, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies, my critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and who has always been privileged.)
http://wqad.com/2017/03/02/lawmakers-move-to-have-employers-help-pay-student-loans-tmwsp/

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISSTER
— Rauner, Mendoza squabble over how to pay hundreds of workers – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170302/rauner-mendoza-squabble-over-how-to-pay-hundreds-of-workers

 

JOURMAL COURIER
— Interest in state jobs high, but some worry about effect (DIERSEN: Many millions have not and will not seek a job with the federal government a) because the pay and benefits are terrible, b) because the advancement opportunities are terrible, c) because they lack required education, work experience, professional certifications, and/or professional licenses, d) because they cannot pass an employment examination, e) because they cannot pass a background investigation, f) because they cannot pass a physical examination, g) because they cannot take the demonization, denigration, and condemnation that comes with being a federal employee or federal retiree, and/or h) because they are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and they know that the federal government discriminates against its employees who are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
http://myjournalcourier.com/news/106460/interest-in-state-jobs-high-but-some-worry-about-effect

 

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— How can you improve your community’s health? A national expert weighs in. – JAMIE FORSYTHE  (DIERSEN: I suggest discouraging vices including booze, pot, and gambling.)
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article136107038.html

 

KEWANEE STAR COURIER
— Gov. Rauner to speak at Stark County GOP event April 4 – Tammy Wilkinson
http://www.starcourier.com/news/20170302/gov-rauner-to-speak-at-stark-county-gop8200event

 

MEDILL REPORTS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “DOMESTIC WORKERS FILLED WITH FEAR OVER TRUMP’S THREAT OF DEPORTATION.” What do you say to those who come to America illegally, who stay in America illegally, and who bring others to America illegally?  Democrats and RINOs glorify and praise the aforesaid.
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/domestic-workers-filled-with-fear-over-trumps-threat-of-deportation/

 

CHICAGO NOW
— Gov. Rauner puts a brick on the Cullerton-Radogno Grand Bargain – Jeff Berkowitz
http://www.chicagonow.com/public-affairs-with-jeff-berkowitz/2017/03/gov-rauner-puts-a-brick-on-the-cullerton-radogno-grand-bargain/

 

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Beauty and the Beast A Gay Tale for the Kiddies
https://illinoisfamily.org/podcast/podcast-beauty-beast-gay-tale-kiddies/

 

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— GOVERNOR RE-SKEDS WITH CHANCE THE RAPPER FOR FRIDAY (DIERSEN: Are you an elected official? If so, who are you going to meet with on Friday and why?)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/03/chance-the-rapper.html
— FEDERAL OFFICIALS SEARCH CATERPILLAR’S ILLINOIS FACILITIES
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/03/federal-officials-search-caterpillars-illinois-facilities.html

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Gov office says in 3 days 1,700 have applied on new jobs website, preparing for possible #AFSCME strike – Mary Ann Ahern
https://capitolfax.com/2017/03/02/1700-applications-received-in-three-days/

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— ‘Hitler was nice to his dogs’ tweets Andy Richter, dismissing praise for Trump’s speech – Ken Shepherd  (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps paint Trump as being Hitler and Trump supporters as being Nazis.  How should Trump and his supporters react?)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/1/andy-richter-reacts-praise-trumps-speech-congress-/
— Facts, not feelings: Snowflakes, safe spaces and trigger warnings – Madison Gesiotto
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/2/facts-not-feelings-snowflakes-safe-spaces-and-trig/

 

AMERICAN THINKER
— Welcome to the real world, federal bureaucrats – Thomas Lifson  (DIERSEN: Rather than demonizing, denigrating, and condemning the benefits that federal employees have, why not call for private sector employers to provide such benefits?  Far too many who say that they are Republican talk and act like they are operatives or dupes for private sector employers who screw their employees.)
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/03/welcome_to_the_real_world_federal_bureaucrats.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A specter haunts Washington, D.C.: federal workers, accustomed to job security, may actually be reduced in status to the level of private-sector peasants, who must live with the possibility of being laid off due to workforce reductions.  The Washington Post, in many ways the trade paper of the government industry, shares the anxiety of its readership: “Federal workers are growing increasingly anxious at the prospect of massive budget cuts President Trump proposed this week that would pave the way for increased military spending. Employees who list endangered species, collect taxes and distribute aid to foreign countries are fearing for their livelihoods as they sift through rumors and wait to see whether their offices will be targeted for steep reductions.”  Those of us who work in the private sector have never had the job security of a federal employee.  And few of us have the retirement benefits they enjoy, so we have the constant issue of providing for ourselves beyond our working years.  Frankly, it is a lot of stress, and I find that in my case, at least, it provides quite a lot of motivation for hard work.  After all, I have no rich Uncle Sam to rely on to keep money coming in to pay for the groceries, much less fund an extended vacation called “retirement.” Ordinarily, in the rare case of a government agency reducing its workforce, attrition is relied upon.  Deaths and retirements (and hardly ever firing for cause) automatically reduce the number of working bodies in a large organization.  If you don’t bring in replacements, the workforce declines in number.)

 

BLAZE
— OUTSTANDING: Laws being proposed to criminalize sanctuary cities – Chris Salcedo
http://www.theblaze.com/podcasts/laws-being-proposed-to-criminalize-sanctuary-cities/
— Democratic rep makes crude sex joke about Kellyanne Conway – Sara Gonzales
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/03/02/watch-democratic-rep-makes-crude-sex-joke-about-kellyanne-conway/

 

BREITBART
— Ten Incidents in Ten Days That Proved Trump Right on Sweden’s Migration Problem – CHRIS TOMLINSON
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/02/ten-incidents-sweden-ten-days-trump-highlighted-mass-migration-problems/

 

GOPUSA
— Democrats, women of The View, claim President Trump ‘exploited’ widow of fallen Navy SEAL
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=21382
— ‘Dreamer’ with expired DACA status detained following press conference
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=21377
— New Sheriff Releasing Criminal Aliens
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=21345

 

DAILY CALLER
— Deployed U.S. Navy Has A Pregnancy Problem, And It’s Getting Worse – Richard Pollock
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/01/exclusive-deployed-us-navy-has-a-pregnancy-problem-and-its-getting-worse/
— Kellyanne Conway Speaks Out After Congressman Said She Looked ‘Familiar’ On Her Knees – Peter Hasson
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/02/kellyanne-cedric-richmonds-joke-was-sexist-but-the-media-doesnt-care-because-im-pro-life/

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Illinois Senate spells out proposed services for sales tax
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article135921428.html

 

HUFFINGTON POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps promote charges of bad behavior by CPAC attendees.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cpac-harassment_us_58b7360fe4b0284854b3a2a4

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Across the Country, a Republican Push to Rein In Protesters.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/when-does-protest-cross-a-line-some-states-aim-to-toughen-laws.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— George W. Bush warns against ‘isolationist tendency’ in U.S. – AP  (DIERSEN: Islam does not allow for democracy.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/george-w-bush-warns-against-isolationist-tendency-in-us/2017/03/01/ec72da3e-feff-11e6-9b78-824ccab94435_story.html
— Ben Carson, outsider with no government experience, confirmed to lead HUD – Jose A. DelReal
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ben-carson-outsider-with-no-government-experience-confirmed-to-lead-hud/2017/03/02/326e5e8e-e8d3-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html
— Should the media boycott the White House? – Jay Rosen, Erik Wemple and James Downie  (DIERSEN: Who boycotts you? The following boycott me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails: those who a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, c) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, d) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, e) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, f) are operatives for the aforesaid, and/or g) are dupes for the aforesaid and/or are anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, 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 longer than their ancestors.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/should-the-media-boycott-the-white-house/2017/03/01/57d3968e-fed2-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE:  In the wake of President Trump’s tweet calling the media “the enemy of the American people” and White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s exclusion of major media outlets from a briefing, some have called for the media to consider some kind of boycott of the White House. On Wednesday afternoon, Post Opinions digital editor James Downie moderated an email discussion on this topic between Post Opinions media blogger Erik Wemple and New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen. The exchange is reprinted below and has been edited for style and clarity.)

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Illinois Republican lawmaker Michael Bost compared town hall meetings to being yelled at by ‘Orientals’ – ELIZABETH ELIZALDE
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gop-rep-compared-town-halls-yelled-orientals-article-1.2987535

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Refugees Trek to Canada as U.S. Tightens Rules on Immigration  Spike in illegal border crossings by asylum seekers reported despite winter weather – PAUL VIEIRA
https://www.wsj.com/articles/refugees-trek-to-canada-as-u-s-tightens-rules-on-immigration-1488475641
— Federal Agents Search Caterpillar Locations  The search appeared to escalate an investigation into tax issues and Swiss subsidiaries –  ANDREW TANGEL
https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-agents-search-caterpillar-locations-1488475293
— The German Right Believes It’s Time to Discard the Country’s Historical Guilt  As part of the nationalist tide sweeping Europe, the Alternative for Germany is pushing to change how the country views its Nazi past, upending decades of consensus – ANTON TROIANOVSKI  (DIERSEN: How old are you and what is your national origin(s)? I am 68 years old and I am 100% German national origin. I should write a book about how my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have used that against me. In my defense, my uncles on my mother’s side fought the Germans in WWII, my father would have fought the Germans in WWII if he had not been 4-F, my grandfather on my father’s side fought the Germans in WWI, and all my ancestors immigrated to America during the 1840s and 1850s.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-german-right-believes-its-time-to-discard-their-countrys-historical-guilt-1488467995
— When Neil Gorsuch was a Rebel College Journalist – JACOB GERSHMAN  (DIERSEN: I have been the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000.)
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2017/03/02/when-neil-gorsuch-was-a-rebel-college-journalist/

 

ACCOUNTING TODAY
— Caterpillar lands in government’s crosshairs – Bloomberg
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/caterpillar-a-trump-darling-lands-in-governments-crosshairs

 

ACCURACY IN ACADEMIA
— Like Betsy DeVos, Governor Scott Walker was Once Blocked from Entering a School – Malcolm A. Kline
https://www.academia.org/like-betsy-devos-governor-scott-walker-was-once-blocked-from-entering-a-school/

 

FEDERAL NEWS RADIO
— Is the White House’s background check process comprehensive enough? – Eric White  (DIERSEN: Many millions do not seek federal jobs because they know that they cannot pass a background check.  So instead, they viciously demonize, denigrate, and condemn federal employees.)
http://federalnewsradio.com/federal-headlines/2017/03/is-the-white-houses-background-check-process-comprehensive-enough/
— Employee morale declining since hiring freeze, NTEU members say – Nicole Ogrysko  (DIERSEN: During almost all of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO 1980-1997, the agency was under Republican-led hiring freezes and/or promotion freezes.  Virtually all my GAO Chicago office superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats and they were furious about those freezes. They took their anger against Republicans, if not their hatred of Republicans, out on me, one of the few non-veteran White male Republicans in the office.)
http://federalnewsradio.com/unions/2017/03/employee-morale-declining-since-hiring-freeze-nteu-members-say/

 

FED SMITH
— Congress Considering Change in Calculating retiree COLAs – Michael Wald  (DIERSEN: The purchasing power of my $50,856 Civil Service Retirement System pension and my $2,028 Social Security decreases dramatically each year as inflation is far greater than COLAs.)
http://www.fedsmith.com/2017/03/01/congress-considering-change-in-calculating-retiree-benefit-increases/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Congressman John Garamendi (D-Modesto, CA) has introduced the CPI-E Act of 2017 (H.R. 1251). The bill would require the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) methodology to use CPI-E as opposed to the currently used CPI-W when calculating changes in retiree benefits for both Social Security recipients and annuities provided under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). “The fact that we do not do this already is shocking. Instead, cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, for seniors collecting Social Security and those retired from the military or federal service, are based on the costs experienced by, quote: urban wage earners and clerical workers. They are not based on the costs that they – as elderly individuals – experience. And that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” stated Richard Thissen, president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE). Retirees began receiving automatic annual COLAs in 1975. When Congress first approved automatic cost-of-living adjustments as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, the only Consumer Price Index available was the index now designated as CPI-W. Before that, benefits were increased only when Congress enacted special legislation.)

 

PEOPLES’S WORLD
— National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) members “storm Capitol Hill” – MARK GRUENBERG (DIERSEN: I was a NTEU member 1971-1980 while I worked for IRS.)
http://www.peoplesworld.org/article/treasury-employees-storm-capitol-hill/

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.