March 29 Morning Edition

CBS2
— Chicago area teachers receive gun training, free of charge
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/chicago-area-teachers-taking-conceal-carry-classes-free-of-charge

 

NBC5
— Pritzker Downsizes Campaign Staff After Primary Victory – Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/pritzker-downsizes-campaign-staff-478182113.html
— Woman Carjacked Outside Oakbrook Center Mall
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/oakbrook-center-mall-carjacking-478245233.html

 

ABC7
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats use Miguel Perez to argue that U.S. citizenship should be easier to get for those who were brought to America illegally and/or who served in the military.
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/deported-veteran-miguel-perez-jr-describes-ordeal/3275003/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump sending state senator Kyle McCarter to Kenya – Monique Garcia
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cook-county-arroyo-preckwinkle-berrios-20180329-story.html
— Roskam says feds OK property tax early birds
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cook-county-arroyo-preckwinkle-berrios-20180329-story.html
— Emanuel wants signs about smoking dangers posted outside tobacco stores – John Byrne
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-rahm-emanuel-anti-tobacco-signs-20180327-story.html
— Clout of young voters uncertain; A real force or a fad? – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-bc-us–youth-vote-midterms-20180327-story.html
— Joe Biden regrets talking about fighting Trump – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-bc-us–trump-biden-20180329-story.html
— Leaving Illinois won’t be an easy choice — but it might be the only one. – Steve Bail, Lake Forest (DIERSEN: Who wants you to leave Illinois? I should write a book about those who want me to leave Illinois. They a) reject planks in the Republican Party platform and/or the Illinois Republican Party platform and work against those like me who support those planks, b) reject the Milton Township Republican Central Committee resolution against video gambling and work against those like me who support that resolution, c) focus on destroying those like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate, d) were defendants in lawsuits that I have filed, and/or e) are operatives or dupes for the aforesaid and/or they are anti-Trump supporters, 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.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-cps-pension-leave-illinois-home-value-20180328-story.html
— Facebook to simplify user privacy settings – Elizabeth Dwoskin (DIERSEN: If you want privacy, government and politics is not for you.)
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20180329/281904478730743
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Evangelical says “Evangelical support of Trump has helped pornography enter the cultural mainstream.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-evangelicals-pornography-trump-stormy-daniels-0329-20180327-story.html
— Yes, white ‘privilege’ is still the problem – Dahleen Glanton (DIERSEN: In 1971, when I was 22 years old, Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted saying that Oldsmobile had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. All during the almost 30 years that I worked for the federal government, my superiors were under tremendous pressure from Democrat politicians to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who were minority, female, and/or younger. If you are a non-veteran White male federal employee, the federal government wastes your career and gets rid of you if you 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.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-white-privilege-dahleen-glanton-20180328-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Political consultant Alaina Hampton wants inspector general, Ethics Board to look at Ald. Quinn – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/political-consultant-demands-ig-ethics-board-investigation-of-ald-quinn/
— In campaigns, women highlight gender in pitch to voters – AP (DIERSEN: What if candidates highlighted in their campaigns that they a) could and would defend and advance all the planks in the Republican Party platform if elected, including the traditional family, right to life, immigration, and Second Amendment planks, b) are Republican, c) are conservative, d) are male, e) are White, f) are older, g) are German-American, h) are Protestant, i) are wealthy, j) are gun owners, k) have ancestors who have been in America for a long time, l) are former union members, m) are retired federal employees, and/or n) are American nameplate car owners?)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/in-campaigns-women-highlight-gender-in-pitch-to-voters/
— Melania, as a role model for women, should leave the jerk – S. E. Cupp (DIERSEN: Did/would Cupp say that about Hillary.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/melania-as-a-role-model-for-women-should-leave-the-jerk/
— McDonald’s expands worker tuition benefits, citing tax law – AP (DIERSEN: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, its tuition benefits were either nonexistent or token. My superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates used that to justify their not taking job-related courses. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48. Beyond outrageously, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates hinted/implied/argued/shouted that the undergraduate and graduate courses that I took a) were not job-related, b) did not help me carry out my job duties, c) were taken by me to get a job in the private sector, and d) were a distraction. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, a minority, a female, or a veteran.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/mcdonalds-expands-worker-tuition-benefits-citing-tax-law/

 

DAILY HERALD
— McSweeney proposes gun seizure, tougher sentencing legislation – Chacour Koop
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180329/mcsweeney-proposes-gun-seizure-tougher-sentencing-legislation
— Facebook revamps privacy settings menu in response to outcry – Gerrit De Vynck (DIERSEN: Government is nasty. Politics is nasty. If you want privacy for yourself, you should not seek or hold any kind of government or political office. If you have ever done anything that subjects you to blackmail or to prosecution, you should not seek or hold any kind of government or political office. In government and in politics, your critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes will find out everything about you, including everything that you did or did not do, and then use that information to destroy you.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/business/20180327/facebook-revamps-privacy-settings-menu-in-response-to-outcry
— Split vote as DuPage approves spending for tourism bureau – Robert Sanchez
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180328/split-vote-as-dupage-approves-spending-for-tourism-bureau
— This time, we can hold lawmakers accountable on ‘fair maps’ – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20180328/editoria-this-time-we-can-hold-lawmakers-accountable-on-fair-maps
— Time for more towns to join Tobacco 21 movement – Editorial
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20180326/editorial-time-for-more-towns-to-join-tobacco-21-movement

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Walmart pulls Cosmopolitan from checkout aisles after pressure from anti-porn group – Amy B. Wang
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20180328/walmart-pulls-cosmopolitan-from-checkout-aisles-after-pressure-from-anti-porn-group
— Davis says he sees many people, but has no open town hall plans – Bernard Schoenburg
http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20180328/bernard-schoenburg-davis-says-he-sees-many-people-but-has-no-open-town-hall-plans

 

QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Much riding on rollout of Illinois Automatic Voter Registration – Editorial (DIERSEN: Why don’t registered voters vote? Of the 504 registered voters in my precinct, 301 (60%) did not vote in the March 20, 2018 primary election. At least 20 of those 301 no longer live in the precinct.)
http://qconline.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-much-riding-on-rollout-of-illinois-avr/article_5f446f21-efcd-5a31-9e01-4ca5f2baf630.html

 

STATELINE
— Sen. Syverson pushing legislation to stop robo-calls
http://www.mystateline.com/news/sen-syverson-pushing-legislation-to-stop-robo-calls/1085829649

 

SOUTHERN
— Illinois public health official warns against fake weed after users suffer severe bleeding
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/state-and-regional/illinois-department-of-public-health-issues-warning-about-synthetic-cannabinoids/article_81ec1944-8807-5e77-98b1-85d0ae701812.html

 

BEVERLY REVIEW
— Voters in 19th Ward support Pritzker, Ives – Kyle Garmes
http://www.beverlyreview.net/news/community_news/article_0ac9894c-31cc-11e8-a4be-cf4ee547eb67.html

 

PEORIA PUBLIC RADIO
— U of I Sues For Depiction Of Chief + ‘Make Illinois Great Again’ – RACHEL OTWELL
http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/u-i-sues-depiction-chief-make-illinois-great-again#stream/0

 

DAILY ILLINI
— University outreach program addresses student veteran challenges – GEORGE VASSILATOS (DIERSEN: Are you a veteran? I am not. If I sought any kind of government or political office, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes would stress that I am not a veteran, and far worse, I sought and obtained student draft deferments 1966-1970 and a financial hardship draft deferment 1970-1971.)
https://dailyillini.com/news/2018/03/29/university-outreach-program-addresses-student-veteran-challenges/

 

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— OEIG responded to ethics complaint on Illinois Governor Rauner – KIRK ALLEN
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2018/03/oeig-responded-to-ethics-complaint-on-illinois-governor-rauner/

 

AMERICANS FOR TRUTH ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
— Homosexuality Has Become Holy Grail to the Left — LaBarbera on HBO’s John Oliver’s Bunny Book Attack on Pence – Peter LaBarbera
https://americansfortruth.com/2018/03/28/homosexuality-has-become-holy-grail-to-the-left-labarbera-on-hbos-john-olivers-bunny-book-attack-on-pence/

 

GOPUSA
— U.S. facing ‘epidemic of fatherlessness’
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=42551

 

BREITBART
— Review: ‘What’s Up, Deplorable?’ Roseanne Barr’s Rebooted Sitcom Embraces Trump’s America – REBECCA MANSOUR
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2018/03/28/review-whats-up-deplorable-roseanne-barrs-rebooted-sitcom-embraces-trumps-america/

 

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— California Dem Candidate Inflated Resume to Portray Herself as State Dept. ‘Policy Maker’ – Cameron Cawthorne (DIERSEN: QUESTION: Who should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion? ANSWER: Only those who have parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. who were policy makers. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. were NOT policy makers.)
http://freebeacon.com/politics/california-dem-candidate-inflated-resume-portray-herself-state-dept-policy-maker/

 

NBC NEWS
— Trump called Roseanne Barr to congratulate her on show reboot Barr plays a Trump supporter on the revival of “Roseanne,” which returned to the air this week. – Adam Edelman
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-called-roseanne-barr-congratulate-her-show-reboot-n861061

 

CNBC
— Democrats’ perception of Walmart shifts from negative to positive – Tamanna Desai
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/28/democrats-perception-of-walmart-shifts-from-negative-to-positive.html

 

YAHOO NEWS
— Democrats setting aside differences as U.S. elections approach – Ivan Couronne (DIERSEN: In Illinois, will Republicans put aside differences to defeat the Democrats in November? Will those Republicans who won in the primary, but who reject the traditional family, right to life, immigration, and other planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform reach out to Republicans who lost in the primary, but support those planks?)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/democrats-setting-aside-differences-us-elections-approach-160625500.html

 

USA TODAY
— Blame political operatives, not social media for privacy breaches – Edward Stringham
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/03/28/facebook-cambridge-analytica-editorials-debates/33374103/

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Why Are States So Strapped for Cash? There Are Two Big Reasons The proportion of state and local tax revenues dedicated to Medicaid and public pensions is the highest since the 1960s – Cezary Podkul and Heather Gillers
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-are-states-so-strapped-for-cash-there-are-two-big-reasons-1522255521
— The IRS Is Auditing a Lot Fewer Americans Percentage of individual tax audits falls to lowest level since 2002 – Laura Saunders
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-irs-is-auditing-a-lot-fewer-americans-1522315800
— In Many States, Students at Public Universities Foot Biggest Part of the Bill State funding cuts mean students in a majority of states are paying more in tuition than the government does – Douglas Belkin
https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-many-states-students-at-public-universities-foot-biggest-part-of-the-bill-1522315802

 

FORBES
— As Trump And Congress Fail Dreamers, Canada Might Be An Option For Some – Andy J. Semotiuk
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2018/03/28/daca-dreamers-stress-while-trump-and-congress-fail-them/#24919040c6d3

 

KIPLINGER
— The Financial Pros and Cons of Getting Married Later in Life When you start a relationship later in life, does it make sense to marry or move in together? Answer: It’s complicated. – SANDRA BLOCK (DIERSEN: My wife and I have been paying the marriage penalty big time since we got married in 1978. Government should encourage marriage and homeownership. Roskam should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.)
https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T065-C000-S002-pros-and-cons-of-getting-married-later-in-life.html

 

KIII TV
— New York is first of high-tax states ready to do end-around Trump code N.Y. readies 1st end-around of Trump tax code – Joseph Spector and Jon Campbell (DIERSEN: Government should encourage marriage and homeownership. Roskam should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.)
http://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/nation-now/new-york-is-first-of-high-tax-states-ready-to-do-end-around-trump-code/465-7b8b676d-aacb-45d8-8600-a8627b642377

 

FORT WAYNE BUSINESS WEEKLY
— Researchers call for action against fake news – Doug LeDuc (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, all news is fake except for the news that they put out or bless.)
http://www.fwbusiness.com/columns/technology/article_9f542775-5d7f-5bfc-9056-1642e597596a.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A professor at Indiana University’s School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering co-authored an essay for the journal “Science” calling for a coordinated investigation into the forces behind fake news. Filippo Menczer is a member of IU’s Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research. His co-authors for the paper included researchers at high-profile organizations such as Microsoft, Harvard, MIT and Yale. They said companies with platforms used by massive audiences to produce and consume information, such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, have an “ethical and social responsibility transcending market forces” to contribute to scientific research on fake news. The paper was published in the academic journal a little more than a week after 13 Russians were indicted for involvement in a “troll farm” operation that spread false information connected with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Menczer is founder of the IU Observatory on Social Media, which provides tools for identifying automated social media accounts and analyzing how misinformation spreads across social networks. Estimates in the paper put the number of automated “bots” at 60 million on Facebook and up to 48 million on Twitter. The Twitter estimate was based on a study Menczer and colleagues had conducted recently. “The spreaders of fake news are using increasingly sophisticated methods,” Menczer said in a statement about the essay. “If we don’t have enough quantifiable information about the problem, we’ll never be able to design interventions that work. This paper is really a call to groups across the globe – academics, journalists and private industry – to work together to attack this problem.” The paper proposes changes to algorithms the authors say increasingly control online access to information as well as high school courses designed to help students recognize illegitimate news sources. “The challenge is there are so many vulnerabilities we don’t yet understand and so many different pieces that can break or be gamed or manipulated when it comes to fake news,” Menczer said. “It’s such a complex problem that it must be attacked from every angle.” “What we want to convey most is that fake news is a real problem, it’s a tough problem, and it’s a problem that requires serious research to solve.”)

ATLANTIC
— AS THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S STRANGLEHOLD ON CHICAGO TIGHTENS: Chicago’s Awful Divide Americans are flocking to big cities to find good jobs—opportunities that remain disproportionately out of reach for the poorest residents already living there. – ALANA SEMUELS (DIERSEN: Have you worked in Chicago? I worked for IRS in Chicago in 1971 and then 1973-1980. I worked for GAO in Chicago 1980-1997.)
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/03/chicago-segregation-poverty/556649/

 

CHRON
— Qualifications for Political Strategists – Michael Mageean
http://work.chron.com/qualifications-political-strategists-23250.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A political strategist, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a senior political consultant who designs and directs election campaigns for politicians. Most employers require a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English or business or even a master’s degree. But at a strategist’s level you’ll need qualifications gained from at least 10 years delivering results in the field in areas like managing the media and fundraising during campaigns. Strategic Thinker A senior consultant needs to be a strategic thinker to effectively solve problems based on past experience using analogical reasoning. Other approaches like deductive reasoning or simple trial and error might not be possible in a fast-moving electoral contest where the story is changing by the hour. This is why a strategist needs a voluminous knowledge of previous elections. Media Master A political strategist will have to be a master at handling the media in order to get his message out to the electorate. Using the media is about timing and presentation. He needs to know how journalists think and how a newsroom schedule works. An election strategist must also be proficient in organizing events like fundraising dinners. These provide campaign funds and are also media events where the candidate delivers speeches and sound bites for broadcast. Master of the Political Message A political strategist has to have a whole communications package to electrify voters. The strategist needs to create a persona and media image for his client that appeals to as many voters as possible. Once he’s crafted the image he’ll have to stage photo opportunities and media events so he can display it to the electorate. A strategist needs to work with the candidate on speeches and answers to questions so the right message will be communicated on the campaign trail and in front of the TV cameras. Extensive and High-Quality Contacts Success comes and goes for a senior political consultant, but what he has to consistently maintain is a high-quality network of contacts. If he has these he will always be in demand because he can secure funding for his clients and introductions to powerful patrons and backers. He is a gatekeeper to powerful supporters and must also act as a cogent persuader to convince them to get behind his client.)

 

STUDY
— Become a Political Consultant: Step-by-Step Career Guide
https://study.com/articles/Become_a_Political_Consultant_Step-by-Step_Career_Guide.html

(FROM THE ARTICLE: Political consultants work on election campaigns for political candidates. They may help candidates develop media strategies, explain their platforms to the public, create advertisements, respond to opponents or engage in fundraising. Other consultants may work in research or polling. In the former type of job, they investigate the major issues in a campaign or a candidate’s opponent, while in the latter they ask the public how they feel about a candidate. This information can then be used to develop a candidate’s election campaign strategy. Some of these consultants’ job tasks overlap with those of political scientists, who are similar to consultants. Political consultants work full-time, though they often put in overtime hours to meet deadlines or deal with crises. The job can be stressful, but it pays a salary that is much higher than the national average. Though there is strong competition for these jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the field will grow at a faster-than-average rate over the coming decade.)

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.