May 13 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Gurnee removed from Southern Poverty Law Center hate map: ‘There was no evidence’ – Jim Newton (DIERSEN: Sooner or later, if not already, if your group does not promote LGBTQ activity, the Southern Poverty Law Center will call it a hate group.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-gurnee-hate-map-designation-ends-st-0512-story.html
— Split over plan to expand food stamp work requirements: ‘A good thing’ or ‘a recipe for disaster’ – Greg Trotter and Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz (DIERSEN: What about requiring food stamp recipients to take “bad” jobs? To justify their calling me a “bad” person, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always called all the jobs that I have had “bad” jobs. I did yard work and delivered newspapers 1962-1964; washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; delivered mail 1966-1969; worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard 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.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-welfare-work-requirements-20180417-story.html
— The growing gender gap that gets little notice: Homebuying – Kenneth R. Harney (DIERSEN: I bought a new town home in University Park in September of 1972 when I was 24 years old. The down payment came from money that I had saved a) working for IRS for the previous 15 months, b) working part-time for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights for the previous 18 months, and c) working for Firestone full-time for 7 months before that.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/ct-re-0513-kenneth-harney-20180508-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It’s the gender gap you don’t hear so much about: Single women are buying homes and condos at what may be more than twice the rate of single males, and the trend appears to be accelerating. Consider: Single women accounted for 18 percent of all home purchases last year compared with just 7 percent by single males, according to survey data from the National Association of Realtors. This makes single women the second largest segment in the entire home-purchase marketplace, behind married couples.)
— Unemployment rate for Chicago’s black youth improves – Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted a) that instead of me, the Post Office should have hired a Black in 1966, b) that the Post Office should gotten rid of me much sooner than it did so that a Black could have my job, c) that instead of me, IRS should have hired a Black in 1971, d) that instead of me, IRS should have promoted Blacks in 1972, 1973, and 1974, e) that instead of me, GAO should have hired a Black in 1980, f) that instead of me, GAO should have promoted a Black in 1986, and g) that GAO should have gotten rid of me much sooner than it did so that a Black could have my job and my preferred corner office.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-youth-unemployment-great-cities-downstate-illinois-0513-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps encourage citizens of foreign countries to seek asylum in America.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20180513/281934543591336
— Madigan the meddler should allow an independent #MeToo investigation – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-madigan-harassment-panel-bush-20180511-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— More financial loss as mail delivery slumps – Hope Yen
https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/more-financial-loss-as-mail-delivery-slumps/

 

DAILY HERALD
— More Americans expect to work until 70; there are benefits – AP (DIERSEN: The federal government forces its employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who do not make Senior Executive Service (currently $164,200/year) to retire as soon as they are eligible. For me, that would have been when I was 55 years old in 2003. But my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/business/20180513/more-americans-expect-to-work-until-70-there-are-benefits
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The RMD is the minimum amount that the IRS says you must draw from retirement accounts each year once you reach age 70 ½. This approach, dubbed the “Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy,” in effect “pensionizes” common retirement accounts like a 401(k) or IRA. It will not compensate for inadequate savings but it will help squeeze as much income as possible from existing sources. To make it work, some retirees may have to significantly lower their living expenses. Vernon said it’s a straightforward way for middle-income workers with between $100,000 and $1 million in savings to generate a stream of lifetime income. He estimates this group represents as many as half of all workers age 55 and older. And workers need some help as most will not consult a financial planner and few calculate how much they’ll need. “You can’t just tumble into retirement, you have to be thoughtful about it,” he said. Americans typically retire at age 63 and start collecting Social Security between age 62 to 64, according to research from The New School. But waiting pays off.)

 

NORTHWEST HERALD
— McHenry Township trustees vote to slash elected officials’ pay Health benefits, pensions set to remain the same – ED KOMENDA (DIERSEN: When did you start earning $100,000-a-year in to today’s dollars? I did in 1988 when I was 40 years old. By then, I had worked for GAO for almost 9 years, I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years, I had become a licensed CPA in 1981, I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, I had earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976.)
http://www.nwherald.com/2018/05/12/mchenry-township-trustees-vote-to-slash-elected-officials-pay/a3v3pd/

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Retired military leaders call for more child care, education funding – Brenden Moore (DIERSEN: I became a member of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (https://www.narfe.org/) long before my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old. NARFE’s mission is “To support legislation beneficial to current and potential federal annuitants and to oppose legislation contrary to their interests. To promote the general welfare of current and potential federal annuitants by advising them with respect to their rights under retirement laws and regulations. To cooperate with other organizations and associations in furtherance of these objectives.” Needless-to-say, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes are anti-NARFE.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20180512/retired-military-leaders-call-for-more-child-care-education-funding

 

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Bicentennial: Walgreens, America’s pharmacist, got its start in Illinois – Christopher Placek
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/bicentennial-walgreens-america-s-pharmacist-got-its-start-in-illinois/article_5969b375-3d41-5288-812f-a61d1e633961.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In 1919, Walgreen had 20 stores, which a decade later grew to 525. Company historians have attributed Walgreens tremendous growth in the 1920s to the popularity of the malted milkshake, invented by soda jerk Ivar “Pop” Coulson in 1922. Coulson added vanilla ice cream to the common malted milk drink, which consisted of milk, chocolate syrup and malt powder. Daniel Okrent, in his book “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,” suggests the store also benefited from alcohol sales during that time because pharmacies were allowed to sell booze for medicinal purposes.)

 

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Look out: Solving pension woes will flatten taxpayers – Jim Dey (DIERSEN: The future looks bleaker and bleaker and bleaker for those who are in line to get a government pension or are getting a government pension. The bigger the government pension that you are in line to get or are getting, the more that you will be viciously demonized, viciously denigrated, and viciously condemned by those who hate government employees and by those who hate government retirees.)
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2018-05-13/jim-dey-look-out-solving-pension-woes-will-flatten-taxpayers.html

 

QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Illinois lawmakers need to back their education ideas with cash – Editorial
http://qconline.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-illinois-lawmakers-need-to-back-their-education-ideas-with/article_e0855f06-ea7c-5c79-8607-ddf0c8e6f880.html
— Halpin, Anderson want to keep border businesses in Illinois – SARAH HAYDEN
http://qconline.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/halpin-anderson-want-to-keep-border-businesses-in-illinois/article_de8c30ef-9caa-5405-9039-6f43189e8c55.html

 

SUBURBAN LIFE
— Gov. Bruce Rauner chats with diners at Downers Grove Omega
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2018/05/13/gov-bruce-rauner-chats-with-diners-at-downers-grove-omega/d1mz82e/

 

  1. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
    — More Americans expect to work until 70; there are benefits – AP (DIERSEN: The federal government forces its employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who do not make Senior Executive Service (currently $164,200/year) to retire as soon as they are eligible. For me, that would have been when I was 55 years old in 2003. But my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
    http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/more-americans-expect-to-work-until-there-are-benefits/article_19bcbecb-699b-5556-bbbb-32b3134bde34.html

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Paul Ryan warns ‘blue wave’ could wipe out Trump accomplishments – AP
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/13/paul-ryan-warns-blue-wave-could-wipe-out-trump-acc/

 

TOWNHALL
— A Little Rebellion Is a Good Thing? – Paul Jacob
https://townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/2018/05/13/a-little-rebellion-is-a-good-thing-n2480172

 

THE HILL
— GOP pollster: Republican brand ‘is not doing well right now’ – MAX GREENWOOD
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/387434-gop-pollster-republican-brand-is-not-doing-well-right-now

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats want felons to vote. What percent of criminals vote for Democrats – 98%, 99%, 100%?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/us/voting-rights-felons.html
— How the Online Left Fuels the Right – Michelle Goldberg
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/opinion/intellectual-dark-web-red-pilled.html
— Liberals, You’re Not as Smart as You Think You Are – Gerard Alexander
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/12/opinion/sunday/liberals-youre-not-as-smart-as-you-think-you-are.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— How John Kelly’s family history compares with the immigrants he wants to keep from entering – Philip Bump (DIERSEN: If there had been as many immigrants in the 1960s as there are today, they would have gotten the jobs that I had. I did yard work and delivered newspapers 1962-1964; washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; and delivered mail 1966-1969. If there had been as many immigrants in the 1970s as there are today, they would have gotten the jobs that I had. I worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumped gasoline 1971-1972; and collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. If had been as many immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s as there are today, they would have gotten the jobs that I had. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/11/how-john-kellys-family-history-compares-to-the-immigrants-he-wants-to-keep-from-entering/

 

USA TODAY
— Here’s why it’s better to own a home than to rent – Maurie Backman (DIERSEN: Government should encourage marriage and home ownership. Roskam should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/real-estate/2018/05/11/heres-why-its-better-to-own-a-home-than-to-rent/34422631/
— How does the average American spend their paycheck? See how you compare – Matthew Frankel (DIERSEN: The Diersens have always spent far less on “immediate pleasures” than others who share their demographics do.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/budget-and-spending/2018/05/08/how-does-average-american-spend-paycheck/34378157/

 

CHARLESTON POST AND COURIER
— Term limits: The rebirth of a bad idea – J. DAVID WOODARD
https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/term-limits-the-rebirth-of-a-bad-idea/article_87869b16-5489-11e8-ab4f-87815465fce3.html
— The thrills and worries of first-time home buyers in the Charleston area – Jim Parker (DIERSEN: I bought a new town home in University Park in September of 1972 when I was 24 years old. The down payment came from money that I had saved a) working for IRS for the previous 15 months, b) working part-time for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights for the previous 18 months, and c) working for Firestone full-time for 7 months before that.)
https://www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/jim-parker/who-s-on-first—-people-purchasing-homes/article_0759ae70-5460-11e8-bdcb-5f13bcf0ebc4.html

 

BEND BULLETIN
— Sharing tax returns a private decision – Editorial
http://www.bendbulletin.com/opinion/6230173-151/editorial-sharing-tax-returns-a-private-decision

 

COLORADOAN
— How not to run out of money in retirement – Liz Weston (DIERSEN: The federal government forces its employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who do not make Senior Executive Service (currently $164,200/year) to retire as soon as they are eligible. For me, that would have been when I was 55 years old in 2003. But my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
https://www.coloradoan.com/story/money/personalfinance/retirement/2018/05/12/how-not-to-run-out-of-money-in-retirement/33884391/

 

LOS ALAMOS MONITOR
— Libertarian Party targets legal pot – Tris DeRoma (DIERSEN: If you promote pot, you shout that you really are a Libertarian.)
http://www.lamonitor.com/content/libertarian-party-targets-legal-pot-no-state-tax

 

FORBES
— What Does A Pensionless Future Mean For Age Discrimination? – Elizabeth Bauer (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always promoted age discrimination.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ebauer/2018/05/12/what-does-a-pensionless-future-mean-for-age-discrimination/#3a4a3f637428
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Not long ago, Pro Publica reported on the extensive age discrimination that seemed to be (that is, without legal determination of such) taking place at IBM in the course of their Reduction in Force exercise. ProPublica estimates that in the past five years alone, IBM has eliminated more than 20,000 American employees ages 40 and over, about 60 percent of its estimated total U.S. job cuts during those years. In making these cuts, IBM has flouted or outflanked U.S. laws and regulations intended to protect later-career workers from age discrimination, according to a ProPublica review of internal company documents, legal filings and public records, as well as information provided via interviews and questionnaires filled out by more than 1,000 former IBM employees. The entire report is distressing and makes for very sobering reading. Documents the ProPublica reporters obtained describe internal decisions to replace older Boomer-aged workers with younger ones viewed as better able to meet the company’s agenda, all while using gambits to reduce their risk of age-discrimination lawsuits. At the same time, readers who have watched the history of retirement plans will recall that IBM was a pioneer in the move away from traditional pension plans. In 1999, the company froze accruals in its traditional pension plan and moved to a cash balance pension plan for new accruals (that is, a hybrid plan which functions like a 401(k) plan with semi-guaranteed returns), in 2005, it switched to a 401(k) plan for new employees, and in 2008 it froze its cash balance and moved all employees to a 401(k) plan for all future accruals.)

 

INC.
— Why “Managing Up” is a Win-Win for Everyone – Melissa Lamson (DIERSEN: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, my superiors were always under tremendous pressure from Democrat politicians a) to hire, retain, and promote young Democrat minorities and young Democrat females and b) make way for them by getting rid of their employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who had not made 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. I refused to become a Democrat. My Democrat superiors would say that I refused to help them meet their Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion quotas, goals, and targets, that is, that I refused to help them get rid of their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://www.inc.com/melissa-lamson/why-managing-up-is-a-win-win-for-everyone.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Managing up is a term that refers to the tactics you use to build a strong relationship with your boss, make their job easier, and even develop relationships with the people they may report to. “Managing up, or building smooth, productive relationships with higher-ups, requires understanding and adapting to your boss’s communication and decision-making style,” writes Sue Shellenbarger, in a Wall Street Journal article. “Many people are promoted because of the quality of their work. But as newly minted managers aim to rise in the ranks, assuming their work will speak for itself becomes increasingly hazardous to their careers.” Managing up means getting to know your direct manager as a person and understanding their goals and communication styles and preferences. Remember, the boss-employee relationship is a two-way street. Take the time to figure how you can proactively build a productive relationship with the person you report to.)
— Amazon Is Paying Its Employees $12,000 to Train for a Job at Another Company. And It’s Brilliant The forward-thinking company helps employees forward their dream careers–even if it means it’s not at Amazon. – Scott Mautz (DIERSEN: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, extremely few of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates took job related courses. They 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. To keep their jobs and to get promoted, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government focused on getting rid of federal employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.)
https://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/amazon-is-paying-its-employees-12000-to-train-for-a-job-at-another-company-its-brilliant.html

 

INDEPENDENT
— People don’t save enough for retirement because they live longer than they think they will, research finds Those in their 50s and 60s underestimate chances of survival to age 75 by around 20 percentage points and to 85 by five to 10 percentage points, study finds – Ben Chapman (DIERSEN: What is your life expectancy? According to the Social Security Administration (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/population/longevity.html), I have 15.7 years left to live. What do you plan on doing with the rest of your life? I plan on spending 10+ hours each and every day for the rest of my life putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out each and every day. My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes plan on spending the rest of their lives a) trying to stop me from sending the emails out and b) trying to stop everyone from reading them.)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/pension-savings-retirement-planning-study-institute-for-fiscal-studies-research-a8305971.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.