May 20 Evening Edition

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote abortion.
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/supporters-in-chicago-rally-for-expanded-abortion-rights-and-insurance-coverage

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Pot pushers say “Six in 10 Illinoisans want recreational pot treated just like alcohol.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/20/18632868/illinois-recreational-pot-marijuana-poll
— Moody’s: Illinois one of two states unprepared to weather a recession A Moody’s report on Monday found all U.S. states are either strongly prepared or somewhat prepared for a recession. That is except Illinois and New Jersey. – Tina Sfondeles 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/5/20/18632939/moodys-illinois-unprepared-recession-new-jersey-pensions
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote abortion.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/5/20/18633271/extremist-laws-will-make-it-harder-for-poor-women-to-end-pregnancies

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Workers feeling good, but not planning for retirement – Jill Schlesinger (DIERSEN: By the end of 1977, when I was 29 years old, in today’s dollars, I had paid $27,900 into the Civil Service Retirement System.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-201905091601–tms–retiresmctnrs-a20190510-20190510-story.html
— Many not saving nearly enough for retirement – Elliot Raphaelson (DIERSEN: By the end of 1977, when I was 29 years old, in today’s dollars, I had paid $27,900 into the Civil Service Retirement System.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/success/tca-many-not-saving-nearly-enough-for-retirement-20190514-story.html
— Pritzker’s gas tax: Well, it’s not a soda tax so, good to go? – Kristen McQueary
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-perspec-mcqueary-pritzer-gas-tax-soda-20190520-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Pot pushers say “marijuana dispensaries drive up home values.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-home-values-marijuana-dispensaries-illinois-20190513-story.html
— This SAT ‘adversity score’ merits a failing grade – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-sat-adversity-score-college-board-20190520-story.html
— $15 minimum wage becomes part of 2020 presidential landscape – AP (DIERSEN: Did you work for the minimum wage? I did 1964-1966 washing dishes for S.S. Kresges in Chicago Heights while I was in high school. What would you have done with the extra money if you had earned $15/hour in today’s dollars back then? I would have bought a new loaded 1966 Pontiac GTO instead of a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint, known back then as the poor man’s GTO. But then again, if Kresges had to pay me $15/hour in today’s dollars to wash dishes back then, the job might not have existed.) 
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-bc-us–election-2020-minimum-wage-20190520-story.html
— Gov: Abortion ban shows Alabama values ‘sanctity of life’ – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sns-bc-us–abortion-alabama-20190520-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— How much money do you need to be wealthy in America? – Suzanne Woolley (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who since 1966, when I was 17 years old, have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being wealthy. They stressed that in today’s dollars, my part-time Post Office salary was $17.23/hour in 1969, that my IRS salary was $93,592/year in 1980, and that my GAO salary was $127,654/year in 1997. They stressed that at the end of 1977, in today’s dollars, my net worth was $203,600. They stressed the new cars that I bought in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, etc. and the collector cars that I bought in 1989 and 1994. They stressed the real estate that I bought in 1972, 1974, and 1976; the home that my wife and I bought in 1978; and the home that we had built in 1984. They stressed the money that I spent to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1970; master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; and professional certifications in 1979 and 1981. They stressed the money that my wife and I saved for our retirement.) 
https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20190518/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-wealthy-in-america
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Merely having a net worth of $1 million, it seems, doesn’t mean you’re wealthy. In Charles Schwab’s annual Modern Wealth Survey, the amount people said it took to be considered rich averaged out to $2.3 million. That, the company said, is “more than 20 times the actual median net worth of U.S. households.” It’s also a very slight drop from the $2.4 million average in the two previous iterations of the survey. The older one gets, the higher the bar goes, predictably. Among baby boomers (roughly age 55 to 73), the average net worth you need to be considered wealthy is $2.6 million, 35% higher than what millennials envision as the admission price to the plutocracy. For someone to be deemed merely financially comfortable, the required net worth shrinks significantly. The average amount was $1.1 million, and only Generation Z (about age 9 to age 22, though Schwab’s sample was 18 to 22) cited a number below $1 million ($909,600, to be exact.) The Schwab survey, which took a national sample of 1,000 Americans between the ages of 21 and 75, also revealed that the majority of Americans really crave real estate. More than 50% of respondents across generations said that if they got a $1 million windfall, they’d spend it, and the most popular purchase would be a place to live — particularly among millennials (roughly age 22 to 37).)
— DuPage panel to help promote upcoming census – Robert Sanchez (DIERSEN: How many illegals have the Democrats and RINOs succeeded in attracting to Illinois, to your county, to your township/ward, to your municipality, to your precinct, and to your neighborhood?)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190520/dupage-panel-to-help-promote-upcoming-census
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote Justin Amash.
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190520/why-trump-should-be-worried-about-justin-amash

SUBURBAN LIFE
— Will County Board debates gun violence awareness proclamation – ALEX ORTIZ
https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/05/16/will-county-board-debates-gun-violence-awareness-proclamation/aoti6n7/

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUDGE 18th Judicial Circuit Court – DuPage County, Illinois
— US SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS VISITS THE 18TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT
https://www.dupageco.org/Courts/18th_Judicial_Court_News/2019/60657/
(THE PRESS RELEASE: Chief Judge Daniel Guerin was honored and pleased to welcome United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas to the 18th Judicial Circuit Court in Wheaton, Illinois on May 10, 2019. Justice Thomas addressed a full courtroom at the judicial installation ceremony of his former law clerk, Associate Judge Kenton Skarin. The insightful, inspirational and often humorous remarks of both United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Thomas made this a very special and memorable occasion for everyone.)

MCHENRY TIMES
— Protecting lives trumps politics, Skillicorn says – Glenn Minnis
https://mchenrytimes.com/stories/512502448-protecting-lives-trumps-politics-skillicorn-says

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— CHICAGO MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST OPENLY-GAY MAYOR AND UNPRECEDENTED BUDGET DEFICITS
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/05/chicago-makes-history-with-first-openly-gay-mayor-and-unprecedented-budget-deficits.html
— EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY FOR IL EMPLOYEE TOXIC SUBSTANCE EXPOSURE NOW LONGER THAN 25 YEARS (DIERSEN: From what I saw, my father was exposed to lots of toxic substances while he worked for 28 years 1941-1969 in the office of a nasty chemical plant in Chicago Heights. He died suddenly in 1969 when he was 47 and I was 21.) 
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/05/gov-pritzker-signs-legislation-helping-workers-exposed-to-toxic-substances.html
— 3 GROUPS OF PEOPLE DISPROPORTIONATELY HARMED BY MINIMUM WAGE LAWS
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/05/3-groups-of-people-disproportionately-harmed-by-minimum-wage-laws.html
— TRANSIT CONTINUES ITS DEATH SPIRAL (DIERSEN: I used mass transit 1971-1997 and especially 1978-1997.)
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/05/transit-continues-its-death-spiral.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Rodney Davis: “With the support of J.B. Pritzker, Betsy Londrigan wants to make us a vassal state of the city”
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/20/rodney-davis-with-the-support-of-jb-pritzker-betsy-londrigan-wants-to-make-us-a-vassal-state-of-the-city/
— House Republicans complain Pritzker won’t listen to them (DIERSEN: Who does not listen to you? The following do not listen to me: those who 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.)
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/20/house-republicans-complain-pritzker-wont-listen-to-them/
— Unions are the key to most everything this year
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/20/unions-are-the-key-to-most-everything-this-year/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Pot pushers say “60 percent support cannabis legalization, just 35 percent oppose.”
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/20/poll-60-percent-support-cannabis-legalization-just-35-percent-oppose/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Pot pushers push pot.
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/20/cannabis-roundup-4/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Remembering the Original Meaning of the American Dream It was about social responsibility, not material acquisition, and losing sight of it has cost us greatly. – JAMES JEFFREY
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/remembering-the-original-meaning-of-the-american-dream/

BREITBART
— Trump: ‘Very Tough Thing to Ask’ U.S. Farmers to Use Mandatory E-Verify – John Binder (DIERSEN: The first thing that Trump should have done when he became President was to make E-Verify use mandatory.)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/20/watch-trump-very-tough-thing-to-ask-u-s-farmers-to-use-mandatory-e-verify/
— Flashback–Joe Biden in 2007 Vowed to Ban Sanctuary Cities for Illegal Aliens – John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/20/flashback-joe-biden-in-2007-vowed-to-ban-sanctuary-cities-for-illegal-aliens/

DAILY CALLER
— ‘HEARTLESS’: THAT’S WHAT TRUMP’S PICK TO HEAD ICE CALLED HIS ADMINISTRATION – Jason Hopkins
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/20/trump-ice-mark-morgan-border/

NEWSMAX
— Illinois GOP Pushing to Separate Chicago from Rest of State – Theodore Bunker 
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/illinois-chicago-state-republicans/2019/05/20/id/916781/

CONSERVATIVE REVIEW
— It turns out that keeping waves of illegal immigrants out of our communities is a bipartisan goal – Daniel Horowitz 
https://www.conservativereview.com/news/turns-keeping-waves-illegal-immigrants-communities-bipartisan-goal/

CNS NEWS
— Gillibrand Opposes Detention of Migrants: New York Cities ‘Would Be Delighted’ to Take Them – Susan Jones
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/gillibrand-opposes-detention-migrants-ny-cities-would-be-delighted-take

EPOCH TIMES
— San Francisco Residents and Tourists Criticize Needle and Human Waste Problems – CYNTHIA CAI
https://www.theepochtimes.com/san-francisco-residents-and-tourists-criticize-needle-and-human-waste-problems_2927115.html
— Fake Families, Fake Papers Are Rampant at Border ’I just brought her because I know they’re gonna release me. So I asked her mom, ‘Can I bring her up here?’’ – CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON
https://www.theepochtimes.com/fake-families-fake-papers-are-rampant-at-border_2929794.html

COLLEGE FIX
— Professor compared Trump-supporting students to Hitler youth. Then he got tenure.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/professor-compared-trump-supporting-students-to-hitler-youth-then-he-got-tenure/

E-VERIFY
— HOW TO FIND PARTICIPATING EMPLOYERS (DIERSEN: According to this, there are 23,140 participating employers in Illinois. Ten have “DuPage” in their name and nine have “Wheaton” in their name.)
https://www.e-verify.gov/about-e-verify/e-verify-data/how-to-find-participating-employers

THE HILL
— Four myths the media and politicians tell you about our border crisis – ANN COULTER
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/444437-ann-coulter-four-myths-the-media-and-politicians-tell-you-about-our
— Researchers find coordinated anti-Trump campaign on Instagram – EMILY BIRNBAUM
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/444597-researchers-find-campaign-on-instagram-to-undermine-trump
— Americans are done buying into Democratic spin on immigration – MADISON GESIOTTO
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/444610-americans-are-done-buying-into-democratic-spin-on-immigration

NBC NEWS
— The real cost of school for first-generation college students “The biggest gap in understanding the cost of college has to do with nontuition expenses, which are primarily living expenses,” said the author of a new report. – Esta Pratt-Kielley (DIERSEN: I was a first-generation college student. My outstanding parents provided me with room and board in their Crete home a) 1966-1968 while attended UIC, b) weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and c) the summer of 1969. I paid for a) tuition and books at UIC 1966-1968 and at NIU 1969-1970, b) room and board for three semesters and a summer session at NIU, c) a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442, and d) a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE with money that I earned a) cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, and pumping gasoline in 1966; b) delivering mail 1966-1969; and c) working on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970. I graduated debt-free from NIU in August of 1970 owning that 1969 Dodge Charger SE.) 
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/real-cost-school-first-generation-college-students-n1007796

NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats want more power to censor individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/opinion/christchurch-online-extremism-trump.html
— Let Go of Your Grudges. They’re Doing You No Good. What does holding on to grudges really get us? – Tim Herrera (DIERSEN: If you file a lawsuit, you should expect that the defendants will forever do everything that they can to destroy you. I should write a book about those who I have sued and what they have done, are doing, and will forever do to destroy me.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/smarter-living/let-go-of-your-grudges-theyre-doing-you-no-good.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote abortion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/opinion/anti-abortion-pro-trump.html
— A Would-Be Trump Aide’s Demands: A Jet on Call, a Future Cabinet Post and More – Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/us/politics/kris-kobach-trump.html

WASHINGTON POST
— These Illinois Republicans (Brad Halbrook, Chris Miller, Darren Bailey, Dan Caulkins, C.D. Davidsmeyer, Tony McCombie, Blaine Wilhour, and Randy E. Frese) are rallying around a bill (HR0101) to kick deep-blue Chicago out of the state – Liz Weber
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/20/these-illinois-republicans-are-rallying-around-bill-kick-deep-blue-chicago-out-state/
— Don’t go wobbly on E-Verify, Mr. President – Henry Olsen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/20/dont-go-wobbly-e-verify-mr-president/
— Trump suddenly takes a softer line on verifying immigrant documentation status – Philip Bump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/20/trump-suddenly-takes-softer-line-verifying-immigrant-documentation-status/
— Texas Republicans passed a ‘Chick-fil-A’ bill. LGBT advocates are up in arms. – Eli Rosenberg and Lindsey Bever
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/05/20/texas-republicans-passed-chik-fil-a-bill-lgbt-advocates-are-up-arms/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Advice to the class of 2019: Don’t let your first job description be a straitjacket. – Andy Kessler (DIERSEN: My first job description was retail sales manager for a Firestone Store. I might still be working for Firestone if I had not accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-slay-dragons-in-the-business-world-11558294469
— Conrad Black Deserved a Pardon The charges against the William F. Buckley of Canada were dubious, and he’s suffered enough. – Elliot Kaufman (DIERSEN: Should I ask Trump to pardon me? One could argue that being forced to retire at age 49 is worse than being found guilty serving a prison sentence.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/conrad-black-deserved-a-pardon-11558294570

FORBES
— U.S. Courts Crack Down On Employers Using ‘Slippery’ Criteria To Hide Discrimination – Patricia Barnes (DIERSEN: Democrats run the federal government. They use very slippery criteria to not hire and to get rid of those who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who did not make GS-13 (currently $98,198) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $116,040) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $136,495) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $165,500) by age 40.) 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patriciagbarnes/2019/05/20/u-s-courts-crack-down-on-employers-using-slippery-criteria-to-hide-discrimination/#130a70477501
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A growing number of federal appeals courts are recognizing that nefarious employers are using subjective criteria to justify discriminatory hiring decisions. This has been an epic problem for decades in age discrimination litigation, where it is not unusual for workers with objectively superior qualifications to be passed over in favor of candidates who are deemed a better “cultural fit.” This month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit joined four other federal circuits to rule that an employer may not defend a discrimination charge with “vague” and “slippery” reasons because of the “intolerable risk that a nefarious employer will use [them] as a cover for discrimination.” The court said employers must articulate “specific reasons” for employment decisions, such as “the candidate’s ‘seniority, length of service in the same position, personal characteristics, general education, technical training, experience in comparable work or any combination’ of such criteria.”)

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
— Conservatives challenge whether Democrats deserve the black vote Commentator Candace Owens urged black people to leave the Democratic Party in Minneapolis speech. – Maya Rao (DIERSEN: Democrats could stress that they forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate.) 
http://www.startribune.com/conservatives-challenge-whether-democrats-deserve-the-black-vote/510190822/

AUTOMOBILE
— The Men Who Went to the Moon Favored Corvettes Astronauts have a long history with America’s Sports Car. – Arthur St. Antoine 
https://www.automobilemag.com/news/the-men-who-went-to-the-moon-favored-corvettes/

QUARTZ
— Inequality is a notification we see every time we scroll through our news feed – Emil Skandul
https://qz.com/1620935/social-media-has-made-the-digital-divide-and-inequality-more-visible/

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— Trump: E-Verify Would Make It Too Hard to Hire Undocumented Workers – Eric Levitz
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/trump-e-verify-fox-news-makes-it-too-hard-to-hire-the-undocumented.html

GOVERNING
— Asylum-Seekers Challenge States and Cities’ Budgets – Tim Henderson
https://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/sl-asylum-seekers-spread-city-state-resources.html

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— GAO issues guidance for Hill staffers dealing with whistleblowers (DIERSEN: While I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, the almost 18 years of which working for GAO, I blew the whistle on political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. I should write a book about how Civil Service protections failed to protect me.) 
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-drive/2019/05/gao-issues-guidance-for-hill-staffers-dealing-with-whistleblowers/
— IRS performance data shows audit rate cut in half since 2010 – Jory Heckman
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2019/05/irs-performance-data-shows-audit-rate-cut-in-half-since-2010/

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.