May 25 Evening Edition

DAILY HERALD
— OUTRAGEOUS: DuPage County to revisit video gambling ban – Robert Sanchez  (DIERSEN: Please join Kathy Gilroy, me, and others who will speak at the DuPage County Finance Committee meeting Tuesday, June 13, 2017, at 7:30 AM, in favor of keeping the ban on video gambling in unincorporated DuPage County.  If you are in DuPage County, please urge DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, the 18 DuPage County Board members, and especially, the 3 board members who represent your district, to vote to keep the ban.  In 2009, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee (MTRCC) unanimously passed a resolution against video gambling throughout DuPage County.  Since then, no MTRCC member has done anything to rescind that resolution.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20170525/dupage-county-to-revisit-video-gambling-ban
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Amid calls for a repeal of DuPage’s ban on video gambling machines, county board members are going to revisit the issue. Officials in recent months have heard from businesses and a Veterans of Foreign Wars post that would like to offer video gambling. But they’ve also heard from gambling opponents who want to keep the moratorium that affects more than two dozen bars, restaurants, golf courses and social clubs in unincorporated parts of the county. In response, board members have agreed to discuss video gambling during their finance committee meeting scheduled for June 13. “We have people asking us to look at it,” county board member Jim Zay said. “So we need to have a discussion. We should at least give these people the opportunity to present their case for why we should change it. And we should give opponents the opportunity to say why they’re still against it.” Illinois legalized video gambling in 2009, but towns and counties were able to opt out. DuPage enacted its ban in August 2009 after officials cited possible social problems. County board member Paul Fichtner, who serves as chairman of the board’s finance committee, said the outcome of next month’s discussion will determine whether a measure is drafted to lift the prohibition. “We’re going to give everybody an opportunity to speak to the issue,” Fichtner said. If the panel recommends repealing the ban, it still would require a final vote by the full county board. Fichtner said he doesn’t know if there’s enough support on the board to pursue a repeal. “It’s going to be close,” he said. If the ban is lifted, county officials estimate that around 28 liquor license holders might be eligible to apply for a video gambling license. The county would gain between $200,000 and $250,000 a year in revenue, according to one estimate. Counties and towns that allow video gambling receive 5 percent of each machine’s profit. While towns throughout DuPage initially enacted bans, a number have since changed their minds. DuPage towns that allow video gambling are Addison, Aurora, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Darien, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Oakbrook Terrace, Roselle, Villa Park, Westmont, Willowbrook, Wood Dale and Woodridge, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. Some bars owners in unincorporated areas say they’ve lost customers to establishments where video gambling is allowed. But anti-gambling advocates say it’s not the county board’s responsibility to level the playing field for bars.)
— Illinois bonds an opportunity for ‘bold’ investors, Citi says – Bloomberg
http://www.dailyherald.com/business/20170525/illinois-bonds-an-opportunity-for-x2018boldx2019-investors-citi-says
— Tollway OKs $25 million, 4- to 5-year study of Route 53 extension – Marni Pyke
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20170525/tollway-oks-25-million-4–to-5-year-study-of-route-53-extension

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— OUTSTANDING: Drug addiction treatment center hosts talk opposing legalized pot – Diane Moca
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-recreational-marijuana-forum-edward-st-0526-20170525-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: former presidential advisor shared his fears about the effects of marijuana legalization during a lecture Thursday at Linden Oaks Naperville Outpatient Center. “People have to stand up to this industry,” said Kevin Sabet, an assistant professor who served as a senior advisor to President Barack Obama’s drug control director and worked in the Clinton and Bush administrations. “It’s about getting health care voices involved. We need more partners at the table. Right now this industry is getting away with murder.” Sabet shared slides, statistics and anecdotes to support his premise that legalized recreational marijuana in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C., is a lucrative industry that’s misleading the public about pot’s risks and benefits. “We learned the hard way about tobacco, which caused tens of millions of needless deaths,” said Sabet, who founded the nonprofit SAM, or Smart Approaches to Marijuana, in 2013. His organization’s goal, according to its website, is to prevent “another Big Tobacco (by) stopping marijuana legalization and commercialization, educating policy-makers and the public on marijuana issues, and fundraising.” Sabet said marijuana use causes respiratory problems, results in low birth weight babies and can impair learning with permanent IQ loss when consumed in large quantities by someone who’s young, according to the National Academy of Sciences. While he acknowledged that marijuana can eliminate nausea for those fighting cancer or other illnesses, he but did not mention other benefits commonly cited by medical advocates, such as reducing pain and seizures. “The medical marijuana industry is already making a lot of money here” in Illinois, he said. “It’s all about the money.” In the past four years, Illinois has legalized cannabis for medical use and decriminalized recreational use. In March 2017, state lawmakers proposed a measure legalizing recreational marijuana that could be voted on next year. Proponents estimate marijuana could generate between $350 million and $700 million in annual sales, reaping a sales tax windfall for the state. “We’re looking at one side of the ledger. People are not counting the costs,” said Sabet, who presented statistics on health care costs from pot-related illnesses. Marijuana advocates counter that legalization would save money on enforcement and boost opportunities for minority youth. An NAACP report from 2015 said marijuana arrests account for more than half of all drug arrests in the country, with blacks being six times more likely than whites to be arrested for pot possession, making it harder for them to obtain student loans and jobs. Dawn Neylon said she plans to share Sabet’s message with the middle and high school students with whom she works at 360 Youth Services, a Naperville nonprofit prevention program. “We’re learning new ways to give them information to make healthy choices. Alcohol and tobacco use is down dramatically (in Naperville school districts 203 and 204). There’s not much change in marijuana use.” In recent years, teenagers’ perceptions of marijuana have changed and she is seeing a decrease in their belief that pot poses a risk, Neylong said. “That’s concerning. When there’s a decreased sense of harm, there’s a greater risk to use it,” she said. Based on her interactions with teens, she said Naperville parents should be just as concerned about “a little weed” or “a little beer” as they are about opiates because “the earlier they start to use (alcohol or marijuana), the more likely they are to abuse. We want to push the first age of use to help prevent challenges later in life.” Sabet said a 2013 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed marijuana can lead to other drugs for some people. “A majority of people who try pot stop using it after three times or less,” he said. “Three to four percent of the time they will try other drugs. More than ninety percent of people using heroin say marijuana or alcohol were drugs of choice before.”)
— Kinzinger backs more U.S. troops, expanded mission in Afghanistan – Katherine Skiba
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-kinzinger-afghanistan-troop-levels-met-0425-20170525-story.html
— Owners who leave Chicago properties vacant might have to pay more – Hal Dardick
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-chicago-vacant-properties-20170525-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Appeals court deals blow to Trump administration travel ban – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/appeals-court-deals-blow-to-trump-administration-travel-ban/
— More flimflam on school spending in Illinois – Phil Kadner
http://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/more-flimflam-on-school-spending-in-illinois/
— Public Defender Amy Campanelli: My clients ‘are not evil people’ – Robert Herguth  (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who paint me as being evil.)
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/public-defender-amy-campanelli-my-clients-are-not-evil-people/

 

ABC7
— Census: Chicago loses population for 3rd consecutive year – Sarah Schulte
http://abc7chicago.com/news/census-chicago-loses-population-for-3rd-consecutive-year/2035233/

 

CBS2
— Rauner, Emanuel Trade Jabs Over Chicago’s Population Loss – Craig Dellimore
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/05/25/chicago-population-loss-census-rahm-emanuel-bruce-rauner/

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Is the Sean Hannity advertiser revolt Bill O’Reilly all over again? – SIMON DUMENCO  (DIERSEN: He who pays the piper calls the tunes. I do not need or want advertisers. All the time and money needed to put GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and to send them out comes from me. But if I did have advertisers, my critics/opponents would destroy them.  My critics/opponents are moral relativists who believe that their end justifies their means. They are disciples of Saul Alinsky.)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170525/NEWS06/170529923/is-the-sean-hannity-advertiser-revolt-bill-oreilly-all-over-again

 

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— As Illinois lawmakers seek more gambling income, O’Fallon resists — a little – Editorial
http://www.bnd.com/opinion/editorials/article152588249.html

 

SUBURBAN LIFE
— Tax time: DuPage County aims for ease with property payment options – ERIC SCHELKOPF
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2017/05/17/tax-time-dupage-county-aims-for-ease-with-property-payment-options/ajinm47/

 

WBEZ
— State Committee Approves Tougher Sentences For Repeat Gun Offenders – Tony Arnold
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/state-committee-approves-tougher-sentences-for-repeat-gun-offenders/7f686d00-05da-4c6b-92b8-420d6c2bf8de

 

WAND TV
— OUTSTANDING: Rauner not a fan of Springfield casino – Doug Wolfe
http://www.wandtv.com/story/35520827/rauner-not-a-fan-of-springfield-casino

 

WJBD
— Bill Passes Requiring Costs of Unfunded Mandates to Be Calculated  The Illinois Municipal League identified more than 266 new unfunded state mandates imposed on their members since 1982.
http://www.wjbdradio.com/local-news/2017/05/25/bill-passes-requiring-costs-of-unfunded-mandates-to-be-calculated

 

NADIG NEWSPAPERS
— J.B. Pritzker’s campaign on verge of implosion – Russ Stewart
http://nadignewspapers.com/2017/05/25/j-b-pritzkers-campaign-on-verge-of-implosion/

 

CHICAGO MAGAZINE
— What Would an Illinois Budget Look Like?  Illinois lawmakers haven’t passed one for almost two years. But it’s not for lack of proposals. – ROB ARTHUR
http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/May-2017/Budget-Proposals/

 

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Dems keep reaching into taxpayer pockets rather than reaching for reforms, Ives says – Giovanni Whaley
http://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511120331-dems-keep-reaching-into-taxpayer-pockets-rather-than-reaching-for-reforms-ives-says
— Ives helps keep ‘unprepared’ students from getting college guarantee – Hoang Tran
http://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511119444-ives-helps-keep-unprepared-students-from-getting-college-guarantee

 

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— OUTRAGEOUS: Transgender Birth Certificates Approved by Illinois House  (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote gender confusion.)
https://illinoisfamily.org/homosexuality/transgender-birth-certificates-approved-illinois-house/

 

CAPITOL FAX
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: An anti-Rauer says “Rauner again refuses to accept responsibility or admit mistakes.”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/05/25/rauner-again-refuses-to-accept-responsibility-or-mistakes/
— Pritzker robocall: “Don’t believe Bruce Rauner’s lies”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/05/25/pritzker-robocall-dont-believe-bruce-rauners-lies/
— ILGOP targets Rep. Martwick with robocall
https://capitolfax.com/2017/05/25/ilgop-targets-rep-martwick-with-robocall/

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Illinois sheriff halts plans for immigrant detention center – AP
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/25/illinois-sheriff-halts-plans-for-immigrant-detenti/

 

FOX NEWS CHANNEL
— Veteran Gets Letter of ‘Violation’ for Flying Flag Outside Home  (DIERSEN: An American flag has flown outside the Diersen home in Wheaton 24 hours each and every day since September 11, 2001.)
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/05/25/georgia-veterans-violate-neighborhood-rules-flying-american-flag
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In a follow-up to a story we told you about yesterday, Ainsley Earhardt talked to two veterans who live in a Georgia neighborhood where they were told they could only fly the American flag on certain days. The Village at Towne Lake Homeowners Association in Woodstock, Ga., decided to limit flag-flying to just 23 days out of the year. For some reason, flags can fly outside residences on Mother’s Day, but not on Father’s Day.)

 

GOPUSA
— Companies scared by leftists drop advertising on Hannity shows  (DIERSEN: How scared of leftists are the companies in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois?)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=24912
— How many more Manchesters?
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=24869

 

BREITBART
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats side with foreign countries and with their citizens AGAINST America and AGAINST its citizens.
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/05/25/obama-berlin-cant-hide-behind-wall/
— Melania Trump Is First Catholic to Live in White House Since JFK – HOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/25/melania-trump-is-first-catholic-to-live-in-white-house-since-jfk/
— OUTRAGEOUS: Advertisers Bow to Activist Left, Begin Pulling Ads from Hannity – BEN KEW
http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2017/05/24/advertisers-bow-to-activist-left-begin-pulling-ads-from-hannity/
— Duterte Says ‘Spare No One’ as Islamic State Beheads Police Chief, Stages Mass Prison Break – FRANCES MARTEL
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/05/24/duterte-says-spare-no-one-islamic-state-beheads-police-chief-stages-mass-prison-break/

 

NEWSMAX
— White House Organizing ‘Street Fighters’ to Defend Trump – Jeffrey Rodack
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/white-house-organizing-street-fighters-defend/2017/05/25/id/792327/

 

TOWNHALL
— Scientific Study: Journalists Are a Bunch of Drunks With Sub-Average Brain Function – Guy Benson  (DIERSEN: Will my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes hint/imply/argue/shout that I am NOT a journalist because I do NOT drink any alcohol?)
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2017/05/19/study-do-journalists-brains-function-at-a-lower-level-than-average-people-n2329307
(FROM THE ARTICLE: According to a study released Thursday by neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart in association with the London Press Club, the highest functions of the human brain operate at a lower level in journalists than the average population. Her research titled “Study Into The Mental Resilience of Journalists,” blames journalists’ cognitive shortcomings on dehydration caused by excessive alcohol consumption along with poor diet, including higher levels of sugar and caffeine. Less than 5% of journalists drink enough — or any — water while 41% drank more than 18 alcoholic drinks per week.)

 

DAILY CALLER
— ‘Secret’ Sanctuary State Bill Set To Pass Illinois Legislature – William J. Kelly
http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/25/secret-sanctuary-state-bill-set-to-pass-illinois-legislature/
— Tucker: If You ‘Really Care’ About America, You Won’t Let It Become Europe – Amber Athey
http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/24/tucker-if-you-care-about-us-you-wont-let-it-become-europe-video/
— Alabama Rep. Wants To Make Attacking Police Officers A Hate Crime – ANDERS HAGSTROM
http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/25/alabama-rep-wants-to-make-attacking-police-officers-a-hate-crime/
— Med Professor Says It’s Unfair To Slap ‘Other Than Honorable’ Discharge On Service Members With PTSD – Jonah Bennett  (DIERSEN: Constructively, my Democrat superiors in the federal government slapped me with an “other than honorable” discharge.  My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the lower half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO 1980-1997, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.  My Democrat IRS superiors did not promote me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974.  My Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/25/professor-of-medical-psychology-says-its-unfair-to-slap-other-than-honorable-discharge-on-servicemembers-with-ptsd/

 

CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN NEWS
— ARE YOU IN AMERICA’S MIDDLE CLASS?
http://conservativerepublicannews.com/2017/05/25/are-you-in-americas-middle-class/

 

NEWS BUSTERS
— MSNBC Host: ‘How Much Blame’ Does Trump Get for Montana Incident? – Kyle Drennen  (DIERSEN: If a top official of your municipality, of your township/ward, of your county, or of Illinois made to clear to everyone that he/she hates you, how much blame does that official get for actions taken against you?)
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2017/05/25/msnbc-host-how-much-blame-does-trump-get-montana-incident

 

BILL O’REILLY
— Leftists and the Loons They Love
https://www.billoreilly.com/b/Leftists-and-the-Loons-They-Love/-367237861674512059.html

 

THE HILL
— Republicans blast Montana candidate charged with assaulting reporter – LISA HAGEN AND CRISTINA MARCOS
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/335142-republicans-blast-montana-candidate-charged-with-assaulting-reporter
— Ryan: GOP House candidate should apologize for altercation with reporter – SCOTT WONG
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/335123-ryan-gop-house-candidate-should-apologize-for-altercation-with-reporter

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Twitter and Facebook help spark protest movements. Then they undermine them. – Carlos Lozada
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2017/05/25/twitter-and-facebook-help-spark-protest-movements-then-they-undermine-them/
— So which is it? Women want to be free of kids and unpredictable husbands, or not? – Caitlin Flanagan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/so-which-is-it-women-want-to-be-free-of-kids-and-unpredictable-husbands-or-not/2017/05/25/15142a1a-18a5-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Millennials Want to Buy Homes but Aren’t Saving for Down Payments  Less than 30% of 25- to 34-year-olds can save enough for a 10% down payment in next three years – Laura Kusisto  (DIERSEN: How old were you when you bought your first home and where did the down payment come from?  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 first in Chicago and then Harvey since June of 1971, b) working part-time for Firestone Stores in Chicago Heights since April of 1971, and c) working for Firestone Stores in Chicago Heights full-time between August of 1970 and March of 1971.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/millennials-want-to-buy-homes-but-arent-saving-for-down-payments-1495731583

 

FEDERAL NEWS RADIO
— How Rep. Steny Hoyer wants to push back against cuts targeting federal employees – Jason Miller
https://federalnewsradio.com/budget/2017/05/how-one-house-democrat-wants-to-push-back-against-cuts-targeting-federal-employees/

 

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
— Everybody Has a Story to Tell during Diversity and Inclusion Month at GAO  (DIERSEN: Democrats use Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to not hire and to get rid of those who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders (except Bill Clinton), and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USGAO/2017/05/25/file_attachments/822322/MN4417.pdf

 

FORD AUTHORITY
— Ford Mustang Is Now Europe’s Best Selling Sports Car – SEAN SZYMKOWSKI
http://fordauthority.com/2017/05/ford-mustang-is-now-europes-best-selling-sports-car/

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.