November 16 Evening Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: ANTI-REPUBLICANS WHO WANT “TAX REFORM” WANT MIDDLE-CLASS REPUBLICAN TAXPAYERS WHO PAY LOTS OF REAL ESTATE TAX, MORTGAGE INTEREST, STATE INCOME TAX, MEDICAL AND DENTAL EXPENSES, 501(c)(3) CONTRIBUTIONS, AND/OR TUITION FOR JOB-RELATED EDUCATION TO PAY LOTS MORE FEDERAL INCOME TAX. THEY DO NOT WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ENCOURAGE HOMEOWNERSHIP, CONTRIBUTIONS TO 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATIONS, OR TAKING JOB-RELATED GRADUATE COURSES. (FROM THE ARTICLE: U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, joined six other House Republicans from Illinois in support of the measure, known as The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Roskam chairs the House Tax Policy Subcommittee.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-congress-taxes-vote-20171116-story.html
— Mixed reaction from Fox Valley-area lawmakers to House approval of GOP tax plan – Erin Hegarty
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-tax-bill-vote-st-1117-20171116-story.html
— House passes sweeping GOP tax overhaul; Senate fate less clear – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-tax-bill-20171116-story.html
— Rauner signs lawmakers’ sexual harassment bills but says they should have done more – Kim Geiger and Monique Garcia
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-bruce-rauner-sexual-harassment-20171116-story.html
— Roy Moore attacks his female accusers as critics decry intimidation – AP
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-roy-moore-alabama-senate-race-20171116-story.html
— No man accused of sexually harassing a woman is irreplaceable, not even Al Franken – Alyssa Rosenberg (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, if you “are accused of sexually harassing a woman,” you are presumed to be guilty and you will be gotten rid of.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-al-franken-picture-groping-20171116-story.html
— What it’s like driving the Dodge Demon, the world’s fastest production car – Andy Mikonis
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/new/ct-auto-review-dodge-challenger-demon-20171115-story.html
— Democrat Jones leads Republican Moore by 8 points in Alabama, per Fox News poll – Philip Bump
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-jones-moore-alabama-senate-poll-20171116-story.html

THE HILL
— Home builders, Realtors oppose House-passed tax reform package – VICKI NEEDHAM (DIERSEN: Government should encourage homeownership and taking job-related graduate courses. Mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and job-related graduate courses being deductible a) encouraged me to take job-related graduate courses 1972-1983 and 1992-1997, b) encouraged me to buy a new town home in 1972, a studio condo in 1974, and a one bedroom condo in 1976, and c) encouraged my wife and I to buy a home in 1978 and to have one built in 1984.)
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/360814-home-builders-realtors-oppose-house-passed-tax-reform-package
— Alabama GOP rebuffs pressure to abandon Roy Moore – ALEXANDER BOLTON
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/360813-alabama-gop-rebuffs-calls-to-abandon-roy-moore
— Democrats scramble to contain Franken fallout – JORDAN CARNEY
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/360810-democrats-scramble-to-contain-franken-fallout

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— House GOP doesn’t care about your taxes, your kids, or you – Editorial (DIERSEN: Government should encourage homeownership and taking job-related graduate courses. Mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and job-related graduate courses being deductible a) encouraged me to take job-related graduate courses 1972-1983 and 1992-1997, b) encouraged me to buy a new town home in 1972, a studio condo in 1974, and a one bedroom condo in 1976, and c) encouraged my wife and I to buy a home in 1978 and to have one built in 1984.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/house-gop-republican-tax-plan-doesnt-care-about-your-taxes-your-kids-or-you/
— The winding road of federal tax reform and what it means for Illinois – Lynn Sweet and Tina Sfondeles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/the-winding-road-of-federal-tax-reform-and-what-it-means-for-illinois/
— Rauner signs legislation targeting sexual harassment – Tina Sfondeles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/rauner-signs-legislation-targeting-sexual-harassment/
— Supt. Johnson bemoans Trump’s Chicago bashing – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/supt-johnson-bemoans-trumps-chicago-bashing/
— Roy Moore calls accusations ‘scurrilous and false’ – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/roy-moore-mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-alabama-senate-race/
— Taylor Swift refuses to get political? Good for her! – Nick Gillespie
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/taylor-swift-refuses-to-get-political-good-for-her/

DAILY HERALD
— Hultgren, Roskam help deliver tax bill for GOP in House – Marni Pyke (DIERSEN: ANTI-REPUBLICANS WHO WANT “TAX REFORM” WANT MIDDLE-CLASS REPUBLICAN TAXPAYERS WHO PAY LOTS OF REAL ESTATE TAX, MORTGAGE INTEREST, STATE INCOME TAX, MEDICAL AND DENTAL EXPENSES, 501(c)(3) CONTRIBUTIONS, AND/OR TUITION FOR JOB-RELATED EDUCATION TO PAY LOTS MORE FEDERAL INCOME TAX. THEY DO NOT WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ENCOURAGE HOMEOWNERSHIP, CONTRIBUTIONS TO 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATIONS, OR TAKING JOB-RELATED GRADUATE COURSES.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/hultgren-roskam-help-deliver-tax-bill-for-gop-in-house
— House passes Republican tax bill, upping pressure on struggling Senate effort – Mike DeBonis and Damian Paletta
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/house-passes-republican-tax-bill-upping-pressure-on-struggling-senate-effort
— Algonquin Twp. road bosses square off on spending, record destruction – Lauren Rohr
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/algonquin-twp-road-bosses-square-off-on-spending-record-destruction
— Assessors claim Lake County is unfairly taxing thousands – Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/assessors-claim-lake-county-is-unfairly-taxing-thousands
— As Illinois roads crumble, gas tax revenue to fix them keeps declining – Tim Jones
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/as-illinois-roads-crumble-gas-tax-revenue-to-fix-them-keeps-declining
— Study that could prevent Kane Co. tax increases may be flawed – James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171116/study-that-could-prevent-kane-co-tax-increases-may-be-flawed

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Tax rewrite too important to rush through, GOP – Editorial
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171116/ISSUE07/171119914/tax-rewrite-too-important-to-rush-through-gop
— Stark partisan divide among lawmakers as House OKs tax plan – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171116/BLOGS02/171119904/stark-partisan-divide-among-lawmakers-as-house-oks-tax-plan

ABC7
— House OKs GOP tax bill in Trump win; Senate fate less clear – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/house-oks-gop-tax-bill-in-trump-win;-senate-fate-less-clear/2658303/
— Radio anchor says Sen. Al Franken groped, kissed her without consent – AP
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/radio-anchor-says-sen-al-franken-groped-kissed-her-without-consent/2657095/

NBC5
— Rauner Changes Tone as He Signs New Sexual Harassment Bill – Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/governor-bruce-rauner-changes-tone-as-he-signs-new-sexual-harassment-bill-458089003.html

CBS2
— LA Radio Anchor Accuses Sen. Franken Groped, Kissed Her Without Consent
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/11/16/radio-anchor-tweeden-senator-al-franken-grope-kiss-no-consent/

WLS AM
— Rauner: Dems harassment reforms are flawed – Bill Cameron
http://www.wlsam.com/2017/11/16/rauner-dems-harassment-reforms-are-flawed/

ENEWS PARK FOREST
— Congresswoman Robin Kelly: 854,000 Illinoisans to See Tax Hike Thanks to Illinois’ Republican Congressmen (DIERSEN: My wife and I and my aunt are among those 854,000.)
https://enewspf.com/2017/11/16/congresswoman-robin-kelly-854000-illinoisans-to-see-tax-hike-thanks-to-illinois-republican-congressmen/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Gov. Rauner signs sex harassment legislation – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171116/gov-rauner-signs-sex-harassment-legislation

ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Algonquin Township – Family operation of corruption? – KIRK ALLEN
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/11/algonquin-township-family-operation-of-corruption/

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Rauner signs ethics bills lawmakers hastily passed to tackle scandal – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/rauner-signs-ethics-bills-lawmakers-hastily-passed-to-tackle-scandal/article_ae5d3efe-cb02-11e7-ba43-5ff0c0adf07a.html

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— The biggest obstacle Illinoisans face in Springfield remains the same: an all-powerful House speaker, and members of both parties who are all too eager to kowtow. – Austin Berg
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinoisans-no-good-very-bad-year/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— CHICAGO MURDERS SURPASS 600
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/11/chicago-murders-surpass-600.html
— THORNER: AGE BRINGS SELF-REFLECTION OF LIFE’S CHOICES (DIERSEN: What were some of your major life choices? I earned a) 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, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/11/thorner-age-brings-self-reflection-of-lifes-choices.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Mendoza responds *** Rauner claims Mendoza “works for Speaker Madigan”
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/16/rauner-claims-mendoza-works-for-speaker-madigan/
— Rauner signs sexual harassment bills, issues signing statement
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/16/rauner-signs-sexual-harassment-bills-issues-signing-statement/
— A stroll through some A-1’s: Silverstein, Drury, Daiber, Ives and McCarthy
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/16/a-stroll-through-some-a-1s-silverstein-drury-daiber-ives-and-mccarthy/
— When should Senger resign?
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/16/question-of-the-day-2588/

GOPUSA
— Sessions: Marijuana is still illegal in federal law
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=33503
— Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) says groping sleeping woman supposed to be funny – AP
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=33551

BREITBART
— Mitch McConnell Calls for Ethics Review of Franken Allegations, No Call Yet for His Removal – SEAN MORAN
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/11/16/mitch-mcconnell-calls-for-ethics-review-of-franken-allegations-no-call-yet-for-his-removal/

POLITICO
— Hispanic Caucus denies membership to Republican Curbelo – HEATHER CAYGLE
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/16/congressional-hispanic-caucus-deny-carlos-curbelo-244977
— Franken apologizes after woman says he groped her Mitch McConnell is calling for an Ethics Committee investigation of the Minnesota senator. – ELANA SCHOR
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/16/franken-apologizes-after-woman-alleges-he-groped-her-244976
— OUTRAGEOUS: House passes massive GOP tax cuts – RACHAEL BADE, JOHN BRESNAHAN and AARON LORENZO
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/16/trump-rally-house-republicans-tax-vote-244965

CNN
— New George H.W. Bush accuser says he groped her during 1992 re-election campaign – Athena Jones
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/politics/george-h-w-bush-accuser-1992/index.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— OUTRAGEOUS: House Passes Tax Bill in Major Step Toward Overhaul – Thomas Kaplan and Alan Rappeport
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/us/politics/house-tax-overhaul-bill.html

WASHINGTON POST
— OUTRAGEOUS: The House just passed its big tax bill. Here’s what is in it. – Heather Long
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/16/the-house-is-voting-on-its-tax-bill-thursday-heres-what-is-in-it/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Say goodbye to most deductions. Almost all itemized deductions are going away, except for three. The final House bill keeps the deductions for charitable donations, property taxes up to $10,000 a year and the mortgage interest deduction. The mortgage interest deduction would be capped at $500,000 for mortgages (down from $1 million now). About 30 percent of filers itemize. Most of the people who itemize claim the state and local tax deduction (SALT) where they deduct their state and local sales, income and property taxes. Under the House bill, only the property deduction would remain. This hurts people living in high-tax (and often blue) states like New Jersey, New York and California. Several GOP representatives from these states plan to vote no on the bill in protest. The adoption credit stays. The 401(k) exemption stays. But .?.?.Say goodbye to the tax credits for plug-in motor vehicles. It gets repealed in 2018. Say goodbye to the deduction for medical expenses. It goes away in 2018. Say goodbye to being able to write off the costs of your tax preparer. That goes away in 2018. Say goodbye to the deduction for moving expenses. It goes away in 2018, except for members of the military. Say goodbye to most tax benefits for college. At the moment, low and middle income Americans can deduct up to $2,500 a year in student loan interest. That benefit would go away in 2018. In addition, grad students who get tuition waivers because they teach or do research would now have to pay income tax on the waiver, a big change. For students currently in school, the American Opportunity Tax Credit would remain, which allows a $2,000 credit for higher education expenses. Say goodbye to the deduction for theft or loss of valuables. Right now people can write a lot of their losses off on their taxes, but that would be gone in 2018. The one exemption is losses for a natural disaster such as Hurricane Harvey. Those would stay.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Al Franken Accused of Sexual Misconduct Leeann Tweeden, a model and broadcast host, said the incident with Al Franken occurred in December 2006 during a USO tour overseas – Natalie Andrews
https://www.wsj.com/articles/al-franken-accused-of-forcibly-kissing-groping-woman-1510853898
— OUTRAGEOUS: House Passes GOP Bill to Overhaul Tax System – Richard Rubin and Siobhan Hughes
https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-hits-vote-threshold-to-pass-gop-tax-bill-1510858107

NEW REPUBLIC
— Our Inordinately White, Wealthy, Male Government The departure of Janet Yellen underscores the homogeneity of the governing class under Donald Trump. – BRYCE COVERT
https://newrepublic.com/article/145839/inordinately-white-wealthy-male-government

NEWSWEEK
— CAN FOX NEWS SURVIVE THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY? EMBATTLED NETWORK FACES LAWSUITS, AGING VIEWERSHIP, NEW COMPETITORS – ALEXANDER NAZARYAN
http://www.newsweek.com/2017/11/24/fox-news-survive-trump-presidency-lawsuits-aging-viewership-competition-712543.html

FEDERAL TIMES
— How did the federal government do this year? GAO presents its annual report – Armin Haracic
https://www.federaltimes.com/federal-oversight/watchdogs/2017/11/16/how-did-the-federal-government-do-this-year-gao-presents-its-annual-report/

RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— Most Voters Think Republicans Will Lose Control of Congress in Midterms
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/november_2017/most_voters_think_republicans_will_lose_control_of_congress_in_midterms

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.