November 17 Evening Edition

NBC5
— Illinois’ 6th Congressional District No Longer Leans Solely Republican: Report – Mary Ann Ahern (DIERSEN: Ahern should interview members of the following groups about why they moved into Illinois’ 6th Congressional District: anti-Trump, 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, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors. A major reason why my wife and I moved into Illinois’ 6th Congressional District in 1978 was that it was solid Republican.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/6th-congressional-district-republican-toss-up-report-458285683.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The rating for the 6th Congressional District moves from leaning Republican to Toss Up by the non-partisan Cook Political Report. The 2018 6th District election is considered one to watch as Democrats nationally focus on what they see as flippable districts. The Cook Political Report notes “Roskam has been a party loyalist since 2006, narrowly losing a bid for GOP whip in 2014.” For the Democrats, the leading candidate in terms of campaign cash is Democrat Kelly Mazeski with $343,000. Roskam however has $1.35 million in the bank. Today Mazeski received the endorsement of two Democratic Illinois Congresswomen: Cheri Bustos and Jan Schakowsky. There are eight Democrats who are gathering petitions to run in the primary to face Roskam.)

 

CBS2
— Newly Appointed Special Legislative Inspector General Discusses Investigation Process – Craig Dellimore
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/11/17/special-legislative-inspector-general-investigation-process/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Ken Griffin’s Palm Beach tax bill trumps Trump’s – Kim Janssen (DIERSEN: What if the Republicans would allow real estate taxes to be deducted up to $15,000, $20,000 or $25,000? At 2% or market value, that would be a $300,000, $400,000, or $500,000 home.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-met-ken-griffin-1119-chicago-inc-20171117-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE:  Griffin hasn’t even completed construction on his longer-than-a-football-field oceanfront home on the island’s Billionaires Row, according to the Palm Beach Daily News, which says the 49-year-old was socked with a $2.74 million tax bill on his $195 million pile. That’s $900,000 more than the tax bill received by Griffin rival Peltz, who will have to choke for the fifth straight year on the ignominy of being only the second-highest-taxed part-time resident of Palm Beach.)
— After Trump’s election, more students consider law school, hoping to make a difference – Corilyn Shropshire (DIERSEN: I started working for IRS in 1971 when I was 22 years old as a GS-7 (currently $44,853/year) Revenue Officer. IRS gives its newly-hired Revenue Officers 6 months of classroom and on-the-job training. IRS encourages its Revenue Officers to take graduate law, business, and accounting courses. One reason why I started out taking graduate business courses in 1972 at Loyola was that tuition and books were deductible for business and accounting courses, but not for law courses.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-lsat-registration-up-trump-bump-20171116-story.html
— Don’t resign, Sen. Franken — at least not yet – Eric Zorn
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-perspec-zorn-franken-trump-resign-1119-20171117-story.html
— A national moment of reckoning for abusers and creeps – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-franken-moore-weinstein-gropers-20171117-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Allegations dividing GOP women as Roy Moore refuses to quit Alabama Senate race.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-roy-moore-alabama-senate-20171117-story.html
— FOIA fight will cost College of DuPage, foundation $500,000 – Stacy St. Clair
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-foia-fight-20171117-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— A big Illinois union looking for payback jumps into GOP primary – Rich Miller
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/miller-a-big-illinois-union-looking-for-payback-jumps-into-gop-primary/
— Truly patriotic billionaires would share America’s burden – Robert Reich
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/reich-truly-patriotic-billionaires-would-share-americas-burden/
— Flatter Trump a little and he rolls over like a lost puppy – Gene Lyons
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/lyons-flatter-trump-a-little-and-he-rolls-over-like-a-lost-puppy/

 

DAILY HERALD
— DuPage County Board could limit number of sheriff’s deputies – Robert Sanchez (DIERSEN: When GAO’s budget came under pressure from Republicans during the 1980s and 1990s, the Democrats who ran GAO back then saw it as an opportunity to get rid of their employees who they had not promoted to GS-13 (currently $94,610) by age 25, to GS-14 (currently $111,801) by age 30, to GS-15 (currently $131,508) by age 35, and to Senior Executive Service (currently $161,900) by age 40 and especially those employees who were Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171117/dupage-county-board-could-limit-number-of-sheriffs-deputies
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The idea of limiting the number of sworn deputies doesn’t have universal support. Some county board members oppose it. “My concern is that we’re kind of handcuffing an elected countywide officeholder,” board member Pete DiCianni said. But board member Robert Larsen said the sheriff’s office is an enormous part of the county’s operating budget. He said Zaruba should explain why he needs a certain number of deputies assigned to patrol, jail and courthouse duty.)
— Suburbanites gather to talk about racial divide in U.S. – Russell Lissau (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, anti-Trumps want minorities to be anti-Trump, 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, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171117/suburbanites-gather-to-talk-about-racial-divide-in-us
— College of DuPage Board Approves $81.7 million 2017 Tax Levy Request
http://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20171117/college-of-dupage-board-approves-2017-tax-levy-request

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Wise up: Government budgets in Illinois are not balanced – MARK GLENNON
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171117/ISSUE07/171119884/wise-up-government-budgets-in-illinois-are-not-balanced
— Illinois politics is like Thanksgiving without turkey this year – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171117/ISSUE05/171119901/illinois-politics-is-like-thanksgiving-without-turkey-this-year
— What to ask when decades-old harassment surfaces – MEGAN McARDLE
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171117/OPINION/171119890/what-to-ask-when-decades-old-harassment-surfaces
— Why do people give? Not for the tax break. – LISA BERTAGNOLI (DIERSEN: A major reason why my wife and I contribute more money to 501(c)(3) organizations is that the contributions are deductible. The contributions are deductible because we have large medical and dental, real estate, and state income tax deductions.)
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171117/ISSUE01/171119883/why-do-people-give-not-for-the-tax-break

 

WTTW
— Roskam on GOP Tax Bill: ‘Best Way to Grow Economy’ – Paris Schutz (DIERSEN: I certainly hope that Bost, Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, and Shimkus will work hard in conference with the Senate to keep all the current itemized deductions and the personal exemption.)
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/11/17/roskam-gop-tax-bill-best-way-grow-economy

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Fact check: Are Gov. Rauner’s grandparents immigrants? – Bob Secter and Matt Dietrich (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, the longer that your ancestors have been in America, the more that anti-Trumps hint/imply/argue/shout that you have benefited from their discrimination against minorities and against women and the more that you should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion.)
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20171117/fact-check-are-gov-rauners-grandparents-immigrants

 

TIMES
— Politics shouldn’t override decency in cases of Roy Moore, Bill Clinton – John Kass
http://www.mywebtimes.com/opinion/columnists/kass-politics-shouldn-t-override-decency-in-cases-of-roy/article_84430772-ec96-5216-afda-e8c4834413c5.html

 

SUBURBAN LIFE
— More than 100 protestors turn out for Roskam appearance at GOP fundraiser in Downers Grove
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2017/11/17/more-than-100-protestors-turn-out-for-roskam-appearance-at-gop-fundraiser-in-downers-grove/dg63lsa/

 

ROCK RIVER TIMES
— Rauner-linked firm gets $12M in new deal, months after being cut out of $12M deal
http://rockrivertimes.com/2017/11/17/rauner-linked-firm-gets-12m-in-new-deal-months-after-being-cut-out-of-12m-deal/

 

WQLZ
— Ives Calls For ‘Austerity Budget’ During Springfield Meet & Greet
http://www.wqlz.com/2017/11/16/rep-ives-calls-for-austerity-budget-at-springfield-meet-and-greet/

 

WJBC
— Reps. Davis, LaHood praise passage of GOP tax plan – Eric Stock (DIERSEN: I certainly hope that Bost, Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, and Shimkus will work hard in conference with the Senate to keep all the current itemized deductions and the personal exemption.)
http://www.wjbc.com/2017/11/17/reps-davis-lahood-praise-passage-of-gop-tax-plan/

 

WJBC
— Congressman John Shimkus Likes Tax Cuts and Jobs Act That Passed House on Thursday It now moves to the U.S. Senate for debate starting after the Thanksgiving break. (DIERSEN: I certainly hope that Bost, Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, and Shimkus will work hard in conference with the Senate to keep all the current itemized deductions and the personal exemption.)
http://www.wjbdradio.com/local-news/2017/11/17/congressman-john-shimkus-likes-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-that-passed-house-on-thursday

 

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Germany supplants US as the country with the best global reputation” and “America falls to No. 6 under Trump.”
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/world-news/germany-supplants-us-as-the-country-with-the-best-global-reputation/859247851

 

TRIBUNE LEDGE NEWS
— Data, not politics, to be focal point of Illinois voter crosscheck hearing – Benjamin Yount
http://www.tribuneledgernews.com/extra/news/data-not-politics-to-be-focal-point-of-illinois-voter/article_9c127fa8-7062-51de-b13c-7beb6114d117.html

 

NPR ILLINOIS
— Are Voters Thinking About 2018? – SEAN CRAWFORD, BRIAN MACKEY & CHARLES N. WHEELER III
http://nprillinois.org/post/state-week-are-voters-thinking-about-2018#stream/0

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Experts: Not many options to fix Illinois’ worst in the nation pension problem – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/experts-not-many-options-to-fix-illinois-worst-in-the/article_df85baa4-cbbd-11e7-9917-e3466d31e01a.html

 

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Do you know the story behind your rising property taxes?
http://secure.illinoispolicy.org/property-tax-truths/

 

REAL GOP ILLINOIS
— Hot Air: Sad GOP attempt to repeal Rauner’s sanctuary state bill stalls
https://realgopillinois.com/2017/11/17/attempt-repeal-rauner-sanctuary-state-bill-stalls/

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Brady makes some unusual appointments to discrimination and harassment task force (DIERSEN: The Republican GOPUSA ILLINOIS did not receive this press release, but the Democrat Capitol Fax did. Ever-increasingly, the more of the following that you are, the less likely that you will be appointed to anything: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owner, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/17/brady-makes-some-unusual-appointments-to-discrimination-and-harassment-task-force/
— Rauner refuses to weigh in on federal tax legislation (DIERSEN: I certainly hope that Rauner asks Bost, Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, and Shimkus to work hard in conference with the Senate to keep all the current itemized deductions and the personal exemption.)
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/17/rauner-refuses-to-weigh-in-on-federal-tax-legislation/

 

BREITBART
— Hispanic Caucus Builds Wall Against GOP Latino Representative – NEIL MUNRO
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/11/17/hispanic-caucus-rejects-gop-latino/

 

DAILY SIGNAL
— Democrats’ Move to Impeach Trump Seen as Political Theater – Fred Lucas
http://dailysignal.com/2017/11/17/democrats-move-to-impeach-trump-seen-as-political-theater/

 

GOPUSA
— Should a jury know a person’s immigration status? Washington’s high court says no. (DIERSEN: What about a person’s political affiliation and “race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information?”)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=33501
— Mattel makes Barbie doll of hijab-wearing Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=33406

 

DAILY CALLER
— Congress Spent $17 Million Paying For Its Sexual Harassment Settlements – Henry Rodgers
http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/16/congressional-office-of-compliance-releases-breakdown-of-harassment-settlements/

 

THE HILL
— Class warfare fight erupts over tax bills – NAOMI JAGODA (DIERSEN: From what I see, the tax bills benefit the lower class and the upper class at the expense of the middle class.)
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/360966-class-warfare-fight-erupts-over-tax-bills
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Tensions over class warfare and whether GOP tax plans help the rich over the middle class and poor are building in Congress as Republicans march forward with their legislation. Democrats have been forcefully and repeatedly arguing that the GOP wants to cut taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of everyone else. Republicans, annoyed with the attacks, have pushed back, saying their focus is on the middle class. . .Republicans have long accused Democrats of engaging in class warfare for their attacks on the rich. But Democrats have also accused Republicans of attacking the middle class. Brown, who has focused on the working class in his time in the Senate and is up for reelection next year in a state President Trump carried, said on MSNBC in 2011 that when Republicans accuse Democrats of class warfare, Democrats “point out the class warfare [Republicans have] wagged against the middle class.” GOP lawmakers have highlighted elements of their bills that they say benefit the middle class, including the increases in the standard deduction and child tax credit. The Senate’s bill zeros out ObamaCare’s individual mandate penalty for those who don’t have health insurance, and Republicans have also highlighted that most people who pay the penalty make under $50,000. . .But Democrats have argued that the corporate tax cuts are more likely to benefit wealthy shareholders than workers. They have highlighted parts of the bills that seem to be geared to helping the rich, such as their scaling back of the estate tax and the repeal of the alternative minimum tax. They have also put a spotlight on tax breaks benefitting the middle class that would be eliminated. . .Republicans have pointed to data that shows people across the spectrum would win tax cuts from the plan, particularly in the short term, while Democrats have highlighted that millions of low- and middle-income families would see their taxes go up, especially in later years.)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Trump job approval hits new low.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/360786-poll-trump-job-approval-hits-new-low

 

HUFFINGTON POST
— Former DOJ Official Accuses Trump Judicial Pick Of Misleading Senate About Past Work – Sam Levine (DIERSEN: Would you mislead anyone about your past work? I certainly would not. I would stress a) that my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, always ranked me in the bottom 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, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980; b) that 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; and c) that my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.)
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/thomas-farr-voter-intimidation-senate_us_5a0f0c98e4b0e97dffed03a2

 

NEW YORK TIMES
— A Great Migration From Puerto Rico Is Set to Transform Orlando – Lizette Alvarez
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/us/puerto-ricans-orlando.html

 

WASHINGTON POST
— Illinois Governor: 2018’s most important, expensive and strange election – George Will
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018s-most-important-expensive-and-strange-election/2017/11/17/69181a8e-cafe-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html
— ‘Biggest tax cut in American history’ isn’t popular with many Americans – Tory Newmyer
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-finance-202/2017/11/17/the-finance-202-biggest-tax-cut-in-american-history-isn-t-popular-with-many-americans/5a0de1c330fb045a2e0030ab/
— Roy Moore’s approval rating with women has dropped. But so did candidate Trump’s. – Eugene Scott
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/17/roy-moores-approval-rating-with-women-has-dropped-but-so-did-candidate-trumps/
— The media is giving up its place in our democracy – Chris Wallace (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, “the media” serves as operative or as dupes for the Democrat Party.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-assaulting-our-free-press-but-he-also-has-a-point/2017/11/17/b3b8ec24-c8b2-11e7-b0cf-7689a9f2d84e_story.html
— In towns and cities nationwide, fears of trickle-down effects of federal tax legislation – Renae Merle and Peter Jamison Nov
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-towns-and-cities-nationwide-fears-of-trickle-down-effects-of-federal-tax-legislation/2017/11/17/d72b6164-c957-11e7-aa96-54417592cf72_story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It took the city of Pataskala, Ohio, nine ballot measures before its 15,000 residents agreed to a new 1 percent tax to pay for repairs to its crumbling roads and to buy new police cruisers. The mostly rural community was finally won over by a century-old hallmark of the tax code: The $5 million local levy could be deducted from their federal taxes. “There is a severe sensitivity to more taxes here,” said James M. Nicholson, the city’s finance director. “At the end of the day, you get a tax break was the thing that convinced people.” But now, in small towns and thriving cities, in Republican- and Democratic-leaning states, local leaders are warning that the $1.5 trillion tax legislation moving through Congress threatens to undermine their ability to raise money for government services, including police and schools. The Republican measures would eliminate or severely curtail taxpayers’ ability to lower their federal tax bill by deducting the cost of their state and local taxes. Without that offset, local leaders say, taxpayers will begin to seek relief closer to home, potentially making it more difficult to provide basic services.)

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— As Bannon Readies for ‘War’ on GOP, Finding Donors May Be the First Battle Two big GOP backers of past disruptive campaigns have distanced themselves from the former White House official – Julie Bykowicz and Gregory Zuckerman (DIERSEN: Which individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries have never been close to you or have distanced themselves from you? For me, it is those that are anti-Trump, 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, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors and those that 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://www.wsj.com/articles/as-bannon-readies-for-war-on-gop-finding-donors-may-be-the-first-battle-1510952472?mod=djemalertNEWS

 

NEWSWEEK
— REPUBLICAN TAX BILL GIVES PRIVATE JET OWNERS A TAX BREAK – CHRISTAL HAYES
http://www.newsweek.com/republican-tax-bill-gives-private-plane-owners-tax-break-714381

 

THE DRIVE
— Taco Bell Employees Are Eligible for Discounts on Corvettes and Cadillacs – CHRIS TSUIN (DIERSEN: While I have never bought a Cadillac, I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971 when I was 23 years old and a new IRS employee earning $44,853/year in today’s dollars and working part-time for Firestone Stores.)
http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/16200/taco-bell-employees-are-eligible-for-discounts-on-corvettes-and-cadillacs

 

MOTOR AUTHORITY
— Working at Taco Bell gets you a $4,385 discount on a Chevy Corvette – Sean Szymkowski
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1113881_working-at-taco-bell-gets-you-a-4385-discount-on-a-chevy-corvette

 

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
— Major Brands Blacklisting Media is Detrimental to Publishers- Rusty Coats (DIERSEN: QUESTION: Which individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries blacklist GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails? ANSWER: Those that are anti-Trump, 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, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.)
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/columns/shoptalk-major-brands-blacklisting-media-is-detrimental-to-publishers/

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.