November 18 Morning Edition

ABC7
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: 2 groups push to get more minority business owners involved in Illinois’ recreational marijuana industry – Cate Cauguiran
https://abc7chicago.com/business/program-aims-to-get-more-people-of-color-involved-in-illinois-marijuana-industry/5704068/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Who will bear the burden of CTU’s generous new contract? Take a guess. – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-teacher-contract-property-taxes-lightfoot-20191118-rukatukbbvgtbnkwooxwouboam-story.html
— Fairer fares for the poor? Advocates want reduced Metra, CTA fares for low-income riders, but the costs would be high for transit agencies. – Mary Wisniewski (DIERSEN: The inevitable extension of this is that the less money that you have, the less money you should have to pay for everything: housing, food, clothing, health care, transportation, education, entertainment, booze, gambling, pot, etc. Of course, the aforesaid discourages people from taking care of their health, complying with laws, getting an education, getting a job, saving for retirement, etc., that is, it discourages individual responsibility, that is, it discourages prosperity.) 
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/transportation/ct-biz-transit-low-income-reduced-fare-proposal-20191118-vvy36fecfbcnfngihr2juzs7ge-story.html
— Buttigieg touts military service, wary of overstating role – AP (DIERSEN: What work experience do you tout? I tout the experience that I gained a) working GAO for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 levels, currently $98,198-$127,654/year and b) working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 levels, currently $82,579-$93,592/year. I tout what learned passing the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my fist attempt. I tout what I learned earning master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance. I tout what I have learned serving as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor for 19 years.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-us–election-2020-buttigieg-military-20191118-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Like candidates from the time of George Washington, the South Bend, Indiana, mayor is leaning hard on his seven-month deployment as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan as a powerful credential. As he does, he walks a narrow path between giving his wartime service its due and overstating it. He is careful not to call himself a combat veteran even as he notes the danger he faced. One of his former competitors for the Democratic nomination, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, has drawn a sharp contrast between his four combat tours in Iraq and Buttigieg’s service. And a former commanding officer, who said he thinks Buttigieg would be within his rights to say he is a combat veteran, nonetheless questions the use of a rifle in his ads. As support for his campaign grows, Buttigieg can expect more intense scrutiny of his military record in a political climate where military service is far from sacred, as past attacks on the records of Republican John McCain and Democrat John Kerry show.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois Reps. Quigley, Krishnamoorthi: Trump impeachment state of play The issue of real-time witness intimidation from President Donald Trump is on the table. Whether this rises to becoming an impeachable offense remains to be seen. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/11/17/20969903/illinois-reps-quigley-krishnamoorthi-trump-impeachment-hearings-state-of-play

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— The Law Q&A: Legalized marijuana equals workplace buzz – Brett Kepley (DIERSEN: If you are an employee, how stoned will your employer allow its employees to be? If you are a member of an organization, how stoned will your organization allow its members to be? One should expect that Democrat, Libertarian, Green, and RINO employers and organizations will allow their employees and members to be far more stoned than Republican employers and organizations.)
https://www.news-gazette.com/business/legalized-marijuana-equals-workplace-buzz/article_a6046503-ec80-5879-8f27-b393cda002dc.html
— Democratic donors still ‘feeling the Bern’ in C-U area – Tom Kacich
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/politics/tom-kacich-democratic-donors-still-feeling-the-bern-in-c/article_fb14b6e3-7a92-58d0-8997-370113f17491.html

RIVER CITIES READER
— Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s Looming Retirement Creates a Vacuum into Which State Senators are Diving – Rich Miller
https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/illinois-senate-president-john-cullerton%E2%80%99s-looming-retirement-creates-vacuum-which-state

WGLT
— McLean County GOP Chair Talks 2020 Elections, Complacency, And Why Trump Has ‘Not Crossed The Line’ – RYAN DENHAM
https://www.wglt.org/post/gop-chair-talks-2020-elections-complacency-and-why-trump-has-not-crossed-line#stream/0

NPR ILLINOIS
— News Outlets Call University Of Illinois Policy A Reporter Gag Order – VIVIAN MCCALL (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents want a gag order on me. They want to stop me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, but failing that, they want to stop everyone from reading the emails, but failing that, they want to stop me from including links in the emails to articles that they did not write or bless. I should write a book about my critics/opponents.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/news-outlets-call-university-illinois-policy-reporter-gag-order#stream/0

ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY
— Illinois Democrat Crime Ring
https://demcorruption.com/

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— The SPLC Goes After Franklin Graham and IFI – Laurie Higgins (DIERSEN: I should write a book about individuals, organizations, companies, and governments that have gone after me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.)
https://illinoisfamily.org/ifi_news/the-splc-goes-after-franklin-graham-and-ifi/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Liberal judge unjustly rules against pro-life journalist David Daleiden – Rebecca Hagelin
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/nov/17/liberal-judge-unjustly-rules-against-pro-life-jour/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Tough Trump asylum policy prompts migrants to enter US and then flee to Canada – Anna Giaritelli
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/tough-trump-asylum-policy-prompts-migrants-to-enter-us-and-then-flee-to-canada

BREITBART
— NY Times: Refugees Needed to Fill ‘Void of Cultural Diversity’ in White Towns – John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/10/31/ny-times-refugees-needed-to-fill-void-of-cultural-diversity-in-white-towns/

TOWNHALL
— Are We Headed Toward a Second Civil War? – Scott Morefield
https://townhall.com/columnists/scottmorefield/2019/11/18/are-we-headed-toward-a-second-civil-war-n2556627

POLITICO
— Don Jr. is on a mission to recruit Trump culture warriors He’s working to translate the combative, anti-liberal MAGA ethos for internet-savvy nonboomers. – TINA NGUYEN
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/17/donald-jr-culture-warrior-trump-071176

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters argue for open borders.
https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2019/11/17/migrants-stuck-in-lawless-limbo-within-sight-of-america/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Iran Blocks Nearly All Internet Access – Farnaz Fassihi (DIERSEN: Of course, my critics/opponents want to block all internet access except to their Facebook pages.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/world/middleeast/iran-protest-rouhani.html
— The White Nationalist Websites Cited by Stephen Miller – Katie Rogers and Jason DeParle (DIERSEN: Sooner or later, the Southern Poverty Law Center blacklists websites that do NOT promote hated against individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.) 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/us/politics/stephen-miller-white-nationalism.html

NEW YORK POST
— Democrats to Israel: Go to Hell – Karol Markowicz
https://nypost.com/2019/11/17/democrats-to-israel-go-to-hell/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Older Workers Have a Big Secret: Their Age Afraid of being rejected by younger managers and colleagues, they hide things that might reveal their true age – Carol Hymowitz (DIERSEN: If you are a federal employee, all your superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates know how old you are. Federal employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran should know that their superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates who are Democrat will use their age against big time if they do 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. Extremely few federal employees meet the aforesaid promotion deadlines.) 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/older-workers-have-a-big-secret-their-age-11574046301
— The Revealing Words People Use to Describe Retirement – Joseph F. Coughlin and Chaiwoo Lee
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-revealing-words-people-use-to-describe-retirement-11574046240
— The Best Books About Retirement and Aging of 2019 – Diane Cole
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-books-about-retirement-and-aging-of-2019-11573743746
— How to Decide Whether to Move or Stay in Your House in Retirement – Glenn Ruffenach
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-decide-whether-to-move-or-stay-in-your-house-in-retirement-11573745765

FORBES
— Momentum Is Building For Workplace Gender Parity: Here’s Why And How – Kathleen Duffy Ybarra (DIERSEN: How soon will the federal government announce that it will immediately terminate its male employees who fail to 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? Extremely few federal employees make the aforesaid promotion deadlines.) 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/11/18/momentum-is-building-for-workplace-gender-parity-heres-why-and-how/

SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
— Cori Schumacher announces candidacy for Carlsbad City Council vacancy – PHIL DIEHL (DIERSEN: What if Wheaton’s recent West District City Council vacancy had been filled by a special election? What if the Daily Herald had published lots of information on the 10 candidates including their demographics, how long they lived in the West District and in Wheaton, their work experience, their education, their professional certifications and licenses, etc.? What if there had been candidate forums?)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/carlsbad/story/2019-11-12/cori-schumacher-announces-candidacy-for-carlsbad-city-council

NEWSWEEK
— JOE BIDEN COMES OUT AGAINST LEGALIZING WEED, SAYS IT’S POTENTIALLY A ‘GATEWAY DRUG’ — ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ DISAGREES – CHRISTINA ZHAO (DIERSEN: Of course, because of this, those who a) smoked pot, b) smoke pot, c) want to smoke pot, d) want to make money selling pot, and/or d) want government to take in lots of tax revenue from the sale of pot WILL NOT VOTE FOR BIDEN.) 
https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-comes-out-against-legalizing-weed-says-its-potentially-gateway-drugalexandria-1472297
— WALMART CHANGES DISABLED WORKERS REASSIGNMENT POLICY AFTER SETTLING DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT – EWAN PALMER (DIERSEN: While worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they assigned me to supervise all their disabled employees at one time or another.) 
https://www.newsweek.com/walmart-disabled-worker-lawsuit-eeoc-1472346

AXIOS
— How online ad targeting weaponizes political misinformation – Scott Rosenberg (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, all government and political news and commentary is misinformation except for the government and political news and commentary that they put out or bless. What percent of GOPUSA ILLINOIS email reader are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older people, rich people, gun owners, German Americans, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time? What percent of GOPUSA ILLINOIS email reader 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 for a long time?) 
https://www.axios.com/online-ad-targeting-political-misinformation-3fac586c-2412-4c2b-a9c9-cbd2d47de6f8.html

QUARTZ
— The unique role corporations played in the fight for LGBTQ rights – Nick Lehr (DIERSEN: From what I see, ever-increasing. if you do not promote LGBTQ activity, you will not be hired and you will be gotten rid of.)
https://qz.com/work/1749446/the-unique-role-corporations-played-in-the-fight-for-lgbtq-rights/

FED SMITH
— 80% Disparity for Fed Benefits Says Report – Ralph R. Smith
https://www.fedsmith.com/2019/11/15/80-disparity-fed-benefits-says-report/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In 2018 federal workers enjoyed average annual benefits of $41,508, which compared to average benefits in the private sector of just $12,075. That large difference stems from more federal workers receiving certain types of benefits than private workers, and from particular federal benefits being more generous than those provided in the private sector.)

GUARDIAN
— New York Times editor says Trump has put his reporters’ lives at risk Dean Baquet decries abuse of journalists – Jim Waterson (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those a) who paint themselves as being spokespersons for the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Milton Township Republican Central Committee, Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, etc. and b) who demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails.) 
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/nov/18/new-york-times-editor-says-trump-has-put-his-reporters-lives-at-risk

(FROM THE ARTICLE: The executive editor of the New York Times has accused Donald Trump of putting his reporters’ lives at risk by subjecting them to personal abuse and describing them as “enemies of the people”. Dean Baquet, who has led the news outlet during one of the most tumultuous periods in its history, said the US president’s history of verbal attacks on journalists such as the New York Times’s political reporter Maggie Haberman was “appalling” and risked having serious consequences. “I think his personal attacks on reporters, including Maggie, are pretty awful and pretty unpresidential,” he said. “I think personal attacks on journalists, when he calls them names, I think he puts their lives at risk. “I think that when he actually calls reporters names, says they’re un-American, says they’re enemies of the people … that phrase has a deep history. I think when he says that, it is an appalling attack on the press.” Baquet’s comments in an interview with the Guardian reflect Trump’s lengthy history of abuse towards journalists in general and the New York Times in particular. They echo comments from the newspaper’s publisher, AG Sulzberger, who has also clashed with Trump over his treatment of the media. Last year Sulzberger said he had told Trump in a meeting that “this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence”.)

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.