GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— 38 candidates were in line at the DuPage County Election Commission by 8:00 AM this morning to file nominating petitions. Cantore was first in the line followed by Wiley, McGowen, Mendrick, Almiron, Covert, Tully, Selmon, Rutledge, Hart, Zay, Eckhoff, Tornatore, Painter, Hinds, Holz, Moretti, Dabrowski, Suratwala, Grant, Zaruba, Nero, Bibbiano, Orsianger, Chaplin, Qayyum, Schultz, Kaczmarek, Anderson, Falbo, Murphy, Ruscitti, Cooper, Renehan, Fisher, Demichele, Prater, and Abbott.
Since 2000, I have gathered signatures on nominating petitions for all the candidates who seek to be on Republican primary ballots in my precinct. For the March 20, 2018 Republican primary, I gathered 667 signatures from 19 households in my precinct for the following candidates:
U.S. CONGRESS: Peter Roskam;
STATE OF ILLINOIS: Bruce Rauner, Governor and Evelyn Sanguinette, Lieutenant Governor; Jeanne Ives, Governor and Rich Morthland, Lieutenant Governor; William Kelly, Governor and Brian Leggero, Lieutenant Governor; Erika Harold, Attorney General; Jason Helland, Secretary of State; Jim Dodge, Treasurer; and Darlene Senger, Comptroller;
ILLINOIS SENATE: Michael Connelly;
ILLINOIS HOUSE: Amy Grant, Jeanne Ives; Burt Minor
DUPAGE COUNTY: Dan Cronin, Board Chairman; James Mendrick and Frank Bibbiano, Sheriff; Paul Hinds, Clerk; Gwen Henry, Treasurer; Darlene Ruscitti, Regional Superintendent of Schools;
DUPAGE COUNTY BOARD District 4: Ron Almiron, Grant Eckhoff, Amy Grant, Paula McGowen, Thommen Poozhikunnel, Beth Tatro, and Chris Zaruba;
DUPAGE COUNTY FOREST PRESERVE: Joseph Cantore, President;
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE: Jeff MacKay, Richard Russo, Karen Wilson
https://gopillinois.com
CAPITOL FAX
— Ives says she won’t file petitions today
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/27/ives-says-she-wont-file-petitions-today/
— Pritzker, others file petitions
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/27/pritzker-others-file-petitions/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Senate GOP tax bill hurts the poor more than originally thought, CBO finds – Heather Long
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-senate-gop-tax-bill-cbo-analysis-20171126-story.html
— Guns were Black Friday must-haves, going by the FBI’s record 203,086 background-check requests – Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-guns-black-friday-20171126-story.html
— College grads, it’s time to start repaying your loans – Steve Rosen (DIERSEN: Because I graduating debt-free from NIU in 1970 and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE when I was 21 years old, I had more money to help support my mother and brother 1970-1972, buy a new 1972 Corvette in 1971, pay for tuition and books for graduate business courses at Loyola 1972-1976, buy a new town home in 1972, buy a studio condo in 1974, buy a one bedroom condo in 1976, etc.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/sns-201711171511–tms–kidmoneyctnsr-a20171117-20171117-story.html
— Scholarships are free money for the taking – Terry Savage (DIERSEN: Did you apply for scholarships? I did not. When you in high school, were you “college material?” While I attended Crete-Monee High School 1962-1966, I took college preparatory courses notwithstanding the fact that many, if not most, if not virtually everyone at the time viewed me as NOT being “college material.” Neither of my parents had attended college. My father was the first of his ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I spent my junior and senior years and the summer in between washing dishes for the minimum wage in the basement of the S.S. Kresges in Chicago Heights. I just barely made into the top 20% of my class, my ACT score was only 24, I was draft bait, my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, I had partial red/green color blindness, and I had Osgood-Schlatter disease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood%E2%80%93Schlatter_disease).)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-201711172143–tms–savagectnts-a20171117-20171117-column.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— No ‘easy task’ recouping $1M Rush owes Trump pal’s firm, feds for loan – Sandy Bergo and Chuck Neubauer
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/no-easy-task-recouping-1m-rush-owes-trump-pal-feds-for-church-loan/
DAILY HERALD
— Ballots to take shape as Illinois candidates begin filing today
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171127/ballots-to-take-shape-as-illinois-candidates-begin-filing-today
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG COLOR PICTURE: Three members of tollway board have links to contractor seeking 10-year deal – Marni Pyke
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171127/3-members-of-tollway-board-have-links-to-contractor-seeking-10-year-deal
ABC7
— 6 dead, 30 wounded in Thanksgiving weekend shootings across Chicago
http://abc7chicago.com/6-dead-30-wounded-in-thanksgiving-weekend-shootings-across-chicago/2697946/
NORTHWEST HERALD
— Lakewood trustees to talk censure of Village President Paul Serwatka Trustee alleges board was kept out of the loop on recent hires – MIKE MALLORY
http://www.nwherald.com/2017/11/24/lakewood-trustees-to-talk-censure-of-village-president-paul-serwatka/avynkao/
EVANSTON NOW
— Aldermen to vote on 3 percent property tax hike – Bill Smith
http://evanstonnow.com/story/government/bill-smith/2017-11-26/78777/aldermen-to-vote-on-3-percent-property-tax-hike
ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Algonquin Township – Clerk demands control over meetings – KIRK ALLEN
http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2017/11/algonquin-township-clerk-demands-control-over-meetings/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— DEMS DO NO GOOD WHEN THEY KICK HISPANIC REPUBLICANS TO CURB
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/11/dems-do-no-good-when-they-kick-hispanic-republicans-to-curb.html
— GOODBYE NET NEUTRALITY; HELLO COMPETITION (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, “companies” act like they are not in business to make a profit, but instead, to defend and advance the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green platforms.)
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/11/goodbye-net-neutrality-hello-competition.html
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Tax reform puts blue-state Republicans in difficult spot – S.A. Miller
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/26/tax-reform-puts-blue-state-republicans-in-difficul/
AMERICAN THINKER
— The Myth of White Privilege – John Meinhold (DIERSEN: In 1971, Oldsmobile withdrew its job offer that I had accepted saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. GAO hired me in 1980 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. IRS hired me in 1971 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job. The Post Office hired me in 1966 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.)
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/11/the_myth_of_white_privilege.html
BLAZE
— Black Friday posts new all-time record for number of background checks in single day, FBI says – Chris Enloe
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/11/26/black-friday-posts-new-all-time-record-for-number-of-background-checks-in-single-day-fbi-says
— The NFL and its TV partners are on track to lose $500 million this year alone as ratings plunge – Chris Enloe
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/11/26/the-nfl-and-its-tv-partners-are-on-track-to-lose-500-million-this-year-alone-as-ratings-plunge
CONSERVATIVE AMERICAN
— Don’t Blame Donald Trump for Eclipsing the State Department The real culprit is a much older one: our militaristic foreign policy. – PETER VAN BUREN
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/dont-blame-donald-trump-for-eclipsing-the-state-department/
FOX BUSINESS
— Military overhauls retirement system in biggest shift since World War II – Brittany De Lea
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/22/military-overhauls-retirement-system-in-biggest-shift-since-world-war-ii.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves – GARDINER HARRIS (DIERSEN: While I worked for GAO 1980-1997, the agency’s top priority was to get rid of its employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. If my Democrat GAO superiors had not succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old, I might still be a GAO employee and paying 7% of my salary into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) instead of the CSRS pension paying me a pension. In today’s dollars, since September 30, 1997, I would have paid $173,622 into the CSRS instead of the CSRS paying me $1,025,596.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/24/us/politics/state-department-tillerson.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Comey tweeted about freedom of the press — minutes after Trump attacked CNN – Kristine Phillips (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents oppose “freedom of the press.” My critics/opponents have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout. They a) glorify and praise, pander to, serve as operatives or dupes for, and/or give money to “reporters” and to “journalists” who they manipulate/dominate and b) viciously demonize, viciously denigrate, viciously condemn, and blacklist reporters and journalists like me who they cannot manipulate/dominate. They refuse to keep diersen@aol.com on their press advisory and press release lists. They do not want me to know about their events or other activities. They do not want me to promote their events or other activities. They do not want me to attend their events or other activities. They do not want me to report on their events or other activities. They focus on a) stopping me from putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out and b) stopping everyone from reading those emails.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/26/james-b-comey-tweeted-about-freedom-of-the-press-minutes-after-trump-attacked-cnn/James B.
— Time to take baby boomers off the ticket – David Von Drehle (DIERSEN: All my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always promoted age discrimination, most commonly to get promoted or to curry favor with those who are younger.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/time-to-take-baby-boomers-off-the-ticket/2017/11/24/7b4aa97c-d154-11e7-81bc-c55a220c8cbe_story.html
USA TODAY
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: For many, a leisurely retirement is a long shot Fewer older American think they’ll be able to afford trips, survey finds – Paul Davidson (DIERSEN: How much money do you have to go on trips? Since 1997, in today’s dollars, I have had $1,454,723 less dollars to go on trips, that is, $72,135 less a year, $6,011 less a month, $1,403 less a week, and $200 less a day. In 1997, my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer.” In 1997, in today’s dollars, my GAO salary was $122,991/year. But my Civil Service Retirement System pension is only $50,856/year, or 41% of that.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/11/26/retirees-dream-more-travel-less-health-care-tough-achieve/890562001/
— Hijab Barbie: Perfect Christmas gift for non-Muslim parents who want to stick it to Trump – James S. Robbins
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/11/24/hijab-barbie-perfect-christmas-gift-non-muslim-parents-who-want-stick-trump-james-robbins-column/884583001/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Why Immigrants Make Great Entrepreneurs – Adrian Furnham (DIERSEN: Are you an immigrant and/or an entrepreneur? My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes shout that I am neither. My ancestors have been in America since 1844 and I was a lowly wage earner 1964-1997. I washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; delivered mail 1966-1969; worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumped gasoline 1971-1972; collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980; and audited federal agencies 1980-1997.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-immigrants-make-great-entrepreneurs-1511752261
NEWSWEEK
— REX TILLERSON IS MAKING THE STATE DEPARTMENT A LOT MORE WHITE – CARLOS BALLESTEROS (DIERSEN: While I worked for GAO 1980-1997, the agency’s top priority was to get rid of its employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. If my Democrat GAO superiors had not succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old, I might still be a GAO employee and paying 7% of my salary into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) instead of the CSRS pension paying me a pension. In today’s dollars, since September 30, 1997, I would have paid $173,622 into the CSRS instead of the CSRS paying me $1,025,596.)
http://www.newsweek.com/rex-tillerson-diversity-state-department-foreign-service-722653
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Rex Tillerson is ousting many of the State Department’s high-ranking women diplomats and diplomats of color. On Friday, the New York Times revealed how Tillerson’s State Department is pushing out scores of career diplomats from the agency, offering them buyouts and early retirement in the hopes of getting them out the door. “Among those fired or sidelined were most of the top African-American and Latino diplomats, as well as many women, difficult losses in a department that has long struggled with diversity,” reported the Times. The drastic reduction in senior staff is part of Tillerson’s plan to slash the State Department’s expenses by 31 percent. Former officials warn that Tillerson is worsening America’s image abroad and compromising the country’s foreign policy agenda. “These people either do not believe the U.S. should be a world leader or they’re utterly incompetent,” former ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith, who retired from the service in June, told the Times. Tillerson has put a stop to most hiring at the State Department and hopes to push out some 2,000 career diplomats by this time next year, according to the Times. Tillerson plans on doing so by arbitrarily denying posts and assignments to certain diplomats, as well as offering $25,000 contract buyouts for many of the agency’s senior staff. His aides have also simply fired many diplomats whose vision does not align with that of the Secretary of State. Senior non-male and non-white diplomats have been among those targeted by Tillerson. The State Department’s level of diversity has historically been low: In 2016, 5.4 percent of career diplomats were black, 6.9 percent were Asian, and 5.6 percent Hispanic, according to Foreign Policy. The Obama administration made an effort to increase the number of diplomats of color in order to create a Foreign Service that “looked more like America.” But Tillerson’s plans are much different. Instead of recruiting a more diverse pool of talent, the State Department is in the process of substantially reducing its staff, all but ending the drive to diversify the agency.)
