November 29, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Anticipate/expect that Democrats and RINOs will ever-increasingly use AI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/11/28/ai-regulations-us-outlook/
— Why aren’t more people talking about America’s alcoholism? (COMMENT: Many, if not most of my critics/opponents are big drinkers if not alcoholics. I should write about those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/11/29/opinion-america-alcoholism-problem/
— Stacy Davis Gates, President, Chicago Teachers Union: Despite what editorial board indicates, teacher attendance at CPS tracks with statewide trends
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/11/29/opinion-chicago-teachers-absenteeism-stacey-davis-gates/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— A year into bail reform, more domestic violence defendants ordered held pending trial in Cook County. Judges are spending more time on initial court hearings as they weigh whether to detain or release defendants. However, issues remain with interpretation and implementation of the state’s watershed criminal justice reform law.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/bail-reform/2024/11/29/bail-reform-domestic-violence-defendants-ordered-held-pending-trial-cook-county
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2024/11/29/women-asylum-border-abuse-donald-trump-project-25-carol-cleaveland-michele-waslin

FOX32
— Mexico’s president tells Trump she will take measures to stop illegal immigration
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1554710

WGN9
— LGBTQ destroys traditional marriage and family, that is, LGBTQ promotes homelessness.
https://wgntv.com/news/cover-story/chicago-cover-story-youth-homelessness-lgbtq/

WCBM
— FOIA Finds Chicago Uses FEMA Funding for Democrat Donor Business to Feed Illegals
https://wcbm.com/national-headline/foia-finds-chicago-uses-fema-funding-for-democrat-donor-business-to-feed-illegals/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Employers want cheap labor. My critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being grossly overpaid. In today’s dollars, I earned a) $12.41/hour 1964-1966, b) $18.99-$20.25/hour 1966-1969, c) $54,728-$110,020/year 1971-1980, and d) $87,024-$150,075/year 1980-1997. In my defense, I earned a) a high school diploma in 1966, b) a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, c) job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, d) job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and e) a job-related professional license in 1981. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on what they did to qualify themselves for better paying jobs. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Have you taken bad jobs? According to my critics/opponents, all the jobs that I had were bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automobile assembly line 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. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents had lots of money, who bought them cars, who paid for their college expenses, and who got them jobs. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Recording of Madigan Making Insurance Business Pitch for His Son
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/11/28/recording-of-madigan-making-pitch-for-insurance-business-for-his-son/
— Thanksgiving Belt Tightening
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/11/28/thanksgiving-belt-tightening/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— IL GOP Support Proves Again to be the ‘Kiss of Death’ Even During a Trump-Dominated, Historic Election Cycle
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2024/11/il-gop-support-proves-again-to-be-the-kiss-of-death-even-during-a-trump-dominated-historic-election-cycle.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It wasn’t that long ago when IL GOP leaders were endorsing Fl. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential bid, hosting ‘Never Trumpers’ at fundraisers in Naples, Florida; naming anti-MAGA officials as gala co-chairs and blaming President Donald Trump for Illinois election losses in 2020 and 2022. When Trump secured the Republican nomination for president last Spring, those same officials were silent. But that’s not all. When this publication revealed that a party leader in 2016 compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler – IL GOP officials were once again silent. This pattern, however, should come as no surprise. In 2022, IL GOP officials backed Richard Irvin’s failed campaign for Illinois governor. During the primary campaign, it was reported by WTTW’s Paris Schutz that in 2018, Irvin sent text messages calling Trump an “idiot” and a “bigoted racist.” Irvin also texted the friend, “I hate Trump too!” Irvin would lose the primary to the Trump-endorsed candidate by 43 points. During Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair last year, then Illinois Republican national committeeman Richard Porter gave an interview to the Chicago Tribune and said that Trump couldn’t win independent voters in swing states in 2024 and that he was running for president to avoid going to jail. “I think the most ardent Trumpers recognize that they might love him in their heart, but they know in their head he is not going to win independents in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada. And that’s what you need to do to become president. And if you don’t become president of the United States, Trump goes to jail.” After this publication ran a story on his reported comments, Porter was in damage control, offering a long explanation to try and repair the damage – but it was too little, too late. And during the 2024 election, Trump would win every swing state proving Porter to be wrong once again. And former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin – who is revered and respected by IL GOP leaders – likes to blame Trump for every Republican loss in Illinois. In November 2023, Durkin announced that he was not going to run for Cook County State’s Attorney and he blamed President Trump for his decision not to throw his hat in the race. “I know that if you’re going to run in a race, you have to run knowing that you have a good chance of winning, and I see no path winning with Trump at the top of the ticket [in 2024],” Durkin told CBS Chicago anchor Brad Edwards. In the Spring of 2022, IL GOP leaders traveled down to Naples, Florida to host a private reception featuring former US Attorney General Bill Baar, who served as AG under the George HW Bush and Donald Trump presidential administrations. Baar remains critical of Trump, and in November of 2022, he published a scathing opinion piece in the New York Post, writing, “Unless the rest of the party goes along with him, he will burn the whole house down by leading ‘his people’ out of the GOP. Trump’s willingness to destroy the party if he does not get his way is not based on principle, but on his own supreme narcissism. His egoism makes him unable to think of a political party as anything but an extension of himself – a cult of personality.” During this past election cycle where Trump dominated and made history winning both the popular and electoral votes by historic margins – and Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate and maintained control of the U.S. House – IL GOP leaders once again proved why their support is the ‘kiss of death.’ In District 10, Democrat U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider smoked Republican Jim Carris – who was the darling of the IL GOP, by 20 points – the largest margin of defeat of any congressional candidate. Illinois Republican leaders came out strong for Carris in ways not seen with other pro-MAGA candidates – as Carris had the support of the IL GOP establishment and leaders like IL GOP co-chair Kathy Salvi and national committeeman Dean White. Carris even appeared alongside Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at a private event where the two shared the stage. Carris is pro-choice and refused to vocalize any support of Trump during his failed congressional campaign. “I’ve done a lot of research on this and studied and really given it a lot of thought and I am a pro-choice candidate,” Carris told a group in Winnetka, Illinois on June 6, 2024. During that same event, Carris refused to offer support for Trump when asked – who at the time was the presumptive Republican nominee for President, saying, “I am an independent person. I will decide when the time comes, but I’m concerned about my own campaign at this point…rather than be worried about the national election.” Carris was also endorsed by former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (IL), who is a Never Trumper – and called him “one of my political heroes…I can’t tell you how meaningful this is to me.” During the 2016 national GOP convention, many IL GOP leaders, including then Gov. Rauner, former Gov. Jim Edgar, US Sen. Mark Kirk and Rauner-appointed Comptroller Leslie Munger, skipped the convention because they did not support Trump. Kirk even ran an ad that said that Trump was not “fit to be Commander in Chief.” Across Illinois, state Democratic leaders maintained their super majority control as Republicans failed to flip any seats despite this being a historic Republican year with Trump at the top of the ticket. Democrats in the state House maintain the largest majority over Republicans in Illinois history. So what’s the key takeaway? IL GOP leaders and their cadre of failed political consultants have proven that like the Chicago Bears – they can find creative ways to lose and snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. But what can you expect? It’s in their DNA.)
— Another $6.6 Billion in Tax Dollars for Green Energy, Before the Spigot is Shut Off
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2024/11/opinion-another-6-6-billion-in-tax-dollars-for-green-energy-before-the-spigot-is-shut-off.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The California GOP has a path back to relevance (COMMENT: What is the Illinois GOP path back to relevance? 77 million voted for Trump nationwide, 2.4 million in Illinois, 191,000 in DuPage County, and 373 in my precinct. Trump won all but 14 of Illinois’ 102 counties.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3243072/california-gop-has-path-back-to-relevance/

NEW YORK POST
— Mass arrests at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as anti-Israel protesters block procession
https://nypost.com/2024/11/28/us-news/mass-arrests-at-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-as-anti-israel-protesters-block-path/
— We should be thankful that the future is in Trump’s hands — and not Harris’
https://nypost.com/2024/11/28/opinion/we-should-be-thankful-that-the-future-is-in-trumps-hands-and-not-harris/
— Thanksgiving is a great time to forgive those who dumped you for your political views (COMMENT: Many have dumped me because I support planks in the Republican Party platform that they reject. Most commonly, they reject the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks.)
https://nypost.com/2024/11/27/opinion/on-thanksgiving-forgive-those-who-dumped-you-for-your-political-views/

AMERICAN THINKER
— We don’t want revenge, we want justice
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/11/we_don_t_want_revenge_we_want_justice.html

BLAZE
— I’m thankful for American voters who rejected leftism, lawlessness, and lunacy this election
https://www.theblaze.com/news/im-thankful-for-american-voters-who-rejected-leftism-lawlessness-and-lunacy-this-election

BREITBART
— Democrats Scold Americans on Thanksgiving: Thank Illegal Aliens for Picking Your Food.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/11/28/democrats-scold-americans-thankgiving-thank-illegal-aliens-picking-your-food/
— Top Migration Lobbyist: Public Rejected Biden’s Border Policies Only Because of Bad Messaging
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/11/28/scoop-investor-lobbyist-says-voters-reject-migration-because-of-joe-biden-democrats/

CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— A Case Study in Cheap H-1B Labor
https://cis.org/Miano/Case-Study-Cheap-H1B-Labor

DAILY CALLER
— Women Gather For ‘Primal Scream’ Session To Cope With Trump Victory
https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/28/women-gather-primal-scream-session-cope-trump-victory/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Here’s How to Deport More Than 10 Million People
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/11/28/how-deport-over-10-million-people/

FEDERALIST
— 40 Things To Be Grateful For After Trump’s Historic Win
https://thefederalist.com/2024/11/28/40-things-to-be-grateful-for-after-trumps-historic-win/

FOX BUSINESS
— Majority of Americans support Trump’s agenda  (COMMENT: Trump’s agenda is the Republican Party platform. To what extent do the following support Trump’s agenda: the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party and the leaders of your county, township, and ward party organizations?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzcz-WAtdLE

FOX NEWS
— Texas could bus migrants directly to ICE for deportation instead of to sanctuary cities
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-could-bus-migrants-directly-ice-deportation-instead-sanctuary-cities-under-proposed-plan

HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Why Latinos Deported Harris From the White House
https://www.heritage.org/border-security/commentary/why-latinos-deported-harris-the-white-house
— Japan Follows America’s Lead in Importing Millions To Do Low-Paying, Unskilled Jobs
https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/commentary/japan-follows-americas-lead-importing-millions-do-low-paying-unskilled

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— Indian illegal immigrants are increasingly crossing into the U.S. from Canada – so what’s being done about it?
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/indian-illegal-immigrants-are-increasingly-crossing-into-the-u-s-from-canada-leading-to-more-deportation-flights

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Pro-Hamas Mob Tries to Block Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/11/pro-hamas-mob-tries-to-block-macys-thanksgiving-parade/

LIFEZETTE
— Musk Leads The Charge To Audit The IRS (COMMENT: I worked for IRS for almost 9 years. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years.)
https://www.lifezette.com/2024/11/musk-leads-the-charge-to-audit-the-irs-public-says-eliminate-it-watch/

NEWS BUSTERS
— PBS Promotes ‘Spike in Racist Incidents’ After Trump Win
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2024/11/29/rising-hate-pbs-promotes-spike-racist-incidents-after-trump-win-splc

NEWSMAX
— Blue Cities Finalizing Efforts to Thwart Trump’s Deportations (COMMENT: What are the Democrats and RINOs who run your county, township, municipality, and school district doing to thwart deportation?)
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/blue-cities-states/2024/11/28/id/1189700/
— Musk, Stallone Join Trump for Thanksgiving
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/trump-musk-stallone/2024/11/29/id/1189765/

PJ MEDIA
— Federal Appeals Court Stops Biden Administration From Removing Border Wall In Texas
https://pjmedia.com/bryan-s-jung/2024/11/28/federal-appeals-court-stops-biden-administration-from-removing-razor-wire-on-border-in-texas-n4934709

TOWNHALL
— Five Things To Be Thankful For In 2024
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2024/11/28/five-things-to-be-thankful-for-in-2024-n2648346
— Democrat Urges Americans to ‘Give Thanks’ to Illegal Immigrants on Thanksgiving (COMMENT: Democrat leaders want illegals because illegals vote for Democrats. RINOs want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.)
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2024/11/28/democrat-tells-americans-to-give-thanks-to-illegal-immigrants-on-thanksgiving-n2648380
— Jaguar Doubles Down on Woke New Rebranding Ad
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/11/28/jaguars-woke-new-ad-n2648320#google_vignette

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump posts parody video crashing Democrats’ Thanksgiving meal
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5014762-trump-biden-parody-video-democrats-thanksgiving/

NEWSWEEK
— Mexico Quashes Donald Trump’s Claim It Agreed To ‘Effectively’ Close Border
https://www.newsweek.com/mexico-quashes-donald-trump-claim-agreed-effectively-close-border-1992892

MSNBC
— RINO leaders want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/thanksgiving-shopping-food-prices-trump-rcna181951

NEW YORK TIMES
— What do you influence? I influence conservative principles and the Republican Party platform.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/us/politics/democratic-influencers.html
— Transgender Activists Question the Movement’s Confrontational Approach (COMMENT: My critics/opponent promote LGBTQ. I should write about those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/us/politics/transgender-activists-rights.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Texas is gearing up in a big way for Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The state’s Republican leaders say they’re primed for Texas to be both the model and epicenter as the incoming administration cracks down on immigration.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2024/11/29/migrant-deportations-texas-border-homan-abbott/

USA TODAY
— RIP DEI? The war on ‘woke’ America has a new commander-in-chief (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always been woke, that is, they have always blamed their problems on those who do not share their demographics.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/11/22/rip-dei-donald-trump-president/76116276007/

INDY STAR
— RINO leaders want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/readers/2024/11/06/logansport-immigration-jobs-labor/76072394007/

WTOC
— Local Republican leaders react to President-elect Trump’s victory (COMMENT: How are the following reacting to Trump’s victory: the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party and the leaders of your Republican county, township, and ward party organizations?)
https://www.wtoc.com/2024/11/06/local-republican-leaders-react-president-elect-trumps-victory/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Rich Countries Are Becoming Addicted to Cheap Labor. Businesses are relying more on migrant workers as labor shortages persist, but economists warn of long-term dangers.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/business-immigrant-low-skilled-labor-addiction-bf009a83
— America Has Much to Be Thankful For (COMMENT: The many things that I am thankful for include my being able to earn four college degrees, six professional certifications, and a professional license even though neither of my parents attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, my mother never attended high school, I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class, my ACT score was only 24, and I had to work my way through college. Further, I was able to earn enough money to buy a new car when I was 17 and a new town home when I was 24.)
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/america-has-much-to-be-thankful-for-452806fb

HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
— Are “bad jobs” dead ends or steppingstones to better things? (COMMENT: According to my critics/opponents, all the jobs that I had were bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automobile assembly line 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. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents had lots of money, who bought them cars, who paid for their college expenses, and who got them jobs.)
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/social-policy/are-bad-jobs-dead-ends-or-steppingstones-better-things

BLOOMBERG
— RINO leaders want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-06-28/immigration-benefits-go-far-beyond-providing-cheap-labor

BUSINESS INSIDER
— Musk is hiring for DOGE (COMMENT: My Democrat IRS superiors wasted what I had learned working for IRS for almost 9 years, earning an MBA and a master’s degree in accounting, and passing the CPA examination on my first attempt. GAO audits IRS. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted what I had learned working for IRS and working for GAO for almost 18 years, passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, and earning a master’s degree in finance. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.)
https://www.aol.com/elon-musk-hiring-doge-heres-181742212.html

FORBES
— RINO leaders want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethankarp/2024/11/25/40-essential-truths-to-succeed-in-manufacturing-right-now/

FAST COMPANY
— 5 times it makes sense to include your high-school job on your résumé (COMMENT: My having washed dishes during my junior and senior years in high school and the summer in between set me back in many ways. My having delivered mail while I was a student at UIC and NIU 1966-1969 set me back in many ways.)
https://www.fastcompany.com/90459897/5-times-it-makes-sense-to-include-your-high-school-job-on-your-resume
(FROM THE ARTICLE: If the experience is relevant. . . If the job was in the same industry. . .If you were promoted)
MCKINSEY & COMPANY
— The value of experience (COMMENT: My Democrat IRS superiors wasted what I had learned working for IRS for almost 9 years, earning an MBA and a master’s degree in accounting, and passing the CPA examination on my first attempt. GAO audits IRS. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted what I had learned working for IRS and working for GAO for almost 18 years, passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, and earning a master’s degree in finance. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.)
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/human-capital-at-work-the-value-of-experience

ECONOMIST
— The Democrat Party platform is extremely anti-rural. What is your connection farming? My mother was born and raised on a farm. I spent lots of time at that farm during the 1950s and early 1960s.
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/11/28/americas-rural-urban-divide-nurtures-wannabe-state-splitters

WORD & WAY
— What Congress Reveals About Lutheran Denominations (COMMENT: In 1961, when I was in 8th grade, Trinity Lutheran Church and Grade School in Crete left the Missouri Synod for the Wisconsin Synod. To stay with the Missouri Synod, my parents joined Hope Lutheran Church in Park Forest and transferred me to a newly formed 8th grade there. That ended my parents’ annual family reunions that had been held for many decades. That had a major impact on me.)
https://wordandway.org/2024/08/15/what-congress-reveals-about-lutheran-denominations/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Among the current 532 members of Congress (there are three open House seats at the moment), Republicans have a narrow majority with 51% of the seats. The partisan divide among Lutheran members in Congress depends on which denomination. Of the 20 Lutheran members identified, 12 belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that Walz is part of, while 7 are in the more conservative Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. One other member, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which is smaller and more conservative than the other two bodies. . .The members of the 118th Congress show which Lutheran denominations in public life have the most partisan leaning. Only the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a bipartisan delegation, while the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod currently only send Republicans to Congress.)

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— 20 Certification Programs for Careers That Pay Well (COMMENT: Who do you know who has passed the CPA and/or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) examination? Who do you know who passed one or both of those examinations on their first attempt? I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and the CIA examination on my first attempt in 1981.)
https://money.usnews.com/careers/articles/certificate-programs-that-pay-well

NPR
— RINO leaders want illegals because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2024/11/26/g-s1-35805/chinese-expulsion-act-railroads-immigration-crackdown
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2024/04/02/1228739124/how-we-got-to-made-in-china

GUARDIAN
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/29/trump-mass-deportation-plan-cities

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.