State Government

2nd Amendment - Anti-Americanism - Chicago - Constitution - Cook County - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - Security/Safety - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Ill. Rifle Assoc.: Oh, No We Didn’t Endorse Jim Ryan in 2002

December 2, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

On the Ryan FaceBook page the claim was recently made that Jim Ryan was endorsed by the Illinois State Rifle Association’s political action arm for his 2002 race against Rod Blagojevich for governor. Au contraire, says the ISRA-PVF. They didn’t endorse anyone in 2002, they say.

The ISRA-PVF issued a news release to correct the record:

ISRA-PVF Calls Upon Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Ryan to Retract Endorsement Claims

CHICAGO, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following was released today by the ISRA Political Victory Fund (ISRA-PVF):

The ISRA-PVF is today calling upon Illinois gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan to retract claims that he received the group’s endorsement during his failed 2002 run for governor against Rod Blagojevich. Such misleading claims have surfaced on Ryan’s social networking internet sites in recent days. Additionally, individuals have made reports to the ISRA-PVF that Ryan campaign staffers have made similar endorsement claims when questioned about Ryan’s stands on issues important to law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

The fact of the matter is, the ISRA-PVF declined to make an endorsement in the 2002 race for Illinois governor as neither the Republican candidate, Jim Ryan, nor his Democratic opponent, Rod Blagojevich, were deemed suitable for endorsement.

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Ill. Rifle Assoc.: Oh, No We Didn’t Endorse Jim Ryan in 2002″

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - House of Representatives - Liberals - Nancy Salvato - President - Senate - State Government - Taxes

The Turkey That Is Obamanomics

December 2, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Thanksgiving day progressed in somewhat the usual manner, sleeping in; savoring our coffee; reading the news; putzing around on the computer; and at least one of us (me) working out in anticipation of moderating the inevitable consequences of splurging on an inordinate amount of really good food. Soon, though, we found the afternoon getting away from us and realized we needed to pick up the pace. Our newly allotted time-frame no longer permitted enough time for us to take our dogs, Reilly and Coulter, for a long walk. With the promise that we’d take them to the forest preserve with us the following day, we grabbed the dishes we’d prepared earlier, leaving the pups to their own devices, soon to arrive at our destination.

After exchanging hugs and kisses, we got down to the business of setting out the food and carving the turkey. Sitting around the dinner table, we gave thanks for our family, friends, the meal before us and voiced our hope that the soldiers spending this Thanksgiving away from their loved ones would be kept safe in the months to come. Then, in what seemed like an inordinately short amount of time – in contrast to the time it took to plan and prepare the meal – we toasted to each other and plowed through the turkey, stuffing and other fixings, eventually chasing it all down with dessert. Now we were ready to play games.
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The Turkey That Is Obamanomics”

Chicago - Cook County - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Lt. Guv Candidate Jason Plummer: Still think the Illinois Lt. Governor doesn’t matter?‏

December 1, 2009 by

From the Plummer for Lt. Guv campaign (and yes, I want to stress that HIS release spelled Lieutenant wrong several times)…

If you think the office of Illinois Leiutenant Governor doesn’t matter — just wait until now-Governor Pat Quinn passes his massive income tax hike.

For seven years, Pat Quinn played loyal second fiddle to Rod Blagojevich — remaining silent while Rod plundered the state and destroyed our economy.

As governor, Pat Quinn has continued the Blagojevich legacy — padding the state budget to pay off political special interests at our expense.
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Lt. Guv Candidate Jason Plummer: Still think the Illinois Lt. Governor doesn’t matter?‏”

Budget - Censorship - Chicago - Conservatives - Cook County - Cook County Board - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Liberals - President - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica Tweets The Veto Session (Tax Roll Back Succeeds)

December 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is a really fascinating series of tweets from Commissioner Tony Peraica as he participated in the latest Cook County Board meeting. Today (Dec. 1) Board President Todd Stroger tried to cajole the board into upholding his veto of the roll back of his implementation of the highest tax rate in the country. Peraica is against the tax and since the State Legislature ended the four-fifths rule, lowering it to three-fifths to overturn the president’s veto, the fight was on.

Anyway, here are the tweets that Peraica posted during the debate and they are a fascinating peak inside a board meeting during this important vote. Luckily, the final outcome is victory for the tax roll back. It’s only a roll back of half a penny, but it is a start and it is the first time a board president’s veto has been rolled back in anyone’s memory.

  • Chairman Daley has now started the Finance Committee meeting and has started the process WITHOUT Todd Stroger. This is novel.
  • Stroger and Collins are still holed up in his office. Major arm twisting is going on. We’ll have to look at Com. Collin’s face upon entry.
  • It”s now over ONE hour since the time for meeting of the Board to start, but, Stroger and Collins are STILL NOT HERE. Highly Suspect!
  • Storger and Collins are still talking in his office. It’s been now ONE HOUR and FIFTEEN minutes. This is beginnig to look very fishy.

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Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica Tweets The Veto Session (Tax Roll Back Succeeds)”

Children - Conservatives - Constitution - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - Society/Culture - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Put Back Amendment News

December 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Bambeneck is making headway with his Put Back Amendment and recently appeared on WCIA 3 News.

CHAMPAIGN–John Bambeneck says the state capitol is hopelessly broken. He says we send 177 legislators to Springfield, but power is only vested in the four leaders at the top. That’s why he’s proposing a package of reforms and calling on citizens to back him up. There’s a running list of petitions on his website called “The Putback Amendment.” He wants more transparent government. That means 7-day public viewing of all legislation before lawmakers vote. Plus he’s setting out to do away with a centralization of power. No more house and senate: Just one chamber. And no more than eight years in office. “They stagnate,” he said of lawmakers who’ve held the same post year after year after year. “They stop solving problems and start having more of a factory mindset.” “It’s not healthy from an organizational prospective to have the same person doing the same thing for decades on end,” he added.

Bambeneck references the Speaker of the House who’s held his post for almost 30 years. He says there’s a reason why we’ve term-limited positions like the presidency.

Representative Bill Black appreciates voters coming up with ideas for change. He says what Illinois has gone through is depressing. We have one governor in prison and possibly one on the way, but he says it isn’t the House of Representatives that got our state into trouble. In fact, it’s the House that brought about Blagojevich’s impeachment.

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Free Trade - Freedom - House of Representatives - Jobs - Liberals - Senate - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Unions a Danger to Good Government

December 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

What happens when a private sector union gets far too many benefits to the point where the business for which its membership works goes under or whose existence is threatened? Punishment. Unions either take a reduction of benefits or pay — or both — and cuts in time or jobs in order to right the ship and keep the business afloat occur. Just like punishment comes to businesses that make bad business decisions, private employee unions also realize punishment for overreach. At the risk of losing the whole enterprise both for unions and owners, the market serves to correct excess.

Unfortunately, there is no such corrective for union overreach for government employees. These unions rarely face any punishment for excess. And therein lies the reason that unions are antithetical to good government.

Of course, we’ve discussed this theme many times here at the blog over the past few years. But to buttress the discussion I’d like to relate some statistics. The Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk recently took a look at the most current reports from labor and found that 12.4% of the American work force is made up of union members. But he notes that, while union membership has fallen to 7.3% of private sector jobs, it has risen to a never before seen 37.6% unionization of government employees — and this number is growing. Government workers now make up 51% of all unionized workers in the USA.
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Unions a Danger to Good Government”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Economy/Finances - Elections - Health - Illinois - Jobs - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

10th District, Robert Dold: Government Run Health Care is Bad Medicine‏

November 30, 2009 by

From the Dold campaign…

The end of 2009 is almost here, and as Election Day, February 2nd, quickly approaches, it is time to look forward to electing a new Congressional leader who will bring your concerns and ideas to Washington. I believe that healthcare, an issue at the forefront of our minds this election season, needs to be reformed the right way—without a government takeover.

The current Democrat-backed health care plan will increase government health expenditures by an estimated $1 trillion over a ten year period. While the consequences of the enormous bill will affect us on a national level, it will also make things worse for Illinois. A recent report released by the Illinois Policy Institute revealed the nationalized health care plan will lower economic growth by costing Illinois 169,000 jobs, impose $57 billion in costs for Illinois taxpayers to bear, and shrink our state’s economy by 5.1 percent.
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10th District, Robert Dold: Government Run Health Care is Bad Medicine‏”

Chicago - Cook County - Cook County Board - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Cook County Board President Race: John Garrido Responds to Claims He’s a Dem. Plant

November 30, 2009 by

Is it the Chicago dirty tricks squad at work? From the Garrido campaign…

SCHILLER PARK – John Garrido addressed rumors being circulated among Republican circles that he’s a Democrat “plant”. He issued the following statement:

Attempts to try and make me look like a Democrat based on my primary voting record are laughable. I am a Republican, have always been a Republican, and will always remain a Republican.

I have voted in two Democratic primaries. In 2008, I joined over 100,000 Republicans in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and 38,000 in Mississippi who voted for Hillary Clinton to put Republicans in the best position to win in the general election. I also voted for an Assistant State’s Attorney and friend running as a Democrat who was more than qualified for judge.
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Cook County Board President Race: John Garrido Responds to Claims He’s a Dem. Plant”

Chicago - Conservatives - Constitution - Cook County - Elections - Illinois - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Constitution Party: Randall Stufflebeam for Ill. Governor

November 30, 2009 by

From the Stufflebeam campaign…

We had a great time in Alton yesterday (Saturday, November 28) and I am really proud of the organizers of this tea party that had a focus on the youth. You can read the Alton Telegraphs report below.

I had the opportunity to speak, not as a candidate, but as a “Constitutionalist.” I opened my speech with this phrase, “In just a little over three years from now, we will be celebrating the 100th year anniversary of the day that tyranny got it’s foothold here in America.” On February 3, 1913 the 16th Amendment (Known to most people as the “Income Tax Amendment”) was declared to have been ratified. Then on April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment was declared to have been ratified. Interestingly, in October of the same year, the Federal Reserve Act was ratified. Can you connect the dots?
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Constitution Party: Randall Stufflebeam for Ill. Governor”

Budget - Business - Chicago - Cook County - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Chgo Trib: Remembering Why the ILl. GOP Backed Blago

November 30, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Kass, he of the rail against “the combine,” has another column reminding us of why the Illinois GOP has become the laughing stalk of the GOP nation wide. It’s because up until this very day, the Illinois Republican Party has been but a weaker arm of the Illinois Democrat Party. Too many in the state GOP have been so intertwined with the criminal Democrats that they are indistinguishable one from the other, hence why Kass calls them “the combine.”

Kass reminded us of how the Illinois GOP establishment under past Party Chair Andy McKenna worked hand in glove with the corrupt Democrats. As Kass interviewed Jim Ryan, GOP candidate for Governor, he detailed just some of combine’s nefarious actions in 2006 when Ryan faced now indicted ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich.
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Chgo Trib: Remembering Why the ILl. GOP Backed Blago”

Budget - Business - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Truth in Accounting - Warner Todd Huston

Truth in Accounting TV Appearance

November 29, 2009 by 1 Comment

On Nov. 12th, WTTW 11, Chicago’s PBS station, did a roundtable segment about Illinois’ C minus grade on managing its money. The panel featured Sheila Weinberg of The Institute for Truth in Accounting, and Illinois non-profit think tank that we’ve discussed here many times.

This is a warning that Illinois has a budget disaster that will sink it unless addressed, and soon.

(cross posted at RedCounty.com)

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - House of Representatives - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

10th District: Bob Dold Supports Bank Bailouts

November 28, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Of the Republicans running for the 10th District seat, Bob Dold is one of four, the others being Beth Coulson (the party favorite), Bill Cadigan (endorsed by former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger), and Dick Green.

Dold recently participated in a short phone conversation with Jeff Berkowitz of the Public Affairs Show the upshot of which seems to show that Dold supports the Bush/Obama bank bailouts.

Dold told Berkowitz that he thinks government needs the “ability to make sure that we’re stabilizing the banks.” Now, a conservative would far more likely say that no bank or business is “too big to fail” and that the only way to truly stabilize the banking system is to let banks that make bad choices suffer the consequences of their choices, not buoy them up and give them free money from the taxpayers so that they are insulated from those bad choices.
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10th District: Bob Dold Supports Bank Bailouts”

Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Rep. Sacia Guarding Party Chief Privilege Since 2003

November 27, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Republican Representative Jim Sacia represents the 89th District (Map) which encompasses the most north western corner of the state including the cities of Galena and Freeport. Galenas is General Grant’s old stomping grounds and Freeport is the home of one of President Lincoln’s famous debate stops with Senator Douglas.

With Galena and Freeport, Sacia’s District is home of cities that were touched by two of the state’s most famous self-made men, Lincoln and Hiram Ulysses Grant — his real name was never Sam. Yet, representative Sacia is doing his level best to safeguard the privilege of Party bigwigs and prevent the people from having a say by being an opponent of SB600.

SB600 would return the Republican party system to the people and allow the voters to chose its party leaders by vote, just as the Democrats already do. I say return because it used to be that Illinois’ Republican voters were allowed the opportunity to chose their party leaders. But this system was changed by the state legislature to a system whereby party committeemen, not voters, decide who becomes the party leaders. In other words, it is a system of pure powerbrokering as opposed to one of democratic balloting.
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Rep. Sacia Guarding Party Chief Privilege Since 2003″

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

The Illinois Township: A Layer of Govt That is Pure Waste

November 27, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

This week ABC 7’s Chuck Goudie aired a report made in conjunction with the Better Government Association that explored the efficacy of the Illinois Township and what they discovered is just more waste and ripoffs of the Illinois taxpayer.

Townships were originally created for two main purposes: raising taxes to take care of roads in unincorporated areas and to provide temporary aid to the poor. Unfortunately the I-Team and the BGA have discovered that this extra layer of government is collecting large amounts of taxes, spending only a fraction on the two purposes for which they were created, and banking all the rest amassing huge surpluses all the while hiring friends and family members for false, make-work jobs that create no wealth for the community.

This report finds that most of the money that these townships take in goes to salaries for township employees.
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The Illinois Township: A Layer of Govt That is Pure Waste”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Cook County - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - History - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Jim Dodge for Comptroller: First Video Commercial

November 25, 2009 by

“Jim Dodge has the qualifications,” says the commercial. But the funniest part is that it ends saying, “we can vote for a blast from the past or begin a new, winning chapter for Illinois Republicans.”

Why is that last bit funny? Because it is a slap at Judy Baar Topinka, the former, former of the Illinois Good ‘ol Boy GOP network, who is also running (again) for a state-wide office, this time comptroller.

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Campaign Finance - Capitalism - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Jobs - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

A State Pensioner That Thinks He’s Blameless For Pension Mess

November 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune printed a letter to the editor that perfectly describes the disconnect that state workers have between their pensions and the political process. These state workers stare wide-eyed in faux innocence pretending that they themselves, as individuals, are wholly innocent of the mess that is our state pensions are currently in.

But the truth is, the financial ruins that our states are in ARE the fault of state workers. It is their fault directly and without question. Their protestations of innocence is a lie. Sadly, it is a lie they tell themselves and they believe it.

Here is what former state employee Earl Shumaker of Sycamore, Illinois wrote to the Chicago Trib:
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A State Pensioner That Thinks He’s Blameless For Pension Mess”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Communism - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Stimulus Stimulated Much of Nothing in Illinois

November 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting story that shows that Obama’s $787 billion stimulus really didn’t do much by way of creating any new jobs in Illinois. Though Obama is counting “jobs saved” as some sort of success story, the fact is few jobs have been created and nothing will be sustainable after the stimulus money runs out.

Jobs “saved” apparently means that stimulus money went to keep a job that might otherwise have been lost. But the problem with calling it a job saved is that once the stimulus runs out that same job will still be on the chopping block.

Then there is the other thing to realize: none of these “jobs” are real, useful, and economically real jobs. They are but government handouts given to people with government jobs. The fact is not a single one of these faux jobs “created” by the Obama stimulus is in the private sector. They are all in government and government does not create wealth, it does not grow an economy. All government does is take tax money from one pocket and shift it to another pocket. None of these “jobs” are worthy of being called new jobs.
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Stimulus Stimulated Much of Nothing in Illinois”

Barack Obama - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Illinois Policy Institute: What’s Getting Under Pelosi’s Skin?

November 24, 2009 by

What’s Getting Under Pelosi’s Skin? Our newest health care study, that’s what! “Adding Insult to Injury,” which we released yesterday, has already hit the national airwaves. Congressman Peter Roskam appeared on Fox News yesterday, citing our study’s findings that Illinois will lose 169,000 jobs (and the nation 3.8 million) if the current health care bill passes.

We discovered other unfortunate side effects of the plan, including economic shrinkage of 5.1% and a $4,418 price tag for each Illinoisan. You can watch our CEO’s remarks at yesterday’s Chicago press conference here.
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Illinois Policy Institute: What’s Getting Under Pelosi’s Skin?”

Chicago - Cook County - Elections - GOP - House of Representatives - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

62nd District: Mitchell’s Mounting Endorsements

November 24, 2009 by

List includes two statewide candidates, current and former political leaders.

Paul Mitchell, a Republican candidate for State Representative in the 62nd District, today released the following list of individual endorsements:

  • Mr. Adam Andrzejewski
  • Mr. Ken Arnold
  • Mr. Thom Brasuell
  • Mr. Michael Carbone
  • Mr. Don Castella
  • Mr. Phil Collins
  • Hon. Ralph Davis
  • Mr. Frederick Dempsey, esq.
  • Dr. Sandra Dempsey, M.D.
  • Mr. Peter Karlovics, esq.
  • Mrs. Irene Napier
  • Mrs. Bonnie Quirke
  • Col. & Mrs. Raymond True
  • Rev. Richard Valkanet
  • Mr. Joe Walsh
  • Rev. Randy White

Each of these endorsements is from the endorser personally, and is not representative of the organizations or offices they are associated with.

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62nd District: Mitchell’s Mounting Endorsements”

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Cook County Board - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Liberals - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Cook County Board Quietly Approves Employee Raises

November 24, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

CBS2 reports that the Cook County Board has quietly approved of raises for County employees. Yes, this is the same County Board that is fighting over a one half cent tax hike and claiming that the coffers are empty causing hospitals to close up for lack of funds.

While businesses all across the country are freezing salaries, stopping new hires, and even cutting salaries ten and twenty percent, County government is giving luxurious raises to its employees. That’s your tax dollars being spent to give public employee raises when the voters are seeing hard times.

Must be nice to have a cushy, extravagant, recession proof, government job during these hard times, eh?

And now for the understatement of the year…
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Cook County Board Quietly Approves Employee Raises”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Ohio’s Ben Konop Wants Kids to Starve so he can Give Gov’t Payoffs to Unions

November 24, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ruinous PLAs Coming Your Way Lucas County, Ohio!

Magie Thurber is reporting that Lucas County, Ohio County Commissioner Ben Konop is trying to force unions on non-union labor in his jurisdiction. What about freedom to chose? Forget it. Konop as big brother knows better.

On Tuesday, the commissioners will discuss an agenda item ominously entitled “Incorporating Project Labor Agreements into Bidding Specifications for all County-Supported Projects.” (Download PDF) Apparently the commissioners will be pursuing PLAs in all contracts in Lucas County’s future.

What is a Project Labor Agreement or PLA? I discussed this back in February right after President Obama signed his Executive Order 13202 pushing PLAs and in October after New Hampshire faced this situation. Obama’s EO demanded that every federal construction project force a PLA on its contractors. Essentially, a PLA requires all hired contractors and their employees to pay union dues, work under union rules, and pay into union pensions (even though they will never get any benefits from them) whether they belong to a union or not. This forced unionism is to be enforced despite that up to 84 percent of all contractors in the country are not part of a union.
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Ohio’s Ben Konop Wants Kids to Starve so he can Give Gov’t Payoffs to Unions”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Communism - Congress - Conservatives - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Freedom - GOP - History - House of Representatives - Liberals - Nancy Salvato - Patriotism - President - Republicans - Rights - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law - Western Civilization

An Abridgement of Constitutional Rights

November 24, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

The objectives for the United States Constitution are outlined in its preamble. Read it putting emphasis on the action verbs.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America…”

All the objectives for the Constitution were chosen carefully and reflect the concerns which surfaced around The Articles of Confederation, this country’s first Constitution.

Read this again, but with a renewed emphasis on certain elements.
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An Abridgement of Constitutional Rights”

Chicago - Conservatives - Cook County - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - Senate - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

McKenna the ‘Outsider’?

November 23, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Andy McKenna recently vacated the Chairmanship of the Illinois Republican Party where he presided over the loss to the GOP of every statewide office. He was its Chairman for four years. It was recently hinted by new GOP Chair Pat Brady that McKenna is the favored candidate of the National Party in the race for Governor. It seems like Andy McKenna has the inside track on his late-emerged campaign for governor.

… yet McKenna is styling himself as an “outsider”?

In his newest ad appearing on both TV and radio, McKenna calls himself “Honest, outsider businessman Andy McKenna.”
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McKenna the ‘Outsider’?”

Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - Society/Culture - State Government - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

An Example of Electoral Foolishness in Illinois

November 23, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The petition challenge is a long-time, widely abused, wholly cynical method of destroying your opponent here in Illinois. The petition challenge has been known to eliminate candidates from ballots all across the state — but most often in the tough town of Chicago — preventing voters from having their choice on election day. In fact, a petition challenge is how Barack Obama beat his first major political opponent in Chicago.

Back in 1996 young candidate Barack Hussein Obama challenged the petition of long-time Chicago pol Alice Palmer and had her knocked off the ballot leaving Obama as the only one left for the voters to chose from come election day. The worst part of Obama’s cynical effort to ditch his opponent is that Alice Palmer was widely accepted as his political mentor at the time. With the disrespect Obama is now showing America’s allies we should find this as no surprise considering how he treated his own political mentor and friend back in ‘96.

There are legitimate reasons for a petition challenge, of course. Fake petition signatures, false filings, etc., these things should be challenged, certainly. We don’t want candidates to reach the ballot through fraud to be sure. But silly challenges abound in this state and it is nothing but a cynical gaming of the system.
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An Example of Electoral Foolishness in Illinois”

Democrats/Leftists - Frederick Meekins - History - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government

Deer Issue Catches Liberalism In Headlights

November 23, 2009 by

-By Frederick Meekins

Early in American history, one was pretty much free to do as one saw fit on one’s property so long as it was moral especially if one lived in a rural area where one’s actions were not likely to encroach upon the sensibilities of one’s neighbors. However, now it seems the landholdings of the United States in general and private property in specific are for everyone else to decide what to do with except the one to which it is titled.

As of September 1, 2009, the Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries has announced that it is illegal to artificially feed the deer through the first Saturday in January. This regulation is part of a program to keep the number of deer in check.

In other words, it is hoped that a number of them will starve to death during the winter months. If pristine, untouched nature is to be the standard by which our actions and decisions are to be judged, then shouldn’t we speak plainly as to the policy’s goals and intentions?
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Deer Issue Catches Liberalism In Headlights”

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Liberals - Police - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - State Government - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Another Union Thief, This One a Cop

November 22, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Chicago, Ill. — The president of the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association has been caught stealing over $600,000 in union funds, authorities say.

Sgt. John Pallohusky, 53, spent the stolen funds on gambling trips, lavish dinners, and online stock trading.

He spent more than $163,000 on Ameritrade and $75,000 at restaurants including Ruth’s Chris, Smith & Wollensky, Kinzie Chophouse, Petterino’s, Gibson’s and Lawry’s, the arrest warrant said.

This is just another example of the illegitimacy of unions, really. This guy has been doing this for two years. Did no one miss all that cash for two years? Were there no other union officials paying attention? And if none of this money was missed for 24 months, WHY does the union need this cash in the first place? Obviously no one needed all that money all this time if no one noticed so much was missing.
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Another Union Thief, This One a Cop”

Budget - Business - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Illinois - Liberals - Mayor Richard Daley - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Chicago to Waste Millions on Park Plan

November 22, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Park District is wasting millions more of the taxpayer’s money by hiring a New York landscaping firm to redesign portions of Grant Park and Northerly Island just as it recently announced plans for employee lay offs to try and balance its $400 million budget.

Chicago residents will recall that in the dead of night in the Summer of 2003 Mayor Daley sent bulldozers onto Northerly Island to destroy the Meigs Field airport runways so that he could reclaim the property as another one of his vaunted park space projects. In 2003, Daley made the silly excuse that Meigs Field airport was a “security risk” in a post 9/11 world, but everyone knows this was just another example of Daley’s arrogance.

Since 2003 little has been decided about that space but that appears to be changing.
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Chicago to Waste Millions on Park Plan”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - California - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - SEIU - Society/Culture - State Government - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Fixing the Vote in Fresno, Too

November 21, 2009 by 4 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few weeks ago we reported on how the Services Employees International Union was attempting to fix the vote in Sonoma County, California so that Sonoma’s in-home healthcare workers would end up with SEIU representation instead of NUHW representation.

Well, Sonoma wasn’t an isolated case. The SEIU used the same vote fixing tactics in Fresno County.

Andy Stern’s SEIU is playing hardball, using techniques that harken back to the mob-infested old days in order to win the game of representation. And THIS is the guy that President Obama is taking close counsel from? A goon. A thug. A mob-like hitman.

Its the Chicago Way, alright. From Chicago to Fresno and Sonoma Counties all the way to the White House. This president and his cronies are instituting mob action everywhere they go.
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SEIU Fixing the Vote in Fresno, Too”