Urge Congress to Vote ‘NO’ On Striking $$ Saving Section From Federal Construction Projects Bill (Illinois Especially)

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today there may be a vote on striking a section of H.R. 2055 that will insure that federal construction projects for the military are fairly priced and will save money for the taxpayers. Some representatives want this advantageous section struck out and replaced with a union-favoring provision that will cost the tax payers millions and will cause even more job loss in an already failing economy.

The bill is the Military Construction (MilCon) and Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012 (H.R. 2055). The section the Democrats want to eliminate is section 415.

Section 415 removes the requirement for companies bidding for federal construction projects for the military to sign anti-competitive project labor agreements (PLAs) that will force these companies to pay union dues, union benefits and adhere to union rules regardless if the companies themselves are staffed by union members of not.
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Urge Congress to Vote ‘NO’ On Striking $$ Saving Section From Federal Construction Projects Bill (Illinois Especially)”


Unionists Next Target for Destruction: Apple, Inc.

-By Warner Todd Huston

A four-year Apple store employee in San Francisco wants to unionize the low wage workers that help customers in Apple Stores across America. Should he succeed, this will, of course, take one of the few successful companies we have left in America, hobble it with jobs-killing union rules, and destroy its jobs like the rest of them.

Cory Moll, 30, has a plan to take a bite out of Apple, it seems. He is claiming that the minimum wage, retail jobs of the floor helpers at Apple stores are beset with “unfair practices.” So, he wants to organize the 30,000 retail employees in Apple’s 325 brick-and-mortar stores.

Using Twitter and Facebook, Moll is trying to get the rest of the country’s Apple store employees on his jobs killing bandwagon. Fortunately, he has yet to gain much support from them.
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Unionists Next Target for Destruction: Apple, Inc.”


Quinn’s Tax Hikes Chasing Away Chicago Merc?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and his profligate Democrat Party cohorts have been racking up the loss of one business after another since they decided to wildly raise the state’s taxes. Quinn’s and the Democrat’s next target seems to be the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, an ongoing Chicago tradition since 1898.

Chicago has the third highest corporate tax rate in the country and CME’s Chairman, Terence Duffy, and its Chief Financial Officer, James Parisi, say it is a burden with which they don’t think they need to contend.
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Quinn’s Tax Hikes Chasing Away Chicago Merc?”


Getting Muddy: Tim Pawlenty Attacks ‘ObamneyCare’

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tim Pawlenty is one of only two GOP contenders that have a nation-wide ground game and it looks like he’s starting to go on the attack against Mitt Romney, the other Republican with a nation-wide organization. On Fox News Sunday today he attacked Romney’s disastrous healthcare bill that he signed when Governor of Massachusetts head on calling the legislation “ObamneyCare.”

With one phrase he was able to link Romney’s healthcare law directly to the hated Obamacare legislation. It was clever, but it shows that Pawlenty feels that Romney is not only the guy to beat, he’s vulnerable as well.

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Choosing Our Own Candidate, What a Concept

-By Frank Salvato

As we approach the true beginning of the 2012 election cycle, the Republican slate of candidates is starting to take shape. Many among those who count themselves as Republicans hold great hope that 2012 will bring to an end a four year reign of irresponsible spending on social engineering issues that – if not by design, almost certainly on purpose – has led our country to a place of fiscal insolvency, national insecurity and diminished stature around the world. But regardless of who finally rounds out the slate of Conservative, Constitutionalist, Libertarian-leaning and Republican candidates in the official Republican field, we are still hobbled by a primary election process that frontloads the results to the Democrat and Progressive advantage.

Each year, the many candidates that vie for a position on the slates of the challenging parties to the incumbent party spend a great amount of time in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire. This reality includes any potential Republican and/or Conservative candidates, and yes there is a difference. But this reality, the reality of the cyclical trek to these two states begs a question, exclusively for those who stand opposed to the expansion of government, the decline of the Constitution and American sovereignty, and the advancement of Progressivism:

Why do Conservatives vying for the GOP nomination subject themselves, the party and the GOP constituency to the results, before all others, from two states that have traditionally voted for the Democrat in a majority of the presidential contests of the 20th and 21st Centuries? How does that divine the best candidate for the Republican Party?
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Choosing Our Own Candidate, What a Concept”


No Respect: Unionistas Protest Gov. Walker at a Special Olympics Event

-By Warner Todd Huston

No respect. No respect at all. That used to be a funny line of a comedian. Now it just brings to mind the ignorance and outrageous behavior of union thugs in Wisconsin. This week these creeps had the audacity to disrupt a kid’s event to protest Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan.

It isn’t just any kid’s event, either. It is a Special Olympics event! That’s right, these union thugs can’t even let a Special Olympics event pass without trying to use these special needs kids as political tools for their left-wing political purpose.

That takes some serious self-absorption, doesn’t it?

Union members should be ashamed of themselves in general, of course, but these thugs in Wisconsin deserve special recognition for their hateful behavior. After all, they are protesting in order to be able to steal more money from the people at a time when government is already over spent and in the red.
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No Respect: Unionistas Protest Gov. Walker at a Special Olympics Event”


Rep. Adam Kinzinger Will Talk Jobs in the Weekly Republican Address

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, ILL)…

Washington, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today announced that job creation will be the focus when Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) delivers the Weekly Republican Address on Saturday, June 11. The news that our economy still isn’t creating enough jobs has raised new questions about Washington Democrats’ ‘stimulus’ policies. Republicans recently unveiled “A Plan for America’s Job Creators,” a blueprint that builds on the Pledge to America with measures designed to remove government obstacles to private-sector job growth – the kind of growth that the ‘stimulus’ promised but failed to deliver. These will be among the topics discussed in the weekly address.

“I’m humbled to have an opportunity to address our nation about the future of job creation, which is on the minds of folks throughout Illinois’ Eleventh Congressional District and across the country,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “In Illinois, businesses are sapped with more taxes and increased government regulations that directly impact them, creating greater consumer uncertainty, which translates to less confidence in the markets. At a recent town hall meeting, I spoke with constituents and job creators who are fed up with the doubt and distrust over our economy. In order to refuel economic growth, we must eliminate out-of-control spending and end unnecessary regulations and skyrocketing taxes on job creators.”

Adam Kinzinger, a pilot in the Air National Guard, represents the people of Illinois’ Eleventh Congressional District. Kinzinger serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee as well as a Deputy Republican Whip. Kinzinger remains active in the military with the rank of captain and has earned the Air Medal six times serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
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Rep. Adam Kinzinger Will Talk Jobs in the Weekly Republican Address”


Healthcare: Let The States Decide

-By Warner Todd Huston

The debate about healthcare coming from the Democrats is steeped in purposeful misdirection on one hand and a complete lack of any real knowledge about what Obamacare will even do on the other. It is also a major overreach on a federalism level which is why it is hard to understand why more people aren’t talking about the Healthcare Compact plan (healthcarecompact.org).14 states have already signed onto it and has even been signed into law in two of them, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Of course, the problem is that we are expected to believe that Obamacare — which is essentially a nationalized healthcare policy — will work just fine on a national level. Despite that history has proven over and over again that centralized planning simply does not work, most especially with something as unwieldy and complicated as healthcare.

It doesn’t help that we are not being told the truth by those pushing Obama’s plan, either. Many times the president has claimed that with Obamacare you can “keep your health care plan” if you like it, you can keep your doctor if you like him. This, however, has been generously called a “questionable” promise. And that isn’t the only untruth coming from Obamacare supporters.
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Healthcare: Let The States Decide”


Bloomington Pantagraph Editorial: Kinzinger Strikes Blow for Curbing Defense‏

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, ILL)…

From the Bloomington Pantagraph

Kinzinger strikes blow for curbing defense

Adam Kinzinger was able to combine his insight as a military pilot with his relatively new role as a congressman to gain House approval of a proposal that would save taxpayers about $100 million over the next seven years.
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Bloomington Pantagraph Editorial: Kinzinger Strikes Blow for Curbing Defense‏”


Do You Really Know Who is Teaching Your Child?

-By Larry Sand

Hookers plying their trade while government turns a blind eye.

Consequences for sexual perverts? No, the state doesn’t seem to care.

Whistle blower fired for exposing massive corruption.

Rampant nepotism in government jobs.

Private bureaucratic empire using public funds.

The above could probably pass as blurbs for a sequel to the movie Chinatown. But while Chinatown was a fictitious movie sprung from the fertile imagination of Robert Towne, the above statements apply to an agency in the executive branch of California state government called the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

This entity whose mission is to “ensure integrity and high quality in the preparation, conduct and professional growth of the educators who serve California’s public schools” is in fact a corrupt, callous and self-serving club that cares nothing at all about your kids.

What is turning into a major scandal first came to light with little fanfare from the press in early April when California State Auditor Elaine Howle released a report that blew the lid off what she referred to as “one of the ‘worst state run’ agencies in CA.’”

Here are the “highlights from the auditor’s report:
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Do You Really Know Who is Teaching Your Child?”


Kinzinger: Washington Must Get Serious About Reducing Spending and Growing our Economy‏

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, ILL)…

Kinzinger: Washington must get serious about reducing spending and growing our economy

On 6/3, Congressman Adam Kinzinger joined Neil Cavuto on Fox Business to discuss the Freshman meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the debt ceiling.

http://kinzinger.house.gov/


Emanuel’s First Test: Gang Mob Attacks Continue in Chicago After Memorial Beach Closing

Chicagoans flocked to North Avenue Beach last Monday for Memorial Day, only to have their holiday fun spoiled when Chicago police closed the beach. For the first time in Chicago’s history, North Avenue Beach, where residents go to cool off, was closed due to excessive heat according to Police Superintendent Tom McCarthy. McCarthy was backed up by newly elected Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who claimed there was a surge in calls due to heat exhaustion, and the reason for the closing was to give ambulances and paramedics easier access to treat those in need.

Fox Chicago News lightly covered reasons for the beach closing other than heat, which were missing from other local news outlets, CBS and ABC. Fox reported an unusually high presence of Chicago street gangs…

Read the rest at RebelPundit.com.


Roskam on Job Creation‏

from the office of Congressman Peter Roskam (R, IL)…

House Republicans sent a clear to message to the White House last week: Washington must stop spending money it doesn’t have.

House Republicans were unified against increasing the country’s borrowing limit without meaningful spending cuts and reforms, and 82 Democrats joined Republicans in voting against it. This White House has added $3.5 trillion in debt over just two years, so Americans simply don’t support giving them a blank check to keep on spending.

The continued borrow-and-spend madness hasn’t helped create jobs either. Just this past Friday, the national unemployment rate rose to 9.1%, a full 27 months after the “stimulus” passed.
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Roskam on Job Creation‏”


Assistance from a Grateful Nation

From Operation Homefront…

Watch this Brief Video — Help Us Support Illinois Military Families

Each year, thousands of Illinoisans bid goodbye to their families, friends and loved ones to deploy all over the world and defend our country.

These are the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.

But what about their families? What about the husbands, wives and children who are left behind?
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Assistance from a Grateful Nation”


Anthony Weiner Admits He Sent the Original Photo, Lied About It

-By Warner Todd Huston

Despite the many left-wingers spinning tales to make Weinergate the fault of conservative media mogul, Andrew Breitbart, Democrat New York Representative Anthony Weiner now admits that it was he who sent the original photo, that the underwear-clad person in the photo was indeed a photo of himself, and that he lied about his Twitter account being “hacked.”

Interestingly, before Weiner took to the podium, reporters began to ask questions of Andrew Breitbart who was in attendance at the press conference. Breitbart was in the audience, in New York for his book tour. Breitbart took to the podium and demanded that Weiner apologize to him for all the many leftists that blamed Breitbart for the whole affair when it was really Weiner’s fault all along.

After admitting it all, Weiner had bouts of tears and apologized profusely. He has refused to resign, however, saying that it is in the hands of the voters in the next election to fire him. He did not feel he broke any real laws or House rules.

I live Tweeted the press conference and following are my entries:
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Anthony Weiner Admits He Sent the Original Photo, Lied About It”


Texas: More Atheists Lies Get Court Backing

-By Warner Todd Huston

In another strike against freedom, democracy, and American traditions a Texas court has decided that a Texas High School cannot have a prayer during its upcoming graduation ceremonies. Not only that, but according to this judge speakers are even barred from saying the words “join in prayer,” “bow their heads,” “amen,” and “prayer.” So now, according to these anti-democratic courts, mere words are illegal!

Naturally this decision was once again a result of a lawsuit filed by some radical, anti-American atheists. These prevaricators claimed that hearing a prayer would cause them “irreparable harm.” What tosh…

Red the rest at http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=8725 .


Republican State Rep. Mark Beaubien Dies

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Rep. Mark Beaubien Jr., a Republican lawmaker since 1996 and the former head of a family banking business, died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon.
Beaubien, 68, of Barrington Hills was at a Republican fundraising event at Arlington Park race track with family, friends and colleagues when he died.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of my close friend and colleague, Rep. Mark Beaubien,” said House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Dee, his children, grandchildren and many friends around the state…

Read the Rest at the Chicago Tribune.


Roskam to White House: ‘Simply Hope For a Change is Not an Economic Policy’

From the office of Rep. Peter Roskam (R, ILL)…

Roskam: “The White House has to realize… simply hope for a change is not an economic policy.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Peter Roskam, Chief Deputy Whip, spoke at the House Republican Leadership press conference following the release of the May Jobs Report, which showed the unemployment rate rose to 9.1% after only 54,000 jobs were created last month:

Roskam Remarks:
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Roskam to White House: ‘Simply Hope For a Change is Not an Economic Policy’”


Cook County Commissioner Summer Fun Update

From the office of Cook County Commissioner Timothy O. Schneider

Fishing Fun

Cook County Commissioner Timothy O. Schneider’s Fishing Derby

Sunday June 12, 2011 from 9am – Noon at Busse Woods Grove 25

Celebrate a summer day fishing at Busse Woods, a Cook County forest preserve, with some of your friends and family. Bring your fishing gear and fish for fantastic prizes! No fishing license needed during Illinois Free Fishing days!
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Cook County Commissioner Summer Fun Update”


Even Lefty Website Mediaite Says Breitbart Did Not Lie about Wienergate

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the things that the left has lighted upon to explain away the behavior of Democrat Congressman Anthony Weiner with his Weinergate Twitter mess is typical of the way leftists try to misdirect a debate away from the failings of their own side. Instead of keeping focus on the failures of Weiner to put an end to this controversy, leftists are trying to blame conservative Internet mogul Andrew Breitbart for it all, as if it is all Breitbart’s fault and not Weiner’s. Worse, these same leftists are saying Breitbart, not Weiner, is the “liar” here.

Many on the left, from the DailyKos, to many left-wingers on Twitter are claiming that Breitbart made up this whole Weinergate story and is the one behind it all. Some even on my own blog have chimed in to claim the story was invented by Breitbart. But any fair review of the timeline and the various folks involved shows this not to be true. In fact, even Mediaite says that Breitbart is blameless in the whole Weinergate story.

Certainly Breitbart has launched into this story with gusto and his various “Big” sites have been chock-a-block full of Weinergate stories. But none of these posts have been invented by an evil Breitbartian cabal. They have simply been a discussion of the evidence as the story has progressed. Period.
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Even Lefty Website Mediaite Says Breitbart Did Not Lie about Wienergate”


New Civil Unions Law Already Infringing on Religious Freedom

From Lake County Right to Life…

(Grayslake, IL – June 2, 2011) Illinois’ Civil Unions law went into effect June 1, and even State Sen. David Koehler, sponsor of the bill in the senate, is frustrated with its repercussions to religious freedom. Koehler made it clear that the law, ironically named “The Religious Freedom Protection Act and Civil Union Act,” was intended to protect the rights of social service organizations, including adoption agencies, to carry out their duties according to their faith.

But months ago, activists began challenging the ability of religious childcare agencies to prohibit the placement of children with same-sex couples, so Sen. Koehler proposed a religious exemption amendment to protect the rights of these agencies. Despite lobbying by Catholic Charities and other organizations, the amendment was defeated in the Senate Executive Committee.
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New Civil Unions Law Already Infringing on Religious Freedom”


Ill. Budget Cuts: Not Far Enough‏

From the Illinois Policy Institute…

The General Assembly has adjourned for the summer. A budget was passed that contained real cuts, but it was still too big. Significant school reform sits on the governor’s desk. Illinois government will be more transparent. And yet so much more remains to be done.

Here are the highlights of the spring 2011 legislative session in Illinois. Over the next few weeks, we will roll out a thorough analysis of all the legislative items, large and small, that were on the Institute’s watch list this year. Stay tuned.

Thank you,

Collin Hitt
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Illinois Policy Institute

We Don’t Want It; You Can’t Afford It
The Institute’s open letter to Congress implores lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to just say NO to any federal bailouts of spendthrift states. Voters in Arkansas, Florida, Nevada, Maine, Colorado and elsewhere shouldn’t be forced to pony up for Illinois’s self-made mess.
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Ill. Budget Cuts: Not Far Enough‏”


Holding the Line on Spending, Driving Cuts

From the office of Illinois GOP House Minority Leader Tom Cross…

As we wrapped up the regular spring legislative session this week, Illinois House Republicans drove the General Assembly to a balanced budget by only allowing the Governor to spend money that we estimate we will receive in revenues next year. That number is $33.2 billion—any dime we receive above that number will go to pay down our backlog of bills.

Our spending level is $2 billion less than what Governor Quinn wanted to spend and $1 billion less than what the Illinois Senate originally wanted to spend.

In fact, in a last ditch effort to spend more money, the Illinois Senate sent us legislation that would have tacked on more than $400 million. We rejected that.
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Holding the Line on Spending, Driving Cuts”


Now Media Trying to Turn Weiner Tweeter Into a Republican?

-By Warner Todd Huston

This story about Democrat New York Congressman Anthony Weiner sending a photo of his… uh… weiner… to some barely-out-of-her-teens student in Washington State is as ridiculous as it can get. But the leave it to the Old Media to make it more ridiculous yet. Leave it to the venerable newswire service Reuters to turn a Democrat Weiner into a Republican weiner. Because a sex scandal couldn’t possibly be a Democrat’s, right?

In a hot story posted this afternoon, Reuters screams out a headline that says: “Republican Weiner Uncertain Whether Lewd Photo Was of Him,” ‘cuz, you know, them there lewd Republicans see so many lewd photos that they can’t recognize their own package when they see it… right?

I mean, this sex scandal is a Republican type of story, right? Reuters must not be able to conceive of the possibility that a Democrat could be involved. After all, we have a congressman that won’t answer questions about a sex scandal, a guy that’s rude to the media, and a guy that seems to be wholly ignorant of Internet applications. MUST be a Republican Reuters must imagine!
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Now Media Trying to Turn Weiner Tweeter Into a Republican?”


Ill. Democrat Assaults Fellow Senator On Floor of Senate!

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently, when anyone dares question an Illinois Democrat he gets violent… even if he’s a state senator and he’s right on the floor of the senate itself.

51st District Senator Kyle McCarter (R- Lebanon) objected during the debate today about the ComEd utility legislation the Democrats were pushing. His fellow Senator, the 36th District’s Senator Mike Jacobs (D, Moline), was pushing a vote on the bill without telling everyone present that his father, former senator Denny Jacobs, was a lobbyist for ComEd, the company that would benefit most from the bill.

Sen. McCarter rose to his feet and calmly alerted the house to the fact that not only was Senator Jacobs’ father a lobbyist for ComEd but that the Democrat Party was the largest recipient of ComEd’s campaign cash.
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Ill. Democrat Assaults Fellow Senator On Floor of Senate!”


Election Laws Need an Overhaul, Wisc. Case in Point

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is no doubt that our election laws are in serious disarray. So many laws and rules have been written and added to the plethora of rules and regulations that already exist that confusion is more likely the case than clarification. As several recall petitions in Wisconsin wing their way to a polling place near you (if you’re a Badger Stater), a case in point is a stupid Wisconsin rule that equates to the disenfranchisement of individual voters should things get dicey at the polling place.

Tucked away in chapter seven of the election officials duties publication from the State of Wisconsin is a rule that would essentially take away the legal vote of some undetermined number of voters if the polling place discovers that its vote count is higher than its number of registered voters in the poll book.

The idea is that if there are too many votes then the poll judges will “draw… by chance the number of ballots equal to the excess number” and put these votes aside. These votes will not count, either. That means that supposedly by random, some citizens will lose their vote because somehow or another the ballot box was stuffed with too many illicit votes!
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Election Laws Need an Overhaul, Wisc. Case in Point”


Redistricting: Democrat Infested Ill. LegisSLAYture Kills Will of the Voter

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the worst aspects of American politics is the often blatantly partisan process of redistricting and Illinois has just clocked in with one of the worst examples in recent memory. Illinois Democrats just finished their effort to redistrict the state and have proven that the will of the voters is meaningless to them with their proposal. The map just yesterday passed by the General Assembly in Springfield is now headed for Gov. Quinn’s signature.

Naturally, the new map is a partisan slap in the face to thousands of Illinois voters. As it happens the results of the 2010 midterm election sent five new Republicans to Washington from the Land of Lincoln. Many of these were GOP upsets where freshman Republicans replaced a Democrat. But despite that the will of the voter tended toward Republicans in these five districts, the new map created by Democrats undermines nearly every GOP district and dilutes the voter’s will by adding to them portions of other districts that vote against Republicans.

Certainly the districts must be redrawn, of that there is no question. According to population stats, Illinois does not rate as many representatives as it had before and one representative was going to be lost for certain. You see, Illinois is failing, losing citizens and struggling thanks to decisions by Democrats but since the Democrats control the state, it was assumed that at least one of those Republicans might lose his district. This goes without saying and, in my opinion, seems assumed — if not a bit annoying.
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Redistricting: Democrat Infested Ill. LegisSLAYture Kills Will of the Voter”