By: Diane Benjamin HB 4198 is one giant step towards Illinois becoming an ALL VOTE BY MAIL state. HB 4198 provides that each election authority may decide to mail a LIVE vote by mail ballot to all qualified voters instead of sending notices and applications for permanent vote by mail status. A person who has never […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois Policy Institute recapped the Illinois budget JB is proposing. See their story here: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pritzker-wants-to-spend-record-amount-but-needs-898m-in-tax-hikes-to-do-it/ Of course it’s a record budget that includes massive tax increases. Pritzker made a big deal about eliminating the grocery tax: See that last line? At the last Bloomington City Council meeting the Finance Director stated […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Stay tuned for the NEXT story – Breaking News 2) The hearing in Springfield on banning pre-2010 diesel engines got canceled! This is likely the reason, thanks to everyone who filed a witness slip. 3) Dick Durbin posted this on X yesterday. Dickie doesn’t understand local governments don’t spend money on […]
By: Diane Benjamin A flurry of bills are being filed in Springfield. If you aren’t on the Illinois Family Institute email list, please get on it. They have a list of anti-family bills on their website that need witness slips: https://illinoisfamily.org/ There is another stupid bill that needs massive opposition: A new bill has been […]
By: Diane Benjamin EV owners don’t pay motor fuel taxes, even though they drive on the same roads as those of you who do. Buy an EV (that most people can’t afford) and the taxpayers will subsidize it with a tax credit. In 10 years, that EV will likely be junk because replacing the batteries […]
By: Diane Benjamin Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. One reason Rome fell is because they outsourced their safety to people they conquered. They had no allegiance to Rome when their empire was invaded. HB 3751 grants non-citizens the right to become police officers: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=3751&GAID=17&GA=103&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=149009&SessionID=112 If you are in the 105th […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is a post that is on NextDoor. The writer talks about not getting mail, lost mail, and “busted up” packages. Voting by Mail is too risky if you expect your vote to count! Drop off you completed ballot at the election office or vote early in person instead of trusting the mail.
By: Diane Benjamin Are you getting signatures? https://blnnews.com/2024/01/29/its-not-the-states-job-to-parent-your-kids/ It is VITAL this question gets on the November ballot: Why is it vital? Because HB 4876 was introduced in the Illinois House. This bill finds parents guilty of child abuse if they don’t allow their child to get an abortion or gender-affirming care: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4876&GAID=17&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=152735&SessionID=112&GA=103 More on this bill and the […]
By: Diane Benjamin District 87 students score well below State averages in English and Math. See last year’s scores here: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064087025 The district spends $15,000 per student for this substandard education. (Click District Snapshot at the link above) 34% are chronically absent, the graduation rate is an appalling 79%. I find it fascinating that WGLT can normalize stories like […]
Anybody else hear the elites are trying to house illegals at Eastland Mall? (your tax dollars at work) If Bloomington-Normal is so prosperous, why did most of the stores close?
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently they have open door policies in their homes because they don’t want to protect McLean County from Biden’s invasion of the country – estimated now at 8 million people who walked across the border. These people know nothing about local and national laws, many expect to be taken care of by taxpayers. See Chicago […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read the text of SB40 that is law in Illinois as of 1/1/2024: https://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0053 Subsidized housing will be required to have EV charging stations even though people who live in subsidized housing wouldn’t be living there is they could afford an EV. New construction and renovated multi-family housing will be required to install charging […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is what came up for me. How many years of debt do those 31% accumulate before they drop out?
By: Diane Benjamin You already know it if you read this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/11/29/connect-transit-wants-you-to-love-them/ The whole messaging campaign is supposed to be a secret until they develop some slogan EVERYONE can repeat over and over and over. They want a planned rollout. I bet you can’t wait to see how they counter all the “disinformation”. (like […]
By: Diane Benjamin Don’t fall for “the rate is slightly lower”. Your assessed value is MUCH higher making a lower rate obvious. Can you afford another 8.66% added to what you already pay? Planning to show up? The room is small – force them to move to a larger space. When is enough enough? If […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT story on Unit 5 property taxes: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-11-16/unit-5-proposes-151m-tax-levy-but-plans-to-lower-tax-rate Your property taxes are going up because Unit 5 needs the money. Below is a quote showing the mentality of the people you elected: People buy homes to live in. It doesn’t matter how much more your house is worth if you aren’t planning […]
The speech below is almost 20 years old, the plan recapped is very current however. Google it, references are numerous. Although this isn’t what I typically print, I thought it was vital for all to know. Former Democrat Governor of Colorado gave this speech in 2004 in Washington DC. I have a plan to destroy […]
By: Diane Benjamin Can you read the gas price? By the border in Wisconsin gas was $3.05, farther north it was $2.98. By the Illinois border gas was at least $3.25. Some of the roads in Illinois are improving since the gas tax got doubled. In Wisconsin they don’t wait until they turn into cow […]
By: Diane Benjamin This was the Preamble to the Illinois Constitution before it was changed in 1970: https://archive.org/details/constitutionof00illi/page/n7/mode/2up . Below is the current Preamble: https://www.ilga.gov/commission/lrb/conp.htm . As Bloomington goes full on socialist know that Illinois enshrined socialism in the State Constitution way back in 1970. (Bloomington is considering tiered water rates, requiring private investment to […]
You Can Be Addicted to Weed. I Was When I Was 12. I’m not printing excerpts of this one – you need to read it yourself: https://www.thefp.com/p/legal-weed-destroying-my-generation?publication_id=260347&post_id=137019148&action=share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=2d31np h/t a reader Next: https://redbirdlife.illinoisstate.edu/organization/cannabisclubredbirds Cannabis is illegal at ISU however: https://wellness.illinoisstate.edu/living/cannabis/
By: Diane Benjamin Connect transit is tired of people noticing the empty or close to empty buses roaming Bloomington-Normal so they fixed the problem. Check out of the new electric buses. h/t a reader They’ve gone from darkened windows to covering them completely. We still know the bus is mostly empty. CT didn’t have a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is a map of the 88th district currently represented by Dan Calkins who isn’t running for re-elections. Two Republicans want to replace him. The choice: Which will represent you better? Of course Chuck Erickson will. Don’t be fooled.
By: Diane Benjamin I was shocked when Connect Transit picked Proterra as their electric bus supplier. It appears the Board members appointed by the mayors of Bloomington and Normal didn’t bother to do a simple Google search. Plenty of stories were easily available detailing the problems with these buses and cities that quit using them […]
By: Diane Benjamin I attended an event last night at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church entitled Protecting Places of Worship Forum. I attended on behalf of my church with another member. This event was only advertised to churches, many locals attended. The event was organized in conjunction with the US Department of Justice. It was THREE […]
By: Diane Benjamin Get ready for your PTAX-228 Notice of Assessment Change. Sit down before you open it! Thanks to the housing shortage prices have been rising fast. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t selling your house – this notice will reflect the prices of other houses that sold for inflated prices. I hear you […]
By: Diane Benjamin Check this website to see if you have unclaimed money: https://icash.illinoistreasurer.gov/ Claiming it is not easy in most cases. Just entering information usually isn’t enough. At least now documents they email to you can now be uploaded via the website. The treasurer’s office used to want you to get them notarized and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read WGLT’s version: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-06-30/former-town-council-member-sues-normal-over-high-haven-cannabis-dispensary-permit Jeff Fritzen would get a lot more support if he hadn’t sided with the Town of Normal against the citizens who wanted representation according to Illinois law. He sided with the Town instead. If you haven’t heard, Pritzker signed the legislation making Normal the only Incorporated Town that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Finding links has proven difficult. I believe this effort started in Tennessee and other states are following their lead. Of course Illinois isn’t one of them. The Federal Communications Communications has obscenity standards for radio and television to protect children. If those same standards applied to schools there wouldn’t be a need […]
By: Diane Benjamin Families flee states with anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+ laws for Illinois where their rights are protected https://abc11.com/illinois-lgtbq-rights-gender-affirming-care-drag-trans/13418983/ FYI: I can tell how many people actually read this story! You are going to want to because your taxes are going to go up to cover wide-spread mental illness. Excerpt: Parents who lets a SEVEN YEAR […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizenship in America is meaningless as illegals continue to flood the border. They are handed benefits paid for by you. If you haven’t asked yourself why tax dollars are used to house them you probably went to a public school that didn’t teach what immigration as always been: opportunity, not freebies. You […]
The video below was done by a comedian. I don’t agree with everything he says, some I do. How many people no longer rent properties because government told tenants they don’t have to pay, they don’t have to pay the water bill, and they can’t be evicted? Government created a housing shortage with stupidity that […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you still haven’t signed up for the Breakthrough Ideas newsletter, do it here: https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/ The latest newsletter has a staggering amount of information – like the grocery tax goes back into effect July 1st. Gas taxes also go up July 1st: If you buy gas in Bloomington or Normal – add […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you are not currently receiving Jeanne Ives – BreakThrough emails, sign up here: Break Through Ideas with Jeanne Ives Jeanne’s (former State rep) commentary on the new Illinois budget:
By: Diane Benjamin Proving Democrats represent government and not citizens, HB 3337 passed both houses in Springfield. Once Pritzker signs this bill – written only for the Town of Normal which is illegal – Koos will have the right to pass an ordinance changing Trustees from elected to appointed. Read it yourself: https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3337&GAID=17&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=148499&SessionID=112&GA=103 Democrats pretend […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois doesn’t care about passing illegal laws. They play sue me if you don’t like it, their oath of office is meaningless. HB 3337 is attempting to make Normal legal by changing the rules that ONLY apply to them. Equal justice under the law doesn’t apply to the citizens of Normal. It […]
By: Diane Benjamin I did this story about Unit 5 for a reason: https://blnnews.com/2023/04/13/unit-5-doesnt-have-a-policy/ That story is dated April 13th, responding to FOIA requests accurately is not a Unit 5 strong suit. I finally received the rest of my request yesterday although I still don’t know if everything was produced as required by law. This […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t checked the Illinois Report Card for Olympia, see the High School and some District information here: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/school.aspx?source=profile&Schoolid=170640160260009 The other schools are also available by searching. The high school is below State averages in Language and Math. They also have a 42% chronic absenteeism rate. 82% of 9th graders are […]
By: Diane Benjamin The person this was sent to is not going to participate. Does this have anything to do with funding Pritzker’s transgender agenda? https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-money-behind-the-transgender-movement/
By: Diane Benjamin HB 3337 was heard by the Counties and Townships Committee because Sharon Chung is a member. Duh, the Town of Normal isn’t a County or Township so this bill did not belong in this committee. Even though Republicans on the Committee mentioned this, they were ignored. The committee passed it and now […]
