5 things you need to know

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 […]

Lahood & Durbin requests earmarks for Normal

By: Diane Benjamin Earmarks were abolished for awhile by Republicans because they explode the budget. Evidently both parties no longer care about the debt your grandchildren and beyond will be paying off. From Adam Andrzejewski of Open the Books: “Earmarks are member pet projects doled out to legally bribe congressmen for their votes on large […]

Flashback to when Normal took the underpass grant

By: Diane Benjamin This meeting happened less than a year ago – July 19, 2021. It was difficult to pick the part taxpayers need to see. Listening to the entire discussion shows how government operates, it starts at 1:24:00. Take free money, figure out the details later. The part I picked shows taking the Federal […]

What happened to Koos on the Amtrak Board?

By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Remember this: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/normal-mayor-chis-koos-nominated-to-serve-on-the-amtrak-board-of-directors/article_e6cd0399-5940-595f-83ce-dc657a026246.html Chris Koos isn’t on the Amtrak Board because he was never confirmed by the Senate: https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/1915 Koos will never be on the Amtrak Board unless he is re-nominated. See the explanation for Senate Rule XXXI listed above: Excerpt: The Koos nomination ended in September 2020. Did […]

Again, not everything is government’s job

By:  Diane Benjamin The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ Ronald Reagan Dick Durbin thinks everything is government’s job.  He also thinks the cost is immaterial.  Churches and families used to take care of each other.  That was before  government saw they can […]

Dickie Durbin at ISU

By:  Diane Benjamin The video of Dickie at ISU this morning is on Nikita Richards Facebook page.  He was here to endorse her.  The college Democrats plus Erik Rankin were there too.  The crowd didn’t look overwhelming. Dickie came, in his own words, to support a Democrat “traffic cop” to elections.  Yes, Dickie, we’ve seen […]

Durbin risks eternity for DNC

By:  Diane Benjamin I’ve been waiting for the press to notice, evidently they don’t care. Senator Dick Durbin is a member of a Catholic church in Springfield.  He has been banned by the Diocese of Springfield from taking communion for his failure to protect unborn life. Evidently church teachings do matter! A vote was taken […]

Sister Cities non-budget

By:  Diane Benjamin I did finally receive my FOIA for the General Ledger entries to the Sister Cities accounts.  Travel expenses is sometimes in “Travel” and sometimes in “Community Relations”.  The accounts are full of transfers and memo entries that make it difficult to determine what is happening. The Sister Cities program is supported by […]

Normal: Buy Chicago

By:  Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council had a long meeting last night by their standards.  They discussed employee health benefits and wellness programs at length.  I didn’t write about it before the meeting because I was waiting to see their comments. Normal has worked with Advocate for over a decade developing a wellness program […]

UPDATE: NIOT: fake event advertising

I had to add this tweet – this person lives in Bloomington!  NIOT! By:  Diane Benjamin These pics are from the NIOT Bloomington-Normal Facebook page.  Obviously not all the attendees agreed with what was being said, both pics show numerous people sitting and not clapping while other are standing and cheering. Note the sign in […]

WJBC, Dick Durbin – fake news

By:  Diane Benjamin Our Democratic US Senator Dick Durbin is a frequent guest on the WJBC morning show.  Unfortunately he is allowed to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the truth unchallenged.  Yes, fake news does exist! Add this story to the long list of ones I never got around to writing last week.  The interview was on 11/29.  Listen […]

Congratulate Walgreens for kneeling before government

by:  Diane Benjamin Walgreens was threatening to relocate their corporate offices to Switzerland because of the high tax rates in Illinois and the country.  They had every right to relocate to place that wants them, not one that punishes success by confiscating profits. Dick Durbin threatening them with this: Walgreens made the right decision for […]

#DumpDurbin – more reasons

by:  Diane Benjamin If you firmly believe government has to run every part of your life – vote Durbin!  The rest of us see Durbin’s empire crumbling around him – the peons just won’t comply! His latest target is Walgreens.  He has declared Walgreens unpatriotic for considering leaving America for Switzerland.  You can see his […]

Dick Durbin: Head Liar

Maybe he’s still behind the other DC liar from Illinois, but not by much. WH: Durbin story ‘did not happen’ By Justin Sink White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday flatly denied that a House Republican told President Obama “I cannot even stand to look at you” during negotiations over the government shutdown. “It […]

The Defund ObamaCare plan – Update

Update:  Word is already out that today’s vote was a setup for the Republicans in the Senate to kill it.  Tell them if they FUND IT THEY OWN it. #DoneWithGOP by:  Diane Benjamin First, ignore all the establishment #GOP saying it’s not going to happen.  2 weeks ago they said a vote to defund ObamaCare […]

Why is Dick Durbin giving away OUR rights?

Last night, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois tried to bring up the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and pass it by Unanimous Consent – an effort where senators can push through legislation without an actual vote.  Senator Mike Lee of Utah objected to the action, and the treaty […]

Dick Durbin sits on the DNC Platform Committee

Do we really wonder who took “God” and “Jerusalem” out of the Platform?     Jamal Said is to Durbin’s left, an unindicted conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case that led to criminal conviction. To Durbin’s right is Kifah Mustapha, another unindicted terror trial co conspirator. This “unindicted co-conspirator” also serves as […]