by: Diane Benjamin Two items in today’s Pantagraph are appalling. First they opine the labor force in Bloomington-Normal is shrinking because baby boomers are retiring. People are also leaving – but of course they haven’t noticed that. So, not enough babies are being born to replenish the population. It’s a problem across the country. […]
by: Diane Benjamin We’ve all heard rumors of gas prices going up right before State Farm gets paid. According to Gasbuddy.com, a station in Peoria has gas for $3.23 The lowest price in Bloomington is $3.34 – supposedly with the .04 gas tax that went into effect today. Funny, the lowest price in Normal is […]
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 […]
This article is written by economist Steven Moore. Moore is a co-author of a book called Rich States, Poor States which compares what works and what doesn’t in all 50 states. It was written years ago, but Illinois was still at the bottom even back then. If you have any reservations about voting for Rauner, […]
Before the citizens of Bloomington are forced to fund more downtown spending: Illinois workforce shrinks by largest margin in state history 20 Jul 2014 | Michael Lucci Illinois Policy Institute In June, Illinois suffered the largest monthly workforce loss in recorded state history. June’s workforce loss was worse than the worst month of the Great […]
July 15, 2014 SPRINGFIELD, IL (ECWd) – Attorney General Lisa Madigan was the Co-Chair of Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA), which means she was a key player in the actions taken by that group, and I think most will agree has some explaining to do based on just a brief review […]
Not Mike – LISA If you missed the story from yesterday – Some groups that received this money (our tax dollars!) taught the Chicago kids to HATE cops: http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2014/07/governor-quinns-neighborhood-recovery-initiative-cops-kill-kids/ Stay tuned – there is much more to this story. ILLINOIS VIOLENCE PREVENTION AUTHORITY (IVPA) Neighborhood Recovery Initiative Damon Arnold, M.D., M.P.H, Co-Chair Lisa Madigan, […]
by: Diane Benjamin Rep Dwight Kay urges Commission to search the records of the tainted Quinn NRI Program See Kay’s the letter here: DK Letter to Committee (10 June 2014) Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, billed by some as buying votes for the 2012 election, is under investigation by the US Attorney’s office and a panel […]
by: Diane Benjamin Today our Senator Dick Durbin sent an email. He is pushing for tax credits for companies keeping jobs in this country. Dickie: The US has the highest corporate tax rates in the world! Add in Illinois taxes and you have to realize why corporations are relocating to other countries and keeping their […]
by: Diane Benjamin Illinois will have a ballot question in November about the minimum wage. The un-informed will cheer and vote YES – raise it! They need to see the result before the vote. SeaTac workers “not happy” with $15 min. wage Published May 28, 2014 Last January, SeaTac implemented a $15 per hour minimum […]
by: Diane Benjamin Hopefully you don’t have to interact with the State of Illinois on-line for your business or in any other way. They are still in the dark ages of technology. Example #1 I recently switched my corporate account to another bank. Illinois has a system to pay businesses taxes on-line that will debit […]
by: Diane Benjamin Miller Park Zoo is getting $700,000 from the State to add monkeys from Africa and some building projects. The McLean County Museum of History is getting $254,800 from the State for restrooms and lighting. The Children’s Discovery Museum is getting $116,800 from the State to indoctrinate kids on green energy. That totals […]
Readers: This isn’t what I usually post, but it’s a story and video you NEED to see. Written By Laurie Higgins IFI News (Illinois Family Institute) Twenty years ago in a horrific accident on I-94, Pastor Scott Willis and his wife Janet lost their six youngest children in a fiery inferno. This accident exposed a scandalous case of corruption that […]
by: Diane Benjamin Reasons why: She will never prosecute any corruption in Illinois unless it’s okay with her daddy Her Public Access Office created to protect citizens from government is a joke. Ruling shouldn’t take many months or years Elect Paul Schimpf instead: Veteran Military lawyer Assisted Iraqi attorneys prosecuting Saddam Hussein Want term limits? Term limit Lisa Madigan! […]
by: Diane Benjamin We all know the “temporary” income tax increase to clear the backlog of unpaid bills didn’t do anything but give the State of Illinois more money to spend. Illinois still has billions of dollars of unpaid bills and the interest charges that go with them. Now Madigan and Quinn want it made […]
by: Michael Lucci CEOs of major U.S. corporations went on record in Chief Executive Magazine’s “2014 Best and Worst States for Business.” Business leaders pulled no punches in their description of Illinois, going so far as to compare doing business in Illinois to doing business in a third-world country. The publication ranked Illinois at the bottom […]
by: Diane Benjamin Unless Mike Madigan is successful at getting the question off the ballot, Term Limits will be up for vote in November. Some people say Term Limits are being pushed to get rid of Mike Madigan. That is probably true. I poll watched a Madigan precinct a few years ago. Unless he dies […]
by: Diane Benjamin Mike Madigan doesn’t want the Redistricting Constitutional amendment on the November ballot. In 2010, since a Democrat was elected governor, Democrats got to redraw the maps. They used gerrymandering to insured Democrats will completely control Illinois until 2020. It also insures that Republicans will represent huge areas making it difficult for them […]
ANALYSIS OF DURBIN’S STAFF SALARIES SHOWS THE SENATOR ENGAGED IN WAR ON WOMEN WASHINGTON D.C. – The Washington Times revealed yesterday that Illinois’ U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D), who is leading the Equal Pay Day push by Senate Democrats to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, pays women on his staff far less than he pays men. On the Senate floor […]
by: Diane Benjamin Crimes are only crimes if they are prosecuted. Elected officials can do anything they want, including breaking the law, but if they aren’t prosecuted – magically there is no crime! They learn early they are at little risk of being prosecuted. Why is Illinois corrupt? Because very few elected officials are prosecuted. […]
by: Diane Benjamin According to this Associated press article, Mike Madigan wants a Constitutional Amendment to make sure Voter ID is NEVER required in Illinois! An ID is required for almost everything we do today, but protecting voter integrity is suppressing the vote. Sure Mike. Madigan’s voting rights amendment advances By Kerry Lester, Associated […]
by: Diane Benjamin “Tax the Rich” has been the mantra of Democrats for way too many years. It works for them because average people don’t understand economics. They fail to understand that “RICH” people employ other people. Average citizens also fail to understand that “RICH” people can live anywhere they want. If they are constantly […]
by: Diane Benjamin Local governments across the state are buried in unfunded pension debt. Pouring millions of dollars into pensions funds will not solve the problem. It is more than obvious pensions are an outdated idea abandoned by the private sector decades ago. Local pensions are controlled by Springfield. If they don’t fund their pensions, […]
by Diane Benjamin Being an Illinois legislator is supposed to be a part-time job. Their salary is at least $66,876, many earn much more by serving as chair of various committees. It looks like good news that 24 new public servants have decided to turn down a pension. Part-time jobs don’t come with pensions anywhere else, […]
Really. The Most Transparent Governor Ever? 81% Failure Rate- State Executives Ignore Open Meeting Law Leaders of state agencies, Gov. Quinn’s appointed executives failed to comply with mandatory Open Meeting Act training or blatantly ignored our request to review their certifications. 100% Failure Rate at 17 top Agencies Freedom of Information Officer Certification […]
by: Diane Benjamin Dickie Durbin on Social Security: Meet the Press MR. GREGORY: Senator Durbin? SEN. DURBIN: David, if I could say this about Social Security. MR. GREGORY: Yeah. SEN. DURBIN: I–first, I want to thank my colleague for the kind words. Social Security does not add one penny to the deficit. Social Security untouched […]
20 Mar 2014 | illinoispolicy Myth #1: “The ‘fair tax’ will only affect the rich.” Don’t be fooled. The ‘fair tax’ is being sold as a tax on the rich. But under the proposal from state Rep Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, the lawmaker who is sponsoring the bill to put a so-called “fair tax,” or progressive […]
by: Diane Benjamin Dick Durbin has been in the US Senate since 1997. If you believe politicians need to be changed often (term limits) because they lose touch with voters, this is your year to prove it. Until the November election I will be giving you reasons why it’s time for Dick to retire. In […]
John Kass 9 hours ago near Chicago, IL Oberweis for Senate. What a joke. Arrogance, foolishness, it doesn’t matter. A rich man running off to Florida during the last week of a campaign? Dem. Sen. Dick “Bullhead” Durbin will eat him alive. If it’s the ice cream man vs. Durbin, it’s no contest. Oberweis campaign mum on […]
State Representative Tom Cross (R) Source: http://republicannewswatch.com/wp/?p=6106 Years served: 1993 – Present Committee assignments: House Committee of the Whole; Executive; Joint Comm. on Government Reform (Vice-Chairperson) TAXES AND SPENDING Cross voted for a huge electric rate increase. Cross helped pass SB1652 – a huge electric rate increase sought by ComEd and Ameren. (2011) Cross voted to raise sales taxes […]
Democrat Rep. Jay Hoffman has proposed a bill that will allow those intrusive speed trap cameras statewide. Currently, they are only allowed in Chicago. The bill number is HB 4532. The bill’s purpose is to raise revenue. That’s the whole reason for the bill. Another way to steal dollars from the citizens. There isn’t a […]
by Diane Benjamin Here’s the guy you DON’T want: Tom Cross -Click HERE for a reminder about how Tom Cross brought the Obamacare Medicaid provision to Illinois – 2 years early! – Cross has been the Republican minority leader in Springfield for more than 11 years – what has he accomplished? Democrats now have super majority – […]
February 25, 2014 Edgar County Watchdogs In numerous recent interviews and debate settings, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford has denied there is anything to the allegations of sexual harassment of his employees to include pressure to campaign for him on state time. Even after a federal law suit was filed against him, denial has been the stance. Denial backed […]
Attorney General Lisa Madigan fails to protect the people of Illinois. If corruption is too big for her to handle, she should step aside. We can’t even hold local governments accountable because of her Public Access Office. It shouldn’t take a year of more to get an opinion! 60% of Freedom of Information Act […]
by: Diane Benjamin Illinois ranks 2nd for more people leaving than moving in. Only New Jersey out-ranks Illinois. (What does that say about NJ Gov. Chris Christie?) The list of why it’s happening is almost endless, but they all have to do with one thing: GOVERNMENT. The first job of government is to protect the […]
by: Diane Benjamin If you got a newspaper-like campaign mailing from Republican Fund for Progress & Jobs – you need to know who funded it. This information is from elections.illinois.gov The Republican Fund for Progress and jobs got their money from Prosperity and Jobs Fund. Where did they get their money? Prosperity and Jobs Fund […]
Look at the numbers. Debt per Citizen and Debt per Taxpayer. Go to the bottom – look at Liability per Taxpayer. Both the US House and US Senate just voted for more debt. Congrats America – the future is bleak. Add another $12,011 per citizen for Illinois. http://usdebtclock.org/
by: Diane Benjamin Illinois State University is hosting Karen Lewis on February 24. Information can be found here: http://stories.illinoisstate.edu/university/media-relations/identity-events/chicago-teachers-union-leader-speak/?utm_source=Relay&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Illinois%20State%20News Karen Lewis is known for saying some really bizarre things, but her biography as listed in the article is even more bizarre: She later transferred to Dartmouth College, earning a degree in music and sociology. Lewis […]
If you are looking for a link to the lawsuit filed against Rutherford today: http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/treasurer-employee-s-suit-accusing-rutherford-of-sexual-harassment-11940?utm_source=facebook-rbt&utm_medium=mbondi&utm_campaign=2/10/2014 It has nothing to do with this story. by: Diane Benjamin Elected officials used to work for no pay – a long time ago! They were public servants who felt it was their duty to serve for a brief time […]
Illinois Now Has the Second-Highest Property Taxes in the Nation In the last decade, the state has been climbing the charts—and could pass New Jersey this year. BY DENNIS RODKIN PUBLISHED JAN. 2, 2014 With all the snow this week and the brutal cold forecast for Chicago next week, it’s no wonder so […]
