Even if you are not from Illinois you’ve probably heard about the anti-violence demonstration that rocked Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway last Saturday. Using protest mob tactics to raise awareness of something we already know too much about by obstructing people who have nothing to do with the problem is pointless and futile. It’s likely safer to walk on a busy expressway than … [Read more...] about Protest Mob Tactics in Chicago Raise Awareness of Futility
Illinois
Illinois is our most fiscally irresponsible state, courtesy of majority Democratic lawmakers who won't be happy until the Land of Lincoln becomes the first in the nation to be allowed to declare bankruptcy. At least there is bipartisan agreement on political corruption. Both parties share the blame for governors going to prison.
Illinois, an evolving fiscal catastrophe
Where to begin with this evolving fiscal disaster? Pensions that unions and public employees fight tooth and nail to keep in place even though the costs of are unsustainable and saddle taxpayers with unmanageable debt? Irresponsible social policies that cost too much money? Political corruption and waste? How about tax policies bent on extracting every dime from anyone who works and giving the proceeds to everyone who doesn’t?
Chicago epitomizes what’s wrong with the left
You can't discuss Illinois politics without focusing on Chicago, a train wreck of a city fighting tooth and nail to follow Detroit into bankruptcy.
Rahm Emanuel skipped out of Obama's White House to lead one of the most violence-ridden cities in the nation, a place where summer holiday weekends are celebrated with shootings. Emanuel is proud and fiercely protective of his town’s sanctuary policies, which makes Chicago and its appalling gun violence an easy target for Trump. Sadly, even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner endorsed the same dangerous permissiveness when he signed the sanctuary state bill, the Illinois Trust Act.
November 7, 2018: get out of Illinois while you can afford it
After an election campaign where he spent lots of money but didn’t put up much of a fight or have much of a record to fight over, Bruce Rauner is out. J.B. Pritzker, progressive taxes, state health care, and all the things Democrats bring to the table are in, though to be fair to Pritzker having Rauner in office didn’t stop another income tax hike.
It would be easy to argue that Pritzker’s big win over a lackluster four-year Republican governor mirrored what happened to Capitol Hill House Republicans last night. That might be true, or it might just be Illinois voters being stupid. We have a knack for that. Just look at the people we put in office and what they do to us year after year after year. The state is a financial wreck and we keep asking for more.
What is the Illinois category about?
This category covers the political and financial mess that my state has become. From pensions to taxes to angry teachers to careers ending in the slammer, this is Illinois.
Governor’s Race Campaign Spending Could Buy Illinois This
Millions in campaign spending for the Illinois governor’s race is the reason this state is failing. Not that the money could bail us out of the state’s financial crisis even if we spent every penny. It won’t. At best, this money will buy high office in our debt-plagued, 200 year-old Land of Lincoln. Then it will be gone. We could have put the funds to much better use by … [Read more...] about Governor’s Race Campaign Spending Could Buy Illinois This
Illinois 200 Bicentennial Celebrates Years of Government Abuse
On December 3, 2018 the Illinois 200 Bicentennial celebrates two centuries of statehood and a past that includes Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Barack Obama and even Ronald Reagan. We are also known for putting public officials in prison for corruption, which is ironic considering we are always broke but there is still plenty of money to steal. It seems we came all this way to … [Read more...] about Illinois 200 Bicentennial Celebrates Years of Government Abuse
Illinois Primary Candidates, This Is Why I Won’t Vote For You
My phone rang twice in less than an hour on Tuesday night. Both messages were long, loud campaign announcements from the same Illinois primary candidate offering to send someone to my house to put a sign on my lawn. Congratulations, Dr. Shah (Republican, 10th Congressional District). You are the first candidate to assault my evening peace and quiet with a campaign robocall. You … [Read more...] about Illinois Primary Candidates, This Is Why I Won’t Vote For You
Jeanne Ives Campaign Ad Deserves Credit for Conservative Honesty
In a state where everything political is offensive an infamous campaign ad from gubernatorial hopeful Jeanne Ives raised the bar. This is a difficult feat in a state with a history of outrageous campaign spots that often have a tenuous connection to the facts. The truth is there is nothing particularly striking or distasteful about her ad except that it challenges national … [Read more...] about Jeanne Ives Campaign Ad Deserves Credit for Conservative Honesty