David Ratowitz: A Win in Illinois’ 5th CD Is a Win for Republicans Nationwide

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, House of Representatives, Illinois, Liberals, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the David Ratowitz for 5th District Congressional campaign…

“It’s time that we made the Chicago Machine fight – and lose – on its own home turf.”

WASHINGTON – February 20, 2010 – U.S. House candidate David Ratowitz this week proclaimed his high-profile Illinois District 5 a bellwether of Republican success nationwide and his organization in ideal position to focus opposition resources close to home to limit Democrat victories elsewhere. “A win in Illinois 5,” Ratowitz said of the infamous district formerly represented by Rahm Emanuel and indicted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, “is a win for Republicans nationwide.”
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Public Employees Unions Destroying California

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, California, Capitalism, Economy/Finances, Elections, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Media, Public Employees Unions, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Tapscot echoes our current theme here on the blog by reporting that California is once again in a disastrous budget shortfall and one of the biggest reason that this is so is the undue power of the recalcitrant public employees unions. Tapscot says that California cannot get out of its mess because, “the unions refuse to consider relaxing their death grip on California’s rapidly shrinking legion of tax payers.”

Tapscot thinks that California is coming to realize that the unions are going to have to be confronted in order to solve the spiraling budget woes, but I am doubtful. Looking at the mess from the outside would certainly cause one to draw such a conclusion, but inside the legislature at Sacramento one sees no hint that the unions are becoming the bad guys as they should be.

Still, I hope that Tapscot is right and the California can finally lead the country in a good thing by breaking the public employees unions and, hope of hopes, eliminating them.

And why are these unions so dangerous? Tapscot’s conclusion is a refrain we’ve been touting for years.

It’s not only that public sector unions are driving many state and local governments into fiscal insolvency by forcing them to accept contracts providing compensation benefits that far exceed those in the private sector for comparable work and that cannot be paid for without crippling tax increases.

We agree, of course.

Add this report to the mounting number of individuals coming to the same conclusion we came to here on the blog.
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Walsh: Wow, Bean just doesn’t get it

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the Joe Walsh for 8th District Congressional campaign…

Republican Responds to Rep. Bean’s Daily Herald Interview

(Lake Zurich, Illinois) – February 20, 2010 – Joe Walsh, Republican candidate for Congress in the Illinois 8th, today said “Melissa Bean is amazingly out-of-touch with her constituents. She arrogantly dismissed the economic hardships most of her constituents are going through right now and she dismisses their anger and activism at speaking up against this government’s spending,” in response to Beans’ comments published Feb. 19 in the Daily Herald.
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Put Back Amendment: Support the Mike Madigan Retirement Act of 2010

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Something extraordinary happened yesterday. The Democrat controlled State Senate led by Democrat John Cullerton discussed our state fiscal crisis. What was extraordinary about it is that they met in secret and locked out the press, the cameras and the public. You read that right, they dealt with state business (and likely their massive tax increase plans) in a backroom.

Despite our Constitution requiring the Senate to meet in the open and the intent of the Open Meetings Act to require it, they discussed the mess they caused and how they’ll take more of our money behind closed doors. They have no shame.

Democrat called it a “joint caucus” meeting, so he says it’s ok. I could put on a black cape and run circles under the rotunda and call myself Batman, that doesn’t make it true. But Democrats like Cullerton get away with word games because they have *complete* power in the legislature. So does Mike Madigan, and that is the problem.

How do you deal with a problem like Mike Madigan?
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Marriage Covenants

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under Christianity, Marriage, Morals/Sex, Religion, Thomas Brewton | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Covenants bind us, as individuals, to God; as children of God, to our families and to our brothers and sisters in God’s church throughout the world; and, as citizens, to preservation of a moral, God-fearing society.
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In Sunday’s sermon at the Cohocton Assembly of God church, Pastor Dan Gardner used a text from the Book of Malachi:

10 Have we not all one Father; Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?

11 Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of Jacob —even though he brings offerings to the LORD Almighty.

13 Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

15 Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

16 “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty.  So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. (Malachi 2:10-16)

In the Biblical sense, marriage covenants can be viewed on three levels. First is the bond between individuals and God. Second is the covenant between Israel and God; after Jesus’s crucifixion, the new covenant in His blood, joining all Christians in the church as children of God. Finally, in the marriage bond between husband and wife and between parents and children. These, obviously, are interrelated and can be seen as aspects of keeping faith with God.
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A Tiger Tale

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Family, Marriage, Morals/Sex, Society/Culture, Vince Johnson | Comments Off

-By Vince Johnson

Watch the Tiger Woods affair closely. I have a theory that the negatives of his scandal are being turned into a positive. The realities are worth review:

1. 1. Any tournament Tiger competed in the past 6 years had a significantly larger audience than those tournaments where he was absent.

2. 2. To save Tiger’s amazing drawing power the PGA was forced to initiate a “damage control” strategy and in doing so may have stumbled upon an opportunity to substantially increase his TV audiences for the 2010 season.
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For CPAC and Beck, The Truth About the ACORN 8

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under ACORN, Anita MonCrief, Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, Democracy, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Politicians, Race, Republicans, SEIU, Senate, Socialism, Unions, Vote Fraud | Comments Off

-By Anita MonCrief

What began in 2009 as a quiet rumble of discontent blossomed into a movement over health care and rocked the nation with the election of Scott Brown. Now fired up Conservatives are bringing that energy to DC for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Thursday CPAC began with an abundance of Conservative leaders coming together from across the country. Republicans, Conservatives and Libertarians will mingle with the tea partiers, now recognized as a force even by The New York Times that buried an ACORN/Obama expose before the 2008 presidential election. The perceived and much hyped divides that exist within the movement have many taking sides and others looking to assume control and dictate how President Obama and his radical Administration should be contested.

In a message to supporters, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich quoted Ronald Reagan in unveiling the new Contract From America

“In a message that resonates to this day, President Reagan proclaimed, ‘Our people look for a cause to believe in,’ and then asked: ‘Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors, which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?”

The 2010 CPAC promises to be exciting, invigorating and, most importantly, a journey for many Conservatives. Glenn Beck will deliver the closing speech on Saturday. The choice of Beck is an interesting one for CPAC, but as the rising star of the movement, Beck will pull large crowds and attract media attention.
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Alexander Haig, RIP

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under History, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig has passed away. Haig was a four-star general and served as a top advisor to three presidents. He was Sec. of State under Reagan and served as Nixon’s White House Chief of Staff.

Haig died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Patricia, and his children Alexander, Brian, and Barbara.

Kaus: Unions Are Crippling Obama

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Communism, Democracy, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Media, Public Employees Unions, Socialism, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Lefty website Slate.com’s Mickey Kaus is another one of those left of center folks that are realizing that unions are killing Obama. Of course, I’d go one farther and say that unions are killing America, but Kaus is only worried about helping Obama. Regardless, he’s right that unions are a dangerous impediment.

Kaus finds that the Davis-Bacon wage regulations made a joke of President Obama’s weatherization scheme, a plan that was supposed to bring jobs through his stimulus package. Because of these union-tied wage regulations, the weatherization projects that the stimulus tried to fund were so over priced and took so long to hammer out that few projects have ended up being undertaken. Yet, weatherization projects that have proceeded free of the Davis-Bacon regulations went smoothly.

As a result, the Department of Energy apparently weatherized only 22,000 homes under the program. Another pre-existing program, which doesn’t have to comply with Davis-Bacon, appears to have weatherized about 100,000 homes, if my math is right.

Kaus notes that unions caused this mess as the government spent most of the year trying to figure out how to implement the Davis-Bacon rules. (Kaus’ bold)

Instead, a year was wasted on mindless, union-demanded bureaucratic attempts to disingenuously replicate the labor market. Did Obama not know this would happen when he allowed the stimulus to be Davis-Baconized, or did he not care? [Update--Choice #3: He knows and cares, but is too weak to stand up to the unions.]

In any case, what we see here is yet another lefty that is grasping that unions are bad for us all. Mark this as another in our continuing chronicle proving that unions need to be eliminated.
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Chicago’s Corruption Tax

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Better Government Association, Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Mayor Richard Daley, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new study has been released by the University of Illinois in conjunction with the Better Government Association that details Cook County’s disgusting history of political neer-do-wells calling it a true “culture of corruption.” (Download .pdf of report)

“More than 140 people have been convicted of corruption in county-related cases since 1970,” the study finds.

Featured are tales of bribes, ghost payrolls, sweetheart deals, rip-offs, and the “wholesale subversion of the judicial system.”

“This rogue’s gallery of corrupt individuals is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the BGA’s Andy Shaw, “because, for every one of those convicted, there may be a dozen or more people who narrowly escape the justice system, not to mention all the clout-related conflicts of interest. It is truly a ‘culture of corruption.’”

Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better but kudos to the BGA for publishing the study. It goes to show how much of a failure our county government is.
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Will Obama ‘Go Gangsta’?

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Capitalism, Chicago, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Media Bias, Norvell S. Rose, Taxes, The Law | Comments Off

-By Norvell S. Rose

In a recent column for CNN.com, fiery political analyst Roland Martin urged the President of the United States to get down and dirty with his political adversaries. Like, you know, jump ugly and go all street thug on ‘em. Clearly spoiling for a fight — and with a curious, chest-bumping homage to the nasty culture of radical rappers — Martin wrote:

Obama’s critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let ‘em know that if they aren’t with you, they are against you, and will pay the price.

Interesting, isn’t it, that the supposedly respectable Mr. Martin would implore the President to act like a notorious criminal. That he would champion scandalous behavior and embrace violent vengeance of the sort promoted by despicable gangsta rappers.

Of course, the outspoken Roland Martin is certainly not a lone liberal voice when it comes to exhorting President Obama to get tough, even get dirty, but get the job done. The job of crushing his critics and forcing his radical agenda on a resistant populace. Policy by raw power, not by reasoned persuasion.
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What James Madison said about Hope and Change

February 20, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Communism, Congress, Constitution, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Energy, Federalism, Free Trade, Freedom, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Oil, Senate, Socialism, Taxes | Comments Off

-By Dan Scott

What would the Founding Fathers say about our handling of the country if they were able to comment on the current state of affairs? It is easy to put words in their mouths but fortunately, we have for posterity recorded their words and intents to refer to for clarity in times of need. Some may say that this is a new day and age, therefore what the Founding Fathers had to say is simply not relevant to our current circumstances. Those who say this do so in ignorance of human nature and for self-serving reasons. Humans over the past 5000 years of recorded history may have advanced in terms of knowledge; however, their motivations and emotions are still no different now then they were in the past. It is motivation and emotion that govern human character, not knowledge and the Founding Fathers knew well the passions that influence those in power.

We were warned 200+ years ago against fickle governments. In fact, we were warned that the point of fickleness in government was for the few to gain an advantage at the expense of the many. Here is what James Madison had to say about Hope and Change as espoused by Barack Obama when he said he wanted to remake our society:
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Legislation Calls For An End To Budget Shenanigans

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Government, Corruption, Illinois, State Government, Taxes, Truth in Accounting, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the folks at Truth in Accounting:

Pew Study Confirms Urgent Need For Truth in Accounting Act

Contact: Darlene Porteus 847-835-5200 – dporteus@truthinaccounting.org

February 18, 2010 — On February 3rd State Representative Mike Tryon (IL-64th District) introduced the Truth in Accounting Act of 2010. The proposed legislation, which was written with the help of the Institute for Truth in Accounting, calls for increased disclosure during the state budgeting process.
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NYT Article: Tea Partying in Chicago

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Constitution, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois Alliance For Growth, Illinois Policy Institute, Sam Adams Alliance, State Government, Tea Party, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The NYT had a nice write up on Chicago’s own American Liberty Alliance and its leader Eric Odom. This piece also discusses several other conservative efforts in and around Chicago. Groups like Hartland Institute, the Sam Adams Alliance, and Ed Lasky’s American Thinker also based out of Chicago.

It is interesting to note that some very strong conservative ideas are coming out of this bluest of blue states where politics is rough and disassociated from any control by voters. Odom makes that point, too, when discussing his move here from Nevada.

“You come from Nevada, where you have the entire Legislature on your cellphone,” Mr. Odom said. “It is a small government compared to here, where it is all union-run and it is a huge bureaucracy, and there is no way you’re going to get meetings with anybody.”

But there is hope, folks. With people like Ed Laskey, Odom and groups like the ALA, Sam Adams Alliance, Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois Alliance for Growth, and The Heartland Institute, as well as the local chapter of Americans for Growth we do have a fighting chance.
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Stop the IL FOCA – Call Your Reps!‏

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Abortion, Education, Family, Government, Corruption, Illinois, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From Illinois Students for Life

Illinois FOCA is Back! HB 6205
Once again, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has introduced the “Reproductive Health and Access Act”, better known as the “Illinois FOCA”, into the General Assembly.
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Tiger in the Tank

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Humor, Law, Media, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tiger Woods went on TV today. He said the following: “blah, blah, blah, leave me alone, blah, blah, blah, stop following my wife and kids, blah, blah, blah, oh, yeah, I’m sorry.”

And now my official response to this story

**YAWN**!!

That is all. You may now go about your day.

Oh, wait, Joslyn James the porn star also tried to grab the spotlight after Tiger’s manufactured news conference. I don’t know what this slut was whining about, but one can see that “acting” isn’t necessary for porn stars, fer sure. James hit the airwaves with another slut of a kind in tow, Gloria Allred.

You’ll notice that I posted a picture of the porn star and not lawyer and media whore, Allred. Can ya guess why?

Ed Morrissey Interview With 2nd District Candidate Isaac Hayes

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Congress, Conservatives, Cook County, Elections, GOP, Government, House of Representatives, Illinois, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Longtime Dem Consultant Torpedoed by Union Thugs

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Colorado, Communism, Congress, Democracy, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Jimmy Carter, Jobs, Liberals, Public Employees Unions, SEIU, Senate, Socialism, Taxes, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Democrat political consulting circles Pat Caddell is a big name. One-time adviser to President Jimmy Carter and longtime political strategist for the left, Caddell isn’t someone you throw off a campaign easily. But the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) doesn’t care about past success. It only cares about its power.

After being thrown off the campaign of Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for Senate, Caddell spoke to the folks at The Daily Caller and said he’d been axed by the “thugs” at the SEIU.

“What I said about Andy Stern and the SEIU? Sure, they’re thugs,” said Caddell, a former adviser to President Jimmy Carter, who until Monday* had an informal advising role with the primary challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

“The unions have been considering endorsing Romanoff, and basically they told him that if I was involved with the campaign, ‘sayonara,’ which I think is the definition of thuggery isn’t it?” said Caddell, who has worked for a who’s who of Democratic politicians over the last few decades, including Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Mario Cuomo and Gary Hart.

I couldn’t agree more. Unions will brook no opposition and even the smallest disagreement marks you for destruction with a union… even if you are on the same political side as they!

He pointed out, as have we — repeatedly — that public employees unions are destroying the country:
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Obama’s New Name For Iraq War

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-War, Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Humor, Iraq, Islam, Islamofascism, Liberals, Military, Society/Culture, Terrorism, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston, Western Civilization | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The indispensible Jake Tapper of ABC News is reporting that the Obama Administration is about to rename the Iraq war from “Operation Iraqi Freedom” to “Operation New Dawn.”

Gates writes that by changing the name at the same time as the change of mission — the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. combat troops — the US is sending “a strong single that Operation IRAQI FREEDOM has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission.”

Sounds like some good reasoning.

But Mr. Tapper missed the other naming news. Obama will also announce this week that he is changing the theme of his administration from “Operation Hope-n-Change” to “Operation Red Dawn.”

Operation Red Dawn, the Obama memo will read, replaces the hope and change that previously served as Obama’s battle cry and will herald the new direction of American culture from red, white and blue to just plain red.

No word if Obama agrees with Rham Emanuel that the nation should be renamed the New CCCP.
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This GOP Fakir Votes For Terrorists in Illinois

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Chicago, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Islam, Islamofascism, Liberals, Military, Religion, Society/Culture, State Government, Taxes, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston, Western Civilization | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you’ll recall, just last week I spoke of fake Republican Angelo “Skip” Saviano, State Rep from Elmwood Park. Well, Skippy has again proven his complete lack of Republican credentials with his latest apostasy. With this vote Skippy has once again proven to be a RINO (Republican In Name Only) that we’d be better off to be rid of in Illinois.

With his no vote on HB 4744, ol’ Skippy has not only voted to allow a governor, any governor, to sell state properties without prior approval of the people’s representatives, but he’s also basically given Democrat Governor Quinn the go ahead to sell the Thomson State Correctional facility to the federal government in order to allow terrorist to come live amongst us there.

That’s right, Skippy Saviano pretends to be a Republican but has voted to allow a Democrat to bring terrorists to live here.
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Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Chicago, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Pensions, Public Employees Unions, SEIU, State Government, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to the Pew Center on the States, Illinois’ public employee’s pension system is in the worst shape of all states. The Associated Press reported that pensions in Illinois are underfunded and over promised.

Illinois was rated the most troubled pension system during the study period, with a 54 percent funding level and a total liability of more than $54 billion.

Proof once again that public employee unions are antithetical to good government. The reasons these pensions are in such poor shape are twofold. One is that they are far, far too generous (fault: unions) and two is that even when the money does go into these accounts the state legislature raids the funds for general usage (fault: politicians). Both reasons are failures of government.

What this state needs to do first thing is to start a two tiered system. Since the pensions are protected by law, we need to accept that we are saddled with current pensions. But any new employee and all employees not yet vested should have their undeserved benefits massively cut.

The state should also look to offer as many buyouts at lower costs as it can. Early retirements might help the bottom line, too.

But taking care that future benefits are not so undeservedly high is the most important thing here.
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Falklands doin’ the déjà vu shuffle

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Ann "Babe" Huggett, Britain, Military | Comments Off

-By Ann “Babe” Huggett

It may be hard to hear the drum of War beating over the hip-humping bleating of Lady Gaga but Britain just got a shot across its territorial bow once again by Argentina asserting control of all shipping between the contested Falklands and the Argentina coast. Argentina President Cristina Kirchner’s declaration of shipping lane control on Tuesday, February 16 constitutes the first steps towards a naval blockade of the Falklands referred to as “Las Malvinas” by Argentina.

Coming just 28 years after the first Falkland War, when an expansionist Argentina invaded the sleepy, sheep farming islands only to have its head royally handed back to it by British forces, Tuesday’s move by President Kirchner is this time not seen as a demand for the islands so much as a grab for the oil beds that are within Falklands territorial waters and said to be potentially greater than the output of the 40 billion barrel North Seas oil fields. The arbitrary declaration demands that all ships wishing to operate within the waters between the Falklands and Argentina may do so only after getting a new Argentinean permit, effectively stopped the next-day delivery and start of the year-long construction of the Ocean Guardian oil rig to the Falklands offshore oil beds.
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FCC: Forced Access Uneconomics & Selective Math?

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Computers, Free Trade, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

The FCC just signaled it is considering requiring forced access and more special access as part of its soon to be released National Broadband Plan.

Colin Crowell, a top aide to FCC Chairman Genachowski told Bloomberg that mandating that competitors lease their facilities to other competitors “has a lot of appeal as part of a national strategy” in order to help small businesses grow and aid job creation.
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Ill. GOP Says: Put Alexi on the Phone!

February 19, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Republicans, Senate, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Alexi Giannoulias has a very shady past yet the Illinois Democrat Party is still running him for the Senate. But the Illinois GOP has a few question for the nominee…

"Voters want to know about his role in his family’s struggling Broadway Bank, and Giannoulias promised he’d provide those details after the Feb. 2 primary election. "If I’m fortunate enough to make it out of the primary, we can have that conversation," he said. His plan now seems to be to stonewall until November." – Chicago Tribune Editorial, February 12, 2010

CHICAGO – Today marks the 20th day of Alexi Giannoulias’ silence since promising reporters he would answer questions surrounding his role in the near-collapse of his family’s Broadway Bank.

Illinois Policy Institute: 6 Percent

February 18, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois Policy Institute, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Not So Stimulating
One year after the infamous $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, how’s that much-touted economic stimulus working out? According to even the most optimistic reports, not so well, and only 6 percent of Americans believe it has created jobs. ABC News has a quick summary of the gigantic government spending blowout and its long-term impact—or lack thereof—on jobs.

Who’s Getting Rich From Big Government?

Join Us Next Thursday…
Speaking of government largesse, we’ll be hosting “Obamanomics” author Tim Carney next Thursday evening for an evening of cocktails, appetizers, and engaging discussion. Bestselling author Jonah Goldberg calls Carney’s book an “indispensable field guide to the Obama years”—RSVP today to save your seat!
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Photojournalist Mad at RightWeb’s Use of His Photo

February 18, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Democrats/Leftists, Florida, Foreign Policy, Government, Government, Corruption, Japan, Newspapers, Saudi Arabia, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

A photojournalist from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida is very upset at you people. He wants you all to know that you should be ashamed of yourselves for misusing his photo.

Ed Fountain is the photog that took the famous picture that the right-o-sphere guffawed at a few weeks ago showing President Obama strangely bowing to Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.

In light of the many times Obama has bowed to the floor in supplication before several of the world’s leaders — making himself look like a weakling to the world — conservatives made light of this photo saying that it shows that this weakling president will bow to anyone. After all, why the heck would anyone supplicate themselves before the Mayor of Tampa, Florida? He’s the president, fer cripes sakes!
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More Abuse By Illinois Toll Way Employees

February 18, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Chicago, Cook County, Economy/Finances, Elections, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Say, wouldn’t it be nice not to have to pay any tolls when you are driving to work each day, or as you are running errands, or starting a vacation trip? Well, if you want to get out of paying tolls like all the other poor schlubs around you on the roadways, get a job with the tollway authority. Do that and your tolls are on the house… they may even throw in a car!

The Chicago Trib did an investigation and found out that more than 90% of the tollway’s work force gets free tolls. Not only that but 55 of its “critical” execs get free cars to go along with their free tolls.

And the cost?
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Union Admits Buying Politician, Wants $ Back

February 18, 2010 | Filed Under ACORN, Alabama, Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, Campaign Finance, Communism, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Liberals, Policy, Socialism, Stimulus, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

When an average citizen donates money to a politician it is usually because that citizen believes in the politician and wants to help him have the war chest to conduct a campaign. Unions like to pretend that they donate to politicians out of the goodness of their hearts, just like common citizens do. Everyone knows, though, that they are merely making an attempt to buy them. A union in Alabama has as much as admitted that they were trying to buy a politician, but when he didn’t dance to their tune, these union folks demanded their contributions back.

Al Henley, secretary-treasurer of the Alabama AFL-CIO, seems to be a mite miffed with Alabama Representative Parker Griffith. You’ll recall that Griffith was the one-time Democrat who jumped the sinking Donkey ship and became a Republican late last year.

Apparently while he was a Democrat the AFL-CIO had no problem giving him campaign money. Now that he’s a Republican, though, the union has taken sudden umbrage at Griffith’s voting record. “Parker Griffith, we feel you have swindled us,” Henley said at a recent rally in Hunstville, Alabama.
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Liberal Virus Alert! Reprogramming the Language of Job Creation

February 18, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Liberals, Norvell S. Rose, Socialism, Stimulus, Taxes | 1 Comment

-By Norvell S. Rose

I thought I would take the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the Obama stimulus package to issue an urgent warning: Don’t let your thinking be infected by the left’s insidious attack on the language of job creation in the United States. We must not allow the destructive virus of big government to reprogram our discourse – how we seek to understand and deal with issues surrounding labor and employment in the American free market.

If we don’t guard against this incessant viral attack, the operating system of our cherished free enterprise will become totally corrupted. And our drive for self-determination will inevitably crash.

Make no mistake – President Obama and his conniving crew are engaged in a purposeful, methodical campaign of thought-bending. Every policy they propose, every discussion they promote, every media move they make – all are designed to establish and implant in our language and culture a new framework for discussing and developing jobs.

That new socialist structure: government = jobs.
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