Truth in Accounting: Governor - You Can’t Balance Illinois’ Budget By Borrowing Money

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Pat Quinn, State Government, Taxes, Truth in Accounting, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

From Truth in Accounting…

Institute for Truth in Accounting Issues Guide to Honest Budgeting

March 11, 2010 — To help citizens determine if Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget is truly balanced the Institute for Truth in Accounting has published “Are We Unbalanced? - A Guide to Reviewing Governments’ Budgets”.
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Just One More Scam

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Chicago, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Taxes, Vote Fraud | No Comments

-By Dan Scott

While reading an article on low tax Texas vs. high tax California, it reminded me of the quickly dropped issue of the US Census. Last year’s scandal revolved around President Obama making some of his White House flunkies overseers of the Census. We all understood the implications of a highly partisan administration attempting to influence the outcome of the count. That being some states will be winners and others losers when it comes to the House of Representatives, along with federal funding. Given the predilections of this politician, padding the count is the Chicago way.

I would like to draw everyone’s attention back to something we have lost sight of regarding the Census. The counting that is done is without respect to citizenship. When the Founding Fathers wrote the provision of the Census into the Constitution, the intent was to count people who were current citizens or becoming citizens by virtue of choice, i.e. voting with their feet to live here. In today’s environment, we have some 13 to 20 million people illegally residing within the borders of our country who for the most part are economic sojourners with little desire for the responsibilities that come with citizenship. Furthermore, most of these people are here due to the incompetence of our government in securing the borders and to add insult to injury recently those (DHS) who enforce the laws have intentionally turned a blind eye to their presence. In all cases, local political officials have misused their positions of power to attract as many of these people as possible by refusing to and in most cases obstructing the enforcement of the law.
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Quinn’s Wants 1% Income Tax Hike ‘For Education’

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Bill Brady, Budget, Chicago, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Government, Ill. County, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Pat Brady, Republicans, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

In his budget speech, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is proposing a one percent hike in the state income tax in order to”restore our education budget to current levels.” A one percent increase is like a 33% increase if the tax goes from a flat tax of 3% to one of 4%.

In his speech (beginning on page 10) Quinn addresses the education budget. Sadly, Quinn’s proposal does nothing to address why the problem has arisen in the first place.

Quinn asks for no necessary cuts, he asks for no union concessions, he makes no effort to tighten our education belt in Illinois. Quinn should be slashing the unnecessarily lavish benefits that teachers unions force out of the state, hundreds of useless administrators should be fired and their positions eliminated. The whole education establishment needs to be assessed for it excess. Those imagining that the “fix” is just to pump more money into these failing schools are fooling themselves.

But Quinn is doing nothing but treading water with the state’s education establishment when he should be demanding a bottom to top review of the waste of public education in Illinois.
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A Vote for Melissa Bean Will Cost You $3,900

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Joe Walsh, Liberals, Melissa Bean, Republicans, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

From the Walsh for Congress campaign…

(LAKE ZURICH, IL)– Rep. Melissa Bean’s stubborn refusal to reject the federal government takeover of our health care system will cost the average 8th district resident $3,900, so says a study on the proposed Obamacare legislation by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI). IPI Study
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Illinois Government Websites Recognized As Among Best for Transparency

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under DuPage County, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

Sunshine Review Names 39 “Sunny Award” Winners

Alexandria, VA—Four local Illinois government websites were named winners of the “Sunny Award” today, marking them as some of the best state and local government websites for transparency by Sunshine Review, a pro transparency organization. The winners included Carbondale, DuPage County, Evanston and Lake County.
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Liebau on Unions: ‘The System is Unsustainable’

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, California, Capitalism, Democrats/Leftists, Free Trade, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Jobs, Liberals, Media, Pensions, Public Employees Unions, Socialism, State Government, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Carol Platt Liebau posted a piece on RealCleaPolitics.com that also clangs the warning bells over the unsustainable situation that the various states find themselves in between their public employees unions and the states’ fiscal obligations. She focuses on California, but nearly every state in the union is quickly approaching the mess California is in.

Liebau writes of the effort that the teachers union in California led to get kids as young as five-years-old out of school so that they could be bussed to the state capitol in Sacramento in order to protest school budget cuts. Me, I think she races by this outrage too quickly.
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8th District, Joe Walsh to Bean: Learn from Lipinski and vote NO

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Campaign Finance, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Joe Walsh, Liberals, Melissa Bean, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

From the Walsh for congress campaign…

(LAKE ZURICH, IL)– Today, Republican Congressional nominee Joe Walsh called on his opponent, three-term incumbent Melissa Bean, to learn from her Illinois Democrat colleague Dan Lipinski and vote “NO” on Obamacare.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, a Democrat who represents the 3rd district, has joined the ranks of other Congressional Democrats displaying the courage to vote with their conscience– not their party.
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How Quick the Message Fades

March 10, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Republicans, Senate, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Frank Salvato

It is stunning to find out that there are still some elected officials in Washington DC – especially on the Right side of the aisle – who don’t fully understand the message being sent by the American citizenry regarding their grotesque spending addiction. No, I’m not talking about earmarks or pork barrel spending, which in and of themselves should be egregious enough to warrant defeat in the next election. I am referring to how US Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) was thrown under the bus when he demanded that his fellow Senators actually allocate existing funds for a program they wanted to implement.

As reported by Fox News:

“Kentucky Republican Jim Bunning had been holding up action for days but conceded after pressure intensified with Monday’s cutoff of road funding and extended unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for the jobless.

“Bunning wanted to force Democrats to find ways to finance the bill so that it wouldn’t add to the deficit, but his move sparked a political tempest that subjected Republicans to withering media coverage and cost the party politically. Bunning’s support among Republicans was dwindling, while Democrats used to being on the defensive over healthcare and the deficit seemed to relish the battle.”

In other words, Bunning was trying to do what the American people are demanding – that government be fiscally responsible; that government stop adding to the deficit; that Congress stop spending borrowed money – and the Congressional Republicans threw him under the bus, frightened of how supporting his effort would “appear.”

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Dear America, Admit That You’re Stupid! Love, Nancy

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Communism, Congress, Democracy, Democrats/Leftists, GOP, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Liberals, Nancy Pelosi, President, Senate, Socialism, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The founding fathers debated bills for weeks. They then wrote them, referred them to committee’s of style and prose, brought them back to the floor, debated them again, wrote newspaper articles about them, went home to their districts to discuss them, and finally passed them — or not — after much deliberation.

Today’s Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wants us to just pass a bill so that later we can “find out what is in it.”

Here’s what the zombie from San Francisco said about Obamacare today:

“You’ve heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don’t know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention–it’s about diet, not diabetes. It’s going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.”

Why can’t we know what’s in the bill before you pass it, Nancy? Or are you afraid that once people find out the horrors contained in this abortion of a bill they might not want it passed? In fact by nearly every accounting the American people don’t want this communist take over of one-sixth of the economy to proceed.

Of course, communists and socialists don’t care what the people have to say about anything. They, after all, know best, right? That’s why Nancy and her coven in D.C. just want us to shut up and let them pass this witch’s brew.

So let this Congress lumber forward like the living dead to pass a bill that will materially alter the relationship that citizen has to government in these great United States. Let Nancy “Fright Night” Pelosi destroy the United States as we know it…

On second thought, let’s not. Call your Congressman and Senator today and tell them you do not want this destructive bill passed in your name.
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What is a ‘Religious Extremist’? This Lefty Weekly Sure Doesn’t Know

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Christianity, Education, Government, Corruption, Islam, Liberals, Patriotism, Religion, Warner Todd Huston, Western Civilization | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

For the Independent Weekly of Durham, North Carolina, writer Sam Wardle proves that he hasn’t a clue how the phrase “religious extremist” is properly defined. But, I’d suggest that his confusion is endemic in the far left and proves to show why so many in the west don’t understand how to face and defeat the real religious extremism of radical Islam.

In a story about Representative Sue Myrick (R, NC) and her association with The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools as juxtaposed with her condemnation of radical Islam, Wardle sees no difference between a radical Islamist that might blow himself up with a suicide vest or cut off the head of a helpless captive and a Christian American that wants to use properly constituted law to have the Holy Bible used in the classroom.

Certainly you can disagree with having the Bible used as a text in the classroom, but to say that a person that does want the Bible in the classroom is no better than a terrorist is, well, just plain stupid. It is also intellectually vapid. Unfortunately, Mr. Wardle is all too representative of the vapidity of the left that so often comes to this intellectually dishonest conclusion.
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‘Restoring’ Unions ‘Right’ to Bargain Collectively

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Congress, EFCA, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Jobs, Liberals, Lobbyists, President, Senate, Socialism, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Not long ago union advocate Stewart Acuff penned a piece for the Huffington website that was filled with soaring rhetoric about unions “creating the middle class” and pleading for voters to pressure Congress to pass the absurdly named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). He claimed that this piece of… legislation would “restore the right to form unions and bargain collectively.”

Despite Acuff’s urgent pleading, however, he misses an elephant in the room. No one has taken anyone’s “right to collectively bargain” away from them. Of course that wasn’t the only thing that Acuff was factually incorrect about.

Why is it that union folks have to lie about everything, anyway?

Acuff starts out with a whopper.
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Roskam Calls for Incremental Health Reform Changes

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, GOP, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Illinois, Peter Roskam, Republicans, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

Rep. Roskam participated in a live interview with WGN News’ Mark Suppelsa and discussed President Obama’s health reform proposal. Roskam urged the President to start over and work on a bill that focuses incrementally on cost as a way to increase access to health insurance.

From WGN Chicago, Channel 9

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Google-AdMob: An FTC Antitrust Enforcement Watershed — Lessons from Google-DoubleClick & EU

March 9, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Free Trade, Google, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | No Comments

-By Scott Cleland

Will the FTC strictly enforce antitrust laws in its review of Google’s AdMob acquisition? Google-Admob is a watershed decision for the FTC given that Google recently blew off the DOJ’s serious antitrust objections to the pending Google Book Settlement; The EU opened a preliminary investigation of antitrust complaints against Google from companies in the UK, France and Germany; and The DOJ had to play backstop to the FTC and block the Google-Yahoo Ad Agreement, less than a year after the FTC incorrectly assumed in their 4-1 approval of the Google-DoubleClick deal that Yahoo and others would provide sufficient competition to Google and Google acquiring DoubleClick would not “substantially lessen competition” or tip Google to a monopoly.

A recent New York Post article: “FTC inclined to approve Google’s acquisition of AdMob” states the deal “may just squeak by federal regulators.”

It’s pretty obvious the article’s source came from the Google camp and not the FTC, given the political nature of the source’s views: the FTC “will likely not rule until Obama nominees” are confirmed by the Senate, strongly implying that the:

Administration’s close political ties with Google would trump any career staff law enforcement findings of fact or the law and the lone FTC vote against the 4-1 Google-DoubleClick deal approval, Commissioner Jones-Harbor, will no longer be at the FTC.

Why is this Google spin on the FTC’s inclination likely false?
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Walsh to Bean on Health Care Vote: Vote Your District Not Your Party

March 8, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Democrats/Leftists, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Joe Walsh, Liberals, Melissa Bean, Republicans, State Government, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

From the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign…

(Lake Zurich, Illinois) - 8th District Republican congressional nominee Joe Walsh today called on his liberal Democrat opponent Rep. Melissa Bean to swallow her pride and vote “No” on the Obamacare federal takeover of health care legislation nearing a vote in the House.

“For the first time in a long time Melissa Bean needs to listen to her constituents and vote her district,” said Walsh. “A government takeover of health care is absolutely the wrong approach to fix what ails with health care in America- and 8th district voters know it. Melissa Bean was not elected to represent public sector unions and march in lockstep with her party. She was elected to represent the interests of 8th district families and support policies that speak to their very real economic insecurities. This legislation will worsen the quality of care we have access to and increase unemployment,” Walsh said.
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Rep. Lipinski Dem. of Illinois Says He’s a ‘No’ On Obamacare

March 8, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Chicago, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Health, House of Representatives, Illinois, Liberals, President, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Illinois Congressman Daniel Lipinski has confirmed to John McCormack of the Weekly Standard that he is now a “no” vote on Obama’s healthcare debacle.

Lipinski is a pro-life Democrat that is associated with the block that Bart Stupak (D, Mich.) says will vote “no” over the fact that the Obamacare plan has public funding for abortion in it.

Add Congressman Dan Lipinski of Illinois to the coalition of pro-life Democrats standing firmly with Bart Stupak in the fight over taxpayer-funding of abortion in the health care bill. Asked if the congressman is “open to voting for a health care bill that lacks the Stupak amendment,” Lipinski’s spokesman Nathaniel Zimmer replied in an email to THE WEEKLY STANDARD: “No. Congressman Lipinski will not vote for a health care bill that provides federal funding for abortion.”

Lipinski represents the 3rd Congressional District which is situated in a south central part of Cook County.
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Dear Chicago Taxpayer, You Owe Us a Pension so Pay Up

March 8, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Jobs, Liberals, Pensions, Public Employees Unions, State Government, Taxes, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Civic Federation is reporting that every Chicago resident is on the hook for 444 percent more in unfunded retirement pension benefits to city workers than they were a decade ago.

The watchdog Civic Federation said Monday that the funding deficit for the 10 largest Chicago-area public pension funds soared from $3.4 billion in 1998 to $18.5 billion in 2008, the last year for which figures are available.

This is the fault of both politicians for spending the money instead of investing it as well as unions for “negotiating” ever higher and undeserved benefits with each new contract.

But no matter who is at fault, I’d guess that all the perpetrators imagine that the federal government should bail them out when the inevitable collapse arrives.

That way neither the unions nor the profligate democrat politicians will ever have to pay any substantive price.

Only one problem: the US government doesn’t have the cash or credit, either.

I foresee the collapse of pensions all across the county and millions of people that thought they had retirement available for them will find out that it doesn’t exist. A major mess will soon come to town and no one can prevent its arrival.

Both rank and file Democrats and their unions and politicians deserve all the pain coming their way, too.
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Chicago Charter School’s 100% College Bound Senior Class

March 8, 2010 | Filed Under Chicago, Cook County, Education, Government, Corruption, Illinois State Government, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is very good news, though I am a tad skeptical about a 100% stat… still the AP reports:

A Chicago school that claims to be the nation’s first all-boys public charter high school comprised entirely of black males has accomplished an uncommon feat.

Every member of Urban Prep’s first senior class has been accepted into a four-year college or university.

Urban Prep founder and CEO Tim King highlighted the accomplishment by telling an assembly that only four percent of Urban Prep’s freshman in 2006 were reading at grade level.

What good news. Like I said, I am a bit skeptical of any 100% stat, but even if it turns out its only 95% it doesn’t matter. This is a fantastic achievement.

Kudos to Urban Prep Academies!
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Panic on Wall Street?

March 8, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Budget, Capitalism, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Dr. Don Boys, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Lobbyists, Socialism, Stimulus, Taxes | 1 Comment

-By Don Boys, Ph.D.

One of the oldest French banks, Société Générale, tells clients how to prepare for potential global collapse within the next two years according to a headline in London’s Telegraph, Dec. 2, 2009! That was a “global” collapse! And some of my friends suggest that I am an extremist! Yes, I have said that panic (an out-of-control response to economic collapse) was coming to the U.S. and the world economy not because I am a prophet but because I can connect the dots. Moreover, I expect the panic to reach Main Street where chaos will reign.

For a few years, I have been warning that panic is coming to the market. When that happens, everyone will know because Main Street will feel it bad. When the stock market was over 10,000 and gold was under $300.00, I told a stockbroker friend that the market would fall to 5,000 and gold would go to $2000. Recently, I told him I was fearful that he might have jumped from his penthouse apartment because of market volatility and massive fluctuations. Not yet, but he’s sitting on the ledge! Most brokers say that now is a great buying opportunity, but if you keep dealing with a broker that’s what you will be–broke. Others say, “go with the flow,” but you will likely go down the drain!

I have been trying to get people to get out of the market (unless they have taken precautions) for almost ten years, but they heard talk of a 36,000 Dow (from people who benefited from such talk) and what do I know! Some friends and subscribers did cash out and have called or written to thank me. Others stayed in hoping to recoup their losses. I think every investor should take advantage of any temporary market surge to minimize their losses–cash out. After all, something is better than nothing. The panic hasn’t started yet! Wait until masses of people call their mutual fund and get a recording or a constant busy signal! If you can’t reach them, you can’t sell. When everyone runs for the exit at the same time, many people are trampled in the stampede. Don’t get caught.
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Unions Support This Detroit Socialist

March 7, 2010 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Business, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Government, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Liberals, Media, Michigan, Public Employees Unions, Rights, SEIU, Socialism, Teachers Unions, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left is constantly attempting to wave its hand dismissively at our claims that they are socialists and communists. They claim they are true blue Americans and we are lying about them. Unions are one of the biggest perpetrators of this misinformation.

Well, it appears that in Detroit unions came out in support of a goof ball that claimed himself to be a socialist. They all stood in the Michigan cold saying their “yeas” as he spoke about getting a free university degree, and as he touted a socialist “right” to food and their own house.

Here we see members of the AFT and the SEIU nodding in appreciation of this socialist’s ideas. They stood by his side as he pronounced these socialist “principles.”

Anyone that tells you that unions aren’t socialists and communists needs to explain why unions came out in support of this un-American nut in Detroit.
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Gov’t Employees Now Make More Than Private Sector Workers

March 7, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Liberals, Lobbyists, Media, President, Public Employees Unions, SEIU, Socialism, Taxes, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The news we have been warning you about is in. Government workers on average exceed the pay scale of those in private industry. The unsustainable situation is here. It is now clear that Bill Clinton was a bit premature when he said that the “era of big government is over.” Sadly he didn’t count on the era of big Obama to come.

One word explains why this upside down situation has come to fruition: unions.

USA Today is reporting that “the number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession.” The paper finds that workers at the high end of the salary scale are well represented in government. I’d say overly represented.
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