FULL VIDEO: Rep. Walsh Picks 8th District for 2nd Run

December 9, 2011 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Chicago, Congress, Conservatives, Constitution, Cook County, Economy/Finances, Elections, GOP, Government, House of Representatives, Illinois, Jobs, Joe Walsh, Republicans, Taxes, Tea Party, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Thursday night I attended the Chicago Tea Party meeting which featured a jazzed up first term Congressman Joe Walsh who came to announce in which District he’d take a crack at running to affect his reelection to Congress. Without stringing you along, Walsh chose the newly redistricted 8th for his run.

The Chicago Tea Party event was held at Chicago’s famous Cubby Bear restaurant right across the street from The Cub’s Wrigley field stadium.

With the Democrats in control of how Illinois’ electoral map was redrawn — due to the fact that the Illinois GOP has practically no power at all in the state — Walsh became the chief target that Democrats wanted to eliminate for 2012. Walsh’s home is currently in his 8th District, but redistricting casts his home into the 14th District, a district that is already represented by Randy Hultgren, also a solid Republican (and also a freshman congressman To boot).

A full House for Joe’s announcement at Chicago’s favorite Cubby Bear Pub

Initially Walsh announced plans to primary Hultgren and run in the newly jiggered 14th District. But as the weeks rolled on that prospect seemed an increasingly dismal idea. To primary another Republican would have meant a very, very bloody primary fight, one that would do neither Hultgren nor Walsh — nor Republicans for that matter — any good at all regardless of who won the primary.

This led Walsh to a hard decision and that is what brought him to the Cubby Bear that night.
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Cook County: Incompetent Stroger Appointee Fired Over Million$ in Tax Discrepancies

October 6, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Illinois, Liberals, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I did not vote for Toni Preckwinkle to become the Cook County Board President, but I have to say she has made a few tough decisions that one would not expect from a common Chicago Machine Democrat. In another one of those good moves, Preckwinkle sacked the Cook County Comptroller for her incompetent work with accounting for the county’s tax revenue among other failures.

Cook County Comptroller, Constance Kravitz, was another one of those oh, so wonderful appointees of the dismal Todd Stroger, the previous failure that sat in Preckwinkle’s chair. Kravitz was struggling to make ends meet at $165,000 tax dollars annually, so I can see why it was so hard for her to get her facts straight at work. It’s a lot of pressure to be living at such subsistence pay, you know?

Kravitz was at two strikes before Preckwikle lowered the boom. Not only had Kravitz badly bungled the accounting of tax revenue, being off by a whopping $90 million, but her reports detailing which county employees had taken their furlough days and which hadn’t were a complete mess.
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Cook County Board: Fall News and Updates‏

October 6, 2011 | Filed Under Cook County, Cook County Board, Government, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Cook County Commissioner Timothy O. Schneider…

Update from the Board Room

At the September 7, 2011 Cook County Board meeting, the Cook County Board voted that the Cook County Sheriff shall not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “detainers” placed on undocumented immigrants at the Cook County jail. Commissioner Schneider opposed the ordinance, to read more about his vote and position on this issue click here to read the Daily Herald Editorial.

Property Tax Information

By now, you should have or received your second installment 2010 property tax bill, due November 1, 2011. The Assessor and Commissioner Schneider urge you to make sure you are receiving all of your exemptions. The Assessor’s office did not receive 55,000 applications from senior citizens to receive the Senior Property Tax Exemption; if you did not apply for the Senior exemption, you will not see the savings on your property tax bill.
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Chicago: Union Members Collect Millions in Tax $$ With Sweetheart Pension Deal

September 22, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Pensions, Public Employees Unions, Taxes, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Now this is the sort of corruption we are used to seeing in Illinois, eh? This week the Chicago Tribune and WGN TV has found up to 23 retired union operatives that are collecting millions in taxpayer dollars because they had pals in government tweak the state’s pensions laws to favor them.

These former government workers that were government union members got pliant politicians to alter the pensions laws to say that their pension remuneration would be calculated not on the lower pay they received when they retired from government, but from the much higher salary they received when they worked as union operatives. These folks worked as union bosses at the same time as working on the clock for government.

The “luck” of former union boss and Dept. of Streets and Sanitation worker Thomas Villanova is a typical example. Villanova last worked full-time for the city in 1989 and made $40,000-a-year. But he was also a union big wig making $198,000 annually upon his retirement in 2008 at age 56. His city pension, it appears, was calculated on the union salary of $198,000 instead of his real salary of $40,000 — itself obviously a no-show job in the first place.

Villanova stands to make millions off the taxpayers.
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Cook Commissioners Refuse to Take Furlough Days?

September 22, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Constitution, Cook County, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Illinois, Liberals, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

News today had it that two Cook County Commissioners have refused to take the agreed upon furlough days as required by the 2011 budget, days meant to save the county money. Both William Beavers and Earlene Collins have both refused to take the 10 days off.

Collins claimed on Chicago’s WLS AM 89 radio that she shouldn’t have to suffer the indignities of the cut in salary that the days off would mean. She says her base pay has never risen since she was first elected to office and that she has already cut out much of her office allowances and other staffing funds so she should not have to take a cut in pay, too.

In fact, claims Collins, she’s already made cuts that amount to more than the some $9,000 that her 10 day furlough would add up to.
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Cook County Board: Upcoming Events

September 17, 2011 | Filed Under Cook County, Cook County Board, Illinois, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Timothy O Schneider, Cook County Board…

Property Taxes

The Cook county Board of Review has launched a new web page that allows Cook County homeowners to appeal their property tax assessments online. Residents can visit the new site by clicking here.

Please note that you can only file an appeal when your township is open for appeal. You can see when your township opens for appeal by clicking here.
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Congratulations to Sig Vaznelis, New Cook County GOP Chairman

September 16, 2011 | Filed Under Cook County, GOP, Government, Government, Ill. County, Illinois, Republicans, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Cook County Republicans have a new chairman. Lemont Township Highway Commissioner Sigitas “Sig” Vaznelis was elected by Cook County’s Republican committeemen to become the newest party chairman Thursday night.

Former Cook County GOP Chairman Lee Roupas stepped down late last month to become the DuPage County assistant state’s attorney leaving the seat open. The election was held at the Parthenon restaurant in Chicago’s Greektown.

We discussed the Cook Chairman race a few weeks ago and in the intervening time a few of the possible candidates dropped out leaving only Vaznelis, Aaron Del Mar, and one-time favorite for the seat Ruth O’Connell of Wheeling Township.
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Cook County GOP Chair Race

August 25, 2011 | Filed Under Chicago, Conservatives, Cook County, GOP, Government, Illinois, Republicans, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Lee Roupas is now the Retiring Cook County GOP Party Chairman and that means the race is on. It looks like we have at least three people with their hats thrown in the ring to succeed Roupas.

The most well known is Ruth O’Connell, currently a Republican committeeman of Wheeling Township as well as an elected Township Trustee not to mention the main power behind the Republicans of Wheeling Township.

Ruth has been a tireless organizer of the Wheeling area and has built a very active GOP organization. Due to her work, the Wheeling area has won a lot of weighted votes in the Cook County GOP organization. In fact, her township has the highest GOP weighted vote of any other township or ward in the county.
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Cook County President Preckwinkle Townhall Meeting

August 23, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, Government, Ill. County, Illinois, Taxes, Toni Preckwinkle, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Timothy O. Schneider, Cook County Commissioner…

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will be holding an online Town hall on August 23, 2011 at 7:15 p.m. The town hall will give the residents of Cook County a chance to “Tell Toni” their ideas on the Cook County Budget and engage directly with the President and her office on the important financial decisions that will be made in the coming weeks and months.

To lean more about this unique opportunity to learn more about what Cook County is doing for you, visit the online events page.

Residents throughout the County can participate in the Town Hall Meeting in a variety of ways:
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Dan Patlak Cook County Board Of Review Summer Update‏

August 12, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Dan Patlak, Democrats/Leftists, GOP, Government, Corruption, Government, Ill. County, Illinois, Liberals, Property Taxes, Republicans, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Our last update was in April, so I thought it wise to provide you another report on our progress and activities at the Board of Review since that time.

On August 1st the Board of Review concluded its 2010 tax year appeals, finishing two months earlier than last year. We did this despite adjudicating the second highest volume of property index numbers (387,000) in Board history. In addition, the Board had two new staffs of analysts, my own and Commissioner Cabonargi’s who were hired after his appointment in February.

I continue to fulfill my campaign pledge to be a full time commissioner, working every day side by side with my personal staff as well as the other staffs at the Board. In line with our plans for instituting a continuing education program at the Board, forty-two analysts attended a two and a half day class on residential assessments August second through fourth conducted by the Illinois Department of Revenue. Several analysts on my staff plan to take additional classes to receive their Certified Illinois Assessing Officer designation.
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Perry Parries Iowan’s Ire

August 10, 2011 | Filed Under Congress, Conservatives, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Dick Durbin, Ethics, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Journalism, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, Republicans, RightPundits.com, Senate, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Texas Governor Rick Perry has made it known that he’s going to announce his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president at the Red State Conference in South Carolina on August 13, the same weekend as the Ames, Iowa straw poll. This didn’t sit well with the Iowa Republican blog. The paper called Perry’s timing a “slap in the face to Iowa Republicans.”

The Iowa GOP uses the well-publicized straw poll as a fundraiser for the party and it is also has a sort of pride of place being one of the early, notable primary time events. So, it is easy to see how the Iowans would be a tad upset that Perry decided to use another state on the same weekend to make his announcement. Iowa Republicans would naturally feel he should have used their own stomping grounds for his announcement…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.

Cook County Commish Tim Schneider: Time for a canoe ride‏

August 10, 2011 | Filed Under Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Illinois State Government, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the office of Cook County Commissioner Timothy O Schneider…

Canoe On Busse Lake

Saturday August 27 from 10am – 1pm the Friends of Busse Woods will be hosting a canoeing outing within Busse Lake. This event is open to anybody who would like to participate. The canoes can be rented from the Boat Rental Facility within Busse Woods and are $30 for the day. The route will take canoers north of Higgins Rd into the nature preserve where multiple types of birds including cormorants and great blue herons can be seen. You are welcome to show up the day of, but if you are planning on coming please RSVP.

RSVP to bussewoodsvolunteer@gmail.com.

Visit their website to learn more http://www.bussewoods.net/

Brookfield Zoo

On August 19th, join the Brookfield Zoo staff for A Night in the Wild. Take a ride on the motor safari, and then enjoy dinner under the stars. Learn more here.
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Jobs Bash 2011 Announced Across The Street from Obama’s Chicago Birthday Party

August 2, 2011 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Budget, Business, Capitalism, Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, Jobs, Liberals, President, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Activists Plan to Counter Obama’s Re-Election Fundraiser in Chicago

WHAT:President Obama plans to celebrate his big 50th birthday this Wednesday at the historic Aragon ballroom on Chicago’s north side with additional satellite fundraisers being held around the country. But the President may be in for another unexpected surprise: A “Jobs Bash” just steps away from the upscale fete in his honor.
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Union Member Fined $300K Just for Finding Work!

August 1, 2011 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Free Speech, Illinois, Jobs, Labor Law, Liberals, Regulation, Rights, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The lesson: if you are a union member, better to sit on your rear-end and do nothing than find gainful employment.

A poor Chicago-area carpenter who was sick and tired of waiting for his useless union to find him work struck out on his own and got a job with a non-union shop. Big mistake. Once the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters found out they tried to fine him $300,900 for having the gall to find work on his own.

Carpenter Nathaniel Musser is not sitting around and taking this outrageous treatment handed him by the feckless union, either. He’s filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the union with the National Labor Relations Board which will come up in mid-August.

If were Mr. Musser, though, I would not hold my breath that Obama’s union-sold NLRB will side with the poor, put upon worker here. This is the same regulatory board that extra-constitutionally decided that it had to power to prevent Boeing from opening up a new plant in any U.S. state it wanted to merely because the NLRB thought a few union jobs in Washington State might be at risk.
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Chicago’s New Top Cop: A Race Baiter That Stands Against the U.S. Constitution

June 25, 2011 | Filed Under 2nd Amendment, Anti-Americanism, Catholicism, Chicago, Christianity, Constitution, Cook County, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, Guns, Liberals, Race, Rahm Emanuel, Sarah Palin, Warner Todd Huston | 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Once again St. Sabina, the “Catholic” Church on Chicago’s South Side, makes the news for race-baiting and down talking our U.S. Constitution. This time it is Chicago’s new Police Superintendent, Garry McCarthy, who appeared at the church and indulged his inner Father Pfleger with a rant on how the US is filled with racists and how the U.S. Constitution was written to kill minorities.

After the race-baiting “Father” Michael Pfleger left the stage, Chicago’s new top cop took his turn at stirring the race hatred instilled deep in the parishioners by years of Pfleger’s demagoguery. Superintendent McCarthy didn’t disappoint the crowd eager for more race-baiting, for sure.

“So here’s what I want to tell you…,” McCathy said warming to his theme. “Slavery. Segregation. Black codes. Jim Crow. What, what did they all have in common? Anybody getting’ scared? Government sponsored racism.”

Then he really got into the weeds…
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Chicago Teachers Losing Their Raises

June 18, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Chicago, Children, Cities, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Education, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Jobs, Liberals, Public Employees Unions, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

As the Daley years wound down, Chicago’s public schools teachers were handed an automatic 4 percent raise across the board that was supposed to take effect next year. However, that largess from the taxpayers has just been rescinded by a unanimous vote of the Chicago Public Schools board.

Citing the $712 million budget deficit, the CPS announced that the automatic, meritless raise was simply unjustifiable.

In a statement, schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard said, “I have the utmost respect and admiration for teachers and all that they do for our children. But today’s board action was taken in response to the massive financial crisis facing our system. My team is now tasked with developing a balanced budget and presenting it to the Board and the public in August and our promise remains to minimize any impacts on the classroom and our kids.”
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Emanuel’s First Test: Gang Mob Attacks Continue in Chicago After Memorial Beach Closing

June 7, 2011 | Filed Under Chicago, Cook County, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Rahm Emanuel, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Chicagoans flocked to North Avenue Beach last Monday for Memorial Day, only to have their holiday fun spoiled when Chicago police closed the beach. For the first time in Chicago’s history, North Avenue Beach, where residents go to cool off, was closed due to excessive heat according to Police Superintendent Tom McCarthy. McCarthy was backed up by newly elected Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who claimed there was a surge in calls due to heat exhaustion, and the reason for the closing was to give ambulances and paramedics easier access to treat those in need.

Fox Chicago News lightly covered reasons for the beach closing other than heat, which were missing from other local news outlets, CBS and ABC. Fox reported an unusually high presence of Chicago street gangs…

Read the rest at RebelPundit.com.

Republican State Rep. Mark Beaubien Dies

June 6, 2011 | Filed Under Cook County, GOP, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Republicans, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Rep. Mark Beaubien Jr., a Republican lawmaker since 1996 and the former head of a family banking business, died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon.
Beaubien, 68, of Barrington Hills was at a Republican fundraising event at Arlington Park race track with family, friends and colleagues when he died.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of my close friend and colleague, Rep. Mark Beaubien,” said House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Dee, his children, grandchildren and many friends around the state…

Read the Rest at the Chicago Tribune.

Introducing Schaumburg’s Sick Time Reimbursement Plan

May 21, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

From the Palatine Tea Party…

(Palatine, Illinois) – The Village of Schaumburg clearly indicates in their employee handbook, which we obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, how employee sick time balances can be paid out.

Click here, to view the Village of Schaumburg Employee handbook. Review section 8-4 of the Employee handbook (Sick Time Reimbursement Plan).
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Rahm Emanuel Officially Sworn In As Chicago’s Newest Mayor

May 16, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Chicago, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Jobs, Liberals, Mayor Richard Daley, Rahm Emanuel, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Rahm Emanuel is now officially sworn in as Chicago’s 46th mayor so we can now officially swear at him. Of course, we all know that today’s ceremony was merely a formality as he was anointed mayor months ago the second that Mayor Daley announced the end of his long reign of fiscal irresponsibility in the Windy City.

Interestingly, WLS news said that there were many seats left empty at the ceremony, even in the VIP area. One might assume that Mayor Emanuel has yet to endear himself to all the little people. With his no-nonsense, hard-nosed reputation, one wonders if he ever will?

Saying, “Our city’s financial situation is difficult and profound,” Emanuel warned the city that his upcoming term will not be an easy one.
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Totalitarianism For Tots: School lunches are just a start

May 10, 2011 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Chicago, Children, Cook County, Daniel Clark, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Society/Culture, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Unions, Western Civilization | 1 Comment

-By Daniel Clark

The prohibition on bagged lunches at Chicago’s Little Village Academy elementary school was not the result of Michelle Obama’s culinary reign of terror, as was widely assumed when it was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. In reality, the ban had been unilaterally enacted six years ago by principal Elsa Carmona. So, although there may be one little tyrant presiding over one little school, it is not indicative of a broader, nationwide campaign. Or is it?

Carmona’s edict has just become newsworthy because of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, signed by President Obama in December. That law has imposed far stricter nutritional standards on school lunches, while at the same time rejecting all standards of edibility. Because the kids won’t want to eat the gruesome grub, Little Village’s forbidding them from bringing lunches from home may lead to their refusing to eat lunch at all.

While touting the new rules, the White House posted a sample of a weekly elementary school lunch menu online. If we fed many of these same items to the terrorist detainees at Guantanamo, the ACLU and Amnesty International would scream brutality, and for once they’d have a point.
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Cook County Board: Where a Politician Refuses to Say Something Like a Normal Person… Again

April 27, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, Taxes, Toni Preckwinkle, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

You gotta hand it to new Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Not only has she risen above her goofy name and won a highly important political position, but she’s achieved the art of almost saying something that she means.

Of course there’s another thing you have to hand to her. For a Democrat she’s been doing a fair bit of cutting of the Cook County budget. She could do far more, of course, but at least she’s doing something.

Anyway, back to the “almost saying something she means” thingie…
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Cook County Property Tax Appeal Seminar

April 25, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Board, Economy/Finances, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Property Taxes, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Seminar includes a presentation by Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak followed by an opportunity to file an appeal.

When: Thursday, April 28, 2011 – 6:00 PM

Where: Hanover Township Senior Center 240 South Route 59 Bartlett, IL 60103

Rep. Gutierrez Threatens Not to Support Obama Re-election Over Immigration

April 20, 2011 | Filed Under Congress, Constitution, Cook County, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Immigration/Immigrants, Liberals, Luis Gutierrez, President, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Chicago area Congressman Luis Gutierrez has been harping on the immigration issue for many years and since Obama was elected he has stepped up that activism. Gutierrez wants complete amnesty and an open border and he’s been unhappy with the Obama Administration for its lack of movement on the issue. Now he’s threatening not to support Obama’s 2012 reelection bid over his stymied immigration bill.

Gutierrez has been desperate to get an amnesty bill through Congress but has been stonewalled even by other Democrats. In 2009 he tried it. At that time I interviewed Rep. Brian Billbray who said that Gutierrez was merely setting up the next major wave of illegal immigration with his bill.

Last year Gutierrez even tried to shoehorn gay issues into an immigration bill in order to get his failed ideas passed. He pushed hard for the DREAM Act but that failed, too.
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Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Attacks Apple iPad

April 20, 2011 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Chicago, Computers, Congress, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Inernet, Jesse Jackson, Liberals, Socialism, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Chicago area Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is apparently as fickle as he is uninformed about economics and the Constitution both. In March we saw him praising the Apple iPad as technology so important that he wanted to have the federal government buy one for every American student. Only a month later he was calling the iPad a destroyer of American jobs. Talk about a whiplash inducing turn around.

In March, Jackson was pleased to announce a brilliant idea to put a provision into the Constitution that gives every student an iPad and a laptop computer. After a week of ridicule, Rep. Jackson doubled down on that plan saying that the iPad had so fundamentally altered education that it should be a right.

And now, only a month later Jackson has made a complete turnaround on the iPad calling it a destroyer of American jobs.
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Remarks from the 2011 Chicago Tea Party Tax Day Rally

April 19, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Conservatives, Constitution, Cook County, Dan Proft, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Republicans, Tea Party | Comments Off

-By Dan Proft

Snow in Chicago in April. Some might view this as simply the unpredictability of Chicago weather. Others might attribute it to climate change. I, however, believe this to be a prophecy foretold: Rahm Emanuel has been elected Mayor of Chicago and Hell is freezing over.

Welcome tea partiers. To paraphrase our President, you are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration and the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, two Illinois sons who forever changed the world and our understanding of it with their simple but unyielding commitment to the idea that liberty is the birthright of every human being.

The leadership emanating from Illinois more recently hasn’t been quite to that standard. This is also the year we take note of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s 40th year of driving business and jobs out of Illinois. And this year is the 14th anniversary of Barack Obama’s first “present” vote in the Illinois State Senate.

But I have hope for change.
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Obama’s Media Passover: Rep. Walsh Takes it To The Media

April 18, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, CNN, Congress, Conservatives, Cook County, Economy/Finances, GOP, Government, Government, Corruption, House of Representatives, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Joe Walsh, Journalism, Lake County, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, President, Republicans, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Joe Walsh (R, 8th District), a Tea Party backed Congressman from Illinois, slams the Old Media on why Obama has been allowed to present not one, but two budgets without the media saying a word about it.

Exactly right, Joe. If any Republican president had issued a budget that failed to win any support and then was forced to make a second run at it, the media would be talking about nothing else but “the president’s first failed budget plan.” The media would be repeating this drumbeat over and over until even the second budget would be DOA because the president would have been so undermined.

But in this case, Obama failed miserably with his first budget offering and has come back to the table with a second one and the media has been wholly silent on the first failure, giving Obama a total pass on the debacle and treated as if his second proposal is the only one he’s ever presented.
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Tax Day Tea Party Now Even Bigger: Cain, Grover, Cisco – 4/18‏

April 16, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Taxes, Tea Party, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

The 2011 Chicago Tax Day Tea Party on Monday, April 18 at noon in Daley Plaza has grown even bigger. Businessman, tea party star and Presidential Candidate Herman Cain is now set to speak at the rally. Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform and one of the original authors of the Contract with America will also speak in Chicago on tax day. But that’s not all. We’ll also be joined by Cisco Cotto and Dan Proft from WLS AM-890.

Let us know you’re coming by registering here. You can also RSVP on Facebook here.

Herman Cain, Grover Norquist, Cisco Cotto and Dan Proft will round out an already stellar group of speakers, liberty leaders and regular people who are making a difference. The confirmed speakers at the event include:
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Wasteful Referendum Defeated in Suburban Lamont

April 13, 2011 | Filed Under Americans For Prosperity, Budget, Chicago, Children, Conservatives, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, DuPage County, Economy/Finances, Education, Elections, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the election day success stories enjoyed by Americans for Prosperity, Illinois, occurred in nearby Lamont. A wasteful school referendum was defeated in Lamont and AFP was at the forefront of educating voters on the facts as they went to the polls.

Residents of Lamont had become tired of seeing their taxes go up every single year while the District constantly cried poor, so due to requests from residents, AFP – Illinois began an effort to understand exactly why the budget and the taxes for Lamont’s School District 113a have been constantly rising for every one of the last eleven years.

Upon investigation, AFP discovered that while revenues for the district have risen 50% over the last eleven years, the District’s spending has risen 77% during the same time.
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Chicago School Accuses Parents of Poisoning Children

April 13, 2011 | Filed Under Budget, Chicago, Children, Cook County, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Ethics, Freedom, Government, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Illinois State Government, Liberals, Liberty, Public Employees Unions, Regulation, Taxes, Teachers Unions, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The nanny state in the people’s republic of Chicago rears its ugly head once again where a school principal has accused parents of trying to poison their own children with “unhealthy” bag lunches. And so, in her infinite wisdom, Principal Elsa Carmona had banned all lunches brought from home. I guess it’s just a coincidence that the school gets more federal money for lunches served by the school, eh?

Little Village Academy Principal Carmona, you see, is better and smarter than the vile parents of the children for whom she is the keeper… at least she thinks she is, anyway. She has determined that kids are not getting healthy lunches from parents, so she’s decided that kids can only eat the bland pabulum she serves in her school cafeteria.
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