Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)’ Category

The DSA’s socialist plans carry a $212T price tag — and every one of us will pay

Posted in Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Immigration, League of Women Voters, Look For The Union Label, New York Post, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Springfield, Taxes, The Other Half, Unions, Village Code on September 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Adam Michel | New York Post

It started in New York, but now democratic socialism is on a winning streak around the country.

Months after Zohran Mamdani became mayor, candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America nearly swept the city’s June Democratic primaries.

In Florida, DSA member Angie Nixon won the Democratic Senate nomination over the establishment favorite.

And it’s not just the DSA’s own candidates: Socialist ideas are being laundered into the mainstream Democratic Party.

In the upper Midwest, Abdul El-Sayed and Peggy Flanagan rode Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement to win Democratic Senate primaries, campaigning on Medicare for All and expansive Green New Deal-like policies.

So I took the DSA platform — dubbed “A Day Without Capitalism,” it’s long on rhetoric and thin on details — and tallied up the costs.

The bottom line: The DSA wants somewhere between $71 trillion and $212 trillion in new spending over the next decade.

Continue reading here.

Read Full Post »

Barrington parents ask District 220 to reduce students’ screen time

Posted in 220, AI, Board of Education, Daily Herald, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, School Districts, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on September 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A group of parents in “Barrington Area Unit School District 220” are asking district officials to reduce the reliance on technology in classrooms and more closely monitor students’ screan time.

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

More than 1,200 parents, educators and community members have signed a petition calling on Barrington Area Unit School District 220 to reduce students’ screen time and access to technological devices.

“Technology can absolutely be a valuable educational tool,” Jenna Bennett, one of the parents involved in the effort, said in a statement. “But a tool should be used purposefully — not become the default.”

The parents are asking the district to demonstrate how and why technology is being used, establish appropriate guardrails, and ensure educators’ decisions are supported by research and data.

District 220 Superintendent Craig Winkelman said educators already are addressing some of the concerns, including with a policy change this year that keeps kindergarten and first-grade students from taking school-issued iPads home, unless teachers require it for an assignment.

“We used to have a stance that all of our devices went home as the standard, and we have changed that,” Winkelman said.

Petition signers say they want to district to go further, by keeping all elementary students’ devices at school whenever possible and creating screen-free lunch environments in middle schools.

Report continues here.

Editorial note: The petition the report refers to can be found here.

Read Full Post »

Pritzker record: Illinois 5th-worst for private-sector job growth

Posted in Clown Car, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Elections, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on September 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Illinois is in the bottom five states for private-sector job growth under Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Since he took office, job growth in the private sector in the state is up less than 0.1%.

By Adam Gorcyca | Illinois Policy Institute

Under Gov. J.B. Pritzker, private-sector job growth in Illinois has remained virtually flat while the nation has seen growth.

Illinois’ private-sector job growth is in the bottom five states. Such jobs grew by less than 0.1% from 2018 to 2025 in Illinois, compared with a national rate of over 6%.

In the three years after the pandemic, the number of businesses leaving Illinois tripled, including  Caterpillar and Citadel moving their headquarters out of the state.

Some will absolve Pritzker of responsibility on this metric and point toward the overarching trend of lagging Midwestern job growth. That ignores the fact that the number of private-sector jobs in the rest of the Midwest grew 2.7 times faster than in Illinois.

Read more here.

Read Full Post »

Equestrian/Riding Club Commission meets tonight

Posted in Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Bicyclists, Commercial Horse Boarding, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Flock Cameras, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, HARPS, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, IDOT, Land Use, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Longmeadow Parkway, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Overhead, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Roads and Bridges, SOS Party, Taxes, The Other Half, TMI, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Unions, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Your Barrington Hills on September 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Equestrian/Riding Club Commission will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

A copy of the agenda and Zoom link can be found here.

Read Full Post »

CUSD 220 Board of Education budget public hearing and meeting Tuesday

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), E-bikes, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Look For The Union Label, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Hearing, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Snowflake Effect, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The District 220 Board of Education meets tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.

Related: “CUSD 220 Tentative Fiscal 2026/27 Budget Public Hearing September 1st,” “District 220 board members violated campaign policies, investigation finds,” “Proposed Policy Change Would Strip Anonymous Formal Grievances in Barrington District 220,” “Reminder: CUSD 220 Board of Education meeting tonight,” “CUSD 220 Board delivers second (slappier) slap on the wrist to member Erin Chan Ding,” “CUSD 220 Board of Education public comments we applaud,” “Special District 220 Board of Education meeting Monday,” “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency” and “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’”

Read Full Post »

The Stunning Rise of the Democratic Socialists of America

Posted in 220, Barrington Area Library, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, DARCHED, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Fools and their money, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Immigration, League of Women Voters, News Media, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, School Districts, Taxes, The New Normal?, The New York Times, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Daily | The New York Times

This summer, the Democratic Socialists of America have mounted their biggest and most successful attempt yet to redefine the Democratic Party. They have defeated its candidates in primary after primary from coast to coast.

As its electoral success grows, the organization is confronting big, unresolved questions about what it stands for and what level of compromise is required to become a lasting political force.

Charles Homans, who talked to more than 30 D.S.A. candidates, organizers, members and volunteers across the countries, discusses the rise and limitations of the D.S.A.

Guest: Charles Homans writes about national politics for The New York Times and The Times Magazine.

The link to the podcast can be found here.

Read Full Post »

Pritzker record: Illinois loses tens of thousands of residents during his tenure

Posted in Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes on August 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Illinois’ population has shrunk under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s leadership and is predicted to fall further.

By Adam Gorcyca | Illinois Policy Institute

While population growth is a basic measure of effective governance, tens of thousands of people have left Illinois under Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The state’s outmigration challenge is expected to worsen, with Illinois projected to lose 600,000 residents by 2033, driven by a drop of 450,000 in Illinois’ prime-working-age population.

And from 2020 to 2025, Illinois’ population of residents under 20 fell by 6.8%, more than three times faster than the national average of 2%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Net loss of 168,000

Since 2018, the state has lost a net of more than 168,000 residents, or over 1% of its population. Illinois ranks 48th in population growth rate among the 50 states.

The rest of the Midwest grew by 2.1% during the same time period.

Of the nearly 83,000 residents who left in 2024, almost all of them went to states with lower taxes. Florida alone claimed a net of over 11,000 Illinois residents that year, while a net of nearly 37,000 left for Illinois’ neighbor states.

Pritzker’s second term has seen a slight uptick in population, largely because of international migration. Without that boost, Illinois’ total would have declined in 2025.

Report continues here.

Read Full Post »

Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight

Posted in Animal Welfare, BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Village Government on August 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) Executive Board is scheduled to meet this evening at 7:00 PM at the Tower Lakes Village Hall, 400 North Rt. 59.

Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, nor are minutes, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.

Read Full Post »

Most Cook County homeowners to see taxes rise again, treasurer says

Posted in 220, Board of Education, Chicago Tribune, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Look For The Union Label, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions on August 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

People enter the Cook County treasurer’s office in downtown Chicago, Nov. 20, 2025. Cook County property taxes are going up again for the vast majority of homeowners and business owners. | Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune

By A.D. Quig  | Chicago Tribune

Cook County property taxes are going up again for the vast majority of homeowners and business operators who will finally get their bills next month after another round of delays.

Of the 1.8 million bills set to hit mailboxes Sept. 1, about 1.3 million residences and 100,000 businesses will see an increase, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ annual analysis.

The total property tax bill for every city, town, school district and other taxing body across Cook County is more than $19.9 billion — an increase of about $744 million (or 3.9%) compared with last year. It’s the 32nd straight annual increase, according to the report.

Nearly all taxing agencies across the county raised their property tax levies this year, the analysis found. About 60% increased them by more than the 3.1% rate of inflation.

Of that new sum, homeowners will pay nearly $600 million, while business properties like offices, factories and big apartment buildings will pay the rest.

The biggest changes will be felt in suburban communities north of North Avenue, who had their properties reassessed in 2025. Growth in home values there “significantly outpaced” those for businesses, the report said, shifting 2% more of the region’s overall tax burden onto homeowners.

Unlike the major spike last cycle that saw a historic 15.7% increase in median bills across the northern suburbs, the median tax bill for homeowners there climbed by 6.7% this year to $8,007, per the analysis.

Report continues here.

Read Full Post »

Report: Illinois tops nation in debt ratio

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, IDOT, Illinois Tollway, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, The Center Square, Unions on August 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

According to a new report on financial red flags, Illinois has a higher debt ratio than any other state and Chicago is the most financially tenuous place in America.

Reason Foundation used audited financial reports from state governments and the nation’s 100 largest cities, counties and school districts to evaluate them in eight measures of financial health.

Reason Foundation Research Director Geoff Lawrence said Illinois is way upside down, with a debt ratio of 276%.

“It has way more debt than assets, $80 billion in total assets versus $220 billion in debt, so if you were to try to liquidate all of the state’s assets to pay off all its debts, it would be impossible,” Lawrence told The Center Square.

The report also flagged Illinois for liabilities per capita and unrestricted net position.

Lawrence said Chicago residents are facing heavy city and county debt on top of federal and state debt.

“In addition to what you owe to the federal government in terms of outstanding debt per citizen, you owe substantial amounts as well to every level of local government,” Lawrence said, adding that the city continues to dig the hole.

“They outspent revenues by about $580 million in the last year for which we have data,” Lawrence said.

Read on here.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »