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Gov. Pritzker tells CNN that jobs are coming back to Illinois. The number of people employed in Illinois under his watch says the opposite.

Posted in Deception, Elections, Ethics, Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints on July 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

By Ted Dabrowski and Nick Binotti | Wirepoints

Gov. J.B. Pritzker told America last week on a CNN interview that President Biden has “…done a lot to revive American manufacturing. In my state, you know, we’ve seen jobs and companies coming back to the United States and to Illinois.”

But the governor’s comment about Illinois is simply not true – not when you measure it by the number of Illinoisans who are actually employed. Fewer people are on Illinois’ employment rolls today than when Pritzker took office.*

Back then, in 2019, Illinois employed 6,273,060 workers, according to the BLS’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program. Based on the latest numbers, only 6,193,823 are employed today. That’s a loss of 80,000 working Illinoisans during the governor’s tenure.

It’s also the nation’s 3rd-worst performance over that 5-year span. Only California and New York suffered bigger losses in employment than Illinois did.

In contrast, many states’ employment rolls boomed over the same period. The number of Texans employed is up by over 1.3 million people since January 2019. Florida employment is up by over 900,000.

And states like Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia have all added more than 200,000 to their employment rolls. Below, we show the nation’s top ten leaders in employment creation, as well as the bottom ten. (An appendix with data on all 50 states, for both total employment and manufacturing employment.

(Click to enlarge)

Illinois manufacturing employment is down as well. Since January 2019, Illinois manufacturing employment is down 12,800, the nation’s 7th-worst performance, according to the BLS’ Current Employment Statistics Program.

And as with overall employment, Texas and Florida crushed the rest of the nation in manufacturing employment. Since 2019, Texas has increased its employment by 73,600, Florida by 44,100. Georgia is up 29,000. Again, we show below the top and bottom 10 performers nationally.

Read more here.

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Pritzker’s whopper during the presidential debate should tell us something about him and so many others

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Ethics, Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on June 30, 2024| 1 Comment »

By: Mark Glennon* | Wirepoints

There’s something telling about what Gov. JB Pritzker wrote during Thursday’s presidential debate that’s utterly disheartening, and it’s about more than Pritzker.

Instead of criticizing Donald Trump with honesty and facts — material for which is abundant — Pritzker chose to repeat a lie. More importantly, it’s a lie widely known and easily shown to be a lie, as Pritzker surely knows.

Pritzker wrote on X, “When neo Nazis marched on Charlottesville chanting ‘Jews will not replace us’, Donald Trump called them very fine people. And now he says it’s all a lie. It’s not a lie, Donald Trump is just a liar.”

That claim has been thoroughly debunked over and over again by sources on both the left and right. When Trump said “very fine people on both sides” he specifically noted that he was not talking about neo-Nazis and white supremacists and said they should be “condemned totally.”

Here’s the video. It can’t be more clear that he wasn’t talking about neo-Nazis.

Left-leaning Snopes is among the latest to debunk Pritzker’s claim. Its conclusion: “In sum, while Trump did say that there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’ he also specifically noted that he was not talking about neo-Nazis and white supremacists and said they should be condemned totally. Therefore, we have rated this claim ‘False.’”  Snopes included both the video and a transcript. See it yourself.

Here’s CNN’s Jake Tapper on video saying Trump condemned Neo-Nazis and white supremecists, and that Trump was not including them in his “very fine people” remark.

Pritzker’s comment on X has over 420 replies, almost all of which say that Pritzker was lying.

The question therefore becomes: Why would Pritzker use a claim that’s so widely known to be a lie?

Read on here.

*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.

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Illinois lawmaker seeks to criminalize flying American flag upside down

Posted in Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield on June 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

By Catrina Petersen | The Center Square

A veteran Illinois lawmaker is in opposition to recently introduced legislation that would make it a crime for government officials to knowingly fly an upside down flag on government property.

State Rep. Harry Benton (Democrat) has introduced legislation that would prohibit politically motivated efforts that disrespect the flag.

“The flag of the United States is an enduring symbol of our national spirit and pride, and of the sacrifices made by every generation of Americans,” said Benton.

Steve Balich, supervisor of Homer Township in Will County, reportedly ordered the national flag outside the Homer Township offices to be flown upside down after the conviction of former President Donald Trump.

The Center Square attempted to reach Balich for comment but he didn’t immediately respond.

“The public official who made this sad choice – to disrespect our nation’s flag and everything it stands for – may be disappointed in the outcome of a certain criminal trial, but that is no excuse,” said Benton. “That he then attempted to deflect rising outrage by draping himself in the very same flag he’d just finished spitting on makes his actions all the more pathetic.”

State Rep. David Friess, an air force veteran, said he believes if an individual feels the country is in a time of distress, he or she should be able to fly the flag upside down.

“Even as a veteran, I don’t lose my cool … I understand that one of the greatest freedoms we have is free speech and I may not agree with an individual if he or she flies the flag upside down, but I absolutely respect your right to do that,” said Friess.

Benton’s House Bill 5860 would make it a crime for a government official to knowingly cause the national flag to be displayed upside down on government property.

More here.

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Slated candidates get win after Pritzker-signed election law deemed unconstitutional

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Girlie man, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, Organizations, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Unions on June 5, 2024| 1 Comment »

By Catrina Petersen | The Center Square

A Sangamon County Circuit Court judge made a temporary injunction permanent, finding that enforcing a recently signed law that eliminates “slating” for General Assembly races in the 2024 election is unconstitutional.

Last month, the Illinois General Assembly gutted and replaced a child welfare bill with changes to election law. They prohibited the slating of candidates for the November general election ballot if that candidate did not run in the March primary. Within three days of the idea surfacing and passing both chambers, Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the measure.

Some candidates looking for ballot access in November didn’t run in the primary for their district. Leslie Collazo, seeking to take on incumbent state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said she didn’t realize there wasn’t a Republican running the in primary until it was too late. When Pritzker enacted the law while she was preparing to file her petitions to be slated, she said she felt “cheated.”

Candidates then sued and a Sangamon County judge issued a preliminary injunction pending final judgement. A hearing in the case was held Monday, the same day candidates had as a deadline to file petitions to be slated for the November ballot. Wednesday, final judgement was issued for the plaintiffs.

“The General Assembly could make the revisions effective for the next election, rather than in the midst of the current election,” said Judge Gail Noll. “Everyone would then be on notice that, in General Assembly races, when there was no candidate for the nomination of the party in the primary, no candidate of that party for that office can be listed on the ballot at the general election.”

Noll further said: “The revisions to [state law] are unconstitutional as applied to Plaintiffs in the November 2024 general election because the application of the amendment to Plaintiffs during the 2024 election cycle impermissibly burdens their right to vote and to have their names placed on the November ballot.”

Read more here.

Related: “‘Anti-democracy’ law blocked: GOP candidates win court order stopping Dems from using new law to keep them off ballot,” “Editorial: State lawmakers in Springfield pass bill to cut off competition in 78 races,” “Candidates feel ‘cheated, violated, robbed’ after Pritzker enacts law ending slating,” “Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs election bill that would favor Democrats in November,” “(With cheshire grins) Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions”

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Lawmakers take all 3 advisory question spots on November ballot

Posted in Clown Car, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Girlie man, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on May 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Illinois lawmakers gave voters three issues on which they can offer opinions during the November election. They filled all the available ballot spots, leading a group with their own advisory question to cry ‘foul.’ (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

By Dylan Sharkey | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois lawmakers put a trio of advisory questions about election workers, property taxes and insurance for fertility treatments on the Nov. 5 ballot.

That’s it. The ballot is full. Which leaves out a question about parental notification that a group was collecting voters’ signatures to include on the ballot.

While advisory questions don’t directly change laws, the results could impact how lawmakers choose to pursue policies in the future based on documented public opinion. Senate Bill 2412, which was signed into law May 3, filled the three available spots with questions Democratic state lawmakers want answered.

The questions are also seen as an attempt to turn out more Democratic voters in November.

Lawmakers’ questions:

  • Election Worker Protection and Candidate Accountability Referendum Act: “Should any candidate appearing on the Illinois ballot for federal, State, or local office be subject to civil penalties if the candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker’s official duties?”
  • Property Tax Relief and Fairness Referendum Act: “Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?”
  • Assisted Reproductive Health Referendum Act: “Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?”

Only three nonbinding proposals are allowed on one ballot, meaning voters won’t see any other advisory questions on Nov. 5.  The Parents Matter Coalition was collecting signatures to get advisory questions on the ballot regarding parental rights.

Read more here.

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Brazen election interference: Illinois Democrats retroactively change law to knock out Republican challengers. Surely, lawsuits must follow.

Posted in BOHICA, DARCHED, Deception, Ethics, Girlie man, One Barrington Hills, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints, WTF on May 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

By Mark Glennon, founder of Wirepoints

As an alternative to a primary election, Illinois law allowed for a party to get its candidates on the ballot for General Assembly spots by party slating procedure, along with collection of a requisite number of public signatures on nominating positions. A number of Republican challengers have been proceeding accordingly.

But over the course of just 30 hours on the first days of this month, the Democratic supermajority changed the law to retroactively disallow that procedure, thereby barring challengers from the November ballot as Republican party candidates.

The new law almost certainly gives Democrats a win in races in which Republicans did not run a candidate in the primary and could result in dozens of unopposed races.

Gov. JB signed the new law the day after it was passed, hours after telling reporters he didn’t know all the details. He also claimed it was an “ethics” bill. “It really does make sure that we don’t have backroom deals to put people on the ballot and run as a result of some small group of people in a smoke-filled room making the choice,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference in Bloomington. “So I think to me, more transparency is better.” It’s not like Illinois Democrats ever line up their chosen candidates to run for the party, right?

“This is nothing more than a brazen attempt by Illinois Democrats to disenfranchise voters and eliminate political competition. To hide behind the guise of ‘ethics,’ is laughable,” said Sean M. Morrison, Chairman of the Cook County GOP.

The new law originated as a “shell bill” – one on an entirely different subject with a different label, before being changed in the 30-hour cram-through.

Read more here.

Related: “Editorial: State lawmakers in Springfield pass bill to cut off competition in 78 races,” “Candidates feel ‘cheated, violated, robbed’ after Pritzker enacts law ending slating,” “Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs election bill that would favor Democrats in November,” “(With cheshire grins) Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions”

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Editorial: State lawmakers in Springfield pass bill to cut off competition in 78 races

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Ethics, Girlie man, Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, WTF on May 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Why did SB 2412 need to pass on May 2, in the middle of the election cycle, weeks after the primary election but still well ahead of the November general election? Many candidates had already started the complicated process of petition gathering and paperwork under the old rules. What justifies changing those rules in the middle of the game?

By Hilary Gowins | Illinois Policy Institute

Who’s afraid of a little competition? In Illinois politics, the answer seems to be: Incumbent state lawmakers.

To that end, just weeks after the primary, Springfield legislators passed a bill to protect incumbents from the threat of newcomers in the current election cycle. The measure affects races in 78 districts, which will not be contested in November.

How does all of this work? As political writer Rich Miller of Capitol Fax summarized, aspiring political candidates used to have three routes to get on the ballot:

“1) They can circulate petitions and run in the primary; 2) They can run as write-in candidates during the primary; or 3) They can wait until after the primary and be appointed to the ballot by local party chairs, or committeepersons in Cook County, after passing petitions.”

Senate Bill 2412 changed that by eliminating the third option, which allows candidates to get access to the ballot through party officials – a process called “slating.” Candidates using the slating process were still required to go through the regular petition and paperwork requirements to get on the ballot, but if they were in a district with no primary opponent, slating made it possible to get on the ballot for the general election.

Why does this matter? As Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, pointed out, anyone who wants to run after the primary can still do so as an Independent or third-party candidate. “They would no longer be able to appeal to the local party bosses to have them installed as the candidate of a major political party.”

Fair point. As bill sponsor state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, noted, slating was a favorite tool of disgraced former House Speaker Mike Madigan. On the other hand, fair rules that give people a choice of candidates at the ballot is a good thing.

But why now? Why did SB 2412 need to pass on May 2, in the middle of the election cycle, weeks after the primary election but still well ahead of the November general election? Many candidates had already started the complicated process of petition gathering and paperwork under the old rules. What justifies changing those rules in the middle of the game?

Those questions led four Democrats to oppose the bill. State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, was one of them.

“That’s problematic for me because as an elected official in Illinois, I’m constantly trying to rebuild trust in Illinois government and politics that many of the people I represent…don’t have,” she said to Capitol News Illinois.

Now, 66 House districts won’t be contested. And in the Senate, 12 districts face no competition.

Read more here.

Related: “Candidates feel ‘cheated, violated, robbed’ after Pritzker enacts law ending slating,” “Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs election bill that would favor Democrats in November,” “(With cheshire grins) Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions”

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Candidates feel ‘cheated, violated, robbed’ after Pritzker enacts law ending slating

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Girlie man, Illinois State Board of Elections, Look For The Union Label, Plum Farm development, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes on May 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

Candidates eying ballot access say they feel cheated after Illinois Democrats in less than two days approved and enacted legislation to end the slating of candidates for the November election if they didn’t run in the March primary. They’re eyeing a potential lawsuit.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2412 Friday morning, less than two days after it was approved by the House and concurred by the Senate.

The measure brings about three non-binding ballot referendums for Illinois voters about In vitro fertilization, poll worker safety and property taxes. Another provision effectively ends the slating of candidates for the November election by Democrats or Republicans in races where no candidates for that party ran in the primary.

“It really does make sure that we don’t have backroom deals to put people on the ballot and run as a result of some small group of people in a smoke filled room making the choice,” Pritzker said Thursday before the Senate passed the measure. “So I think, to me, more transparency is better.”

Republicans said it changes the rules for the general election midstream. Democrats argued no one was officially slated, so there’s no harm.

The Illinois State Board of Elections told The Center Square on Friday they have already accepted some slating filings and despite the new law will continue to accept them under the original deadline of June 3. After that, there is the objection process. There could also be litigation from those objecting to the law, or from candidates on the ballot looking to use the law to block opponents seeking to be slated.

More here.

Related: “Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs election bill that would favor Democrats in November,” “(With cheshire grins) Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions”

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Multiple states sue over Biden Title IX rule

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Ethics, Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 30, 2024| 1 Comment »

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

Several Republican attorneys general have sued over the Biden administration’s Title IX rule change, arguing it is illegal. More states are expected to follow.

The lawsuits come after the Biden administration’s Department of Education rewrote the Title IX statute to expand the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity.”

Title IX, which is part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Title IX was created to prohibit discrimination against women in all educational programs that receive federal money, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The new rule redefines biological sex and requires schools to allow men and boys, claiming to be women and girls, respectively, to use female-only facilities and join female-only sports or lose federal funding.

The lawsuits were filed after Republican governors and state education commissioners last week said their states would not comply.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among the first to speak out, saying, “Florida rejects [president] Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX. We will not comply and we will fight back. We are not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities … undermine the rights of parents and … abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.”

On April 25, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr., sent a letter to all superintendents and charter school leaders stating, “at Governor Ron DeSantis’ direction no educational institution should begin implementing any changes. Instead of implementing Congress’s clear directive to prevent discrimination based on biological sex, the Biden administration maims the statute beyond recognition in an attempt to gaslight the country into believing that biological sex no longer has any meaning.”

Read more here.

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Maia Kobabe’s ‘Gender Queer’ tops list of most criticized library books for third straight year

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Area Library, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elgin Community College, Girlie man, Harper College, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

FILE – Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents on Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Kabobe’s graphic memoir “Gender Queer” continues its troubled run as the country’s most controversial book, topping the American Library Association’s “challenged books” list for a third straight year. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

By  | Associated Press

Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir “Gender Queer” continues its troubled run as the country’s most controversial book, topping the American Library Association’s “challenged books” list for a third straight year.

Kobabe’s coming-of-age story was published in 2019, and received the library association’s Alex Award for best young adult literature. But it has since been at the heart of debates over library content, with conservative organizations such as Moms for Liberty contending that parents should have more power to determine what books are available. Politicians have condemned “Gender Queer” and school systems in Florida, Texas and elsewhere have banned it. Last December, police in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, responded to a complaint from a custodian about the book by showing up and searching for it in an 8th grade classroom.

The ALA released its list Monday, along with its annual State of America’s Libraries Report.

“A few advocacy groups have made ‘Gender Queer’ a lightning rod,” says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. ”People are trying to shut down conversation about gender identity.”

Many books on the ALA’s top 10 snapshot had LGBTQ themes, including the four works immediately following “Gender Queer”: George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” Juno Dawson’s “This Book is Gay,” Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and Mike Curato’s “Flamer.” The list’s other five books all were cited for being sexually explicit: Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” Ellen Hopkins’ “Tricks,” Jesse Andrews “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan’s “Let’s Talk About It” and Patricia McCormick’s “Sold.”

“These books are beyond the pale for some people simply because they touch upon sex,” Caldwell-Stone says.

Read more here.

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