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Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category

Bought and paid for. Not sour grapes but reality.

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Clown Car, Cost of Living, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb and Dumber, Economy, Education, Elections, ETSB, Fat Bastard, Fools and their money, Girlie man, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, League of Women Voters, Lipstick On A Pig, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The Chicago Way, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on November 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

IL State Senate District 26 Results

IL State House District 52 Results

Related: “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes”

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Polls are now open

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Commodius Maximus, Daily Herald, Data Center, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions on November 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

It’s Election Day, 2026. We’re asking everyone to vote for the following with good reasons:

Our reasons to vote for Darby and Marty include:

Information on where you are registered to vote today can be found here.

PLEASE VOTE!

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Your Vote Matters

Posted in Breakthrough Ideas, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes on November 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Jeanne Ives | Breakthrough Ideas

Tomorrow’s election will determine the direction of the country, state, and local governments for the next 2-4 years, and possibly longer. People should carefully consider who they choose to represent them in every office from forest preserve to the U.S. Senate. Voters should carefully consider candidates’ qualifications for the positions they seek, their past records if previously elected, and what they say they are going to do once in office. These officeholders will be making consequential decisions on you, your family, and your livelihood.

For too long, we have had Democrat control of the statehouse and statewide offices, and that has led to one of the slowest-growing and highest-taxed states in the nation. We’ve also become one of the most morally depraved states, celebrating abortion, allowing our kids to be indoctrinated in DEI nonsense, and diminishing parental rights in numerous ways. These policies and our trajectory as the dysfunctional neighbors on the block can be reversed if we get the right leadership.

While every race is important, a few races are real indicators of whether Illinois voters have really drunk the DSA Kool-Aid and whether enough commonsense voters still exist or are paying attention.

Darby Hills v. Nabeela Syed for State Senate District 26

Darby Hills is the incumbent, and she has real-world experience that makes her a valuable legislator. Her opponent went from college at UC Berkeley to running for state rep. She has no experience to speak of professionally or personally, such as owning a home and having a family. The district has some of the wealthiest areas of the state and also areas that are more modest. This suburban area has tended to be fiscally conservative and has some of the highest property taxes in the state. Who shows up to vote is very important. Listen to this interview with Darby Hills and share it with others ahead of the election tomorrow.

Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcTcm6U7NLA

Marty McLaughlin is running to retain his seat in the Illinois House.

He is one-half of the Darby Hills Senate district with the same situation. Are there enough voters aware of the issues and the qualifications to vote Marty back into office? Because choosing his unimpressive, pro-abort, resume-less Democrat opponent makes no sense at all. We need people with a deep understanding of local government, taxes, pensions, and more. Marty has that. He’s been a two-term mayor, manages pensions professionally, and understands business better than almost anyone else in the state house.

What will voters do? If Marty loses, Illinois loses, and it’s a bad indicator of worse things to come for taxpayers in this state.

Article continues here.

Related: “A sound reason for Barrington Hills residents to vote for McLaughlin and Hills,” “Another sound reason for residents to vote for Hills and McLaughlin,” “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes,” “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District” and “Who really funds Nabeela Syed?”

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Last day for early voting – Avoid the lines Tuesday

Posted in BACOG, Breakthrough Ideas, Chicago Reader, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Economy, Elections, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on November 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Early voting ends today for the November 3, 2026 General Election. Again, polling locations by county are:

For general voting information, visit the Cook, Kane, Lake or McHenry County Clerk’s website(s).

Related: “A sound reason for Barrington Hills residents to vote for McLaughlin and Hills,” “Another sound reason for residents to vote for Hills and McLaughlin,” “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes,” “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District” and “Who really funds Nabeela Syed?”

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Handful of competitive suburban races rev up November General Assembly elections

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Democratic Socialists of America, Economy, Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes on October 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Republican State Sen. Darby Hills is being challenged by State Rep. Nabeela Syed, a Democrat, for the 26th Senate District seat representing northwest suburbs in the Nov. 3 general election.

By Brett Chase | Chicago Sun*Times

A pair of suburban races for Springfield lawmakers are competitive fights heading into the Nov. 3 election, even as many incumbent politicians across the state are running unopposed.

Among the races to watch, Rep. Nabeela Syed, a Democrat from Inverness, is challenging incumbent Republican Darby Hills of Barrington Hills, who was appointed to the 26th District state Senate seat in early 2025. The northwest suburban district includes parts of Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties.

The Illinois Democratic Party is spending heavily to help Syed with her campaign. In September alone, the party and a committee led by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon — with the aim of bolstering Democrats’ majority — contributed almost $1 million to Syed, records show.

Hills, a former prosecutor and 2021 Mrs. Illinois America, was a Barrington Hills trustee before being appointed to McConchie’s seat. She has campaigned for public safety, especially related to children, lower taxes and controls on spending.

“Illinois doesn’t have a revenue problem,” Hills says, “it has a spending problem.”

Republican Party-political committees contributed more than $80,000 to Hills in September after giving her more than $300,000 in August, according to state campaign disclosure reports.

Report continues here.

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Endorsement: McLaughlin for Illinois House Dist. 52

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Daily Herald, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, League of Women Voters, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills spoke out in February against Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control of residential zoning rules in a news conference in South Barrington. Flanking him were Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine, left, and South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

Daily Herald Editorial Board

In District 52, incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin brings a lengthy Springfield record focused on fiscal responsibility. We endorsed him in 2020 for his energy and resourcefulness, in 2022 for his measured approach to state government and in 2024 as a steadfast voice for controlled spending. Democratic challenger Maria Peterson emphasizes lower costs for working families, affordable housing, gun-violence prevention, health care and tax changes. While Peterson is a strong candidate, McLaughlin’s experience and focus on fiscal restraint and oversight continue to make him the stronger choice. McLaughlin is endorsed.

Endorsement can be seen here.

Related: “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District” – Chicago Tribune

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Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District

Posted in BACOG, Board of Education, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 12, 2026| 1 Comment »

Martin McLaughlin is a Republican running to represent Illinois’ 52nd House District. (George Papadakis)

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

Republican state Rep. Martin “Marty” McLaughlin barely survived his last election, defeating Democrat Maria Peterson by just 47 votes in 2024. The two are facing off again in this northwest suburban district.

McLaughlin, 61, an investment manager and former Barrington Hills village president, has been a consistent voice for fiscal restraint in Springfield. He identifies property taxes as the district’s most pressing problem and has helped residents navigate the appeals process. “If government is going to keep raising the bill, taxpayers at least deserve to know how to fight an unfair assessment,” he told us.

McLaughlin’s fiscal conservatism is important in a state that desperately needs greater discipline in that area.

Martin McLaughlin is endorsed.

Read the full editorial endorsement here.

Editorial note: Representative McLaughlin is also endorsed by:

  • Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, Mayor, North Barrington*
  • Paula McCombie, Village President, South Barrington*
  • Karen Darch, Former Mayor, Barrington*
  • Andrew Burke, Mayor, Lake Barrington*
  • Kevin Richardson, Former Mayor, Lake Barrington*
  • Keith Vogeler, Mayor, Port Barrington
  • Jeff Sode, Mayor, Wauconda
  • Debby Sosine, Village President, Algonquin
  • Ray Bogdanowski, Village President, Lake in the Hills
  • Donna Johnson, Mayor, Libertyville
  • Richard McLaughlin, Mayor, Island Lake
  • Steve Henley, Mayor, Volo

It’s important to note McLaughlin’s campaign rival lives in North Barrington yet she could not garner an endorsement for this or her prior campaigns.

*Present and former members of the Barrington Area Council Of Governments (BACOG).

 

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JB PRITZKER’S GREAT DISPLACEMENT

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Cook, Cost of Living, County, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, John Kass News, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints on October 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Paul Vallas | John Kass News

October 11th, 2026

Illinois leadership is sustaining policies that have done nothing to improve equity or affordability while swapping out middle- and upper-income families for the poor and illegal migrants.

JB Pritzker’s greatest legacy will be the acceleration of the “Great Displacement,” the demographic upheaval in which Illinois is losing scores of affluent residents through outmigration while gaining relatively poorer ones through both interstate and international migration.

This shift is largely the product of the state’s so-called progressive policies. High taxes and fees remain the primary reason Illinoisans cite for leaving, followed by failing schools, rising crime, limited economic opportunity, and expansive sanctuary measures that encourage low-income in-migration.

According to Wirepoints, Illinois continues to hemorrhage wealthy residents. Since 2000, the state has lost roughly 1.6 million people — third most in the nation, behind only California and New York. Chicago’s population, even with the recent influx of migrants, is now at its lowest level in nearly a century. Almost every county in Illinois has experienced a decline in population. Even more troubling, Illinois isn’t merely losing residents — it’s losing income. [1]

The IRS reports that in 2022 alone, 87,311 residents left Illinois, taking with them $9.9 billion in adjusted gross income. The real damage runs deeper: The outflow disproportionately includes residents in their prime earning and spending years. This brain and income drain erodes the tax base, shrinking critical property, sales, and consumption tax revenues that support state and local budgets. [2]

A detailed Wirepoints analysis of IRS migration data for 2022 shows Illinois was the nation’s second-biggest loser of households aged 26-35 earning more than $200,000. Unsurprisingly, zero-income-tax states such as Florida and Texas were the leading destinations for these upwardly mobile millennials. Illinois has been bleeding this cohort for more than a decade, but the acceleration is alarming. [3]

Wirepoints also found that in 2022, the average adjusted gross income for these departing young households was $435,000. The exodus continues among those aged 35-45 with incomes over $200,000 — another key demographic of high earners. Illinois ranks 48th nationally for losses in this income bracket. More concerning, the average AGI among this group leaving approaches $700,000. [4]

Vallas’ report continues here.

Paul Vallas formerly ran the public school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Louisiana Recovery School District. He was a candidate for Mayor of Chicago.

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Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District

Posted in BACOG, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Flock Cameras, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Village Code on October 9, 2026| 1 Comment »

State Sen. Darby Hills talks with a colleague during the legislative session at the Illinois State Capitol on Oct. 28, 2025, in Springfield. | John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

This north suburban district stretches from Palatine and Barrington north to Lake County municipalities including Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods and Wauconda. Republican Darby Hills, 50, was appointed to the seat in early 2025 after fellow Republican Dan McConchie resigned to start a national nonprofit advocating for better access for the disabled. Hills, formerly a Barrington Hills village trustee, is running to be elected in her own right against Democrat Nabeela Syed, 27, an Illinois House member from Palatine in her second term.

Syed tells us she opposed the transit rescue legislation enacted in late 2025 because it included a “regressive” sales tax increase. Except she didn’t oppose it, at least on the floor of the House. As Hills points out to us, Syed didn’t vote on the package. For something so consequential to her constituents, Syed can’t have it both ways. She should have voted no if that was her position.

Hills did vote against the package in the Senate with the fair reasoning that transit-agency reforms should have preceded the hefty toll hike and sales tax increase that bailed out the system.

Hills has voted against her party leadership more than once, including on a measure this year to allow for state regulation of auto insurance rates for the first time, which was signed into law. The last thing the Illinois Senate needs is an even larger Democratic supermajority, and Hills has proven herself the sort of Republican who will work with the other side of the aisle. Darby Hills is endorsed.

Full editorial here.

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The Democratic Socialists of America in their own words

Posted in AI, Cost of Living, Data Center, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Elections, Ethics, Fundraisers, His Master's Voice, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The New Normal?, The New York Times, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 6, 2026| 6 Comments »

Maria Peterson is running for the IL House District 52 seat. Nabeela Syed is running for IL Senate District 26. Currently both choose only to campaign publicly as “Democrats.” | Images courtesy Facebook

Much has been said and written about the, “Democratic Socialists of America (DSA),” in recent months leading to the mid-term elections. Their website states:

“Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.

We believe there are many avenues that feed into the democratic road to socialism. Our vision pushes further than historic social democracy and leaves behind authoritarian visions of socialism in the dustbin of history.

  • We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish not just survive and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all.
  • We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation.
  • We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear.
  • We want to win “radical” reforms like:
    • Single-payer Medicare for All,
    • Defunding the police/refunding communities,
    • The Green New Deal, and
    • More as a transition to a freer, more just life.

We want a democracy powered by everyday people. The capitalist class tells us we are powerless, but together we can take back control.”

They have further stated their priorities, including:

That’s pretty much all we needed to read to form our opinions, and most who have read these pages for nearly two decades know what they likely are.

However, feel free to visit the Democratic Socialists of America website to learn more so that you might be enlightened before reaching your own opinions before casting your ballots.

Related: “Inside the DSA’s audacious quest for power in the Democratic Party“

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