January 29, 2014
TYPICAL "CRAPSHOOT" IN 2014 MWRD DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
"Drop a dime" is a slang term for snitching to the authorities, At the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), the operative phrase is"a dime a flush." There are 5.3 million people in Cook County. Excluding those under age 3, there are about 5.1 million "using the facilities" 5-7 times daily. And that equates to 1.5 billion gallons of "effluent" (liquid bodily waste, or urine) and 500 tons of "bio-solid waste" (excrement) cascading into the sewers daily. It has to go somewhere, be treated, and disposed of. That's the MWRD's job. The 9 elected MWRD commissioners, all Democrats, earn $70,000 annually to attend 22 3-hour meetings, making about $1,060-per hour -- plus a car, gas credit card, family health insurance, a 3-person staff, and pension credits. A nice gig. The MWRD's budget is $1.2 billion, with 2,000 jobs. In 2014, 10 Democrats seek 3 nominations,including one dumped commissioner, the wife and son of a former commissioner, and a Japanese-American. Depending on the outcome, a lesbian could be the next MWRD president. The March 18 primary is a crapshoot -- no pun intended. Full Article...
January 22, 2014
MADIGAN'S 71-47 MAJORITY WILL MULTIPLY 2014
It's no lie. "Changing demographics " have reduced the Illinois House Republicans from a 65-53 majority in 1995 to a 47-71 super-minority in 2013. That's a loss of 18 seats in 18 years. In suburban Cook County, there's only three Republicans in 20 seats, 1 of 30 in Chicago. Of the 28 collar county seats, Democrats occupy 13. Demographics -- meaning growing anti-Republican black and Hispanic populations, a trend toward social-issue liberalism among whites, and Speaker Mike Madigan's money, makes it likely that Republicans will LOSE more seats in 2014. Ten Republican reps are quitting, and 7 of those seats could flip; Republicans' hopes rest on four takeaway seats. Madigan's majority will multiply to 75-43 or better in 2015. ATTACHED TO THIS ARTICLE IS A 2013 VOTE CHART of area state reps. Full Article...
January 15, 2014
DEMOCRATS' STATE SENATE "SUPER-MAJORITY" AT RISK
Eunuchs are a remnant of the Persian Empire. But they're alive and well in the Illinois Senate. They're called Republicans. Mired in a 40-19 super-minority, Republicans are inconsequential, ignored and politically impotent. The 2013 legislative session addressed some important issues (SEE VOTE CHART ATTACHED TO THE ARTICLE), such as gay marriage, pension reform, driver's licenses for illegal aliens, homeless Bill of Rights, concealed carry, and Peotone funding. The Democrats' super-majority, means President John Cullerton decides the fate of every bill. Republicans need to win 3 Democratic seats in 2014. Full Article...
January 8, 2014
IN "MID-COASTAL" CHICAGO, LIBERAL "DeBLASIOISM" WON'T SELL
Here's a message to Chicagoans: We're not the proverbial mid-western "City of the Big Shoulders"; instead, we're just a mid-coastal hamlet of negligible creativity waiting expectantly for a Bill deBlasio-type to bring "progressive" and enlightened governance to us backwoodsmen. What a crock. That's how East and West Coast elitists view Chicago. Chicago will never be the Big Apple -- culturally, politically or stylistically. Rahm Emanuel is more like Ed Koch or Rudy Giuliani, not the tax-the-rich, handcuff-the-police deBlasio, elected mayor in 2013. New York's budget is $70 billion; Chicago's $8.7 billion. Are there any "progressives" waiting to take on Emanuel in 2015? Only in a "coastal dream." Full Article...
January 1, 2014
UNIONS' AD CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT RAUNER CANDIDACY
A preemptive strike? Illinois' public sector unions are in a quandary. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's support for "pension reform" has not pleased SEIU or AFSCME, but Republican Bruce Rauner's ant-union stance is troubling, if not terrifying. Rauner is spending lavishly on TV, proclaiming that he will "shake up" Springfield. The unions want to "soften him up" for Quinn--by attacking him in the March 18, 2014 Republican primary, where he faces Dan Rutherford, Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard. It's a risky business. If Rauner wins the primary big, he may be unstoppable in November. Full Article...
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