I’m waiting for poor people in Cook County to riot over paying lower taxes

For the third time (let’s hope it’s a charm), the Cook County Board of Commissioners has reduced the sales tax. They voted 12-5 earlier today to scale back last year’s sales tax increase by one-half a cent.
Whereas supporters previously had only the right idea on their side, now they have the law. The Illinois General [...]

Illinois GOPer now wants to divide members into champs and chumps

Wow, Doug Ibendahl has me stumped: When it comes to deciding which GOP gubernatorial debate I’d like to watch this week, am I a champ or a chump?
The Republican Young Professionals group, of which Ibendahl is a co-founder, sent out an e-mail yesterday highlighting an article he wrote for the Web site Champion News. Ibendahl [...]

Here’s my shameless plug for a radio program I’m doing Wednesday

I’ll be discussing current events with Ray Hanania at 8 a.m. tomorrow on his radio program on WJJG AM 1530. Ray streams the program live on his Web site for the show, www.RadioChicagoland.com. He also has podcasts of his programs. So tune in to WJJG or check out Ray’s Web site. Rock on!

Will gay activists actually buy tickets to Americans for Truth fundraiser?

Here’s a headline that’s sure to get attention: “Gay Activists Despise AFTAH Because We Expose their Radical Agenda.”
The AFTAH in question is the Carol Stream-based Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. Peter LaBarbera, the group’s president, posted an item a few days ago on his Web site pertaining to the “attack” to which he and like-minded [...]

How has the outbreak of the flu altered your daily routine?

OK, this whole germ thing is starting to get a little freaky.
When 972 students failed to show up yesterday, St. Charles East High School canceled its classes and extracurricular activities for the rest of the week. That’s almost one-half of the student population! Officials said many students exhibited flu-like symptoms.
Being a creature of the Cold [...]

IOC didn’t play by Chicago political machine’s rules in awarding Games

After listening to a week and a half of public debate, I’ve concluded that most people are wrong about why the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro rather than to Chicago.
The conventional wisdom about Chicago losing the Olympics is that those pitching the campaign failed to do what a [...]

ABC News grovels to White House for publicizing Obama’s ‘jackass’ comment

If I didn’t work in the news industry, this item would strike me as hilarious.
ABC News has issued an apology to the White House after one of its reporters publicized via Twitter potentially embarrassing comments that President Obama made during a CNBC interview. Obama reportedly called Kaye West a “jackass” in reacting to West’s behavior [...]

Oliver North is neither a prophet nor a hero, as 9/11 propagandists claim

There is a nauseating piece of “Patriot Day” propaganda making its way around cyberspace, and those spreading it should be ashamed of themselves. It’s obviously designed to coincide with memorials to the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
An e-mail I received late last night asks in its subject line, “Do you remember [...]

Health care reform would pass more easily if taken in smaller chunks

Sadly, I believe the Obama administration is setting itself up for failure when it comes to reforming the nation’s health care system.
There’s no question that some reforms are long overdue. But Obama is looking to meet the same as did former President Bill Clinton with a gargantuan plan that won’t pass. And once it fails, [...]

Vices getting more taxing

Cheers to the good old days, when alcohol didn’t cost as much.
The increase on sales tax for alcohol went into effect today. A six-pack of beer will cost you nearly 3 cents extra, while wine is going up by 13 cents a bottle and a fifth of hard liquor by 81 cents. The sales tax [...]