“Those fantasizing about a federal bailout need to understand that Illinois has allowed its pension problem to get so much worse than most other states; a bailout would be unfair to the rest of the country. What’s left in this state are public pension systems on track to fail, and political leaders too cowardly to confront public employee unions with the truth.”

“With the SAFE-T Act and the Pre Trial Fairness Act, it appears to me that the offense of hate crime is not a detainable offense through trial,” state Rep. Patrick Windhorst said. “If an individual is arrested for a hate crime, they will be released within 48 hours.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told a group of farmers at a forum near Lexington this week he had a chance to sign on to a pact with California, but didn’t. “So that should give you some indicator,” Pritzker said.

The report from the Auditor General for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, said testing of financial statements show uncorrected duplicate deposits between the treasurer’s office and the office of the Illinois Comptroller. “It was determined only the duplicate deposit portion of the reconciling items would have been double counted in the available cash balance reported by the [comptroller],” the report said.

Races for the Illinois General Assembly have not attracted the big money like the top-of-the-ballot candidates, but there were notable donations.

“It shouldn’t matter if you’re a democrat or republican,” Susana Mendoza said “Good finances should be the most bipartisan thing we can agree on.”

Rep. Darin LaHood posted on his Facebook page, “Student loans won’t be cancelled; they will be transferred to hardworking taxpayers. In the middle of an economic crisis, the President wants working and middle-class families hit hardest by inflation to bailout billions of dollars in student loans.”

Illinois’ Biometric Privacy Act prohibits private sector companies and institutions from collecting biometric data from unsuspecting citizens in the state or online, no matter where the business is based. Data cannot be sold, transferred or traded. Unlike any other state, citizens can sue for alleged violations, which has sparked hundreds of David-and-Goliath legal battles against some of the world’s most powerful companies. If a company is found to have violated Illinois law, citizens can collect civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation compounded by the number of people affected and days involved. No state regulatory agency is involved in enforcement.

Mayor Tom McNamara has asked residents to contact the elected leadership of the Forest Preserve, Airport, Park District, RVC, Winnebago County, Rockford Township Roads, Four Rivers Sanitation Authority, Rockford Township and the Library. He said that by doing so, residents can urge them to take a strong stand on high property taxes.

Police say Michael Hoyle pulled a gun on Senator Elgie Sims of Chicago while the two were driving on Lawrence Avenue in Springfield. Senator Sims says after he drove away the man continued to chase him until Sims was able to find a police officer. On August 17, Hoyle pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated assault; The charges of unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon were dismissed.

A pension expert examines 24 funds, including two big ones in Illinois. “The results paint an unflattering portrait of the stewardship of public pension funds in the United States.”

“In short, industrial policy is a public-private partnership in which a government uses a coordinated strategy that employs tax policy, incentives, public purchasing power, research grants and public enterprises to encourage economic development. Often all at once, and when done well, it works on the supply and demand side simultaneously. For examples, look no further than satellite technology, the internet and the COVID-19 vaccine.”

“Rosenberg ably excerpts some of the most remarkable assertions of the video, but in order to fully grasp the level of hatred being expressed, it is worthwhile listening to the almost 7 minutes of the rant, in which the speaker, author Kimberly Jones, credits participating on Operation Push (Jesse Jackson’s old outfit) for her level of economic sophistication (such as it is).”