Illinois Review

Bost says Enyart an accessory to newly uncovered Obamacare fraud and abuse

Mike Bost (left) and Bill Enyart (right) | Photo Credit Brian Mackey/WUIS

CARBONDALE - According to the Mike Bost Congressional Campaign, federal lawmakers are learning about more than 2.6 million "irregularities" that were found in a General Accounting Office (GAO) report discussing the problems with the Obamacare state-level healthcare exchanges that were set up.

"Last year, when provided with an opportunity to create a means test for persons applying for Obamacare, Congressmen Enyart defended the status quo," said Ron Deedrick, Bost Campaign Spokesperson.

Bost's campaign is referring to Enyart's vote against H.R. 2775. The legislation, as passed by the House of Representatives back in September 2013 would have allowed for income, address and other forms of verification for the insurance subsidies which are part of Obamacare.

"It is clear that Congressmen Enyart has decided to stand with the 'D.C. status quo,' of inaction when it comes to Obamacare. The constituents of the 12 Congressional District need to be aware that the Congressmen is encouraging fraud, waste and abuse in Obamacare," Deedrick added.

Enyart's "no" vote against the legislation means that taxpayers were not protected and potentially millions of fraudulent Obamacare subsidy claims have been made. The GAO also cited that taxpayers may be "on the hook" for a significant portion of the subsidies being paid out to more than 5.4 million people who signed up for the program. 

Hultgren: "Democrats View Dodd-Frank Like the Ten Commandments"

WASHINGTON DC - Today in a hearing assessing the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act four years after it became law, Illinois Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14) criticized those who refuse to make changes to Dodd-Frank and defend its entirety with unyielding devotion.

According to Hultgren, this devotion has forced community banks, including those that serve small businesses and rural communities in Illinois, into “regulatory straight-jackets that are designed for big banks, causing them to reduce lending, merge with competitors, or shut down.”

Hughes: Play to Win

By Pat Hughes - 

If you are watching basketball and the play is constantly at one end of the court, you have a pretty good guess who’s winning, right? (HINT: not the team that’s spending all its time defending). The same thing goes for hockey, soccer, football…and politics.

Constantly playing defense instead of offense is one of the biggest mistakes those who advocate reform focused policies in Illinois make. We frequently see candidates, legislators and activists spend their time defending against attacks, trying to justify to the public why their views aren’t wrong, rather than going on offense against their opponents and forcing them to explain the many ways in which they are out of touch with the average Illinois family or business.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that birth control measures can be excluded from employer-provided prescription drug coverage if such coverage is in opposition to the employer's religious beliefs. The ruling was a hit to the political establishment’s push for a centralized healthcare system. 

What did the “Never-Let-a-Crisis-Go-to-Waste-Illinois-Ruling-Class” do? They went on offense. Led by Gov. Quinn, they signed a November ballot question asking voters if they think prescription drug coverage plans should be required to include birth control.

Southern Illinoisans angry with Quinn's delay of fracking jobs

It has been more than a year since Gov. Quinn signed the Illinois fracking bill. However, the industry continues to wait in limbo for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to approve the final rules. As a result, frustration is growing for communities desperate to bring fracking jobs to southern Illinois.

Many believe the delay is simply Gov. Quinn trying to win votes with left-wing environmentalists in the fall. On Monday, local leaders and industry representatives came together in Marion to urge the state to pick up the pace.

"You had labor, you had business, you had the Farm Bureau, and you had the Sierra Club...The Sierra Club, who all stood together at a press event like this," said Mark Denzler with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.

"This should be a quick and fairly easy process to move forward," said Jason Keller with the AFL-CIO. 

"North Dakota you can't even find people to work at McDonald's anymore just because they're all working in the fracking industry," said Rep. Brandon Phelps. "And we need that here in southern Illinois."

"I don't know of any project that we have ever undertaken that there wasn't some jackass crawl out of the woodwork and oppose it," said Marion Mayor Bob Butler.

The Governor's Office says the hydraulic fracturing rule-making process is on target and will meet the law's deadline of November 15th after the election.

IRS agrees to monitor churches for "electioneering"

WASHINGTON DC - The Internal Revenue Service said it will monitor churches and other houses of worship for electioneering in a settlement reached with an atheist group.

The settlement was reached on July 18 in federal court in Madison, WI, where the initial lawsuit was filed in 2012 by the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist advocacy group that claims 20,000 members nationwide.

The suit alleged the IRS routinely ignored complaints by the FFRF and others about churches promoting political candidates, issues or proposed legislation. As part of their tax-exempt status, churches and other religious groups are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activity.

“This is a victory, and we’re pleased with this development in which the IRS has proved to our satisfaction that it now has in place a protocol to enforce its own anti-electioneering provisions,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF’s co-president.

Kinzinger: Freeze Putin's Assets

WASHINGTON DC - Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger wants the United States to freeze Russian President Vladimir Putin's assets in order to get his attention on the Ukrainian border issue.

"I think we need to make him an international pariah," Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren." 

Freezing Putin's assets wouldn't be an easy process, Kinzinger acknowledged, but it would hit him hard because he is estimated to be one of richest people in the world "from loot he's taken from the state of Russia."

Kinzinger said that while Putin is concerned about how he is perceived in Russia, he also wants world opinion on his side.

"This has spilled out from the borders of Ukraine to now affecting innocent people" from other countries, Kinzinger told Fox News. Kinzinger said that while President Barack Obama is doing an "OK job" of trying pressure the Europeans to join in tougher sanctions, Obama should devote more attention to the issue and stop attending so many fundraisers.

Revolving Door: Rubio staffer moves to U.S. Chamber as immigration lobbyist

WASHINGTON DC - LegiStorm is reporting that an immigration staffer for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (photo above) has emigrated to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to lobby on immigration reform.

Jon Baselice, who covered immigration issues as Rubio's legislative assistant for the past four years, filed lobbying forms as the Chamber's new director for immigration policy. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pressuring Hill Republicans, especially those in the House, to pass immigration reform. The Chamber's CEO and President, Tom Donohue, is quoted by government union backed ThinkProgress as saying, "If the Republicans don't do it, they shouldn't bother to run a candidate in 2016."

Schimpf forms Second Amendment advisory council

WATERLOO – Wednesday, Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf announced he is forming an advisory council to look for ways the state's top law enforcement officials can act to protect citizens' Second Amendment rights. The five initial members of Schimpf's council include:

• J.D. Barter - an Army veteran, a retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer with the Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the owner of Tombstone Gun Range & Training in Marion. 
• Eric Dowd - the Vice President of the McHenry County Sportsmen’s Association and an NRA Certified Instructor who resides in McHenry. 
• Blair Garber - lives in Evanston and is a Certified Pistol Instructor for the NRA and an Illinois State Police Concealed Carry Instructor. 
• Lee Groharing - an Air Force veteran, a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois State Rifle Association, and the Chairman of Three Rivers Friends of NRA.  Lee lives in New Lenox. 
• Tuck Marshall - an Army veteran, an Illinois Concealed Carry Instructor, and a Licensed Private Investigator who resides in Frankfort.

In November, Schimpf is challenging AG Lisa Madigan - who has been active on the issue of toughening gun control laws and enforcement.

Gutierrez calls on Hispanics to punish those who fail to support amnesty

LOS ANGELES - Speaking at a La Raza event in Los Angeles, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) told the audience that they should use their votes to “punish” those who fail to support amnesty-type legislation for the illegal minor-age border crossers.

“We need to raise our voices, make ourselves citizens, sign up to vote and punish those who speak ill and criminalize children who come to our border,” Gutierrez said in Spanish.

He also said that President Obama has assured him and his fellow Congressional Hispanic Caucus members that the White House was trying to do everything it could to “stop the deportation” of illegals from this country.

National Guard explains why military vehicles are at Oak Forest Hospital

OAK FOREST - Earlier this week, Illinois Review received several queries about military vehicles suddenly showing up at the now-closed Oak Forest Hospital at 159th and Cicero Avenue. Speculations were running wild, as some thought the National Guard was preparing for a citizen uprising, while others suggested that the federal government was transferring unaccompanied minors from the southern border to house in Oak Forest.

The hospital, deemed as an emergency shelter by Homeland Security, was used to house homeless victims after the Katrina hurricane.

The National Guard released an official statement Tuesday afternoon that confirmed what hospital security guards and non-official Cook County employees had been told: the military vehicles are being stored at the hospital while the Crestwood National Guard armory is being repaved.

Poll: Less than 6% of parents say Michelle O’s lunches are healthier

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent poll of 1,079 parents found that less than 6 percent of them believe school lunches are now healthier due to the menu overhaul championed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

“Survey participants suggested that government guidelines and implemented changes nationwide aren’t resonating with parents. Most notably, 29 percent said they weren’t sure what the new guidelines are and 22 percent said that the guidelines didn’t seem to improve the lunches at all. Moreover, 43.8 percent said that more change needs to be implemented,” heraldonline.com reports.

More HERE

Chart: The Number of Americans Who Remain Uninsured After Obamacare

The latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office (April 2014), estimate that after spending over $1.8 trillion on Obamacare provisions, in 2024, 31 million people will remain uninsured.

More HERE

Another Planned Parenthood Caught Promoting X-Rated Advice to Underage Girls

Another Planned Parenthood clinic was caught on camera providing X-rated advice to underage girls.

A Planned Parenthood employee instructs an undercover investigator, posing as a 15-year-old girl, on the different ways to practice kinky sex. The worker suggests activities including being hit, whipped, or tied to a tree, role-playing "the baby thing" with her partner, using handcuffs, and encourages her that porn can be "educational". Footage was obtained by Live Action at a Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette facility in Portland, Oregon.

Rauner releases new campaign ad

CHICAGO - Bruce Rauner is "ready to go to work" after listing several headlines that show Quinn Administration failure after failure, a new tv ad released this week says:

Uncovered Quinn staff emails discuss Maywood mayoral race and NRI funds

CHICAGO - Governor Quinn's staff discussed a local mayoral election when considering how to divvy up $2 million in Neighborhood Recovery Initiative funds, a Sun-Times story revealed Wednesday.

While one Maywood group was found to have been the most qualified to be funded by NRI head Barbara Shaw, the governor's staff decided the money should be split between two groups because one of them was rumored to be involved in challenging Maywood's incumbent village president - the husband of Cook County Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarborough.

Among 2000 emails the governor's office turned over to the Legislative Audit Committee is the following from Quinn's deputy chief of staff Toni Irving to then-Quinn COS Jack Lavin:

More details on S-T's Dave McKinney's video story HERE

Starkehaus: On immigration, are right and moral the same thing?

By Irene F. Starkehaus - 

Round and round we go. Day after day conservatives ask: what exactly is the right thing to do with regard to the multiple thousands of minors and not-so-minors who are crossing our southern border illegally on the promise of a better life or at very least a better clientele. Circular arguments that pound against the resolve of a historically charitable people shred consciences to a pulp as waves of undocumented, unvaccinated, unaccompanied children cross over illegally to be contained…detained in a macabre limbo of wistful hope that their parents will soon rendezvous and make things whole again. What is the best thing to do – for them and for our own children?

There's so much noise coming from all directions about this humanitarian crisis – most of that clatter includes a stern remonstration to Americans against enforcing our much maligned immigration laws…it's for the children after all.

And we expect such criticism to come from the Democrats who are so hell-bent on turning Texas blue that they are willing to disregard anything even remotely resembling law for achievement of their long-term electoral objectives. Like their European brethren, any means to the goal of socialist supremacy shall be regarded as justified and necessary. Clearly, there are no rules in love, war or socialism. To the Left, our border crisis is just another form of guerrilla warfare in name of fundamental transformation.

Stantis: Obamacare Bus

The wheels seem to be coming off of Obamacare. With two seemingly contradictory court decisions the whole thing seems to be headed to the US Supreme Court. Again.

Rhoads: PC and Common Nonsense

By Mark Rhoads - 

About 1,500 years ago, a Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus began to make notations in order to calibrate the passing of the years. The notations were BC for before the birth of Christ, and AD for Anno Domni or "in the year of our Lord" after the birth of Christ. The BC appears after the year and AD before the year.

But in recent years, some politically correct authors have decided to replace BC with BCE which they claim stands for a laboriously contrived concept they call "Before Common Era." They claim this new notation will not "offend" people who are not Christian. And they replace AD with CE for just Common Era.

Term limit decision may spell defeat for some Illinois judges

CHICAGO - Last week the Illinois Supreme Court rejected an appeal of the Term Limits/legislative reform referendum. A ballot measure that was signed by almost 600,000 Illinois voters. In its rejection, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary Mikva, leaving the issue to lower courts and dragging out the legal process.

Another referendum asking voters to decide if electoral maps should be redrawn independently (vs. politically by whichever party controls the state legislature) was also rejected by the court. As a result, more than one million voters, who signed petitions for reform, were disenfranchised.

That might seem the end of it. ...Not so fast.

Sources tell Illinois Review that Howard Rich (photo right), founder and president of U.S. Term Limits, has decided to take on Illinois and target judges for electoral defeat.

This doesn't seem an idle threat. Rich is a veteran political activist who has raised and spent millions of dollars, and bats close to 1,000, when it comes to exacting a price on those he targets. He's taken out state Supreme Court justices in Nebraska, Missouri, and Wisconsin (see below).

The Illinois judges who failed to grant the term limit appeal seem ripe targets for Rich.

Sources tell IR that Rich is already evaluating Judge Mikva’s district and has begun assembling a team to wage a retention vote against her in 2016. Mikva (photo right) bounced both the term limits and fair maps amendments from the ballot at the district court level, invalidating millions of voter signatures. This is the type of judicial action for which Rich has successfully unseated judges before.

In addition to Mikva, sources say Rich is eyeing Illinois Supreme Court retentions as well (see list below).

Illinois Supreme Court Justices

The Illinois system requires a 60 percent affirmative vote to retain a judge: a 40.00001 percent "no" vote removes them from office. There is a natural “no” vote of about 20-30 percent in almost all retention votes, which makes the lift to get 40 percent much easier with resources and a good issue that animates an electorate.

Retention votes are also bipartisan in nature, which makes them less about party affiliation and more about issues and the will of the voters.

Term limits has broad bipartisan support among voters. An April 4, 2014 Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll reported eight in 10 Illinois voters supported the measure. From the Institute:

Support for term limits is strong in every demographic, geographic, and ideological subgroup in the Institute’s poll. For example, while Republicans were among the groups most likely to support the term limit proposal (89.9 percent strongly or somewhat in favor), even an overwhelming majority of Democrats approved of it (73.4 percent strongly or somewhat in favor).

Ruling against 73.4 percent of the voters is risky when a judges can be ousted by a mere 40.1 percent of the vote. Frustrated and feeling powerless, Illinoisans might just revolt, and Mr. Rich might just give them their day in court ... via the ballot box.

Below is a list of Illinois Supreme Court Justices and their next retention elections. Also below is a summary of Howard Rich's track record.

Democrat candidate in 48th House District withdraws

Peter Breen with his wife Margie

LOMBARD - Today, DuPage County Circuit Judge Bonnie Wheaton ended the pending election appeal in the 48th State Representative District, granting a voluntary dismissal motion by Illinois Democratic Party attorneys. (see filing HERE)

Today's ruling closes the legal challenge to the DuPage County Election Board's decision removing the Democratic challenger in the 48th. On July 10, the Board held that the Democratic Party violated Illinois law in their slating process. Peter Breen, who defeated six-term incumbent Sandra Pihos in the Republican Primary this past March, will appear unopposed on the November General Election ballot.

"I remain focused on meeting as many voters as possible between now and election day," said Breen. "Our state faces grave fiscal and ethical crises because of the actions of the General Assembly and Governor Pat Quinn. As the State Representative for the 48th District, I intend to do everything in my power to turn around our great state and get Illinois working again."

Left-wing movement that thrived in NYC coming to Chicago

The Sun-Times is reporting that a new progressive movement that’s swept through New York; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Jersey City, New Jersey; Oregon; and Seattle has arrived in Chicago.

What is it? The marquee example is that of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was propelled into office following a campaign pushed by the Working Families Party, or WFP, which aims for electing everybody-type candidates who vow to stick to a community-based (aka left-wing) platform.

Groups here like Grassroots Illinois Action have been working with WFP in recent months to borrow a template that soon will be launched in the Windy City. That means they’re looking to run candidates in Chicago communities who are going to come up from that community (community organizers).

Karen Lewis is the kind of movement progressive who would excite a lot of people,” Working Families spokesman Joe Dinkin said. “There isn’t a Working Families Party in Chicago, so we don’t have any plans to endorse a candidate in this race.”

* * * * * * * * *

In other liberal progressive news, NextGen Illinois - a left-wing student activist organization - has launched in time for the November election. The organization is supported by a number of liberal groups, including The Joyce Foundation.

Chicago Muslims Threaten Violence Against Jews Over Gaza

By Warner Todd Huston - 

The “religion of peace” is at it again, this time posting warnings in Chicago that they intend to start attacking Jews in the Windy City.

The Times of Israel reported on Monday that the threatening fliers were left on cars in Pulaski Park neighborhood on Chicago’s near northwest side.

Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Jose Estrada confirmed the posting of the fliers left on half a dozen cars in the area.

The Chicago Tribune told its readers, “According to residents in the area, the leaflets made threats to Jewish people in connection with the conflict in Gaza which began on July 8. The leaflets threaten violence if Israel does not pull out of Gaza, according to residents and police.”

More HERE

Rauner: I'd veto the anti-Uber bill

CHICAGO - Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner sent out an email asking his supporters to tweet Governor Pat Quinn, urging him to veto the "Uber" bill:

I am running for governor to bring back a booming economy to Illinois. We need to encourage job growth by giving innovative companies greater opportunities – not restricting them.

Uber is an innovative, growing company that provides ride-share services to millions of people across the country and wants to create 425 more jobs right here in Illinois.  Yet, Governor Pat Quinn may sign a bill that will hamper this fast growing company with burdensome regulations and impede job creation. 

Illinois should encourage companies like Uber to grow here, but this bill does the opposite. I'd veto it. Ride-share drivers should have insurance and background checks.  But Pat Quinn shouldn’t sign this bill – it sends another signal that Illinois is closed to innovation.

I love Uber. And we need a state that supports job creation -- not runs it off. Tweet Pat Quinn -- tell him to veto the anti-Uber bill.

BR

DC Court of Appeals deals blow to ObamaCare

WASHINGTON - A three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals dealt a major blow to ObamaCare Tuesday.

The Federal Court of Appeals ruled that tax subsidies that are central to the ObamaCare program may not be provided to at least half of the states. The law that Congress passed and Obama signed says that the federal subsidies can only be given out when someone enrolls in an exchange run by the states or the District of Columbia. However, in another attempt to circumvent the Constitution, bypass the Congress, and ignore the law, the President set up his own policy: the federal exchange at HealthCare.gov, which has had an array of bureaucratic challenges.

“The Federal Court of Appeals ruled that tax subsidies that are central to the ObamaCare program may not be provided to at least half of the states,” Matt Staver, head of Liberty Counsel, said. “The majority of state governors understood the monstrosity that is ObamaCare and chose not to set up exchanges. In all, twenty-seven states chose not to set up ObamaCare exchanges, and another nine partially opted out of exchanges,” Staver pointed out.  “Only 14 states participated in setting up ObamaCare exchanges.”

Gorman pushes Cook County referendum on mental health funding in Illinois

CHICAGO – Commissioner Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman has sponsored a resolution asking to place referendum on the Cook County ballot regarding mental health funding in Illinois. The resolution will be presented for approval at the upcoming Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting to be held this week on Wednesday, July 23. If passed, the referendum question will appear before Cook County voters on the November 4, 2014 ballot.

The resolution calls for the following question to be placed before Cook County voters in November, and it reads: “Shall the General Assembly of the State of Illinois appropriate additional funds to provide necessary mental health services for the people of the State of Illinois?”

One in five Illinois residents experiences a diagnosable mental disorder every year. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health Illness, Illinois ranked fourth in the nation in terms of cutting mental health programs, with $187 million in cuts between 2009 and 2012. Half of Chicago’s 12 mental health care facilities have been closed by the state.

Schimpf accuses AG Madigan of loyalty to family over Constitution

SPRINGFIELD - Attorney General Lisa Madigan swore to uphold the Illinois and U.S. Constitution when she took her place as Illinois highest law enforcement officer, so there were questions about how she would come down on the pension reform constitutionality. 

After all, it was her father - as Speaker of the House and head of the Illinois  Democrat Party - that pushed through the latest pension reform that public sector unions are challenging before the state's Supreme Court. 

Tuesday, Republican candidate for attorney general Paul Schimpf pointed out AG Madigan's filed opinion on pension reform which supported Speaker Madigan's perspective. Thus far, the State Supreme Court is making preliminary decisions that suggest they are likely to disagree with AG Madigan as well as her father.

In her legal briefs filed on pension reform, Lisa Madigan contends that the pension provisions of the Illinois Constitution do not apply during an emergency or crisis such as the current pension shortfall.

Paul Schimpf says he completely rejects the Madigans' argument.  

Oberweis calls on Durbin to return money from IRS union

SUGAR GROVE - U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis called on opponent Dick Durbin to return $11,000 in campaign donations from the union that represents IRS employees.

Oberweis said the campaign donations could be one reason Durbin refuses to state whether he favors a special prosecutor for the IRS scandal. Durbin has also refused to reveal whether he corresponded with disgraced former IRS official Lois Lerner or other IRS officials in the midst of the scandal.

“Maybe we now know why Dick Durbin won’t talk about the IRS scandal. He has a union to protect,” Oberweis said.

Term limits will soon be back before state Supreme Court

CHICAGO - Although the term limits state constitutional amendment was rejected by the Illinois Supreme Court last week, GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner told reporters Monday his legal team expects to return to the state's highest court again.

The first step was going back to the state's First District Appellate Court, which said Monday it would hear the case and expedite its ruling. Either way the appellate court decides, the case will be appealed back the state's highest court. With ballot printing deadlines less than a month away, timing will be crucial. 

“We’re asking this court to make an expedited decision, we think they owe it to you, they owe it to the voters of our state to make a prompt decision on this and then let the voters decide the issue,” Rauner said at a news conference.

Judge rules state can close Murray Center

CENTRALIA - Parents and loved ones of profoundly disabled residents of the Downstate Murray Center failed to prove their family members would suffer irreparable harm if the facility closed, federal Judge Marvin Aspen ruled Monday. 

The state's emphasis is on downsizing, but parents fighting the Murray Center closing warn that if Murray Center closes, all the state's other similar facilities will close as well.

Murray Center families represent the most organized opposition to disability centers closing statewide. With that obstacle out of the way, all of the state's five remaining centers are likely to close.

The state argued that putting the disabled in group settings would save the state $100,000 per person annually, part of their argument that the state budget could potentially improve if the center closed.

Court okays expedited appeal of Illinois term limits case

CHICAGO - An Illinois appellate court has agreed to hear an expedited appeal of a ruling that banned a question on term limits from the November ballot.

The Chicago-based First District Appellate Court issued its order Monday.

Supporters gathered signatures to put a measure on the ballot to limit legislators to eight years. But a lawyer for top Democrats sued, and a judge ruled last month the measure didn't meet constitutional requirements to be on the ballot.

The Illinois Supreme Court said last week it wouldn't hear an immediate appeal. Supporters then asked the appeals court for an expedited process, because state election officials must approve the ballot by Aug. 22.

Republican Bruce Rauner is leading the effort. He's made it a major issue in his race against Gov. Pat Quinn.