“The First Thanksgiving”
Oil painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, circa 1912-1915
Many myths surround the story of the first Thanksgiving, but very little is actually known about the event because only two firsthand accounts of the feast were ever written.
What is known is that the pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the successful fall harvest, which was an English tradition at the time.
Learn about who was there, what they ate and other Thanksgiving history.
New Leadership for Republican Superminority
Congratulations to Rep. Tony McMombie
Illinois Republicans have selected new legislative leaders for the term that begins Jan. 11th after House Minority Leader, Jim Durkin announced he wouldn’t seek the position to lead the caucus.
The Wall Street Journal minces no words about passage of Amendment 1
Voters were warned. They voted for it anyway. Expect higher taxes and fewer businesses choosing Illinois.
This article is a must-read for every Illinoisan who voted for Amendment 1.
President Biden says last Tuesday was “a good day” for democracy, but he must not be paying attention to what happened in Illinois. Behold a case study in how Democrats change the rules to limit political competition and entrench one-party, public-union rule.
Democrats held supermajorities in both legislative chambers and a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court before the election. But their ex-boss Michael Madigan’s corruption scandal gave Republicans a chance to make gains in the statehouse, compete for Governor, and take control of the state Supreme Court for the first time in more than 50 years.
After deposing Mr. Madigan, Democrats last year did him proud by jamming through new state legislative maps that forced 12 Republican incumbents into six House districts. Democrats held 73 of 118 House seats under Mr. Madigan’s gerrymander. Their new, more extreme gerrymander helped them pick up four to five more seats.
Democrats also redrew state Supreme Court districts for the first time in 60 years. Three Justices are elected exclusively from Cook County, which includes Chicago. This guarantees Democrats three seats. But their majority looked in danger after a Democratic Justice representing central Illinois lost a retention election in November 2020 for the first time in state history.
Unions and Democrats have counted on the Democratic Supreme Court to block pension reforms and a ballot initiative backed by former GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner that would have established an independent redistricting commission. Democratic Justices have prevented citizens from using the ballot process to bypass the Legislature and enact government reforms.
To retain their 4-3 High Court majority, Democrats this year needed to win one of two judicial elections. Both districts were trending Republican so Democrats simply redrew the map to give themselves an edge.
They also passed legislation limiting the influence of Republican donors like Citadel CEO Ken Griffin by capping individual contributions to judicial candidates and independent expenditure committees both at $500,000. A federal court struck down the independent expenditure limits, but the candidate caps hurt Republicans.
Even as Democrats claimed to deplore the influence of money in judicial elections, billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker circumvented the individual caps by using his personal trust fund to contribute to the Democratic judicial candidates in the two competitive races. Both won, giving Democrats a 5-2 majority. Not only did Democrats choose their voters, they essentially picked the judges who would hear any challenge to their overreach.
Illinois Just Voted for More of The Same
How bad do things have to get before Illinoisans wake up and recognize the consequences of electing inept and corrupt public officials who hammer us with one bad policy after another?
Illinois’ Gas Prices Going Back Up
JB Pritzker’s pre-election, six-month delay in the scheduled July 1 gasoline tax increase expires on Jan. 1, 2023. That means Illinois’ gas tax will jump from 39.2 cents per gallon to around 42 cents at the start of next year.
We Are Here to Serve You!
As a State Representative, my office is available to assist you with any issues you may have when interacting with a state agency. Whether you need help with unemployment claims, getting a FOID card, renewing your drivers license or resolving a tax problem, we are here to serve you.
Oftentimes, some of the best legislation comes from people who see where the law is unworkable or simply unfair.
If you have ideas on how the state of Illinois could improve, let’s sit down and discuss if a legislative fix is needed.
Please call our office at 217.876.1968 to get help or schedule an appointment to see me. The office is located at 715 W Imboden Dr, Decatur.
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