(Photo) 1997 Volkswagen Golf hatchback

As the year ends it's clear that no automobile manufacturer had a worse year than Volkswagen. Its wounds were self-inflicted, the German car-giant gamed EPA emissions tests.

Here's a look back at happier days for VW--pictured below is a 1997 Golf  with manual transmission in Sequoia Green Metallic that was parked last week down the street from me.

(Video) Huckabee says NSA spying of members of Congress an impeachable offense

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said on Fox News that the alleged National Security Administration spying of members of Congress in regards to Israeli concerns over the wretched Iran nuke deal is an impeachable offense.

Not for the NSA--but for President Obama.

Cook County, Illinois pension bailout sales tax hike goes into effect New Year's Day

Shortly before leaving office two winters ago, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg warned of the "labor-electoral complex." What is it? Public-sector unions who contribute to the campaign funds of politicians--almost always Democratic ones--who reward their donors with pay raises and generous pensions for unionized government employees.

Thanks to the bought-and-sold for pols in Cook County, Illinois--where I live--the sales tax rate goes up by one percent on New Year's Day.

Why? To bail out the underfunded Cook County public worker pension fund.

In Chicago the sales tax rate will be 10.25 percent beginning in 2016. Suburbanites such as myself will pay only 9.25 percent.

If you are buying a car that costs $25,000--that means you'll have to cough up an additional $250 in taxes.

This is what happens when you have too many voters who base their ballot choices on just one thing--if there is a "D" next to the candidates name.

Tank being hauled on I-80: Do it yourself ISIS opponent?

While driving to Peoria, Illinois last week I passed a tank on a flatbed on Interstate 80 near Marseilles.

Is the owner of the tank preparing to fight the Islamic State on his own?

Related posts:

• Illinois and Michigan Canal at 30: Marseilles
• Illinois and Michigan Canal at 30: Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial
• Vintage photo: Soviet Army T-54/55 tank

Gold caps stolen from his teeth too: Knicks player shot in NYC

The descent of New York City under the misrule of its leftist mayor, Bill DeBlasio, continues.

From the New York Daily News:

Knicks forward Cleanthony Early took a bullet in the knee early Wednesday from an armed robbery crew who stole his jewelry — including the gold caps off his teeth, police sources said.

Early, 24, was targeted by the ski-masked assailants shortly after leaving a Queens strip club with his girlfriend around 4:15 a.m., sources told the Daily News.

The couple was taking an Uber cab home from the CityScapes gentleman's club hours after the Knicks beat the Pistons in Madison Square Garden when three cars appeared and boxed them in, sources said.

As many as a half-dozen men jumped from the vehicles, with one shooting Early in the right kneecap — the same one that required arthroscopic surgery last season.

What took her so long? Hillary now says Christians facing genocide in Middle East

More than a year after it became obvious, Hillary Clinton now says Christians are facing genocide in the Middle East. The Islamic State declared it self a little more than a year after Clinton left her post as President Obama's secretary of state. But it has been obvious since then about the Christian--and Yazidi--genocide since then.

Thanks for catching on, Hillary. However, her former boss still hasn't used the word "genocide" in regards to the atrocities of ISIS.

Winning lottery ticket may have been Detroit murder motive

In Chicago three years ago a North Side man was murdered after winning $1 million in an Illinois Lottery scratch-off game.

Life is much cheaper in the Motor City.

From Fox Detroit:

A man was shot to death Tuesday and police think he may have been targeted because he had won some money.

People who know the victim said that he had recently won $5,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket and made the mistake of making it public.

Police are considering the possibility the man was robbed. Neighbors found him slumped over in his SUV on Euclid and Beaubien around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased was shot in the head.

Obama's State Dept lists "peace" in Syria as a 2015 accomplishment

Man oh man, we have some colossal idiots running our nation. In its lists of 2015 accomplishments, the US State Department listed peace in Syria as one of its achievements.

The Islamic State's de facto capital, Raqqa, is in Syria. The unhappy nation is in the midst of a civil war.

Peace, baby.

Ex-con father of 13 kids with 11 women owes $50K in child support

Here's a story about a Nebraska dead beat dad who owes $50,000 in child support.

From the Omaha World-Herald:

When Norman Bennett got out of prison, he was supposed to become a productive member of society.

This wasn’t what anyone had in mind.

Bennett became a reproductive citizen: At age 31, he has at least 13 kids by 11 women.

That;s a tentative tally, because various court records seem to indicate that the Omaha man may have 15 kids by 13 women. Or more.

Who is paying the child support for Bennett's kids now?

If you are a taxpayer, you are.

Rahm cuts Cuban vacation short after another police shooting

Rahm was here!

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel thought he could escape his trouble by vacationing with his family in communist Cuba.

Wrong.

Rahm is coming home early after the latest controversial police shooting. And this one is a bad one.

From ABC 7 Chicago:

On Saturday officers responded to a 911 call from a home in the city's West Garfield Park neighborhood. Police said Quintonio Legrier, 19, was threatening his father with an aluminum bat.

Their downstairs neighbor, 55-year-old Bettie Jones, answered the door to let police in just as Legrier came running down the stairs.

Police opened fire and hit Jones by accident. Legrier was also shot and killed.

Four sisters are now grieving the loss of their mother, and still struggling to understand why she had to die at the hands of a police officer.

(Photos) Abandoned homes in the corrupt village of Dixmoor, Illinois

Last Monday I presented a history lesson and a photo essay about Harvey, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago with a notorious history of corruption. Right next to Harvey is Dixmoor, its smaller size allows it some anonymity, but not completely.

As you can see in this picture, Dixmoor was incorporated in 1922. It's believed that the village name comes from the Dixie Highway, which serves as the western border of the town.

Just south of 144th Street on Lincoln Avenue is this sad bungalow. If the goal of his asphalt brick-adorned abandoned home is to blend into nature, then I say it's a success.

Dixmoor was back in the news last month, and as is the case with its big brother, Harvey, that's almost always a bad thing. The Daily Southtown posted a video of Mayor Dorothy Armstrong jumping out of her chair towards a trustee, Michael Smith, during a village board meeting because she thought he was making fun of her hair color and her age.

More on Smith later in this post.

I adore the metal pipe railings on this green house.

Public school students in Dixmoor attend West Harvey-Dixmoor Public School District 147. In 2012 a public watchdog, the Illinois Policy Institute, issued a warning: Don't be a victim of public corruption, learn from District 147's transparency mistakes.

It wrote:

This time the alleged corruption comes from West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147. Retired superintendent, Alex Boyd, is accused of "fraudulently cashing out about $350,000 worth of sick and vacation time and racking up $57,000 in unauthorized credit card charges."

Also, board member Mable Chapman is accused of "helping Boyd bilk the district while having family members hired by the district and taking family members on taxpayer-funded trips across the country."

I don't see many green houses--but here's another one on 144th Street. Oh, what's with the lack of windows on the right side? The orange sign is a condemnation notice.

Condemned yes, but anyone can walk right in.

It's hard to believe but nearly twenty years ago since-convicted felon Jesse Jackson Jr. was taken seriously as an anti-corruption crusader.

From the Chicago Tribune:

In the derelict south suburban village of Dixmoor stands a patch of weeds, home to a couple of swing sets, a slide and a rotting mattress with its rusty coils exposed. This is the Dixmoor Park District. Yes, district. And as a park district, it's entitled to its own police force--a force that is eligible for federal Justice Department law enforcement grants, which the Dixmoor Park Police applied for last year to the tune of $10 million.

Visiting the playground last winter, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. leaped out of his car and excitedly paced the patch of weeds. "Millions! They wanted millions for this!" He flung his arms open and laughed.

Jackson was referring to one of the first constituent requests he received after he won a December 1995 special election to succeed Rep. Mel Reynolds, a Democrat, who had been convicted four months earlier for having sex with an underage campaign worker. The Dixmoor park police wanted the new congressman to help win a Justice Department grant to beef up security for the tiny playground.

But the more Jackson looked into the matter, the more questions he had. Why did Dixmoor need 20 armed cops to patrol an otherwise neglected tot lot? Why did some of the Dixmoor park police officers have criminal records? And why should he endorse a federal grant to a force that had been involved in an armed standoff with the police from the neighboring town of Harvey?

The owner of the now-shuttered Lily's Groceries Store--and the sign maker--obviously had struggles with correct English grammar.

Oh, I'm all for low taxes, but squandering revenue is borderline scandalous.

From the Chicago Tribune in 2013:

The town's financial woes are compounded by the fact that Dixmoor failed to approve its tax levy on time last year, costing it about $400,000 in revenue. The village also had to return about $192,000 to Cook County it had received in anticipation of levying taxes this year.

Metal thieves have begun removing the aluminum siding from this Cape Cod home at 14329 Lincoln.

You didn't think I'd forget about trustee Michael Smith, did you?

From Fox 32 News earlier this year:

A Cook County suburb known for its political drama and allegations of corruption finds itself once again in the spotlight.

One of the Dixmoor trustees has been arrested, and it's not the first time.

Village trustee Michael Smith was arrested Thursday after getting into a tussle with the police chief at Village Hall. It all stems from a previous altercation Smith had with another trustee earlier this month.

Michael Smith was taken out of the Dixmoor Police Department in handcuffs. He is charged with violating an order of protection that banned him from coming to Village Hall, which he did on Thursday.

The article goes on to explain that Smith had previously been arrested for official misconduct, theft, and resisting arrest.

Even when people lived here this had to have been an ugly house. Although I like the portico.

Inside is even uglier. What about the back yard?

Man, that is for sure one decrepit shed.

Dixmoor's population peaked in 1970 when it had 4,735 residents. In 2010 only 3,644 people lived in this corrupt town.

As with Harvey, it's easy to see why folks want to leave.

Related posts:

(Photos) The abandoned Wyman-Gordon power plant in Dixmoor, Illinois

(Photos) Abandoned homes in the corrupt city of Harvey, Illinois

Chiraq: 6 dead and at least 22 wounded over Christmas weekend

The long Christmas weekend was anything but merry in Chicago. Despite a Christmas Eve Black Lives Matter protest on North Michigan Avenue--where shootings are quite rare--six people were murdered and at least 22 others were wounded.

So ends the last full weekend of 2015.

Another reason why we need the Keystone XL pipeline: Rail lines are in bad shape

There is always an obvious solution to a problem--some people choose to ignore it. Because of hydraulic fracking and he extraction of petroleum from oil sands in Canada, more oil is being shipped by rail. Which of course increases the odds of dangerous oil spills and fires because of derailments.

Last week the Columbus Dispatch wrote about the problem--but focused on the need for more rail inspectors.

I say we need more pipelines, starting with the Keystone XL pipeline that will originate in Canada.

From Da Tech Guy: Baltimore’s bloody 2015

With two major Islamic State terrorist attacks in France and one in California, it's easy to forget the carnage that continues to fester in Baltimore. In my weekly entry at Da Tech Guy, I look back: Baltimore’s bloody 2015.

Smug Kristol predicts Trump's "mystique" will disappear with Iowa loss

Bill Kristol, the smug jerk who is an entrenched part of the Republican establishment, predicts if Republican frontrunner Donald Trump loses the Iowa Caucuses five weeks from now, his "mystique" will vanish and another candidate, possibly Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or Chris Christie will win the Republican nomination.

The latter two are in the single-digits in current national polls.

Really Bill?

ILL-inois lost over 10K manufacturing jobs in 2015

Abandoned factory power plant,
Dixmoor, IL

The year is ending on a low note in the Prairie State.

From MyStateLine.com:

Illinois lost more than 12,000 manufacturing jobs in 2015. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said the drop is part of more than a decade of decline in Illinois. The IMA says Illinois’s “punitive policies” including some of the highest workers’ compensation rates in the country are responsible.

Selvaggio Steel President Mark Selvaggio said his Springfield company can;t compete with companies across the border in Indiana.

"Our [workers' compensation] costs are about $90,000 a year for our company, if our company was in Indiana, it would be $30,000 a year," Selvaggio said.

He said Indiana fabricators are doing so well they are subcontracting jobs to his company.

Among the reforms Illinois' new governor is trying to implement is workers compensation reform. His efforts are being blocked by two Chicago Democrats: state House speaker Michael Madigan and state Senate president John Cullerton.

Musician killed in carjacking after performing at Detroit church on Christmas Eve

Criminal acts always seem a little worse in Detroit. Or maybe they are a lot worse.

From the Detroit Free Press:

On Christmas Eve, Anthony Tolson had finished playing bass guitar at a church service and was driving to see his three kids on Detroit's east side.

Yet Tolson never made it. He was shot and killed by multiple assailants who then stole his SUV that contained his bass and gifts for his kids: William, 7, Aaron, 12, and Amber, 13.

The tragedy has left his close friends struggling to understand how Tolson, 33, who friends say has toured with artists like Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy, Kelis and J. Moss, became the victim of violence.

"It's just a shock, that somebody would do something like this, especially on a night like that," said Tolson’s good friend, D.W. Bass.

Sad and tragic.

From my post at Da Tech Guy:

I walked its streets--the tragedy of Detroit.

Rapper who coined "Chiraq" nickname for Chicago shot in Chiraq

Rapper King Louie, who came up with the Chiraq nickname for Chicago was shot on the city's Southwest Side on Wednesday.

Chiraq is a combination of "Chi" from Chicago and "raq" for Iraq--and it's an observation of the violent nature of America's third largest city.

King Louie, whose real name is Louis Johnson, was shot in the head, yet he is pictured here with notorious racist Louis Farrakhan, where he appears to be doing okay--except for having the Nation of Islam leader at his bedside.

Death sentence for adultery for Sri Lankan maid working in Saudi Arabia overturned

Even though the medieval sentence was removed, the Saudis are still inhumane brutes.

From the Arab News

A Saudi court has commuted the death sentence passed on a Sri Lankan maid convicted of adultery, the government in Colombo said.

"We have succeeded in getting the death sentence overturned. Our concern was to make sure that the original sentence was not carried out," said Harsha de Silva, deputy foreign minister.

"The government of Sri Lanka wishes to acknowledge and appreciate the good offices of the Saudi authorities.

"The sympathy, understanding and the concern expressed, and assistance extended by many other parties is also noted and deeply appreciated."

Instead the maid will serve what is called a "short jail sentence."

(Video) James Stewart introduces Reagan at his final Washington Christmas

If you need more James Stewart after watching It's a Wonderful Life today, then take a look at this video of the Hollywood legend when he hosted Christmas in Washington in 2008.

Stewart, a Republican, introduces Ronald Reagan, who speaks of Christian love and charity. This was the great president's last Christmas in the capital.

It ends with a choir singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."

Related posts:

• Report from Tampico, Illinois on Reagan's 100th birthday
• Marathon Pundit's Ronald Reagan Trail

ILL-inois: Driver's licenses no longer federally compliant

Illinois' secretary of state, Chicago Democrat Jesse White, has had ten years to redesign state driver's licenses and IDs so they would be compliant the the Real ID Act. Instead, the glorified ward heeler applied for waivers to circumvent the new requirements.

Well, the Department of Homeland Security said "enough" with the extensions and beginning on January 10, Illinois-issued IDs won't be good enough to enter most federal buildings. Missouri, New Mexico, and Washington card holders also face the same predicament. 

As for Illinois, clueless voters keep blindly reelecting White because he has a "D" next to his name. But White announced this summer that his current term will be his last. Good. 

Chicago Tribune on Harvey

Abandoned home in  Harvey

Chicago's best-read newspaper has an editorial on Harvey, Illinois.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Tribune investigations for more than two years have raised alarming issues about Harvey, including a fraudulent hotel deal, lack of transparency over the city's finances and questions of police misconduct. Harvey owes millions of dollars to the city of Chicago in overdue water bills. It owes millions to its pension fund for retired workers. It ignored for years state-required annual audits.

Three members of the Harvey City Council signed a letter in July pleading with an array of public officials, from President Barack Obama to FBI Director James Comey, to rescue their town.

Last month, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart asked the U.S. Department of Justice to follow up on systemic problems with the Police Department that didn't get corrected in 2012, the last time Justice was in Harvey to investigate allegations of police brutality. The city's record-keeping was so poor that Justice couldn't do much to substantiate claims.

"The Harvey Police Department has repeatedly refused assistance, despite being plagued for years by widespread and well-documented problems regarding excessive force and sexual assault investigations," Dart's letter says.

Related post:

(Photos) Abandoned homes in the corrupt city of Harvey, Illinois

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas everyone!

Dead body in Detroit field partially eaten by animals

Because it has so many vacant lots and too few people we have another "Only in Detroit" story.

From CBS Detroit:

Detroit police are investigating the death of a still-unidentified woman whose body may have been partially devoured by animals.

The woman's body was discovered by a passerby Wednesday afternoon in a field near a vacant house on Hawthorne, in a neighborhood on the city’s northeast side. Reports indicate the body was partially clothed and the woman’s left arm appeared to have been gnawed on.

Sgt. Cassandra Lewis told The Detroit News that the body “may have been there for a while” and that "animals may have chewed on her a little bit." Other circumstances weren’t immediately clear.

As of Thursday morning, the woman has not been identified. An autopsy is expected to shed more light on the death, which remains under investigation.

Tractor Santa

In America's Heartland when there is no snow, Santa Claus rides a John Deere tractor--as I learned this week in Lacon, Illinois near Peoria. 

Only 15 arrested? Black Lives Matter protesters shut down MN airport terminal, block rail line and freeway

In a democracy it's said that you get the government that you deserve. Well the people of Minnesota deserve chaos. Tonight in the Twin Cities area Black Lives Matter protesters shut down an airport terminal, they blocked rail lines, and a highway.

From USA Today:

Several hundred Black Lives Matter activists shut down at least one terminal at the Minneapolis-St.Paul International airport Wednesday for about two hours in an afternoon of protest that began miles away at the huge Mall of America.

A total of 15 people were arrested at both sites, mostly for trespassing or obstruction of justice, police said. No injuries or property damage were reported.

The protesters not only disrupted rail traffic to the terminals, they blocked the freeway in front of the airport, snarling holiday traffic on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Several stores were closed at the Mall of America because of the leftists.

And only 15 people were arrested. Far more than 15 people clogged up the terminal, blocked the rail line, and obstructed traffic on busy stretch of road--each of those actions is illegal. Are we going to be a civil society? Or is our society going to be disrupted by a group of spoiled brats?

These hooligans should be arrested, jailed, and fined.

Oh, I'm certain these jackals didn't bother with applying for a rally permit.

Cook County sheriff wants feds to investigate Harvey police

As I explained in my Monday entry about Harvey, Illlinois, it's problems go way beyond abandoned homes.

From ABC Chicago:

The Cook County Sheriff wants a federal investigation into the Harvey Police Department.

Tom Dart has sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for help. Dart says the suburb has dozens of unsolved homicide and sexual assault cases, as well as excessive force issues.

Related post:

(Photos) Abandoned homes in the corrupt city of Harvey, Illinois

US Census ranks Illinois tops for population loss

Harvey, Illinois

People are wising up to Illinois after decades of corruption and financial malfeasance.

From Reboot Illinois:

New data released by the U.S. Census bureau showed that in terms of domestic migration — people moving about within the United States — Illinois saw roughly 105,200 more people leave than arrive.

Even when offset by a gain of more than 37,600 by way of international migration, Illinois still ended up about 67,500 in the negative column.

With natural growth (births minus deaths) counted, Illinois showed a net population loss of nearly 22,200 people, or about 0.17 percent of its population.

Of the 50 states, Illinois was the top population loser. Other states showing a net loss of population were Connecticut (-3,876); Maine (-928); Mississippi (-1,110); New Mexico, (-458); Vermont, (-725) and West Virginia (-4,623).

Voters elected a new governor last year, Republican Bruce Rauner, but his reforms are being blocked by Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan, who has been House Speaker for 30 of the last 32 years.

San Bernardino killers met in person at Hajj

Yes, it's absolutely true that most Muslims are peaceful. However, those followers of Islam who say that the San Bernardino psychopathic murderers aren't really Muslims have to consider this BBC story.

The San Bernardino attackers began their relationship online and then met at the 2013 Hajj pilgrimage, according to a visa application.

According to Syed Farook's fiancee visa application, he and Tashfeen Malik made contact on a website, emailed and then decided to meet.

The pair's parents met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual pilgrimage.

They got engaged the day their parents met and planned to marry within a month of Malik arriving in the US.

Sub-junk: Moody's lowers Chicago Public Schools credit rating again

Belding Elementary, Chicago's
Northwest Side

When a credit rating is lowered to junk--it can't get any lower, right?

Wrong!

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

The same agency that gave a "junk" status credit rating to Chicago Public Schools in May has dropped the cash-strapped school system’s rating lower still.

Citing "the precarious liquidity position of the district" and a 2016 budget that assumes $480 million in state funding not yet appropriated, Moody’s Investors Service dropped CPS' rating from Ba3 to B1 on Monday.

The rating also reflects "the district's steadily escalating pension contributions and recent use of reserves to fund recurring contributions," according to a Moody's statement. "The rating further reflects the district’s elevated debt levels. Favorably, CPS benefits from a large tax base and diverse economy."

Chicago's tax base is large--for now.

Moody's warns of future downgrades.

President Obama chose CPS' CEO, Arne Duncan, to be the Department of Education.

Heckuva a choice, Barack!

(Bloomberg video) Megan Murphy On Hillary's ISIS debate moment: “Really going to hurt”

In regards to the Islamic State, Hillary Clinton had this to say in Saturday night's little-watched Democratic candidate's debate: "We now finally are where we need to be. We have a strategy and a commitment to go after ISIS. … And we finally have a U.N. Security Council resolution bringing the world together to go after a political transition in Syria."

Are we really where we need to be? And frankly, who care about the United Nations? Although it's great to know that the expensive gabfest took time off from its main vocation--demonizing Israel.

Bloomberg's Megan Murphy says Hillary's ISIS observation is "really going to hurt" her next autumn.

Robber shot dead by customer at Detroit gas station

Near 8 Mile Rd in Detroit

Good people with guns can do good.

From Fox Detroit:

A shooting at a Detroit gas station is under investigation after a man trying to rob a customer was shot and killed.

Police say a customer was attempting to get gas at the Mobil station on Seven Mile and Meyers roads when a man approached and tried to rob him.

Police say the customer pulled out a gun and fired 8-12 times, hitting the suspect multiple times. The suspect has died.

Kansas City reporter takes lead from New York Times article for column about Kansas City

Liberal reporters--that term is for the most part a redundancy, but stick with me here--take their lead from the New York Times, but usually not as blatantly as in this instance involving the Kansas City Star's Mary Sanchez. In her latest column she references a New York Slimes article about what that author deems as Missouri's lax gun laws and how that has led to a spike in murders in the state's largest city.

Sanchez is already in Kansas City. What the heck does she need the Times for?

Oh, the words "personal responsibility" are missing from the KC Star piece from Sanchez. I didn't find them in the Times article either.

Rahm escapes to Cuba as Chicago simmers

Leftists continue to protest Rahm Emamuel's mishandling of the Laquan McDonald shooting. But Chicago's embattled mayor may have found peace and quiet in an unlikely place, Cuba. The former Obama chief of staff and his family began their 10-day vacation in the communist dictatorship on Friday.

Only a Democrat can find solitude in the so-called worker's paradise.

Oh, I brought this point up before. Will Rahm be meeting with any dissidents while in Cuba?

(Photos) Abandoned homes in the corrupt city of Harvey, Illinois

Earlier this month I visited a couple of blighted southern suburbs of Chicago, Dixmoor and Harvey.

Today we look at the latter town.

Once an industrial powerhouse, Harvey is now best known for poverty, crime, and corruption. It's a mini-Detroit. And like the Motor City it has plenty of abandoned homes.

This vacant house at 14604 Lincoln Avenue is garnished by brush and an abandoned couch.

Harvey is back in the news again--and that's almost always a bad thing. This time its about the budget dispute between the Harvey's long-time but ethically challenged Democratic mayor, Eric Kellogg, and the city council. Kellogg is threatening to lay off of half of the town's corrupt police department and other municipal workers.

About a block south of the first dwelling you'll find this boarded up home.

Last year ChicagoNow had this to say about the town:

Harvey is a cornucopia and culture of corruption, unrivaled in recent times. It is blatant, in your face old school corruption.

It is criminal.

The Harvey Police Department is probably one of the worst in Illinois. Harvey has a violence rate that trumps some Chicago neighborhoods. But it is ignored.

If Lawndale is the neighborhood where dreams go to die, Harvey is where dreams are murdered.

This house across the street probably never was attractive.

It appears that squatters broke into the house.

In 2010, TrueCrimeReport reported on Harvey's mayor with a fabulous headline. Top 5 White Collar Villains: Mayor Eric Kellogg Wants To Know Who Stole His Coke.

Surely this old house looks better from behind, right?

On the other hand, no. Notice the asphalt brick that has been exposed because metal thieves filched the aluminum siding from this home. Did anyone call the police? If so, did the cops do anything?

At its peak in 1980 Harvey had 35,000 residents. I heard around that time the city had more jobs than households. Today Harvey has 10,000 fewer inhabitants and probably far fewer jobs.

Oh, what about inside of this house?

Inside is even worse.

Despite its relatively small size, many famous people grew up in Harvey, including baseball hall-of-famer Lou Boudreau, longtime NBA center Eddy Curry, and comedian Tom Dreesen. There is a Dreesen Street in Harvey. He brought Harvey into his comedy routine and he joked about attending "St. Leroy Church" there, in a reference to the city's majority African-American population. Dreesen recorded a comedy album, That White Boy's Crazy, in front of an all-black audience in Harvey.

Right next door is this sad house that isn't even boarded up properly.

Shortly before he announced his run for the presidency in 2007, then-US Senator Barack Obama chose a Harvey church to make a Martin Luther King Day speech. Because of Harvey's reputation for corruption, that selection raised eyebrows, especially since it was announced that Kellogg would be in attendance. I can't remember precisely what happened on that MLK Day, but I believe Kellogg was a no-show. Someone got to the mayor, no doubt.

The Chicago area is famous for its brick homes, so I thought I'd conclude my post this house.

In 2007 there was a Southtown Star online section entitled "Eye on Harvey," which mostly featured corruption stories. That year the section totaled 75 entries.

It's easy to ascertain why people want to leave Harvey.

Related post:

(Photos) The abandoned Wyman-Gordon power plant in Dixmoor, Illinois

Chiraq: 2 murdered and at least 25 others wounded over weekend

In Chicago the weekend was kicked off with another Black Lives Matter rally downtown where protesters blocked streets and yelled a lot. Meanwhile in the neighborhoods it was another violent weekend. Two people were murdered--one of them was a 71-year-old man--and at least 25 others were wounded.

The protesters are planning another march--of course without a parade permit--in the North Michigan Avenue shopping district on Christmas Eve. There will be no Christmas truce from them. And there won't be one in the 'hoods either.

Related post:

"Peaceful, disruptive force" to protest on Chicago's Michigan Ave on Christmas Eve

Half of Illinois high school grads in community college need remedial courses

Here's proof that our unionized government schools are failing our children.

From AP:

New data shows about half of Illinois high school graduates going on to the state's community colleges need remediation in at least one subject.

That data was released this past week by the Illinois State Board of Education. It shows 48.7 percent of graduates who enrolled in the community college system needed remedial instruction to prepare them for entry-level college coursework.

Illinois needs school choice.

From Da Tech Guy: Fear of a Trump planet

For my weekly post at Da Tech Guy I take a look at the Donald Trump phenomenon: Fear of a Trump planet.

ILL-inois: Black congressman accuses black opponent of "segregationist politics" in majority black district

Robbins, IL 1st District

Former Black Panther Bobby Rush, the longtime congressman of Illinois' first district, will likely survive a petition challenge brought on by his March Democratic primary opponent, South Side Chicago alderman Howard Brookins Jr. The alderman, who is African-American, believes that Rush failed to gather enough legitimate petition signatures.

In his Sunday Chicago Sun-Times column, Mark Brown reports on Rush's reaction:

Rush sought to position Brookins' attempt as an attack on the voting rights of his constituents, rather than on him personally.

"I'm just astonished that, in this day and time, that the alderman would want to resort to southern segregationist politics trying to disenfranchise the voters of the 1st Congressional District," Rush said.

"This infringement on the voters' rights is reprehensible," he said. "And it really shows that this person has no real understanding of the legacy of those of us who have fought to make sure all the voters of the nation have a free access to the polls and free access to elect individuals of their choice."

The obscenely gerrymandered First District, with its African-American majority, was drawn to elect a black to Congress. What Rush is doing accusing am African American of being a segregationist in a majority black district. He is a reprehensible race-baiting clown. Rush may not have collected enough nominating signatures. That is his fault--it is not a segregationist plot.

Recently discovered records indicate Hitler really did have just one testicle

British soldiers and sailors would sing these lyrics, which were set to the melody of "The Colonel Bogey March," which was immortalized in the movie, "The Bridge over the River Kwai."

Hitler has only got one ball.
Goring has two but very small.
Himmler has something similar.
But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.

Yes, Adolf Hitler was not a complete man.

From Sky News:

A German historian claims he has found evidence through medical records that the Nazi dictator had an undescended testicle.

The apparent proof comes from a doctor's examination of him in Landsberg prison in 1923.

It happened after he was arrested over his failed attempt to take power in the Munich beer hall putsch.

The records were thought to have been lost but turned up at an auction in 2010.

The Bavarian government gained control of the documents and that professor made the singular discovery.

Milwaukee's city hall

Architecturally speaking, most urban city halls are forgettable. Not so with the Flemish Renaissance style city hall that graces Milwaukee. When this building at 200 East Wells opened in 1895 it was the second-tallest building in America.

Hyperlapse - Air Force One flying through Christmas Around the World at the Reagan Library

Like Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum has an annual Christmas Around the World celebration.

Here's a short but fun video taken from the viewpoint of Air Force One.



Related posts:

• Report from Tampico, Illinois on Reagan's 100th birthday
• Marathon Pundit's Ronald Reagan Trail

Cops investigating "Meth 4 Sale" signs in North Platte, Nebraska

Cody's Scout's Rest in 2010

Someone has been posting signs that say "Meth 4 Sale" in North Platte, Nebraska. My guess is that the effort is an attempt to draw attention to meth houses in the western Nebraska city that is best known as the adopted hometown of Buffalo Bill Cody.

Local police are investigating, but if methamphetamines are truly for sale at some homes in North Platte, then why weren't cops aware of this illegal activity before? "It is a city ordinance violation to put up signs on telephone poles," says John Deal of the North Platte Police Department. These sign posters risk a citation.

What punishment awaits the meth dealers?

Related post:

Buffalo Bill's Scout's Rest Ranch

(Video) Obama DHS official: I "don’t believe it would be” appropriate to use terror watch list to ban guns

Yesterday Alan Bersin, ths assistant secretary for international affairs as the Department of Homeland Security, testified before a House committee that it would not be appropriate to use the terror watch list to ban those on it from owning guns.

This contradicts something President Obama supports.

San Bernardino terrorists planned freeway and college shootings

The San Bernardino jihadis--and their pal--planned terror acts even worse than the community center slaughter.

From Fox News:

The friend of the terrorist couple behind the Dec. 2 attack that left 14 dead in San Bernardino was arrested Thursday and charged on multiple counts.

Enrique Marquez, 24, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists based upon his role in terrorist plotting with Syed Farook in 2011 and 2012, the unlawful purchase of the two assault rifles used in the deadly shooting two weeks ago and defrauding immigration authorities by entering into a sham marriage with a member of Farook’s family.

The documents describing charges said he admitted plotting the attacks with Farook on Riverside Community College and State Route 91 in or around late 2011. At the college, where both men had previously been students, the men planned to throw pipe bombs into crowds of students at the library or cafeteria.

Investigators say Marquez discussed specific plans to throw the bombs on gathered students at the cafeteria from the upper floors. The documents said the men also identified a long stretch of the 91 freeway with no exits, where Farook would throw pipe bombs that would stop rush-hour traffic, allowing him then to walk along the freeway and gun down motorists in their stranded cars.

Uh-oh, there is an Iranian Holocaust cartoon contest coming

Site of the Salalspils concentration
camp, Lativa

And all of this time I thought that Muslims didn't like cartoons.

I can only imagine the Jew-hatred that is coming.

From the Tehran Times:

Organizers of the 11th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial has allocated a cash prize of $50,000 for the best cartoon on the Holocaust, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

Three other cartoonists will also receive cash prizes of 12,000, 8,000 and 5,000 dollars respectively, the secretary of the biennial, Masud Shojai-Tabatabai, told the Persian service of MNA.

He added that the competition will be held in June 2016 in Mashhad with cartoonists participating from 50 countries.

"We do not mean to approve or deny the Holocaust, however, the main question is that why is there no permission to talk about the Holocaust despite their (the West) belief in freedom of speech."

I live in the West and I'm allowed to discuss the Holocaust.

There are just two sectors of the economy: Producing and government

Forget right now all of the economic talk about the private sector and the public sector. These are the correct terms: producing sector, those that create wealth and other jobs, and the government sector, which includes government workers and people on public aid.

Lesson over.

Obama may release 48 Gitmo terrorists

This is a developing story, but this much is known. Fox News just announced on air that White House press secretary Josh Earnest says that President Obama may release 48 hardened Guantánamo Bay terrorists into the custody of unspecified countries.

Meanwhile Obama continues to discuss how to tough he is on terrorism.

More useless symbolism: Obama visits National Counterterrorism Center

Earlier this week I wrote about how liberals fixate on symbols instead of results. So rather than bombing Islamic State terrorists, their supporters, and their oil wells into dust, our most liberal president ever, Barack Obama, instead is engaged in symbolism to show how "tough" he is on terrorism. A few days after the San Bernardino jihadi murders, Obama made a "rare" Oval Office speech. On Monday he made a "rare" Pentagon visit. And today, the day before leaves for a two week Hawaiian vacation, Obama stopped in at the National Counterterrorism Center, where I learned such presidential visits are, wait for it, "rare."

These actions killed no terrorists but it did provide Obama with some photo-ops.

Related post:

Symbolism: Obama's ISIS fight includes "rare" Oval Office speech, "rare" Pentagon visit

(Video) Obama admin rejected DHS screening of social media in 2011

The Homeland Security Department proposed a policy that social media of visa applicants be screened. One of the San Bernardino terrorists, Tashfeen Malik, posted radical Islamic messages on social media. But the HHS that could have netted Malik was dropped--no one knows by whom.

More from MSNBC:

Chicago suburb approves right-to-work

There is some rare good news out of Ill-inois, thanks to village board of Lincolnshire, which will give some workers in the Lake County Chicago suburb the right to opt-out of paying union dues.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Lincolnshire is among the earliest municipalities in the area to step into the right-to-work arena, proponents of the plan said. The ordinance affects only private companies and has no impact on its unionized teachers, firefighters or police officers. The Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, village employees and several trustees all were unable to estimate how many unionized employees work in Lincolnshire.

The trustees listened to 15 right-to-work detractors and four who spoke in its favor. After about an hour, they closed the public comment period and approved the measure 5-1.

Hoo-ray!

Ex-Detroit union boss indicted for extortion and embezzlement

Of course this union boss was really in the labor racket because he wanted to support all of the working men and women in the Detroit area. Nothing more--nothing less.

From the Detroit Free Press:

The former top official of the Operating Engineers Local 324 in Detroit was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on accusations of forcing employees to pay $5,000 per year into an election fund and spending the money for his daughter's wedding, expensive auto rims and to boost his own salary.

John Hamilton, 61, of Riviera Beach, Fla., was indicted on nine separate charges of extortion, embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy.

He is accused of forcing business agents and employees of Local 324 to contribute annually to the "Team Hamilton Slate Fund," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit.

Hamilton threatened to fire employees who complained and did fire one employee and orchestrated the termination of a former president, authorities said. The funds were supposed to be used for union election campaign expenses. However, Hamilton used the money for meals, liquor and his daughter's wedding and a set of rims for his Cadillac DTS that cost $50,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Yep, that's right--$50,000 just for the rims on his "caddy."