Roskam raises sophism to are form

My congressman Peter Roskam (IL-6) has brought sophism - the use of false arguments to deceive people - to new heights in his website deception on the tax cut bill.

Roskam's deceitful website message implies that every dollar of tax relief comes from simplifying and making fairer the tax code. The truth is every dollar of tax reduction comes from exploding the deficit, something Roskam has demonized throughout his eleven years in Congress to argue against investing in education, infrastructure, health care for the needy, green energy development; indeed every aspect of a decent society.

Roskam's second deception is that the tax bill 'prioritizes middle income families'. That is laughable when roughly two thirds of the tax cuts go to the already wealthy, while many in the middle class will receive little or no reduction; indeed some will pay more.

Roskam's third and possibly worst deception is failure to mention the poison pill he and his cruel Republican colleagues inserted which will eviscerate the the Affordable Care Act, making it unaffordable to over 10 million desperate folks previously aided by it. This cruelty may have silenced Roskam but certainly not the soulless president who bragged about the ACA's impending demise in his victory lap yesterday.

Relentless sophism has served Roskam well through six elections in his quest for a lifetime sinecure in Congress. In 289 days the residents of the Illinois Sixth can decide whether truth, decency and straight talk to truly uplift society will prevail over sophist self interest.

Top ten reasons North Korea developing nuclear deterrent against US

1. Panama

2. Somalia

3. Haiti

4. Serbia

5. Iraq

6. Afghanistan

7. Iraq (again)

8. Iran

9. Libya

10. Syria

Psychologist can't see forest for grasss on marijuana legalization

Clinical psychologist Aaron Weiner might as well have been arguing against ending Prohibition in 1933 in his December 18 op ed 'Don't go backward on marijuana policy.' Marijuana is both a valued medicine and sensible stress reliever for most of the 30 plus million American adults who use it. Eight states plus Washington DC have legalized it for recreation, taking a good chunk of the billions involved in the marijuana trade out of the shadows of crime and placing it in the sunshine of safe, responsible regulation. Excess revenue over expenses is certainly a plus, but sane social policy is the most urgent reason for its recreational legalization. Like any substance, some will abuse and become dependent on legal marijuana. Far better it be marijuana than truly life degrading hard drugs, alcohol or the latest scourge, prescription opioids. 

Rather than destroying physical health like those legal and illegal substances, all Weiner can charge is that marijuana "undermines my patients' ability to complete school, achieve their maximum earning potential, hold their jobs, function in a healthy marriage, and find overall life satisfaction." That's pretty tame and vague compared to dying from a physically ravaged body. We still spend countless billions enforcing historically racist marijuana laws and incarcerating thousands of mostly minorities for imbibing a plant substance nowhere near as dangerous as those bought at the local liquor or drug store. Weiner uses the worn out canard that "marijuana policies deserve a robust and informed debate." Eight states have had that debate, resolved it sensibly, and aren't going backward. They're looking at Illinois in their rear view mirror and wondering if, in the next 5 to 10 years, we'll come in dead last among the 50 states to enact socially and fiscally responsible cannabis laws. Backward? Illinois pot policies can't get anymore backward. 

Frivolous ballot challenge demeans democracy in DuPage

As one of many dozens who collected signatures to put DuPage Forest Preserve Ranger Dan Hebreard on the March 20 Democratic Primary ballot to run for DuPage Forest Preserve President, I'm outraged he has to defend a frivolous ballot challenge. Apparently, Oak Brook  resident Joe Amodeo woke up one morning and realized, 'Oh my goodness gracious, Dan Hebread's numerous petition sheets containing several times more the required signatures, said he was running for Forest Preserve President instead of President of the Forest Preserve of DuPage County'. Amodeo skedaddled right down to the Election Commission to protest this imagined breech of petitioning protocol to protect the 950,000 of DuPage residents from an electioneering travesty. The fact Amodeo lives in the same community as incumbent DuPage Forest Preserve President Joe Cantore is purely coincidental. 

Let's trust the Election Commission will see through the sham of Amodeo's challenge and dismisses this offense against the democratic process in DuPage forthwith.  

Tillerson, Trump...sane cop, crazy cop

It is disgusting and unprecedented to see a US Secretary of State be publicly contradicted, humiliated and scorned the way Trump has Rex Tillerson. Tillerson states we have lines of communication with North Korea over their nukes; Trump calls such communication naive and pointless. Tillerson says we'll begin negotiations with North Korea on all issues; Trump says North Korea must give us everything we want before we'll negotiate anything they want. Tillerson caves to Trump every time. He might as well tell Trump to keep up his beatings till Tillerson figures out what the boss wants. 

Normally, I wouldn't be concerned about Trump's abusive treatment of employees, colleagues, competitors, something he's done for decades. But When Lindsay Graham, the Senate's most virulent warmonger, asserts there's a 30% chance of war with North Korea, I fear for mankind. It is a wonder Tillerson hasn't quit. Maybe he only stays to represent the sane wing of the US government on foreign policy, and to prevent Trump's next book from being 'The Art of the Failed Nuclear Deal'.