Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania’s Columns
  • Advertise
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Seniors
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Photo courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign
    Brandon Johnson owes thousands in unpaid bills Chicago
  • Dads' Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Matrimonial Lawyer returns for CLE presentation at Leving firm on litigating vs. pro se parties Chicago
  • House fire at 11500 block of 116th Court in unincorporated Cook County on at approximately 2 pm on Thursday March 30th. Photo courtesy of the Orland Fire Protection District.
    House fire quickly extinguished in Orland Park; no injuries Cook County
  • Wu's House, 123rd and LaGrange. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Palos Park board’s personal attacks continue on social media Blogger
  • Home Real Estate Realtor Sign. Photo courtesy of wikipedia
    Realtors twisting facts on Home Rule referendum Blogger
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas is clear choice for mayor over Brandon Johnson Blogger
  • Fathers Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Dad wins in court to get child enrolled in school Chicago
  • Road construction concrete pavement worker. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Overnight road closures set for Roberts Road and 87th Street as part of Tri-State Tollway reconstruction work Chicago
  • Orland Fire Protection DIstrict firefighter/paramedics treat two individuals for injuries in an accident that resulted in one vehicle being flipped over on its roof at 151st near Harlem Avenue on Sunday March 26, 2023
    Lightning causes fire at Orland Home; car rollover no serious injuries; chimney fire extinguished Cook County
  • State Rep. Cyril Nichols
    Arab Americans oppose “MENA” bill and urge “ARAB” be recognized as an MBE and in Census Census
  • Town President Larry Dominick and the Cicero Senior Center hosted the annual Hearts and Shamrocks luncheon. Cicero's senior services program is one of the most extensive in the Midwest offering an array of services including lawn cutting, snow shoveling, handiman assistance, transportation and a range of healthcare services. For more information visit www.TheTownofCicero.com
    The Town of Cicero Senior Center hosted the annual Hearts & Shamrocks dance Baby Boomers
  • Harlem Avenue closed from 86th and 87th pending investigation of pedestrian struck by vehicle News
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Court orders ex to provide transportation so Dad can see his daughter Civil Rights
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Photo courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign
    Johnson Refuses to Answer Whether He Would Pursue Stricter Penalties for Repeat Gun Offenders At WGN Debate  Chicago
  • Orland Fire Protection District extinguish fire in apartment building at 144th and Ravinia Sunday Jan. 30, 2022
    One fatality in Orland Hills Home fire Cook County
16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger from the U.S. Government website.

Illinois quickly becoming a one-party tyranny as bad officials drag it down

Posted on October 27, 2021October 27, 2021 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Illinois quickly becoming a one-party tyranny as bad officials drag it down
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Loading

Illinois quickly becoming a one-party tyranny as bad officials drag it down

Failed Democrats like Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx are not only dragging Cook County down the tubes but they are also dragging the state down with it. Failure of officials like Gov. J.B. Pritzker to speak out against Lightfoot and Foxx tend to aggravate the state’s dysfunctional policies as businesses and homeowners flee to other states. Among those leaving are Chicago Police officers who are being chased out by Lightfoot’s failed policies. The Chicago mess is reflected in the tightening grip Democrats have on the congressional seats as diversity in views vanishes and undermines the public understanding of issues

By Ray Hanania

Chicago politics is a politics of race and ethnicity. It always has been. It’s one reason why in Illinois, race means more than good ideas.

Every 10 years, based on a flawed U.S. Census that excludes some races while exaggerating others, states redraw congressional district boundaries.

Illinois will lose one seat, reducing our voice in the U.S. Congress to 17. That loss is based on population deterioration, or flight from the corruption, scandal and worse, crime that defines Illinois.

The Democrats control the state so strongly that Republican voices are basically entertainment, like that of Adam Kinzinger, the do-nothing Congressman. His only notoriety is based on the fact that he backstabbed his own party leader, former President Donald Trump.

Kinzinger’s ego needed attention to deflect public attention away from the fact that he has never done anything good since he was first elected in 2010.

Lori Lightfoot speaking at Police Accountability Task Force hearing in 2016. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Lori Lightfoot speaking at Police Accountability Task Force hearing in 2016. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The headline-grabbing Kinzinger floated a rumor he was going to run for Governor. Some Democrats drafted a map to eliminate his district and force him to run.

Under the first draft map, Kinzinger was put in a district with Congresswoman Marie Newman, a Democrat progressive centrist. Newman was a cinch to win re-election.

Maybe the mapmakers were sending Governor J.B. Pritzker a message. Pritzker doesn’t always play nice with the state’s Democrat leadership. Pritzker has so much money he makes mediocrity look productive.

The redraft released this week proves there was never an intent to undermine Newman, who has managed to maintain a strong Democrat Party foundation while expanding her agenda to include challenging Israel’s Apartheid violence against Palestinians.

Newman’s district has the largest concentration of Palestinian American voters in the country. No one has ever taken that seriously, not even Palestinian activists who are as dysfunctional as they are myopic to politics.

The good news about the new district is it ends the slicing of some strong suburban communities, like Orland Park. The largest municipality between Chicago and Joliet, Orland Park was divided between Newsman’s district and do-nothing Congressman Bobby Rush’s district.

Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois
Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois

Now Orland Park will be in one district with Newman, who cares more about the region than Rush ever did.

The Democrat Party has steadily consolidated its power, grabbing voter areas like properties in an aggressive Monopoly game strategy. Chicago used to have a Republican presence, but that diversity vanished long ago.

The Illinois legislature once had three House members in each Senate District. The rule was that no party could control all three seats ensuring a minority party representation. Former Governor and gladhander Pat Quinn built his career pushing the elimination of that political balance.

The Six County region used to be a Republican bastion, but that is quickly eroding, too. Illinois once had a strong GOP presence in Congress. The new map defines 14 Democrat and only three Republican districts.

It’s the same with Cook County, where moderate Republican voices have vanished.

This column isn’t about defending the Republican Party. I am a conservative Democrat, or a “Reagan Democrat.”

16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger from the U.S. Government website.
16th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger from the U.S. Government website.

But so many Republicans in Congress, the state legislature, county and local offices are so far to the right, they are nuts. There are very few moderate Republicans, or centrists left in Illinois. I blame the marginalization of smart Republican leaders by Republicans for their ignominious fate, and less the Democrat Party power grab.

A lot of Republicans have good ideas, but they are blurred by other far right fanatics. Some Republican leaders, including in local suburban municipal office, are raging lunatics who can’t work with anyone except with their own egos. They overshadow the few who are bright and smart.

One-party rule is a disaster. There is no public debate. The issues don’t get examined openly or fully. Decisions are made in secret, without the public even knowing what’s happening. Voters are denied real choices. It produces raging lunatics who win suburban office.

One-party rule is unhealthy. That’s why Chicago and Cook County are the crime capitals of the nation. There is not enough diversity to challenge the failed leadership of Mayor Lori Lightfoot or Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Without counter voices, the public loses bigtime.

Voters should set aside blind party voting, and instead judge their leaders based on talent and creative ideas. There are a lot of good leaders. A Democrat who does nothing about Chicago crime is worse than a rightwing Republican fanatic who screams insanity.

Don’t celebrate the new map. It’s a symptom of a political cancer where special interests and “minority” (quantitative not qualitative) interests advance their concerns above the concerns and needs of the public, and a mainstream news media that has been co-opted by one political agenda.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and political columnist. His mainstream political columns are published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. His Middle East columns are published in the Arab News. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

 

SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Subscribe to Ray's columns

Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

* indicates required field.

 

Select Email Format


Two Guys on Politics podcast with Former Congressman Bill Lipinski and former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania www.TwoGuysonPolitics.com

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Brandon Johnson owes thousands in unpaid bills - April 1, 2023
  • Palos Park board’s personal attacks continue on social media - March 28, 2023
  • Realtors twisting facts on Home Rule referendum - March 28, 2023
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Blogger, Chicago, Commentary, Cook County, elections, Government, National, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Regional Midwest, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes Tags:City of Chicago, Congress, Cook County, Democrats, failed leadership, Governor, Illinois Republicans, J.B. Pritzker, Kim Foxx, lack of diversity, lack of public discussions, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, no accountability, not checks and balances, States Attorney

Post navigation

Previous Post: Orland Township Announces 2021 Senior American Idol Winner!
Next Post: Leving joins Darryl Dennard on local radio to discuss Father’s Rights

Related Posts

  • Madigan directs removal of Stephen Douglas portrait from State House Building Government
  • Maria Pappas Cook County Treasurer Office. Photo courtesy of the Cook County Treasurer's office
    Pappas: 39,100 Property Owners Must Pay Delinquent Taxes to Avoid Sale Chicago
  • Congressman Dan Lipinski, challenger Marie Newman, faced-off in the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary election in Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Lipinski won by a slim margin with 50.9 percent of the vote.
    Illinois Candidates showcase Arab American breakfast event Sunday Feb 18 elections
  • Mansour Tadros, publisher of Chicagoland's The Future News Newspaper, and Christopher Kennedy, the son of the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, speaks at a governor's candidates forum Sept. 16, 2017 at Reza's restaurant in Oak Brook hosted by the American Muslim Task Force. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Video Documentary: Mansour Tadros Coronavirus funeral March 31 Chicago
  • PHOTO CAPTION: 200426-N-ZE328-1089 ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 26, 2020) Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Jeriel Butler, from Chicago, stirs cheese sauce in the aft galley aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Atlantic Ocean April 26, 2020. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Keeping HSTCSG at sea in U.S. 2nd Fleet, in the sustainment phase of OFRP, allows the ship to maintain a high level of readiness during the global COVID-19 pandemic. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kelsey Trinh)
    Chicago resident on Navy assignment Briefs
  • Welcome back News

More Related Articles

Orland Fire Protection District extinguish fire in apartment building at 144th and Ravinia Sunday Jan. 30, 2022 No injuries in basement fire in Orland Park Apartment Fire
San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Right from the Middle: Continuation of the beginning of the end Bill Lipinski
Activist Mark Allen in studio Activist Mark Allen launches new internet radio show News
Jewish Theological Seminary of America, based in New York City Musicians and Vocalists gather at The Jewish Theological Seminary for Interfaith Song, Prayer Entertainment
Orland Township’s Fall Job Fair a Success Business
MVCC election challenges denied News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Wu's House, 123rd and LaGrange. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Palos Park board’s personal attacks continue on social media
    March 28, 2023
  • Home Real Estate Realtor Sign. Photo courtesy of wikipedia
    Realtors twisting facts on Home Rule referendum
    March 28, 2023
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas is clear choice for mayor over Brandon Johnson
    March 28, 2023
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people
    March 21, 2023
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press
    March 19, 2023
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023

Subscribe

  • Ray-Hanania-Newsletter-300-wide-Banner.jpg

Trending

  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east. Whoa is Wu’s House... Whoa is Wu's House in Palos Park Residents in Palos Park thought they had t... posted on March 14, 2023
  • Harlem Avenue closed from... Harlem Avenue closed from 86th and 87th pending investigation of pedestrian... posted on March 24, 2023
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith P... Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people By Ray Ha... posted on March 21, 2023
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Photo courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign Johnson Refuses to Answer... Johnson Refuses to Answer Whether He Would Pursue Stricter Penalties for Re... posted on March 22, 2023
  • Orland Fire Protection DIstrict firefighter/paramedics treat two individuals for injuries in an accident that resulted in one vehicle being flipped over on its roof at 151st near Harlem Avenue on Sunday March 26, 2023 Lightning causes fire at... Lightning causes fire at Orland Home; car rollover no serious injuries; chi... posted on March 27, 2023
  • NEWS
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Photo courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign
    Brandon Johnson owes thousands in unpaid bills
    April 1, 2023
  • Dads' Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Matrimonial Lawyer returns for CLE presentation at Leving firm on litigating vs. pro se parties
    March 30, 2023
  • House fire at 11500 block of 116th Court in unincorporated Cook County on at approximately 2 pm on Thursday March 30th. Photo courtesy of the Orland Fire Protection District.
    House fire quickly extinguished in Orland Park; no injuries
    March 30, 2023
  • Fathers Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Dad wins in court to get child enrolled in school
    March 27, 2023
  • Road construction concrete pavement worker. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Overnight road closures set for Roberts Road and 87th Street as part of Tri-State Tollway reconstruction work
    March 27, 2023
  • Orland Fire Protection DIstrict firefighter/paramedics treat two individuals for injuries in an accident that resulted in one vehicle being flipped over on its roof at 151st near Harlem Avenue on Sunday March 26, 2023
    Lightning causes fire at Orland Home; car rollover no serious injuries; chimney fire extinguished
    March 27, 2023
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

The Political Pundit

Political Pundit Aug. 24, 2021. Taliban thanks president for boxes of MAGA hats
  • WORD PRESS REVIEWS
  • MyCloud by Western Digital, a hard drive that doesn't last. Don't purchase Western Digital.
    Western Digital tubes its loyal customers for profit
    October 17, 2021
  • Macho Themes website front page. Don't buy their themes. They don't work
    Difficulties with Macho Themes for WordPress
    August 21, 2021
  • TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges
    March 18, 2023
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs
    February 6, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023

Follow Ray Hanania at
Gab.com, MeWe.com
IDobbinate.com,
Twitter, Facebook

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

First Installment of the Property Tax

What We’re Reading

Arab News Newspaper Leading English Language Publication in the GulfArab News Newspaper

Ray Hanania on Politics
SW News Newspaper Group

  • SPORTS
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    March 17, 2023
  • Chicago Wolves 2022-2023 season
    Chicago Wolves top Stars for second win in a row
    October 25, 2022
  • Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop! The team that does a lot of the work to help the Stagg High school band perform works behind the scenes like a NASCAR pit stop. The students are profiled in this feature
    Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop!
    August 31, 2022
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Orland Fire Protection DIstrict firefighter/paramedics treat two individuals for injuries in an accident that resulted in one vehicle being flipped over on its roof at 151st near Harlem Avenue on Sunday March 26, 2023
    Lightning causes fire at Orland Home; car rollover no serious injuries; chimney fire extinguished
    March 27, 2023
  • State Rep. Cyril Nichols
    Arab Americans oppose “MENA” bill and urge “ARAB” be recognized as an MBE and in Census
    March 25, 2023
  • Town President Larry Dominick and the Cicero Senior Center hosted the annual Hearts and Shamrocks luncheon. Cicero's senior services program is one of the most extensive in the Midwest offering an array of services including lawn cutting, snow shoveling, handiman assistance, transportation and a range of healthcare services. For more information visit www.TheTownofCicero.com
    The Town of Cicero Senior Center hosted the annual Hearts & Shamrocks dance
    March 25, 2023
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm
    March 14, 2023
  • Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard" Photo courtesy Goodman Theatre
    Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard”
    March 6, 2023
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023
  • Popular Ziyad Brand Green Za'ater. Photo courtesy of Ziyad Brothers
    Ziyad Brothers reports that the appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
    February 16, 2023
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar
    Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications
    January 23, 2023
  • money $20 dollar bill, dollars, cash
    Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job
    January 19, 2023

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Click this link to watch or use the widget below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Email Ray Hanania for more information about performing at your event at rghanania@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme