Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Traveling on vacation used to be a lot of fun The more our habits change as Americans, the more we are falling into an abyss controlled by the Chinese government and their financial grip on our spending habits and retail industry. The price to make it stop may be painful, but we have to do…
Opinion: Federal judge tosses politically motivated lawsuit against Madigan Federal Judge Matthew F. Kennelly dismisses controversial lawsuit against Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. Exclusive, the Des Plaines Valley News, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspaper, and the Southwest News-Herald. August 23, 2019 By Ray Hanania A politically motivated lawsuit (Case No. 16 C 7915)…
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School should be more than just an education As my son readies for college, I reminisce about what it was like 50 years ago when I left homew to go to college. It was a different world then and a different world today By Ray Hanania My son Aaron leaves for college next week and…
Is there a politics to mass shootings? The mainstream news media covered the killings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas far differently than the news media covered the killings the same weekend in Chicago. Though the circumstances were different, with individual suspects involved in Dayton and El Paso and multiple suspects involved in multiple…
Podcast: The Politics of Massacres, race in America and are we great? Veteran columnist, author and former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania talks about three big issues in this episode of the “Ray Hanania on Politics” podcast. The first is the politics of Massacres. Why is there a difference in how the mainstream news…
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Casinos need to get their act together Chicago is planning to build at least one new casino possibly more. Hopefully the city will do a better job than Indiana which has the worst, dirtiest casinos in the Midwest. Government should put more restrictions on casinos and give more money back to the public By Ray…
It was more than just “Walking on the Moon” There have been many big moments in history that I remember with clarity as if they just happened. Yet the biggest was Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Why have we stopped that quest? By Ray Hanania I remember many things vividly from history during my…
Former Mayor Jane Byrne deserves more recognition With a rising awareness of the importance of the role of women in society, government, politics and the need to continue to champion equality for the sexes, remembering one of the pioneers of women in politics in Chicago is important. Jane Byrne deserves more recognition as Chicago’s first…
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I promise, I didn’t write this column high on the Ganja The decision by the State of Illinois to legalize marijuana has raised some concerns from foes. But marijuana is really no different than alcohol. And if they want to eliminate marijuana, they should eliminate alcohol, too, from our retail stores. By Ray Hanania Anybody…
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Is there a double standard when it comes to “corruption” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot seemed to treat Alderman Carrie Austin, who is African American, differently from how she treated Alderman Edward M. Burke, who is White. Both aldermen were targets of FBI office raids when Lightfoot slammed Burke but was caution on Austin By Ray…
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I don’t need a day to remember my father George John Hanania was a great guy and a phenomenal father, for the 16 years that I knew him. My dad fled the Holy Land in 1926 to get away from the hatred that consumed both Arabs and Jews. An older brother Joseph drowned in the…
The solution to climate change grows on trees By John Keppler Americans are tired of half measures on climate change. Seven in ten Americans want utility companies to overhaul their operations and generate 100 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewables in the near future. That’s ambitious. Renewable energy accounts for just 17 percent of…
Podcast: A preview of the upcoming battle for the 3rd Congressional District Another battle in the 3rd Congressional District: Dan Lipinski, Marie Newman, Rush Darwish. Season 1, Episode 17, June 17, 2019 Award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter, and syndicated political columnist Ray Hanania offers a preview of the upcoming battle brewing in the…
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Republican legislators criticize Pritzker Gas Tax Governor Pritzker’s doubling of the Illinois Gasoline Tax causes damage to Illinois economy coalition of Republican legislators argue in an Op-Ed commentary By Republican State Representatives Transportation is a vital part of the Illinois economy. When it comes to Interstate highways, Illinois has the third most Interstates in the…
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Hold communities accountable and stop blaming the police Chicago continues to be ravaged by street gang gun-related violence. Mayor Lightfoot has vowed to address the problem. But only focusing on the Chicago Police is not the answer. More emphasis needs to be placed on the residents living in the communities where the violence occurs to…
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Mayor Lightfoot should not rush to judgement on Burke Newly elected Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has used the troubles of Alderman Ed Burke to bolster her image as a “reformer” and pandered to the hedonic character of the mainstream news media demanding that he resign. But in America, the mob doesn’t rule, the Rule of…
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The psychology of JB’s massive tax hike plan JB Pritzker has been lobbying hard to get the legislature to adopt his “Fair Tax” plan, but that plan is just a cover for 18 other big tax hikes that are waiting to slam your pocket book. The Pritzker “Fair Tax” will replace the Flat Tax with…
Ben Joravsky tackles Chicagoland politics on podcast It was a lot of serious laughs joining longtime Chicago political writer and TIF Authority Ben Joravsky on his podcast this past Wednesday with former Tribune political writer Monroe Anderson. Joravsky’s podcast is one of the top discussions on Chicagoland politics By Ray Hanania Ben Joravsky’s Podcast Tuesday…
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