Articles filed under Politics

• The Soapbox May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Editors sound off on heavy issues like education funding and cameras in the courtroom and some not-so-weighty ones, too (like home brewing and dog leashes).
  

   

• Weighing in on medical marijuana May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  MedicalMarijuanaWeb...6-8 inches. The Illinois Senate votes on medical marijuana.
  

   
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  Simon promotes college scorecard measure May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon wants to see all colleges and universities in Illinois feature a link to the federal College Scorecard on their websites. She's encouraging the Illinois House to pass a joint resolution to encourage institutions in Illinois to link to the scorecard.
  

   
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  ‘Moral character’ provision out of concealed-carry billMay 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  An Illinois senator seeking restrictions on how people may carry concealed guns softened the bill's rules Friday but decided against a floor vote before later disparaging unnamed "extremists" he described as using "intimidation" to oppose the measure.
  

   
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  Senate Democrats want more school money, not cuts May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Illinois Senate Democrats are proposing a $156 million boost in primary and secondary education next year. Key budget negotiators say the money would help schools keep pace with funding levels this year.
  

   
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  Roskam: IRS saying it’s ‘just incompetent’ May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Congressman Peter Roskam, of Wheaton, a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, went for the jugular Friday questioning outgoing IRS commissioner Steve Miller, and has termed the agency's response "completely underwhelming."
  

   
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  Lawmakers split as Senate OKs medical marijuanaMay 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Gov. Pat Quinn will get the final say on whether Illinoisans should be allowed to use medical marijuana to help cope with the pain caused by serious diseases. The Illinois Senate approved the controversial proposal Friday after a lengthy debate over whether its tight controls would keep the drug out of recreational users’ hands.
  

   
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  Problems surface over Ariz.’s 2007 immigration law May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  The immigration debate in Arizona reached a boiling point in 2007 when the state passed a groundbreaking law targeting those often blamed with fueling the nation's border woes: Employers who hire immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. It marked a bold step, but an examination of the law by The Associated Press found that it has done little to crack down on problematic employers.
  

   
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  House chairman sees IRS errors as part of pattern May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  The Internal Revenue Service's improper use of tougher scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status seems part of a broader pattern of intimidation and cover-ups by the Obama administration, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., said Friday during a congressional hearing.
  

   
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  Ousted IRS chief: Errors not caused by politics May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  The ousted chief of the Internal Revenue Service is telling Congress that his agency made errors in targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, but he says the mistakes were not the result of partisan views.
  

   

• Tea party group says IRS asked about Walker recall May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  A tea party group says the Internal Revenue Service asked about its involvement in efforts to verify signatures in the effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. The Northeast Tarrant Tea Party of Fort Worth, Texas says IRS officials asked for extensive information about its activities, including an explanation of its involvement with Verify the Recall, which worked to confirm signatures in last year's effort to recall Walker, who eventually retained his position.
  

   

• Pension cost shift talks continue May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  House Speaker Michael Madigan said he’ll be talking with school leaders over the next week about a plan to have suburban and downstate schools pay millions of dollars toward teachers’ pension costs.
  

   
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  Medicaid expansion debate ahead in Illinois House May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  The Illinois House is gearing up to consider a key part of President Barack Obama’s health care law, an expansion of Medicaid that would provide coverage to low-income adults who don’t have children at home. House Democrats warn that failure to expand Medicaid would lead to unintended consequences. Republicans say they have concerns about future costs.
  

   
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  Senate gun plan would let towns set limits May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  Many individual suburbs would get the opportunity to decide where people could carry concealed guns under a plan approved by a Senate committee today. The proposal does not limit the kind of restrictions suburbs could impose, but they couldn't ban concealed carry completely. "If you get a community that is very restrictive it could trample on someone's second amendment rights," said Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont.
  

   
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  Badgered: Obama acts, but Republicans unsatisfied May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  President Barack Obama, seeking to regain his footing amid controversies hammering the White House, named a temporary chief for the scandal-marred Internal Revenue Service Thursday and pressed Congress to approve new security money to prevent another Benghazi-style terrorist attack.
  

   
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  GOP demands more despite Benghazi email release May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  The White House release of some 100 pages of emails and notes about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year has failed to satisfy congressional Republicans, who are demanding more information. "Why not release all of the unclassified documents?" said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
  

   
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  Obama: No special prosecutor to investigate IRS May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  President Barack Obama dismissed the idea of a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service Thursday, saying probes by Congress and the Justice Department should be able to figure out who was responsible for improperly targeting tea party groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.
  

   
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  Tea Party groups call IRS process ‘nightmare’ May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  Anger over President Barack Obama's policies drove businessman Tom Zawistowski to file with the IRS nearly three years ago to create the Ohio Liberty Coalition. The group raised thousands of dollars to bus activists to rallies, run phone banks, and knock on doors. All the while, the group fought the IRS over its tax-exempt status. "They expected me to turn over the names of our members to the IRS. You'd have to kill me to get me to do that," said Zawistowski.
  

   
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  State representative drops from GOP chairman race May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  A candidate for the chairmanship of the Illinois Republican Party who supports gay marriage has pulled out of contention for the post. State Rep. Ron Sandack of Downers Grove told the Chicago Sun-Times he doesn't have the needed Republican Central Committee votes.
  

   

• Editorial: Assaults on core values of freedom cry out for responseMay 15, 2013 12:00 AM
  As with the government's abuses at the IRS, a Daily Herald editorial urges Illinois' Washington delegation to demand answers on the secret subpoena of AP telephone records and hold those responsible accountable.