Sunday Comic: Can Iron Man Obama Rescue the Country?

Where's a superhero when we really need one?

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Kirk, Durbin Schneider Tour New School as Sequester Removes Shine

Sen. Kirk and Sen. Durbin make first joint appearance in state at Great Lakes school along with Rep. Schneider.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Springfield) made their first joint public appearance in Illinois since Kirk returned to full time duty in the Senate in January at a Great Lakes charter school they helped create which is now being hurt by the Sequester. Durbin, Kirk and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) met with students at the Learn Public Charter School, a North Chicago public school on the Great Lakes Naval Base, to see the new institution and listen to the students. “This is our first public appearance in Illinois since Sen. Kirk returned to the Senate (in January after suffering a stroke a year before),” Durbin said. “We wanted it to be here because it is something we worked on together.” Sequester Reduces …

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Gene

5:52 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

We, the many 38,000 impacted families on this side of Touhy Ave agree. Durbin lifted the flight cap at O'Hare. Enjoy your nights! Put back the flight cap. Capacity discipline !!   more ›

Schakowsky, Schneider Vote Differently on Funding

North Shore representatives both vote against latest Ryan budget but disagree on Continuing Resolution to fund government through September.

Local members of the Congress voted differently today as the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September but stood up together to oppose a Republican drafted budget. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) chose to reject the House Republican Budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) but took a different route on a Senate passed continuing resolution funding the federal government through September. Earlier: Schneider Joins Bipartisan Effort to Extend Debt Ceiling Schneider joined 114 other Democrats and 203 Republicans voting to avoid a government shutdown and fund the government through Sept. 30. He believes a shutdown is worse than some provisions in the …

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Vicky Kujawa

8:25 am on Wednesday, March 27, 2013

@Sophie: go on youtube and look this up (if you haven't already seen it): Jimmy Kimmel Sequester :)   more ›

Sequestration Budget Cuts Data: Which IL Counties Have the Most Federal Employees?

More than 24,000 federal employees who work in Cook County could potentially be affected by sequester, which is slated to start Friday.

  CLICK ON THE COUNTY, ABOVE, AND THE BAR GRAPH WILL ADJUST Unless Congress reaches a last-minute agreement on the sequester by Friday, the huge budget cuts slated to kick in have the potential to affect more than 24,263 federal employees working in Cook County. Barring any kind of deal, the Obama administration will have to impose $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts to military and domestic programs on Friday, according to The New York Times. Those cuts would be the start of $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The numbers in the graph above show the number of federal employees in Illinois by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It …

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Schakowsky, Schneider Urge Sequester Action

Schneider pleads for cooperation while Schakowsky warns of consequences of pending spending cuts.

With automatic spending cuts totaling $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years set to go into effect Friday, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) took to the floor of the House of Representatives Tuesday to urge action. Schakowsky warned of a reduction of military preparedness, less ability for small businesses to find loans, a reduction of food inspectors, less airport security because of layoffs at the Transportation Safety Administration and a drop in money for mental health services. “We’ve all been talking about the need for more mental health services around this whole issue of gun violence and it’s predicted about 373,000 adults and children who need mental health services won’t find them,” Schakowsky …

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Marcia Sagendorph

9:23 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Readers, we deleted a series of comments due to several inappropriate remarks, name calling and swearing. That behavior is unacceptable. We want this to be a forum that is safe for all people to share their divergent views. Please respect others on site. Thanks, Marcia Sagendorph Associate Regional Editor   more ›

Federal Spending Cuts Would Greatly Impact Illinois' Middle Class

A series of automatic spending cuts called a sequester could be imposed by the federal government on March 1 unless Congress accepts new revenues stemming from higher taxes on the wealthy.

In a matter of days, $85 billion worth of across-the-board government spending cuts called a sequester could affect all 50 states. If imposed, the cuts would impact everything from education spending and national defense to public health and the economy, Huffington Post reported. President Obama is pushing Congress to accept his deficit reduction plan, which includes new revenues and spending cuts. The plan would achieve $1.8 trillion in budget reductions stemming from about $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and $680 billion in new revenues from limiting deductions and closing tax loopholes for the wealtiest Americans, Huffington Post reported. State Impact The White House has released reports detailing how each state would be impacted by a …

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