We’re all familiar with the old adage that the only two things certain in life are death and taxes. Yet, one major difference between the two is that for death, there are never any increases per capita and everyone has a flat rate. That certainly can’t be said for the taxes, particularly in Illinois. 

According to recent statistics, Illinois ranks lower among all states in nearly every economic category than five years ago, including a bleak 49th in the nation in job growth.

Despite these depressing indicators, Illinois lawmakers continue to propose new legislative projects and programs that would siphon more money from hard working citizens for various pet projects, including a proposition from House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to spend $100 million taxpayer dollars on a Barack Obama Presidential Library.

It seems everywhere you turn, there are new taxes and/or additional taxes being proposed. Here are a few examples:

Earlier this year, retiring State Representative Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign) introduced legislation for a graduated income tax to replace the flat income tax in Illinois.  The bill is currently tabled for the session. Nevertheless, support among Democrats is rising; this legislative proposal had collected 38 co-sponsors. 

A group called the Transportation for Illinois Coalition is calling for a .04 per gallon increased tax hike on gasoline.

State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) recently sponsored legislation to impose an additional tax on soda.

Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti (D-2^nd Ward) is calling for a new commuter tax for those suburban residents who work in the City.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently withdrew his proposal to raise the property taxes in the City.

And when Governor Pat Quinn gave his annual budget address to the General Assembly in March, he didn’t mince words about making permanent the “temporary” income tax increase they had burdened Illinois’ families and businesses with three years ago. 

To justify the continuation, Gov. Quinn proposed a $200 million increase in funding for education, all part of his plan for a $6 billion increase in education funding over the next 6 years. Few can criticize spending money on children, but are they really the beneficiaries?

According to the Illinois Policy Institute, 70 percent of new education spending has been spent on teacher pensions. And even if all the money was spent directly on the classroom those positive impacts may be countered by harm caused by continuous taxation. Consider that one of the most vital factors in a child’s environment is the stability of a family. Study after study tells us that a family environment that is financially stable and has parents actively involved in a child’s life is critical to a child’s success in school, even more important than the total amount of time in the classroom.

Yet increasing taxes only add to the financial burdens of parents and families.  Taking a greater percentage of income from working families often require parents to work longer hours and results in greater financial stress, lower disposable incomes and ultimately less time for parents to spend with their children. We are taking needed revenue away from a child’s primary care givers and giving it to a much less effective secondary source. The guise that “It’s for the children” is a suspicious justification for increasing tax burdens.

Illinois is expected to generate $36.66 billion in revenues for the 2014 fiscal year, $588 million more than previously expected. These are record setting amounts, yet the current financial crisis is not expected to improve. According to the Illinois Policy Institute, since the tax increases there has been $18 billion in new state revenue, yet state pension debt has increased by $17 billion, along with increases in the aggregate amount of unpaid bills and the interest the state must pay on those overdue bills. Furthermore, the state’s bond rating has been downgraded five times. And yet there is no sign from Springfield that there is any change of course in the future.

It seems that our elected officials have been something less than good stewards with the state’s finances and yet they are again asking for more. Is there any reason to believe that there will be different results? Until proven otherwise, it is time for the citizens of Illinois to say enough to the government bloat, waste, and incompetence. To our elected officials, read our lips and count our votes: no new taxes.

TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative and state senator to let them know what you think of the effort to make the “temporary” income tax hike permanent.  The voters of Illinois expect their elected officials to keep their promises. Let them know that you oppose any new tax increases when they refuse to cut government waste and bloat. 

You can also call your lawmakers through the Capitol Switchboard at (217) 782-2000. 

 Stand with Illinois Family Institute!

Written by Kathy Valente and Laurie Higgins

Marriage “progressives” ridiculed opponents of homosexual “marriage” when they suggested the next logical step would be the legalization of plural unions. The conservative argument is that if natural marriage is allowed to be redefined by jettisoning the central defining feature of sexual complementarity, the next feature to be jettisoned will be the criterion regarding numbers of partners. It’s been a little less than two weeks since Governor Patrick Quinn celebrated the signing of SB 10, which redefined marriage to allow two people of the same sex to “marry,” and the media are once again eager to give voice to yet another group seeking to further dismantle marriage: polyamorists. 

Polyamory: Married & Dating is a cable television program that’s gotten a wink and a nod from ABC’s formerly serious program Nightline. Polyamory: Married & Dating follows the exploits of a Peter Pannish husband, Michael, and his foolish wife, Kamala Devi, a “sex coach” and “goddess,” who share their home and bed with assorted sexual partners. Oh, yes, the goddess and her husband are also raising their six-year-old son in the midst of this sexual anarchy. They defend their bed-hopping by repeating the Left’s favorite cliché about raising children: “It takes a village to raise a child.” 

One of the goals of this couple is to “speed up acceptance” of polyamory, a cultural change which they believe is within ten years of realization.  A professional “psychologist/sex therapist” interviewed for this Nightline episode wants people to believe that “polyamory…is about creating love and lasting relationships.” As Michael’s and Kamala’s sexual partners move in and out of their bed, home, and son’s life,  it would seem that the “lasting” part of relationships is not even on their relationship radar. Unfortunately, people who have no grounding in the truth of Scripture will be enslaved to their fallen natures and will believe anything that allows them to indulge in sin. 

“It’s quite normal already,” Michael quips. He’s right. Sin is normal for the unregenerate. 

Whether he realizes it or not, this child-man has been affected by Alfred Kinsey’s book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Kinsey, whose so-called “research”—much of it now-debunked—from the late 1940’s paved the way for the sexual revolution, found that most married men have and naturally want extramarital affairs, children are naturally sexual and should be allowed to engage in what comes natural, and that ten percent of the population is homosexual. This “research,” aided and abetted by the most infamous of child-men, Hugh Hefner, became the catalyst that eventually drove comprehensive sex ed curricula into many government-run schools (Illinois’ elected officials recently saw fit to mandate it for our children as well). 

What people don’t know is that Kinsey’s pool of study participants was composed mostly of incarcerated men—not your average family man. His “research” on children involved using pedophiles who experimented on children as young as 5 months old. Some of the data were obtained by “Rex King,” an Arizona rapist of 800 children, and the Nazi pedophile, Von Balluseck. Dr. Judith Reisman has spent decades exposing Kinsey’s criminal junk science.    

When a lie is repeated often enough, it is eventually accepted as true. Just ask the 95 Illinois lawmakers who bought this lie: “When two men love each other, they should have the same right to marry as a man and a woman.” Liberals who view the autonomous self as the center of the moral universe will not cease their attack on society’s most important cultural institution until nothing of it remains but the empty shell of the word “marriage.” We cannot remain silent as the Left promotes these lies.

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to support IFI.

How did they vote?

On Friday, May 17th, the bill to legalize marijuana as “medicine” was debated on the Illinois Senate floor and then passed by a vote of 35-21.  This 200+ bill (HB 1) was sponsored by State Senator William Haine (D-Alton), and co-sponsored by Senators Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), and William Delgado (D-Chicago).  

During debate, Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Vandalia) shared a heart-breaking story about the loss of his own child as a result of marijuana as a gateway drug.  Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), a certified drug and alcohol counselor, also spoke emphatically against the bill.  Senators Tim Bivins (R-Dixon), Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) and Jason Barickman (R-Blomington) also spoke in opposition to this proposal.

Democrats voting against the bill include Senators Bill Cunningham (Chicago), Mattie Hunter (Chicago), Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (Plainfield), Gary Forby (Benton), Napoleon Harris (Harvey) and Julie Morrison (Deerfield).

Republicans voting for the bill include Senators Dave Syverson (Rockford), Pam Althoff (Crystal Lake) and Jim Oberweis (North Aurora).

See how your state senator voted HERE and how your state representative voted HERE.

This bill will now be sent to Governor Patrick Quinn .  According to various reports, Gov. Quinn is “is keeping an open mind about the issue.”  

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your Gov. Quinn today to ask him to veto HB 1.  You can call also call the Governor’s office to articulate your objections to having this bill signed into law.  The toll-free number to Gov. Quinn’s off is Call 800-642-3112.  Please do this today!  

Legitimizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes will encourage and increase destructive behavior, especially among young people. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Research has found that adolescent and teen drug use rises as the perception of harm diminishes.

Click HERE to download the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) White Paper on State-Level Proposals to Legalize Marijuana.

Contact Governor Quinn now!

Click HERE to make a donation to the Illinois Family Institute.

Bishop RD Edwin Goodwin Sr. leads the Northwest region of the International Church of God in Christ (COGIC).  He speaks for 500 churches in Illinois. 

Motivated by love of God and love of neighbor, Bishop Goodwin wrote to Governor Patrick Quinn on January 31st: 

“We the Bishops of the Northwest Area of the Church of God in Christ in Illinois, and its 500 churches in the state of Illinois, stand united against same sex marriage in this state.” 

He continued, “In the upcoming elections, we will continue to stand united for what we believe in and for candidates who have similar mindsets as ours.” 

Last month I spoke to a group of COGIC pastors on the south side of Chicago who recognize the dangers of “homosexual marriage.”  I’ve been traveling around the greater Chicagoland area meeting with pastors who are concerned about the same-sex “marriage” push.  They are motivated to do what is necessary to confront this evil.  

One such pastor is Keith Williams who recently took time from his busy ministry schedule to attend a the Illinois Senate Executive Committee hearing on this issue.  Williams, a black pastor, confronted the issue head on.  He told the politicians the truth, asserting that same-sex “marriage” is immoral.  He quoted from Genesis in the Bible, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”  He predicted divine judgment on the state if it approves this evil. 

I am inspired by the examples of Bishop Goodwin and Pastor Williams and dozens of others.  These are Christian leaders with the courage to confront difficult matters head on.  Christian leaders like Bishop Goodin and Pastor Williams, however, are far too few. 

In a recent presentation to the Hispanic Illinois Republican National Assembly, I expressed my concern over Christian apathy and indifference, a concern shared by Brian Camenker, a Jewish pro-family activist from Massachusetts:

There is a problem in the pro-family movement….Too many white congregations mean well but unfortunately don’t execute. They’re afraid to talk about biblical truth, lest it offend someone. They would often rather ‘pray about it’ than get involved. Individuals often can’t make the time in their busy lives to go out and make a difference. They are well-meaning but don’t have zeal. And as a result they’re usually woefully disorganized and ineffective when it comes to meaningful social action. I’ve had many clergymen lament this to me. This is true even in the Orthodox Jewish community, where often it’s individual rabbis who carry most of the pro-family action load by themselves. 

I told the assembled Hispanic Republicans: 

As a leader of a large state pro family group I wish that I could stand before you today and say that Mr. Camenker’s observations are inaccurate.  Unfortunately, I cannot. 

Much of the blame for the potential looming loss of the institution of civil marriage lies at the feet of the Christian church. 

In recent decades we have deliberately failed to make the case for both Christianity and marriage, choosing to tolerate radical perversions of the idea of freedom.  This has done immeasurable harm to Christian and non-Christian alike. 

Yet I am hopeful and encouraged by the signs of life in the body of Christ.  Over the past few months, in organizing against the effort to redefine marriage, I have had the privilege of working with many African-American and Hispanic pastors and religious leaders.  I am humbled by their dedication and courageous willingness to speak up on this issue – despite the cultural forces that seek to intimidate us into silence. 

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul compares the diverse Christian community to the human body, saying that “the body is not one member but many”:

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

At the end of a recent meeting in Aurora, I watched a Hispanic pastor invite an African-American pastor to a monthly meeting of other pastors. It is a great joy to see that God is at work connecting the body of Christ through the threat to his institutions of marriage and family. 

There is much more work to be done if the body of Christ is going to realize fully its God-given potential to influence the culture for the glory and honor of Christ  in Illinois.  If you haven’t yet spoken out, now is the time to join us!  God is doing a work here in Illinois – but he uses people like you and me to accomplish his goals.  Please join us!

Defend Marriage Lobby Day 
Click HERE for a PDF version of the lobby day instructions.         

When:  Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 
Where:  Illinois State Capitol
Address:  401 S. 2^nd Street, Springfield, IL  62701
Time:  10:30 am – 1:30 pm 
Rally: At the Lincoln statue in front of the Capitol (10:30 AM)

For the few of you who cannot make it, please schedule meetings with your state representatives in their local offices and/or call their Springfield office through the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000  to voice your concern about the effort to redefine God’s institution of marriage..

Click HERE to support the work & ministry of IFI.

On Friday afternoon, the Illinois State Senate Executive Committee heard testimony on Senator Heather Steans‘ “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act” (HB 4963).  With nine Democrats and 6 Republicans on this committee, the bill easily passed out of the committee by a vote of 8 to 5.  

The hearing included emotionally manipulative testimonies from a self-identifying lesbian mom and a PFLAG parent, two liberal clergy members, and Laura E. Berk,  Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University.  Testifying in favor of natural marriage include Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch and Ralph Rivera on behalf of Illinois Family Institute.

Background

The homosexual lobby, which includes Equality Illinois and the Civil Rights Agenda, are working overtime in an attempt to secure support of 60 state representatives for their marriage redefinition bill. Other politicians and groups assisting in passing the measure include Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Patrick Quinn, Lt. Governor Shelia Simon, Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Stonewall Democrats, and Illinois Log Cabin Republicans.

For the past four General Assembly sessions (8 years), a constitutional amendment to define marriage as one man and one woman has been introduced. And each year, Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has refused to move it to a committee to be debated and voted on. If this amendment were to come before the entire General Assembly, we are confident that it would receive the two-thirds vote needed to pass. And once passed by the General Assembly, it would be placed on a ballot referendum in the next state wide election forIllinois voters to decide.

We cannot afford to ignore this situation! Illinois citizens can send a strong message by calling, emailing and/or visiting your state lawmakers in support of natural marriage.

Take ACTION:  If you haven’t yet sent an email or a fax to your state lawmakers, please do it now!  Click HERE to let them know what you think.

Please forward this article to your family and friends in Illinois.

The Veto Session is November 27-29, December 4-6, and possibly January 2-9, 2013.  Governor Patrick Quinn (D-Chicago) told the Associated Press he believes a compromise on gambling is in the offing.  State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), sponsor of the massive gambling expansion bill (SB 1849) said House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has orchestrated discussions designed to lead to a deal.  

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, an override would have to start in the Illinois Senate, where SB 1849 received the minimum number of votes (30) for passage.  Sponsors of the massive gambling expansion bill (SB 1849) are counting votes for a potential override of the bill, or they may try to introduce a new bill.    

One of the arguments used to expand gambling is that slots at the tracks will help agriculture. Horse racing revenue declined when casino gambling was legalized in Illinois.  Legalizing more slot machines at 6 racetracks and 5 new casinos will not increase betting on horses.  SB 1849 includes a provision whereby the number of live racing days may be decreased without affecting the tracks ability to conduct video and slot machines gambling. 

Iowa allowed dog tracks to operate casinos only on the condition that casino profits would subsidize dog racing, even though wagering on races has dwindled and crowds are sparse.  Casino owners have tried to change the law to eliminate the races and pay a set fee to the State.  Live racing is costly.  

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send an email to Gov. Quinn, your state senator and state representative asking them to uphold the veto of SB 1849. Then please follow up with a phone call to the Governor’s office to leave the same message, “No More Gambling!”     (Phone:  312-814-2121, 217-782-6830, or 800-642-3112.)

Governor Patrick Quinn must decide if he will veto the massive gambling bill  SB 1849 today or tomorrow. This bill, sponsored by State Senator Terry Link (D-Lincolnshire) and State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), would authorize five new casinos in Illinois. These casinos would be located in the cities of Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Park City, and one in the southern suburbs of Chicago. It would also add video slot machines at the existing six horse race tracks, bringing the total number of casino-like establishments in Illinois to twenty-one.  

The Chicago casino would have 4,000 gambling positions, over twice as many as the other casinos. The three racetrack casinos in Cook County would have 1,200 gambling positions — the same size as existing casinos. 

The research is clear — the presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles roughly doubles the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers, according to a study by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. There is enormous potential for many new gambling addicts in Chicagoland alone. This is not good public policy.

This bill passed the Illinois House on May 23, 2012 by a vote of 69-47-2 and then passed the Illinois Senate on May 31, 2012 by a vote of 30-26-3. It was sent to Gov. Quinn on June 29, 2012.

The deadline for Governor to sign or veto SB 1849, the massive gambling expansion bill, is Tuesday, August 28th.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send Gov. Quinn an email or a fax asking him to veto SB 1849. Then please follow up with a phone call to the Governor’s office to leave the same message, “Please veto SB 1849!”  

The toll-free number to Gov. Quinn’s off is Call 800-642-3112.  Please do this today!

According to an article in the Daily Herald newspaper,  Gov. Quinn says he isn’t sure if he will veto this terrible anti-family gambling bill. He needs to receive a flood of calls and emails today encouraging him to follow through on his veto threat. Even the Chicago Tribune called for a veto of this legislation in a recent Op/Ed.

Lambda Legal in cahoots with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois are suing the Cook County Clerk for purportedly violating the Constitution of Illinois when Cook County refused to issue marriage licenses to men who sought to marry men and women who sought to marry women. To make matters worse, these ethically challenged Illinois leaders have all expressed support for the lawsuit: Governor Patrick Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, and Cook County Clerk David Orr.

Lambda Legal is a homosexual legal organization hell-bent on using the judicial system to bypass the will of the people in order to impose its subversive sexuality theories on the entire country. This is the organization that shoved same-sex marriage down the throats of Iowans, which, not incidentally, brought the electoral defeat of those judges who threw their lots in with Lambda Legal.

Like the Iowa judges, Lisa Madigan and Anita Alvarez have crossed over to the dark side by abandoning all ethical and professional commitments to uphold and defend Illinois laws. Illinois’ Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act defines marriage as a legal relationship between one man and one woman. It was amended in 1996 to prohibit marriage between two people of the same sex. Even Lambda Legal attorney Camilla Taylor expressed shock over Anita Alvarez’ refusal to defend a duly enacted law, saying, “’I’ve never encountered this before.’”

Why should homosexuals be permitted to redefine marriage while other groups may not?

Lambda Legal and the ACLU hold the bizarre belief that there is a constitutional right for homosexuals to demand that the most fundamental constitutive element of marriage — sexual complementarity — be jettisoned.  It is, however, no more unethically discriminatory for the government to retain sexual complementarity in its legal definition of marriage than it is to limit marriage to two people, which effectively prohibits polyamorists from accessing marriage. I wonder if Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois believe that laws limiting marriage to two people are unconstitutional because such laws will prevent three loving people in a polyamorous union from marrying.  And do they believe that laws prohibiting close blood relatives from marrying are unconstitutional because such laws will prevent a brother from marrying a male sibling with whom he is in love and hopes to raise children?  

Do governments construct marriage?

The government does not construct marriage out of whole cloth. Marriage has an inherent nature and purpose that societies and their governments merely recognize. Our government recognizes, regulates, and promotes a type of relationship that exists and best serves the needs of children.

Marriage is a particular type of relationship that has existed for the entire history of mankind and across all cultures. Men and women come together to form a union that is not merely emotional, but sexual and biological, which means it has a natural biological end (i.e., it is a procreative type of union, whether or not children result). Recognizing, regulating, and promoting this particular type of union is a legitimate interest of government. The government has no vested interest in “affirming love” through law. If marriage were centrally or solely about love and sexual desire and had no connection to either gender or procreation, there would be no reason for the government to be involved and no reason to prohibit incestuous or plural marriages.

Are laws banning same-sex “marriage” analogous to laws banning interracial marriage?

According to the Chicago Tribune, David Orr said that “he believes the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is akin to laws that once banned mixed-race couples from marrying.” But that assertion requires evidence that homosexuality is by nature akin to race, something that David Orr was apparently not asked to provide.

Here are some critical differences between race and homosexuality: Race is 100 percent heritable, in all cases immutable, and has no behavioral implications that are legitimate objects of moral assessment. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is not 100 percent heritable, is in some cases mutable, and is constituted by subjective feelings and volitional acts that are legitimate objects of moral assessment.

There are other reasons that laws banning same-sex marriage are utterly different from laws banning interracial marriage, including the following:

• Race is irrelevant to the inherent nature and purpose of marriage and to the government’s sole interest in marriage: procreative potential.
• Anti-miscegenation laws were based on a flawed understanding of human nature. As Dennis Prager explains, anti-miscegenation laws were based on the false notion that people of different races had different natures: “There are enormous differences between men and women, but there are no differences between people of different races. Men and women are inherently different, but blacks and whites (and yellows and browns) are inherently the same. Therefore, any imposed separation by race can never be moral or even rational; on the other hand, separation by sex can be both morally desirable and rational.”  Marriage laws that recognize that marriage is a sexually complementary union are based on the true belief that men and women are by nature different.
• Finally, anti-miscegenation laws were based on who the person is, whereas laws prohibiting marriages between people of the same sex are based on actions.  Thomas Sowell, who happens to be black, explains, “The argument that current marriage laws ‘discriminate’ against homosexuals confuses discrimination against people with making distinctions among different kinds of behavior. All laws distinguish among different kinds of behavior.” A black man who wants to marry a white woman is seeking to do the same action that a white man who wants to marry a white woman seeks to do. A law that prohibits an interracial marriage is wrong because it is based on who the person is, not on what he seeks to do. But, if a man wants to marry a man, he is seeking to do an entirely different action from that which a man who wants to marry a woman seeks to do. A law that prohibits homosexual marriage is legitimate because it is based not on who the person is but rather on what he seeks to do. Any man may engage in the act of marrying a woman (if she is of age and not closely related by blood).

Conclusion

Homosexual men claim they are attracted only to men. Homosexual women claim they are attracted only to women. Both sets of claims point to the truth that men and women are by nature different. If men and women are by nature substantively different, then unions composed of two people of the same sex must necessarily be substantively different from sexually complementary unions. It is perfectly legitimate for the government to treat different things differently.

Men and women who choose to make their unchosen same-sex attraction central to their identity are not prohibited from participating in the institution of marriage. They choose not to participate in it.  The starting point for homosexual activists in their analysis of the issue of redefining marriage is not the Constitution, the law, or deep thinking about the sources of morality. No, their analysis starts with their own sexual feelings. From there, like the Sophists of old, they concoct specious “reasons’ to persuade the public that gender and procreative potential are irrelevant to marriage.

The ignorance of homosexuality-affirming activists like Lambda Legal attorney Camilla Taylor is exceeded only by their hubris. We hope and pray that the efforts of the Thomas More Society and the Illinois Family Institute, which have stepped in to do what Madigan and Alvarez should be doing, will prevail over ignorance and self-righteous hubris.

It’s not enough just to be concerned!
We need you to take action too!

Late last month we alerted you to the threat of yet another push to expand predatory gambling in the state of Illinois.  In today’s Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Michael Sneed reports that Governor Patrick Quinn “had a ‘nice’ chat recently with Arlington Racetrack impresario Dick Duchossois” at the Kentucky Derby.  The suggestion is that progress was made in negotiating for a Chicago casino and financial help for the failing horse racing industry.

Confirming that rumor, IFI lobbyists tell us that a new gambling expansion proposal is imminent.  

Gov. Quinn has consistently said that he’s opposed to video slot machines at tracks. But State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), perhaps the state’s leading proponent for gambling expansion,  continues to push this anti-family, anti-business agenda.  Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also lobbying for a downtown casino, promising to invest the city’s ill-gotten booty into investment projects including school renovations and other capital projects.

With two weeks to go in the Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly, our state lawmakers need to hear from their constituents.  Make no mistake, your state representative and state senator are hearing from dozens of pro-gambling lobbyists, who are putting on a full court press in these final days of the Session.  Every lawmaker needs to hear from dozens and dozens of people back home in their districts.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send an email or a fax to both state lawmakers.  Tell them to stop playing games with gambling expansion and to focus on the hard work the people of Illinois sent them to Springfield to tackle:  Pension and Medicaid Reform.

Contact Your State Rep. Today!!

Late last week, the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets reported that in a sit-down with the editorial board of the Daily Herald, Gov. Pat Quinn (D) was asked if civil unions could be a reality in the state by Christmas.

Quinn’s answer as reported by the Herald:

“The votes are there, I believe,” Quinn said. “In the Senate for sure, and definitely I think we can do it in the House.”

He called himself a “strong advocate of civil unions…”

“I think we can pass it this year. I would like to see it voted on earlier,” Quinn said.

Take ACTION: Contact your state representative to preserve natural marriage in Illinois!  Call the Capitol switchboard at 217-782-2000 and ask your representative to please vote ‘NO’ on SB 1716 and, instead, pass a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage and its unique benefits for one man and one woman. (Be assured, legislators take very seriously the calls, letters and emails they receive.)

The only difference between marriage and “civil unions” is in name. The rights and privileges would be the same.

Background

We must point out that victories by pro-family candidates on November 2, 2010 do not take effect until January 2011, which means that defeated and retired lawmakers (aka lame ducks) will return to the legislature in mid-November and again in early January to wrap up unfinished business. This is when things can get very interesting. Lame duck lawmakers have nothing to lose politically, and may surprise constituents in how they cast their votes.

Current state lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield November 16-18 and November 29 – December 1.

SB 1716 would create homosexual “civil unions” in our state. This anti-family legislation passed the House Youth and Family Committee on March 5, 2009 and is now on 3rd Reading — the last step before a vote.

IT IS VITAL THAT WE MAKE OUR WILL KNOWN TO STATE LEGISLATORS. If our legislators give all the rights and benefits of marriage to homosexual partners (through civil unions), the next step will be to allow gay “marriage.”

Civil unions, same-sex “marriages,” and domestic partnerships will destroy marriage as we know it. When governments offer sex-partner benefits, they are essentially endorsing the behavior. These government-sanctioned sex-partner benefits will take us one short step away from legalizing “marriage” between two people of the same sex. Marriage by any other name is still marriage.

Those who want to redefine marriage often insist that the only necessary qualification for marriage is “love.” Under that rationale, there can logically be no boundaries as to what constitutes marriage. Any combination or number of consenting individuals must ultimately gain the same legal and societal sanction as traditional marriage. While love is vital, it is not the definitive element of marriage, and love is certainly not the concern of government. We love many people we do not marry.

Natural marriage and family must not be undermined. The data are clear and irrefutable — children do best in stable, healthy homes with both a mom and dad. Illinois’ children deserve the ideal environment and must have healthy examples. Today, with millions of fatherless children, it is callous and irresponsible to make matters worse by redefining the most basic institution of marriage to suit the desires of a few selfish adults.

We have an opportunity to stop this bill that would establish counterfeit marriage. We must preserve one-man, one-woman marriage as the highest social good for society and for our children by urging our legislature to vote against SB 1716 and to support the passage of HJRCA 2 — an amendment preserving marriage and banning all counterfeits — introduced by State Representative David Reis (R-Olney).

Please call your state representative now. We cannot afford to let this bill get to Governor Patrick Quinn’s desk, as he is on record in support of it.

Bottom line: People should not be granted special legal protection and benefits based on their sexual preferences and voluntary behaviors. Moreover, homosexual “marriage” is not a civil right.

Senate Bill 744 was sent to the Governor on June 25. Governor Patrick Quinn (D) has 60 days to sign SB 744 and HB 4927, which was sent to the governor on on June 17. These bills legalize non-stop video gambling at truck stops 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and Penny bets that prey on the poor and vulnerable to keep them gambling. HB 4927 also contains provisions to allow those who have been operating illegal gambling machines to qualify for a license as long as they have not been convicted of gambling, which is rare in Illinois.

Although a governor’s spokeswoman says it’s still under study, Crain’s Chicago Business reported HB 4927 is expected to be signed. The question is whether it will actually prolong board investigations instead of streamlining them. “Are we going to say, ‘It’s wonderful you’ve been operating an illegal activity for years?'” {Illinois Gaming Board Chairman} Jaffe says, “If we’re limited in that way, you’ll have a licensing scandal in three to five years.”

If you have already made calls to the Governor, please ask others to do so. We must “turn up the heat” as the election nears. Illinois has just overtaken California as the worst credit risk among American states. Expanding gambling will cause more harm and debt to Illinois residents. (Read more HERE.)

Take ACTION: Our last effort to stop these bills is to appeal to Governor Quinn who promised not to expand gambling when he originally ran for Lieutenant Governor. Click HERE to send Gov. Quinn an email or a fax to ask him to veto these bills.

More Action:

1. Call the governor’s office and ask him to VETO HB 4927 and SB 744. Toll free:             800-642-3112      , Springfield:            217-782-0244      , or Chicago:             312-814-2121      .

2. Share this Alert with your faith community.

3. Write a Letter to the Editor asking the Governor to VETO the video gambling expansion bills. (For more information click HERE.)

4. Forward this email to 10 others.

Much to the chagrin of Bible-believing Americans, President Barack Obama officially proclaimed June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month” month.

In Chicago, as in many other big cities in America, pandering politicians and so-called “news” organizations quickly line up to show their approval and support for those who identify themselves by their sexual behavior. Specifically, they march in Chicago’s “Gay Pride” Parade. This year, the parade is scheduled for Sunday, June 27 at noon in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Please note the public officials and the government agencies that are participating in this event: each entry costs taxpayers $175 plus the costs of the float and displays.

Aside from the celebration of perverse sexual behavior and the blatant disregard for obscenity and decency laws, the most disturbing aspect of this yearly event is the presence of children, both as participants and spectators. This year, the Chicago Pride Parade lineup includes not one, but two Chicago Elementary Schools.

In the past, adults have attempted to shield children from accidental exposure to immoral behavior: things their minds are too young to comprehend. Protecting their innocence was a priority. But now adults are purposely exposing children to degenerate conduct and celebrations of sexual perversity.

Don’t expect Chicago’s media to blow the whistle. No, they will be too busy dancing on their official floats in the parade. The dominate media in Chicago (and elsewhere) have given up on the idea of neutrality when it comes to issues as important and contentious as homosexuality, the meaning of family and marriage, and traditional religion. They have taken the side of homosexual activists and will not dare to challenge parade organizers in fear of being called intolerant, or worse, a bigot.

The media has intentionally discarded any notion of journalistic integrity when it comes to the divisive issue of homosexuality and counterfeit marriage and have, in turn, become fierce advocates.

Here is the list of those participating in the 2010 Gay “Pride” Parade:

Politicians and Political Groups

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Gov. Patrick Quinn/staff
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (Candidate for U.S. Senate)

State Sen. President John Cullerton
State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg
State Sen. Heather Steans
State Sen. Harry Osterman

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz
State Rep. Greg Harris
State Rep. Deborah Mell
State Rep. David Miller (Candidate for Illinois Treasurer)

Mayor Richard Daley’s Advisory Council on LGBT Issues
Mayors Bicycle Ambassadors
Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney
Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack
Chicago Alderman Helen Shiller
Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (Candidate for Cook County Pres.)
Chicago Alderman Joe Moore
Chicago Alderman Roberto Maldonado
Chicago City Treasurer Stephanie Neely

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart
Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown
Cook County Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore
Cook County Democrats
43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman Michele Smith

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

Alliance of Illinois Judges

Candidate Joel Pollak (9th Congressional Dist.)
Candidate Scott Lee Cohen (Independent for Governor)
Candidate Ann Williams (11th Dist. State Rep.)
Candidate Robyn Gabel (18th Dist. State Rep.)
Candidate Don Nowotny (Alderman of Chicago’s 46th Ward)
Candidate James Cappleman (Alderman of Chicago’s 46th Ward)

Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois Green Party
ACLU of Illinois
Log Cabin Republicans
Planned Parenthood

Government Agencies

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody P. Weis
Chicago Commission/Human Relations
Nettelhorst School (Chicago Public Elementary School)
Chicago Waldorf School (Chicago Private Elementary School)
Chicago Public Library
Oak Park Pub. Library
Gerber Hart Library (Chicago Public Library)
CTA
Chicago Dept. Public Health
Amtrak
Illinois Lottery
Anti Cruelty Society

Sports Organizations

Chicago Cubs
Chicago Force Football

Media

Chicago Public Radio
ABC7 Chicago
WLEY-FM
WGN-TV
KISS-FM
WGN-AM
WXRT
JACK-FM
WCPT
WLIT-93.9
WCIU-TV
WBBM-FM/B96
Chicago Tribune’s RedEye Newspaper
Chicago Grab Magazine

Local Businesses

ComEd
BMW Sherreville
Grossinger Auto Group
Cricket Communications
Old Town School of Folk Music
Royal Service Realty
Threadless.com
Fields Infinity
Paninos Cafe
Bill Jacobs Volkswagen
Fletcher Jones Volkswagen
Windy City Movers
New Town Alano
Saugatuck
Chicago OUtfit
Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital
Alcala’s Western Wear
Mi Tierra Mexicana
Greenhouse Theater
Yoga Now
Nuns for Fun/Late Nite Catechism
Northside Toyota
Club Escape
Horizon Hospice
Campit Outdoor Resort
Chicago Apartment Finders
Brown Elephant
Chi-Town Squares
Standard Bank
John Baethke Plumbing
Maneuvers
Molitor Financial Group
Pretty Boy Enterprises
Animal Ark Vet Clinic
Fusion Radio Chicago
Evanston Subaru
Core Center
Le Passage
Pivot Point Academy
Broadway in Chicago
Sidetrack Nightclub
Barely Standing Rock Band
Hydrate Nightclub
Baton Show Lounge
Williams Inn
Jeffrey Pub
Miss Foozie
Resnick Auto
Robert Jeffrey Hair Salon
Folia Brasil
Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce
Chicago Smelts
Hunters Nightclub
Club Krave
Pop Goes the Gio
Chicago History Museum
Looking Glass Theatre
Bailiwick Theatre
Velvet Rope
Berlin Bar
PDQ Construction
After Dark
Marbles Brain Store

Corporations

United Way
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Holiday Inn Express
Orbits
Northrop Grumman
Google
MB Financial
Restoration Salon
Office Max
Astellas Pharma
Domicile Furniture
Chase Bank
Sears Holding
Bank of America
I-Go Car Share
Exelon Corp.
Frito-Lay
PepsiCo
LA Tan
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Caribou Coffee
Miller Lite
Sara Lee
KPMG
Wrigley Co.

Pro-gay Organizations

Anti-Defamation League
Civil Rights Agenda
Ride for AIDS
Tree House Humane Society
Fillipino Pride
Just Married
GayMatchChicago.com
Active Transportation Alliance
Ram/Leather/Cupid/Banana
Chicago Gender Society
New Town Alano Club
Spin Nightclub
Gay Liberation Network
Lambda Legal
Windy City Black LGBT Pride
Dignity Chicago
Human Rights Campaign
PFLAG
Dykes on Bikes
Equality Illinois
Chicago NOW

Schools & Professional Organizations

University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Chicago
Illinois Bar Association
Indiana University GLBT Alumni
Unite Here
Chicago Boyz (University of Chicago)
Harrington College
Hoosier Honeys
Indiana University GLBT Alumni
Columbia College
ROTC Chicago
Roosevelt University
SEIU Council
Beta Gamma
Dartmouth Club
Harrington College

Religious Organizations

Chicago Theological Seminary
St. James Cathedral
Holy Convenant United Methodist Church
Countryside Unitarian Universalists
Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches
Congregation Or Chadash
Bodhi Spiritual Center
Night Ministry

Misc. 

Technosexual
TransAction
Mercy for Animals
Gay McHenry
Chicago Spirit Brigade
Howard Brown Health Center
Yelp.com
Asians & Friends Chicago
Windy City Cowboys
Chicago Prime Timers
Puerto Rican Cultural Center/VIDA SIDA
Howard Area Community Center
Join the Impact
Center on Halsted
Chicago Gay Hockey
Jane Addams Hull House