Diann burns over alleged racism Diann Burns, Chicago’s highest paid television news reader, and her husband recently built a $3 million mansion in the swank Lincoln Park area. Monday’s Chicago Sun-Times reported the couple is now suing the contractor for inferior work. Disputes between contractors and homeowners are common. In this instance, though, Ms....

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Senator Joseph Biden is running for president. The man whose platform may include making the world safe for hair plugs won rave reviews for last week’s speech in South Carolina, a venue not commonly frequented by Delaware Democrats.While his decision to seek his party’s nomination isn’t “official,” the senator has made his intentions clear....

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You think Tom Cruise hopping up and down on Oprah’s couch was as silly as it can get? You must have missed the talk show queen’s recent program about people living on low wages. Claiming that 30 million Americans are working full time but are still stuck in poverty, Miss Winfrey cited the statistic...

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The war on terror. Illegal immigration. Iraq. Government leaks. Dick Cheney’s shooting accident. All pale in comparison to the crisis du jour: the cost of gasoline. Americans are mightily aggravated by prices at the pump. The exasperation could have ramifications on this year’s elections. Many politicians will milk it for everything it’s worth. Right...

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“We are not criminals,” was constantly intoned at rallies around the country Monday. That’s nonsense. People who break the law to enter the United States are by definition criminals. Even if, as at the Washington rally televised on C-SPAN, venerated legislators such as Senator Teddy Kennedy say they aren’t. Notable was the Massachusetts solon...

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by Michael M. Bates Last week Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney found a new way to multitask with her cellphone. It’s alleged the Georgia Democrat poked a U.S. Capitol Police officer with her phone when he thoughtlessly challenged her for bypassing a House office metal detector. Ms McKinney made the usual excuses. The incident happened because...

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Today’s reading is from the Book of Clinton, Chapter Two for the Price of One, Verse 2008. “Thus saith the angel Hillary regarding the immigration bill passed by the House last December that would make it a felony to be in this country unlawfully: ‘It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of...

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by Michael M. Bates Blogosphere liberals were chuckling to themselves this week. I don’t begrudge them that. It’s a refreshing change of pace from talking to themselves. The source of their amusement was Sunday’s article in the Toronto Star titled, “How to spot a baby conservative.” The story centered on a study conducted by...

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by Michael M. Bates Feeling drowsy recently, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg took a 15-minute nap. That would have been unremarkable except it occurred while the court was in session, hearing arguments on a congressional redistricting case. The justice’s snooze wasn’t mentioned by the three broadcast networks’ evening news programs that night. Deep...

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by Michael M. Bates Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to be president. The most recent indication is the $7,500 he paid last December to an Iowa political consultant who just coincidentally ran Al Gore’s winning operation there in 2000. Milorad’s ambition also explains his need to come up with a new crusade every so...

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by Michael M. Bates Are things not going well for you? Are you experiencing problems of any kind in your life? Don’t be disheartened. You are probably not responsible for these disappointments. It’s all George W. Bush’s fault. That’s because, at least for some folks, everything is George W. Bush’s fault. In Columbus, Ohio...

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by Michael M. Bates From his boyish bangs to his dressed-for-success wingtips, Illinois Governor Blagojevich is a liar, a man whose word is meaningless. That’s not remarkable for a politician. What’s noteworthy is that Rod himself is the one saying his political rhetoric can’t be believed. Blagojevich has been sued by several former state...

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by Michael M. Bates The debate over wiretapping U.S. citizens has joined critics from both the Left and the Right. There are not yet many details known about the surveillance and until there are I think reserving judgment is prudent. What I wonder is where some of these commentators who now seem so troubled...

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by Michael M. Bates In his first run for the Senate, Edward Moore Kennedy’s Democratic primary opponent looked him in the eye and said, “I ask, if his name was Edward Moore, with his qualifications – with your qualifications, Teddy – if it was Edward Moore, your candidacy would be a joke, but nobody’s...

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by Michael M. Bates Put me down as one of those disappointed with Tom DeLay’s decision to give up his House leader job. No, not just because the guy takes a terrific mug shot, which he obviously does. It’s true he’s under the gun for taking money from firms associated with lobbyist Jack Abramoff,...

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by Michael M. Bates On this date in 1914, Henry Ford made history once again. The auto manufacturer established an unheard of $5.00 a day minimum wage in his factories. Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, also known as I-ka-zizzle in a TV commercial in which he plays straight man to the redoubtable artiste Mr....

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