Illinois

Incompetence Personified: Illinois Has Devolved To One-Off Funding Bills As It Still Can’t Pass A Budget

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– Incompetence Personified: Illinois Has Devolved To One-Off Funding Bills As It Still Can’t Pass A Budget:

As Illinois struggles to get its fiscal house in order (good luck with that), it has devolved into funding key programs with one-off stopgap measures rather than approving an overall comprehensive budget. The state remains the only remaining state without a 2016 plan.

20160513_illinois_0

Most recently, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved $700 million to fund social service programs, however, as the Chicago Sun Times reports, the bill is likely to sit on Governor Bruce Rauner’s desk as he tries to push lawmakers to come to an agreement on a balanced budget instead of one-off solutions.

Read moreIncompetence Personified: Illinois Has Devolved To One-Off Funding Bills As It Still Can’t Pass A Budget

Illinois To Delay Pension Payments Amid Budget Woes: “For All Intents And Purposes, We Are Out Of Money Now”

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– Illinois To Delay Pension Payments Amid Budget Woes: “For All Intents And Purposes, We Are Out Of Money Now”:

By now, Illinois’ budget problems are no secret.

Back in May, after the State Supreme Court struck down a pension reform bid, Moody’s move to downgrade the city of Chicago thrust the state’s financial woes into the national spotlight.

Since then, the situation hasn’t gotten any better and despite hiring an “all star” budget guru (for $30,000 a month no less), Bruce Rauner was unable to pass a budget in a timely fashion leading directly to all types of absurdities including everything from the possibility of shortened school years to lottery winners being paid in IOUs.

Now, as Bloomberg reports, pension payments are set to be delayed. Bond payments, apparently, will still be made.

Illinois will delay pension payments as a prolonged budget impasse causes a cash shortage, Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger said.

Read moreIllinois To Delay Pension Payments Amid Budget Woes: “For All Intents And Purposes, We Are Out Of Money Now”

“Desperate” Chicago Schools Need Half Billion To Avoid Mass Layoffs, Partial Shutdown

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Teachers

– “Desperate” Chicago Schools Need Half Billion To Avoid Mass Layoffs, Partial Shutdown (ZeroHedge, Sep 8, 2015):

Last month, we noted with some incredulity that Illinois is now paying lottery winners in IOUs. Long story short, the state’s inability to pass a budget means big winners will have to wait on their prize money, a ridiculous situation which prompted one Illinoisan to remind state officials that “if we owed the state money, they’d come take it and they don’t care whether we have a roof over our head; our budget wouldn’t be a factor.” State Rep. Jack Franks agreed, noting that the “government is committing fraud on the taxpayers.”

The lottery debacle is just the latest example of Illinois’ deepening fiscal crisis which was catapulted into the national spotlight in May when a state Supreme Court decision that struck down a pension reform bid prompted Moody’s to cut the city of Chicago into junk territory. Since then, the media has been awash with tales of the labyrinthine, incestuous character of the state’s various state and local governments and the deplorable condition of the state’s pension system.

The fallout from the budget crisis is far-reaching in the state with the latest example being Chicago’s public school system (the third-largest in the country), which opened this week with a budget shortfall of nearly a half billion dollars.

Here’s WSJ with the story:

Read more“Desperate” Chicago Schools Need Half Billion To Avoid Mass Layoffs, Partial Shutdown

Illinois: Fluoride Spill Eats Through Concrete (Video)

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Added: Apr 8, 2011

Description:

The substance in the report is concentrated hydrofluorosilicic acid, a pollution by product of the phosphate fertilizer industry that is trucked around the country and placed in your drinking water. The chemical is so caustic, the transport tankers must be coated inside with rubber to protect the metal. As mentioned in the video, the chemical is strong enough to melt concrete and many other substances. Fluorosilicic acid is so dangerous, cleanups must be done by qualified hazmat crews that are properly protected in hazardous material suits. It is completely illegal to dump this toxic substance in any natural body of water anywhere in the country. However, if it is placed in a container, in either powdered or liquid form, and sold to water utilities, it magically becomes a product that can then be placed in municipal drinking water anywhere in the United States. Despite being used as a drug, the substance has never been approved for that use by the FDA.

This video is presented under the fair use copyright law as an example of how hazardous fluorosilicic acid is. The source and producer is WQAD News 8 of Moline, Illinois – FAN would like to thank WQAD and Kristy Mergenthal for their excellent report.

fluoride_water

Hyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account

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– Hyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account (Liberty Blitzkrieg, April 19, 2014):

Just yesterday, I wrote a post about how a South Carolina construction worker was fined $525 and lost his job for not paying $0.89 for a drink refill while working at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in downtown Charleston. The point was to emphasize how the law comes down with a devastating vengeance when an average citizen commits a minor crime, yet allows the super rich to loot and pillage with zero repercussions. There is now a systemic two-tier justice system operating in these United States, and the result will unquestionably be tyranny if the trend continues unabated.

The latest example of a lowly citizen being subject to a disproportionate use of the law, is Jon Daniel of Peoria, Illinois. Jon was behind a parody Twitter account that mocked Peoria mayor Jim Ardis, and his biggest mistake was not making it clear that it was a parody. As a result, Twitter had already suspended the account weeks ago. Problem solved, right? Wrong.

The tough guy mayor was so offended that a plebe would dare criticize his royal highness that he ordered a police raid on the home of Jon Daniel and his roommates. Peoria native, Justin Glawe wrote an excellent article on the subject for Vice. He writes:

Jon Daniel woke up on Thursday morning to a news crew in his living room, which was a welcome change from the company he had on Tuesday night, when the Peoria, Illinois, police came crashing through the door. The officers tore the 28-year-old’s home apart, seizing electronics and taking several of his roommates in for questioning; one woman who lived there spent three hours in an interrogation room. All for a parody Twitter account.

Read moreHyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account

Detroit Bankruptcy Ruling Triggers Calls For Pension Cuts Across The U.S.

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“They want your fucking retirement money!”
– George Carlin (2005)

– Detroit bankruptcy ruling triggers calls for pension cuts across the US (WSWS, Dec 6, 2013):

Within days of a federal judge’s ruling in support of the Detroit bankruptcy, the devastating implications for the working class across the US are becoming apparent. States and cities throughout the country are citing the legal precedent of the Detroit ruling to attack public employee pensions, initiating a new stage in the assault on workers’ rights and living standards.

Politicians of both big business parties, media outlets and financial institutions have welcomed the decision by Judge Steven Rhodes, hailing its categorical assertion that federal courts can override state and local guarantees of public workers’ pensions.

The Michigan Constitution declares that accrued pension benefits are “contractual obligations” that “shall not be diminished or impaired.” Many other state constitutions have similar provisions. But Rhodes brushed aside the Michigan Constitution in order to open the door to the gutting of pensions.

On Thursday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a pension bill that slashes benefits for retired as well as active state employees, in violation of the Illinois Constitution’s prohibition of such pension cuts. Described as a “landmark” law, the Illinois measure will raise the retirement age for younger workers by eight years, slash cost-of-living adjustments for current pensioners, and transfer many workers from state-paid pension plans to employee-paid 401(k) plans.

Read moreDetroit Bankruptcy Ruling Triggers Calls For Pension Cuts Across The U.S.

95-Year Old Man Tasered To Death By Police In Illinois Nursing Home

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– 95-Year Old Man Tasered to Death by Police in Illinois Nursing Home (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 29, 2013):

It appears that the militarized police force running rampant on the streets of America just can’t handle the threats of a 95-year old man in a nursing home armed with a cane. Although it appears the officers are attempting to justify their violent and aggressive behavior by claiming he was wielding a “12 inch knife,” I would’ve thought the police are supposed to know how to deal with such situations, particularly when their assailant is basically a centenarian. This seems to be societal blowback from the Rise of the Warrior Cop, a subject I highlighted recently.

Now from UPI:

PARK FOREST, Ill., July 28 (UPI) – A 95-year-old Illinois man who allegedly confronted police officers with a knife and cane died after they shot him with a stun gun and bean bag rounds.

Read more95-Year Old Man Tasered To Death By Police In Illinois Nursing Home

Illinois Illegally Seizes Bees Resistant To Monsanto’s Roundup; Kills Remaining Queens

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YouTube

– Illinois illegally seizes Bees Resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup; Kills remaining Queens (Global Research, May 24, 2013):

The Illinois Ag Dept.  illegally seized privately owned bees from renowned naturalist, Terrence Ingram, without providing him with a search warrant and before the court hearing on the matter, reports Prairie Advocate News.

Behind the obvious violations of his Constitutional rights is Monsanto. Ingram was researching Roundup’s effects on bees, which he’s raised for 58 years.  “They ruined 15 years of my research,” he told Prairie Advocate, by stealing most of his stock.

A certified letter from the Ag Dept.’s Apiary Inspection Supervisor, Steven D. Chard, stated:

Read moreIllinois Illegally Seizes Bees Resistant To Monsanto’s Roundup; Kills Remaining Queens

Illinois High School Teacher Faces Disciplinary Action For Informing Students Of Their Fifth Amendment Rights

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– High School Teacher Faces Disciplinary Action for Informing Students of Their Rights (Liberty, Blitzkrieg, May 28, 2013):

Rather than being reprimanded, Illinois high school teacher John Dryden, should be held up as an example of what it truly means to be a teacher.  When confronted with a situation where he knew his students might be giving up their Fifth Amendment rights, the social studies teacher did what he believed was the right and moral thing to do.  For that action, he may be disciplined.

From Reason:

A high school social studies teacher in Batavia, Illinois, faces disciplinary action for informing students of their Fifth Amendment rights in connection with a survey asking about illegal drug use. The survey, ostensibly aimed at assessing the needs of students at Batavia High School, was distributed on April 18. After picking up the survey forms from his mailbox about 10 minutes before his first class of the day, John Dryden noticed that they had students’ names on them and that they asked about drinking and drug use, among other subjects. Dryden, who had just finished teaching a unit on the Bill of Rights, worried that students might feel obliged to incriminate themselves—an especially ticklish situation given the police officer stationed at the school. Since there was no time to confer with administrators, he says, he decided to tell his students that they did not have to complete the forms if doing so involved admitting illegal behavior. Tomorrow the school board will consider whether and how to punish Dryden for taking advantage of this teachable moment.

I suppose it makes sense.  In the gulag, ghetto of injustice America has become only crooked IRS agents should be able to plead the 5th.

The petition to support John Dryden has well over 5,000 signatures, with the most recent recent one being mine.  It can be found here.

Read moreIllinois High School Teacher Faces Disciplinary Action For Informing Students Of Their Fifth Amendment Rights

Gold And Silver Registration Coming To Illinois?

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– Is Gold and Silver Registration Coming to Illinois? (Liberty Blitzkrieg Blog, Jan 10, 2013):

So let me get this straight.  First they want gun registration and now precious metal registration?  I’m sure the government would only use such information in our best interests, because as we all know: Your Government Loves You.  Sounds reasonable, after all, only “terrorists” buy guns and gold anyway.

Meet the ” Precious Metal Purchasing Act” or SB3341, brought to you by the lovely folks at the Illinois 97th General Assembly:

Read moreGold And Silver Registration Coming To Illinois?

Gun Control Legislation Advances In Illinois State Senate

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– Gun control legislation advances in Illinois state Senate (RT, Jan 3, 2013):

A state Senate panel in Illinois has approved bans on both assault weapons and high capacity clips. A floor vote on the measures, which come in the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre, is expected on Thursday.

­The two initiatives were backed by the historically Democrat-dominated Senate Public Health Committee.

Read moreGun Control Legislation Advances In Illinois State Senate

What Does It Mean that Residents in All 50 States Have Filed Petitions to Secede?

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– What Does It Mean that Residents in All 50 States Have Filed Petitions to Secede? (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2012):

A lot of attention is being given to the fact that residents in all 50 states have filed petitions to secede from the United States.

Daily Caller reports:

By 6:00 a.m. EST Wednesday, more than 675,000 digital signatures appeared on 69 separate secession petitions covering all 50 states, according to a Daily Caller analysis of requests lodged with the White House’s “We the People” online petition system.

***

Petitions from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas residents have accrued at least 25,000 signatures, the number the Obama administration says it will reward with a staff review of online proposals. (RELATED: Will Texas secede? Petition triggers White House review)

The Texas petition leads all others by a wide margin.

***

States whose active petitions have not yet reached the 25,000 signature threshold include Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

***

Fourteen states are represented by at least two competing petitions. The extra efforts from two states — Missouri and South Carolina — would add enough petitions to warrant reviews by the Obama administration if they were combined into petitions launched earlier.

Other states with multiple efforts include Alaska, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

As Google notes, web searches for the term “secession” are being run in a number of states:

Read moreWhat Does It Mean that Residents in All 50 States Have Filed Petitions to Secede?

These 12 Hellholes Are Examples Of What The Rest Of America Will Look Like Soon

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– These 12 Hellholes Are Examples Of What The Rest Of America Will Look Like Soon (The Economic Collapse, July 15, 2012):

Do you want to see where this country is headed?  If so, don’t focus on the few areas that are still very prosperous.  New York City has Wall Street, Washington D.C. has the federal government and Silicon Valley has Google and Facebook.  Those are the exceptions.  The reality is that most of the country has been experiencing a slow decline for a very long time and once thriving cities such as Gary, Indiana and Flint, Michigan have become absolute hellholes.  They are examples of what the rest of America will look like soon.  60 years ago, most Americans were decent, hard working people and there were always good jobs available for anyone that was willing to roll up his or her sleeves and put in an honest day of work.  But now all of that has changed.  Over the past decade, tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities have shut down and millions of jobs have left the country.  Cities such as Cleveland, Baltimore and Detroit were once shining examples of everything that was right about America, but now they stand out like festering sores.  The “blue collar cities” have been hit the hardest by the gutting of our economic infrastructure.  There are many communities in America today where it seems like all of the hope and all of the life have been sucked right out of them.  You can see it in the eyes of the people.  The good times are gone permanently and they know it.  Unfortunately, the remainder of the country will soon be experiencing the despair that those communities are feeling.

The following are 12 hellholes that are examples of what the rest of America will look like soon….

Read moreThese 12 Hellholes Are Examples Of What The Rest Of America Will Look Like Soon

Cops Over Classrooms: Chicago Uses Teachers’ Salaries To Pay For School Police

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– Cops over classrooms: Chicago uses teachers’ salaries to pay for school police (RT, July 10, 2012):

The union that represents public school teachers in Chicago, Illinois says that the city lied about around $70 million in finances to fund the police department with money already put aside for educators.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has uncovered an agreement signed by city officials through a Freedom of Information Act request that they say shows that millions of dollars meant to go towards contractually obligated raises for public school workers were instead funneled to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to compensate law enforcement for patrolling the halls of those very schools.

According to a post published on the website for the CTU, the documents obtained in the recent FOIA request reveal that the city took $70 million set aside for teacher salaries and unemployment benefits and sent it to the Police Department to use for paying the cops that were dispatched across Chicago’s school system last year.

Read moreCops Over Classrooms: Chicago Uses Teachers’ Salaries To Pay For School Police

ABC News Posts Illinois GOP Primary ‘Vote Count’ 24 Hours Early

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YouTube Added: 20.03.2012

– ELECTION Fraud? Why Did ABC-TV Post Illinois GOP Primary “Vote Count” 24 Hours Early?! A “Test”? (SGT Report, Mar 20, 2012):

On the eve before the GOP Illinois primary, one might ask:

How the hell does SGTreport have election “results” for a Republican primary in Illinois which has yet to take place?

We have long argued that the fix is in, but this… um… leaves us speechless. We don’t believe these numbers will represent the “actual” results of Tuesday’s Primary, the question is, why are ANY results, and a clear winner shown here? And why is Ron Paul shown with only 3% of the vote?

Posted on – MONDAY NIGHT, March 19th – on the web site of Chicago ABC News Affiliate WLS-TV are the following election results, clearly labeled as “Illinois Races, Federal Offices”. If we have this wrong, please let us know why this information exists in ANY form. Or, if we are indeed living in a banana republic, copy that. You now have our blessing to move out of the country.

The time stamped screen shot from my computer, on Monday, March 19, 2012 at 11:29 p.m. CST is posted below.

**UPDATE: Some time around 12:40 a.m. CST on Tuesday morning the web page (original link below) with the election data you see here was removed from the WLS-TV website.

Original Source (Now Offline) @ ABCLocal.Go.com

Alert: Leaking And Damaged Nuclear Power Plants In The US (Video)

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Just DON’T eat ANY kind of seaweed!

Even before the Gulf of Mexico disaster and Fukushima I advised people NOT to eat any kind of seafood.

See also:

– Hanford, WA: 89 SIEVERTS Per Hour Detected In Soil Only 1,000 Feet From Columbia River!!!


YouTube Added: 05.02.2012


YouTube Added: 05.02.2012

Illinois: HB1294: They Are Coming For Your GUNS!

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– Bill Status of HB1294 (Illinois General Assembly):

Short Description: CRIM CD-ASSAULT WEAPON-PROHIB

Last Action

Date Chamber Action
1/25/2012 House Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading – Standard Debate

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a semi-automatic assault weapon, an assault weapon attachment, any .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Provides that beginning 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a person who possessed a prohibited weapon, device, or attachment before the effective date of this amendatory Act if the person has provided proof of ownership to the Department of State Police within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides that on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, such person may transfer such device only to an heir, an individual residing in another state maintaining that device in another state, or a dealer licensed as a federal firearms dealer. Specifies penalties for violations. Provides exemptions. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Full Text:

Read moreIllinois: HB1294: They Are Coming For Your GUNS!

Chicago: Several 6-Year-Old Kids Handcuffed And Threatened For Hours For Talking In Their First Grade Class

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– 6-year-old kids handcuffed in class (RT, Sep. 2, 2011):

A lawsuit out of Chicago, Illinois alleges that several 6- and 7-year-old students at a city public school were handcuffed and threatened for hours all for talking during their first grade class.

LaShanda Smith, one of the student’s mothers, is seeking $100,000 from the city for damages both “permanent” and “personal” that she says her son suffered as a result of the incident, which allegedly occurred in 2010 at a school in the south side of the city. Smith’s attorney Michael Carin tells the Chicago Tribune that he has attempted to resolve the issue without bringing the battle into the courtroom, but the school Board officials have ignored his attempts at reaching a settlement.

“Unfortunately, we had to file a lawsuit because the Chicago Board of Education ignored my client on the day of the imprisonment and every day thereafter,” Carin writes in an email to the Tribune. “We hope the Chicago Board of Education acknowledges its responsibility and resolves the matter quickly.”

Read moreChicago: Several 6-Year-Old Kids Handcuffed And Threatened For Hours For Talking In Their First Grade Class

Illinois Lawmaker Proposes A ‘Fat Tax’ For Obese Children

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Slim hopes: Senator Shane Cultra proposed a ‘fat tax’

Obesity levels have risen sharply in the past 20 years in the U.S. and one Illinois lawmaker thinks he has the solution – force parents of chunky children to lose their tax breaks.

One in four people in a staggering 33 states are obese and State Senator Shane Cultra says that hitting people in their pockets is the way to slim-down the country.

‘It’s the parents responsibility that have obese kids,’ he said yesterday. ‘Take the tax deduction away for parents that have obese kids.’

Read moreIllinois Lawmaker Proposes A ‘Fat Tax’ For Obese Children

48 Hour HAARP Ring Forecast Correct: St. Louis Missouri, Springfield And Chicago Illinois To Get Hit

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Added: 01.05.2011

Here is the forecast video from 2 days ago (2:33am CST April 29/30 2011″..

This forecast : ‘HAARP Rings And Scalar Squares = Very Severe Weather (Incl. Tornadoes) In St Louis, Springfield, Omaha, Chicago In The Next 24-48 Hours‘ calling for Saint Louis Missouri, Springfield illinois, Chicago illinois, and Des Moines Iowa to receive the strongest center portion of the coming (not yet formed at the time) storms. Up to and including tornadoes.

View the ring effected areas from 2 days ago right now on intellicast.. look at Saint Louis Missouri, Springfield Illinois, and Chicago … all in line for the large portion of the coming storm.

HAARP is real:

– Former Governor Jesse Ventura on Government Cover-Ups . . . 9/11, the Reality of HAARP and Making Government Better

– Jesse Ventura Conspiracy Theory: ‘HAARP’ (Full Episode)

See also:

–  ‘HAARP Tornadoes’ Force Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Into Emergency Shutdown

– HAARP Rings And Scalar Squares Cause – As Predicted – MASSIVE Tornado Outbreak (04/28/2011)

Read more48 Hour HAARP Ring Forecast Correct: St. Louis Missouri, Springfield And Chicago Illinois To Get Hit

HAARP Rings And Scalar Squares = Very Severe Weather (Incl. Tornadoes) In St Louis, Springfield, Omaha, Chicago In The Next 24-48 Hours

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See also:

–  ‘HAARP Tornadoes’ Force Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Into Emergency Shutdown

– HAARP Rings And Scalar Squares Cause – As Predicted – MASSIVE Tornado Outbreak (04/28/2011)

– US: HAARP Rings And Scalar Squares – From Dallas To Watertown NY Expect Tornados And Severe Weather (04/27/2011)

HAARP is real:

– Former Governor Jesse Ventura on Government Cover-Ups . . . 9/11, the Reality of HAARP and Making Government Better

– Jesse Ventura Conspiracy Theory: ‘HAARP’ (Full Episode)


Added: 30.04.2011

In the towns of Saint Louis Missouri, Springfield Illinois, Omaha Nebraska, Lacrosse Wisconsin, and Dixon to Chicago Illinois, and Milwaukee… expect severe weather up to and including tornadoes in the next 24-48 hours from now .. 300am CST 4/30/2011 .

Based upon the “HAARP VLF UHF” radar rings showing up around each effected area.

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/WxMapFull.aspx

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/maps/?ref=topnav_homepage_maps

http://weather.unisys.com/radar/rcm_rad.php?inv=0&t=cur&region=us

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php

Read moreHAARP Rings And Scalar Squares = Very Severe Weather (Incl. Tornadoes) In St Louis, Springfield, Omaha, Chicago In The Next 24-48 Hours

FEMA Video Game Prepares Kids For MEGA-EARTHQUAKES And ALIEN Invasion!

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Don’t miss:

– FEMA Wants to Buy 140 Million Pre-Packaged Meals For A Catastrophic Disaster Event Within The New Madrid Fault System (Required Shelf Life Only 36 Months???)

– FEMA Wants to Buy 140 Million Blankets For A Catastrophic Disaster Event Within The New Madrid Fault System

– FEMA Ready Kids – Let’s Get Ready! Planning Together For Emergencies: Sesame Street Prepares The Nation!


Added: 26. January 2011

– New video game teaches children about preparedness, earthquake safety (Ready.Illinois.Gov)

A new video game offers a fun way for young people to learn about emergency preparedness and earthquake safety. The video game, entitled “The Day the Earth Shook,” helps players learn about items needed for a disaster preparedness kit, as well as safe and dangerous locations in a home when an earthquake occurs. Once players successfully complete the game for the first time, they can replay it for scores that would land them on the leader board. The video game can be downloaded here.

The game was developed by the Electronic Visualization Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Center for Public Safety and Justice, which is within the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.

Illinois Lawmakers Pass 66 Percent Income Tax Increase

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have approved a politically risky 66 percent income tax increase in an effort to solve a historic budget crisis.

The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who supports the plan.

It would temporarily set the personal tax rate at 5 percent, up from 3 percent now. Corporate taxes would climb, too.

Quinn’s office says the tax increase would generate about $6.8 billion annually, helping close a budget hole that could hit $15 billion this year.

Read moreIllinois Lawmakers Pass 66 Percent Income Tax Increase