Mr. B looks at the Monday's headlines

Chicago recorded another violent weekend, with 47 shot, including three fatally. Violence is a part of Chicago weekends (and weekdays now, too), but this past weekend was special in that the city saw shootings in 17 of its 22 police districts. In other words, individuals were shot in nearly every area of the city the past weekend. All of this took place less than a week after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the gun violence in the city was moving in the right direction. Her statement was further evidence that she is in so far over her head that she is incapable of telling the truth about the situation around her. 

The Windy City wasn't alone in seeing a wild weekend of violence. Similar shootings were commonplace (but not in same numbers) across the country. In Milwaukee, just about an hour's drive north of Chicago, five people were injured in separate shootings two hours apart. Shootings and homicides are up in the city in 2021, outpacing the numbers for 2020. Cities large and not-so large report surges in gun violence and other major crimes. What's behind the increase in crime? Probably several factors, including mayors who refused to take a hard stance against street crime in 2020. If you accommodate lawlessness, you will get more lawlessness. Can't wait to see what July and August offer us. 

Let's shift gears a bit. One can expect oddities whenever world leaders gather to address perceived challenges and the G-7 Summit conducted over the weekend in England delivered the goods. Here are three of my favorites. President Biden had tea with Queen Elizabeth and later told reporters she reminded him of his mom. And Biden interrupted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tell him (incorrectly) that he forgot to introduce South Africa's president. BoJo corrected Biden twice, but Biden wasn't buying it at first. BoJo raised some eyebrows on his own with closing remarks that said the G-7 should be "building back better, building back greener, building back fairer, and building back more equal and in a more gender-neutral and perhaps more feminine way." The guy cracks me up.

And back here at home, a federal judge recently issued a temporary restraining order to Biden's $4 billion debt relief program for farmers of color, stating the program included no provisions to determine the financial status of program participants, only their race. The decision received some media attention, but was lost in the shadow of the G-7 coverage. The decision puts the program on hold until the case is decided. The program was introduced in March and sparked a legal challenge from 12 white farmers and ranchers in nine states. 

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A few notes and comments from Mr. B

A view from my window

I live in Batavia, near the Fox River, and enjoy the sights and sounds that come with being near a natural playground for birds and other animals. I enjoy seeing the many different birds, and listening to their songs, especially in the hours near daybreak.

In recent weeks I have seen a woodpecker, cardinals, robins, a blue jay, a pair of red-tail hawks. and many others. My favorites are the mourning doves that are building a nest on my veranda. They are beautiful and find their cooing a comfort.

After Biden, what's next?

Joe Biden's April 25 decision to enter the race for the Democrat's nomination for president in 2020 brings the number of candidates in the field to an even 20, and makes one wonder if any more Democrats will join the fray. In other words, what or who is next?

I don't know the answer, I don't like to make predictions. I sometimes struggle to keep track of the 20 candidates now. I couldn't name each of them, and there's some I haven't heard a word about in months. I don't object to a big field. As far as I'm concerned, all these candidates make things interesting and entertaining.

It's fun to see what some of the candidates are promising voters at this stage of the process. It will be interesting to see what some will be promising in the months to come. 

JB, Think Big Illinois and taxes

Think Big Illinois is a group funded, in part, by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and directed by a man who helped run Pritzker's 2018 campaign. The group currently is trying to persuade residents to support JB's effort to replace the state's flat-tax with a progressive tax that he promises will benefit most Illinois families.

And Think Big Illinois appears to be spending some big dollars are direct mailing. During the last two weeks, at least four large, glossy mailers have arrived at my house, including two different pieces that arrived the same day. I do not support Pritzker's efforts, but I take a few minutes to look at each of the mailers. They are well-produced and easy to look at, but they provide few details about JB's plan and almost no information about Think Big Illinois, a tactic that always makes me leery. 

Considering Democrats hold both houses in the Illinois legislature, JB's proposal is  likely to win approval this spring, regardless of what residents think of the plan. And that makes me think about the money JB and Think Big Illinois are spending on the a series of mailers.

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