2018 Illinois Primary Recap (Illinois Family Spotlight #088)

Monte Larrick sits down with the IFA’s Executive Director David Smith and IFA’s John Biver to discuss the results from the last month’s election, including voter turnout from both sides, Jeanne Ives’ narrow loss, and why we need to show up in November to help local candidates despite the two men at the top of the ballot.

While the turnout for this primary was the highest it has been since 2002, a closer look at the numbers reveals bad news for Republicans.… Continue Reading

“Election Crunch-Time” (Illinois Family Spotlight #085)

The discussion focused on next Tuesday’s primary election, and began with Dave Smith, Laurie Higgins, and John Biver highlighting incumbent Bruce Rauner’s deceitful campaign ads attacking his opponent Jeanne Ives.

Higgins’ recent masterful article outlines the five big lies in “Rauner’s Deceitful Campaign Ads.” The claims are “absurd,” she said in the podcast, and #1 on the list, that “Ives is a career politician,” is just plain silly. As Higgins wrote:

Truth: The 53-year-old Ives began her career in the Illinois State House in January 2013, so she just completed her 5th year in Springfield.

“Wait Till You See What LGBTQQAP Activists Have Planned for Schools” (Illinois Family Spotlight #084)

Laurie Higgins and John Biver join this week’s podcast with David Smith. They discuss the ongoing push in Springfield to pass a bill which would celebrate the LGBT movement in school curricula K-12, the Delaware proposal where students “may self-identify their race or gender identity at school, and, there will be no requirement that parents be notified if the child communicates to the school that their parent would be not supportive.”

They also discuss the champion female wrestler in Texas who is transitioning to a male taking cross sex hormones and steroids, and the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).… Continue Reading

“A Taxing Discussion” (Spotlight#051)

John Biver, the Special Projects Manager for the Illinois Family Institute, joins Monte Larrick and David Smith to talk about the recent tax increase coming from Springfield.

The second half of the show, due to technical difficulties, had to be redone without Monte. However, Dave and John discuss statements made on the IPM (Illinois Public Media) podcast known as the 21st by Illinois state representative from the 110th district Reggie Phillips (R-Charleston) and former governor Jim Edgar (R-Illinois).… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: They’re as Good at Math as They are at Biology

Written by Benjamin Smith

In this week’s Spotlight podcast, Monte and Dave talk with IFI lobbyist Ralph Rivera and Special Project Coordinator John Biver about a bill to advance and enable gender confusion in the state of Illinois. Sponsored by State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago), HB 1785 would allow gender-dysphoric persons to falsify their birth certificates, which are both legal and historical documents.

This will have consequences with regard to the relentless cultural assault on physical privacy through the sexual integration of previously sex-segregated spaces.… Continue Reading

“They’re as Good at Math as They are at Biology” (Spotlight #049)

Monte and Dave talk with Ralph Rivera and John Biver about HB 1785, which is a gender birth certificate bill which allows a person to legally change the gender on their birth certificate.

Ralph and John make a persuasive case that this bill will have tremendous implications on religious liberty in the state of Illinois

Ralph Rivera is a lobbyist for the Illinois Family Institute, and John Biver is Special Projects Coordinator for IFI.

Please call the governors office at (217) 782-0244 and ask him to veto HB 1785.… Continue Reading

“What We Have Here is Failure to Communicate” (Illinois Family Spotlight #007)

John Biver rejoins David Smith and Monte Larrick to discuss the importance of communicating ideas well and ways we can better deliver our conservative message.

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"What We Have Here is Failure to Communicate" (Illinois Family Spotlight #007)

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The Religious Zealotry of the Political Left

Written by John Biver

Make no mistake, so many modern political battles are not between the religious and the non-religious. Rather, the biggest contests pit different religions against each other.

In this article, the topic is not the West’s clash with Islamism. That battle can be won again. It won’t be easy, but it can be accomplished. The list of battles between the West and Islam over the centuries is a long one. Here are just two examples where the good guys got the job done: Frankish military Charles Martel defeated the followers of Muhammed near Poitiers, France in the year 732.… Continue Reading

Term Limits: While Not A Panacea, Quinn & Rauner Advance Worthy Proposals (Part 2)

Written by John Biver

Former Governor Pat Quinn, a fixture on the Illinois political scene for decades, has been on the statewide ballot many times, and also served as State Treasurer and Lt. Governor. Earlier this month, Reboot Illinois’ Matt Dietrich wrote this:

Before serving as governor from 2009 to 2015, Pat Quinn was known as a rabble-rousing reformer who, most famously, led a 1980 citizen initiative that cut the membership of the Illinois House by one-third.

Term Limits: While Not A Panacea, Quinn & Rauner Advance Worthy Proposals (Part 1)

Written by John Biver

Former governor Pat Quinn agrees with Bruce Rauner, the guy who made him a former governor, when it comes to term limits. While Rauner continues to press for term limits for state legislative and statewide offices, Quinn has launched an effort aimed at the City of Chicago’s mayor. More on those proposals later. First, a few comments on the issue itself.

Limiting the years a person can serve in important political offices isn’t new.… Continue Reading