Opinion
We live in one of the most politically dysfunctional states in the union. Our lawmakers in Springfield tax us too much, fritter away too much of our hard-earned money on wasteful spending, and devote most of their energies to serving their cronies in the political class instead of the people of Illinois. If we want…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 14, 2021 Call this the “Thinking Man’s Guide to Halloween,” some words that try and corral the thoughts tied to all that is involved with the annual celebration we observe in late October. Consider that we are drawn to all that is Halloween by the symbols, thoughts, visions and words that connect…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 13, 2021 I’ll be honest. I always loved Mary Tyler Moore, from her early days on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” to her brilliant years on the program that carried her name on the marquee. Mary passed away Jan. 25, 2017. She was 80 at the time of her passing, and to…
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With an effective state and local tax rate of 15 percent, Illinois has the highest state and local taxes — almost 39 percent higher than the average U.S. household. It’s no surprise then, that Kiplinger voted Illinois the least-friendly state for middle-class Americans to move to. According to Illinois Policy’s August jobs data analysis, Illinois’…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 12, 2021 Holidays are a great thing, and I think we need more of them. My suggestion for four more such celebrations leads off today’s three thoughts in Vol. 94 of the Daily Dirt. Thanks for joining in. 1. The following four special days should become become full-blown federal holidays: Mothers’ Day: We…
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Muddy River News/Sports hit a little milestone over the weekend. We’ve had 150,000 unique visitors to the site since we launched on April 30. That’s more than the newly-minted populations of Adams, Marion, Ralls, Lewis and the Twin Pike Counties…combined. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone has checked us out in less than six months. After…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 11, 2021 Hopefully, Vol. 93 of the Daily Dirt will answer some questions for our valued readers. Sit back, relax and enjoy today’s three thoughts: 1. I’m not a big fan of chaos.I prefer my life to be rather orderly and predictable. For the most part, I like to regularly request the…
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Most followers of rock music enjoy arguing about what the best Beatles songs are. Your favorite Minister of Culture also enjoys arguing about the worst Beatles songs. Welcome to Vol. 92 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Granted, the Beatles were an incredible band — maybe the best ever, who can really say? — but that doesn’t…
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Vol. 91 of the Daily Dirt allows us to have some more fun — and conversation — about one of the day’s hottest topics: secret agents. Feel free to join in with today’s three thoughts: 1. So, with the release of the new James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” and all of the potential…
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For starters, my opening list of the most annoying celebrities could have easily been expanded from 10 to 100, but let’s start with today’s names. I’m sure it is a subject we will revisit. In the emantime, welcome to Vol. 89 of the Daily Dirt and today’s three thoughts: 1. I’ve reached the point of…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 6, 2021We’re getting closer to to Vol. 100 of the Daily Dirt. I hear Muddy River News Publisher J. Robert Gough is considering some sort of parade. We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, welcome to Vol. 88 and three more thoughts: 1. We’re also moving closer to the…
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Education is a road to a better life. A quality education allows children to maximize their potential, and providing that for every child is one of the most important undertakings of state government. But research shows Illinois is failing to live up to the promise of high quality or efficient education, as Illinois schools consistently spend more…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 6, 2021 It’s time for another edition in the “Let’s go to (virtual) lunch with Steve” series, featuring with some of our favorite people, both locally and nationally. If you’d ever like to be included in one of our virtual lunch dates, just drop me a line telling me why you would…
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Daily Dirt for Oct. 4, 2021 The best part of waking up in the mornings between April and October is not a cup of Folgers Coffee, it’s knowing that it is baseball season. That will make more sense as you work your way through Vol. 86 of today’s three thoughts. 1. We’re in the first week…
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Once we hear them, many times it is impossible to forget them. We can love them, and we can hate them. “They” are the commercial jingles that pound our brains — non-stop, it seems — both on television and on the radio.” Jingles are written to be as easy to remember as nursery rhymes —…
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Weekend Twin Spin: Daily Dirt for Oct. 2-3, 2021A Tom Hanks film festival would be downright awesome Selecting my five favorite Tom Hanks films for Vol. 84 of the Daily Dirt was much more difficult than I expected. That guy has had a quite a career. Here are today’s three thoughts: 1. Hanks was recently voted…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Oct. 1, 2021 There’s a couple of things I need to get off my chest in the first two of three thoughts in Vol. 84 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Hockey should never be referred to as a “major sport.” It’s not. It’s that simple. That’s why the TV ratings are so microscopic. It’s a…
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My love affair with music dates to the late summer/early fall of 1966. That means I am currently celebrating my 55th anniversary of appreciating the finer points of what it has meant to have enjoyed the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel and hundreds of other groups and individual artists for more than half a…
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Daily Dirt for Sept. 29, 2021 Ideally, some day we might hear Touki Toussaint singing “Ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga, ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga”. In the meantime, welcome to Vol. 82 of the Daily Dirt: 1. There’s little question the first line of a song can hook you. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most iconic opening lines…
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As I travel along streets and highways, I see these squares in the middle of the road. They always are the same size. They have nothing to do with filling a crack or a hole. What are these squares? Do they have something to do with aerial photo calibration? Maybe extraterrestrials left them? Jim Frankenhoff,…
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Daily Dirt for Sept. 28, 2021 I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of the Eagles, but personal bias will never stand in the way of sharing news. Welcome to Vo. 81 of the Daily Dirt. 1. The Recording Industry Association of America has updated its list of the top-selling albums of all-time.…
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It’s that time again, to reopen the loveline for the lovelorn. Stevie Love, the real-life Doctor of Love and potentate of passion is here to help. As always, real answers for real issues.Let’s get right to today’s mailbag: Dear Stevie Love,I’m always amazed at how you can cut right to the heart of the matter,…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 27, 2021 Granted, I spend a lot of time watching television. But it comes in hand at times like this — Vol. 80 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Here’s my picks for the most memorable TV characters we have seen in the first couple of decades-plus in the 21st century: Bronze medal:…
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Daily Dirt for Sept. 25-26, 2021 My three favorite times of the year are the opening of baseball season, the start of the new television season and anytime the pizza guy arrives at the front door. Vol. 78 of the Daily Dirt begins with the TV part of that statement. Welcome to today’s three thoughts: 1.…
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Growing pension costs for retired educators and administrators are quickly crowding the classroom out of Illinois budgets. Pension costs are crowding out direct education spending throughout Illinois school districts. In the coming school year, 39% of the money the state allocates to education will be diverted away from teachers and students to meet required pension…
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