Articles by John Biver
![Another School Shooting, Another One-Sided Debate About Reality Another School Shooting, Another One-Sided Debate About Reality](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Shooting-7-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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03.07.18
My goal in these next couple of articles is to make three basic points.
First, after every mass murder, whether at a school or nightclub or concert venue, conservatives write many excellent op-eds effectively addressing nearly every aspect of the...
![SpeakOut Illinois: An Invitation to Attend Our State’s Premiere Pro-Life Conference SpeakOut Illinois: An Invitation to Attend Our State’s Premiere Pro-Life Conference](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/SpeakOut_Illinois-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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03.06.18
You can get more involved by attending SpeakOut Illinois 2018, the state’s “premiere pro-life conference.” The event is on Saturday, March 10th, ten days before the primary election, and sponsored by the SpeakOut Illinois Coalition, “a group of pro-life and pro-family groups dedicated to fighting for the good of the family and the right to life for all people from conception to natural death.”
![Identity Politics: Is America and the World Running Out of Patience with LGBTQIA Activism? Identity Politics: Is America and the World Running Out of Patience with LGBTQIA Activism?](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Pride_Flage-3-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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02.22.18
The topic of identity politics and the widening opportunity it presents to conservatives continues to be a hot topic. Here are just three examples from recent op eds.
First up is Glenn Stanton writing at Public Discourse:
Is America Running...
![Illinois State Pensions: Overpromised, Not Underfunded Illinois State Pensions: Overpromised, Not Underfunded](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Pensions-1-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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02.12.18
Why is the Illinois Family Institute publishing another article about state government employee pensions? Because excessive taxes in Illinois are putting a strain on Illinois families -- and 25 percent of our state budget pays those overly-generous pensions.
Now, policy experts Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner have provided yet more evidence that “A dramatic rise in pension benefits -- not funding shortfalls -- caused Illinois’ state pension crisis.”
![Judiciary Grabs Power While Executive & Legislative Branches Snooze Judiciary Grabs Power While Executive & Legislative Branches Snooze](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Da_Judge-1-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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01.30.18
The judicial branch at both the state and federal level continues to overstep their authority by meddling in the affairs of the legislative and executive branches. And the audacity of judges appears to be increasing.
Just two weeks ago the...
![What is the Conservatives Movement’s Answer to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube’s ‘Viewpoint Discrimination’? What is the Conservatives Movement’s Answer to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube’s ‘Viewpoint Discrimination’?](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Social_Media_Buttons-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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01.22.18
Last year brought a flurry of news reports about how Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been actively working to suppress the conservative message. Their actions are not new -- all the big four tech/social media giants are run by Leftists. Some speculate that the election of Donald Trump increased their motivation to step up their efforts.
![Paraphilias of the Day: Autovampirism/Vampirism and Auto-haemofetishism Paraphilias of the Day: Autovampirism/Vampirism and Auto-haemofetishism](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vamp-1-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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01.10.18
The letters LGBTQIA were only the beginning. Whether falling under the category of “genders” or “paraphilias” (or both), various efforts are underway by Leftist organizations to keep up with the letters being added to LGBTQIA, and their definitions. The list of “genders” continues to grow. Don’t laugh. People who believe that there more than two genders are resolutely sincere.
![Coalition Letter Urges Trump Administration to Resist Courts on “Transgenders” in Military Coalition Letter Urges Trump Administration to Resist Courts on “Transgenders” in Military](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Transgender_Military_Ban_Washington_DC-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.26.17
A coalition of Christian leaders, including the Illinois Family Institute’s Dave Smith, has sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to move forward with his plans to revoke President Barack Obama’s policies regarding "transgenders" in the military...
![As Its Population Drops, Illinois Has Highest Pension Burden in Nation As Its Population Drops, Illinois Has Highest Pension Burden in Nation](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IPI171212vacationleaving-516x290.jpg)
By John Biver
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12.21.17
Since it is the Christmas season, I chose not to title this article “The Dumbest People in America.” But how else do you describe a state that has 25 percent of its budget going to pay government employee pensions and its voters who continue electing the same people who won't do a thing about it?
![Expanding 529 Plans to K-12 Private School Tuition and Homeschool Expenses Expanding 529 Plans to K-12 Private School Tuition and Homeschool Expenses](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/529-Plans-5-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.11.17
As Congress moves the tax reform legislation into a Conference Committee, the U.S. Senate version of the bill has an amendment that is not in the U.S. House bill.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (r-TX) explains what this language is at...
![Paraphilias of the day: Peodeiktophilia and Homeovestism Paraphilias of the day: Peodeiktophilia and Homeovestism](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Flasher-3-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.08.17
Just a quick review: what is a “paraphilia”? As previously noted, this intro to the Wikipedia page on the topic is sufficient:
Paraphilia (also known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical...
![Small Dollar Contributions to IFI are Not Small at All Small Dollar Contributions to IFI are Not Small at All](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Small_Dollar-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.07.17
Recently, I posted this article: George Soros Gets It: When Will More Wealthy Conservatives?
My goal was to spur wealthy conservatives to increase their giving to organizations like the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) and Illinois Family Action (IFA). While it’s...
![Identity Politics in 2018 and Beyond: Are Conservatives Ready? Identity Politics in 2018 and Beyond: Are Conservatives Ready?](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Identity_Politics-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.06.17
Here is Jonathan Haidt delivering the 2017 Wriston Lecture to the Manhattan Institute, Nov. 15 (the emphasis is my own):
Today’s identity politics . . . teaches the exact opposite of what we think a liberal arts education should be....
![Paraphilias of the Day: Frotteurism and Toucherism Paraphilias of the Day: Frotteurism and Toucherism](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Frotteurism-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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12.02.17
Our paraphilias of the week: Frotteurism and Toucherism. “Toucherism” might have given you the clue about the definition. Frotteurism is a paraphilic interest in rubbing, usually one’s pelvic area ... against a non-consenting person for sexual pleasure. It may involve touching any part of the body, including the genital area. Toucherism is sexual arousal based on grabbing or rubbing one’s hands against an unexpecting (and non-consenting) person. School districts of the not too distant future might want to get ready for the letters F and T.
![Adam Andrzejewski: When We Fight Hard with the Facts We Can Win Adam Andrzejewski: When We Fight Hard with the Facts We Can Win](https://illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Open_Books-1-516x260.png)
By John Biver
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11.28.17
Adam Andrzejewski, the founder of the Illinois-based national transparency organization Open the Books, recently spoke at Harvard University calling upon Americans to exercise their power as citizens.
“I am hopeful and optimistic about our future in Illinois,” he began. If...