Lord Spoda visits Springfield, Illinois

 

[VIDEO] This video dropped on March 18, 2023. Lord Spoda visits a number of places throughout America and they especially visit State Capitols as they do here in Springfield and get a stamp on their state capitol passport.

Aside from the fact that Springfield, ILL is the seat of state gov't it's also a historic site associated with the 16th POTUS, a man named Abraham Lincoln. The man who freed the slaves who was a longtime resident of Springfield before he became President of the United States in 1861.

His home is still in Springfield as a nat'l park. His law offices are still there and nearby that is the building where he had spent most of his career as an Illinois state legislator. Also his grave is there, he has a tomb which Lord Spoda visits where Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd, and three of his sons are buried. Also there is a presidential library for Lincoln in Springfield as well.

Going back to his family, Lincoln only had one son who survived into adulthood named Robert Todd Lincoln who himself as Secretary of War (we call that the Secretary of Defense these days) and a US Ambassador. Sadly three other sons of Abraham Lincoln died young. :(

Now I want to visit Springfield for real! 

Mr. Beat: What if the U.S.A. did get a "national divorce"?

 

[VIDEO] This video seems to be very political, however, it's as much of a geography lesson than anything else. Red states have less people than the blue states. Red states are more religious. Blue states are more ethnically diverse. Blue states have a higher GDP. 

And then we go into the areas of whether or not blue or red states are more rural. Of course what makes a red state or a blue state. Is it how they vote in a presidential election?

Illinois is a blue state, however, you leave the Chicago area the redder this state becomes. However, most of this state's voters are in the Chicago area and at least Cook County Chicago is a solid blue area. Other blue states have such a sharp divide the urban/suburban areas are more Democrat than the rural area which are largely Republican.

As for this "national divorce" well it sounds like another civil war which I hope never happens. I think it's just a reflection of how divided this country is. Right now there is a stark divide between liberal (blue) vs. conservative (red). It seems both sides have very different set of values and right now there is hardly much reconciliation between those differences.

I would say I never heard much talk of a national divorce before 2020 and the pandemic. Of course that's not to say that the differences didn't just emerge three years ago. These differences have been around for decades

Time for a new Illinois state flag?

 I had been sitting on this since I first saw this over at Capitol Fax. Is it time for a new state flag?

Has the time come for a new state flag? https://t.co/PqMwPGXsB9

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) March 3, 2023

Basically the Illinois state flag is really Illinois' state seal with Illinois on the bottom. That version of the flag had been adopted in 1969 thanks to a Vietman serviceman who realized that most Americans don't know the state flag of Illinois. Of course this isn't much different than a number of other states such as Iowa, one of our neighbors.

Here is a site that shows possible new flags for Illinois. Below is our current flag.

Mr. Beat discusses every US President's favorite beverage

 

[VIDEO] Who knew that Obama preferred tea over coffee and liked beer - even had some brewed in the White House. Who knew that Donald Trump was a "teetotaler" and liked to drink Diet Coke. Also who knew that our current President Joe Biden also was a teetotaler and also preferred not to drink any alcohol. Biden also likes Gatorade and as most of the men who held the office of the President likes a cup of coffee.

If I ever become president we can add an Arnold Palmer, lemonade mixed with iced tea. That's awesome now if I could make my own.....

Casimir Pulaski Day

 

[VIDEO] Pulaski Day is a holiday in Illinois and is yet another holiday I used to take for granted back in the day as we get the day off from school for it. I do understand that at one point in time - and perhaps still is true - that there is a sizeable Polish population in Illinois. 

Pulaski is a Polish nobleman who is said to be the father of the America cavalry. If you don't know what that means, he's dealing with horses. Think of a cavalry charge involving horses in a military sense. Of course what has replaced cavalry these days since warfare has changed a lot since the American Revolution of the 1770s & 1780s is the tank. So ultimately cavalry gave way to armor though they may still use the same tactics and even some armor units use cavalry as their designations.

So an Illinois resident The History Guy discusses further the life of Count Pulaski. For those who got yesterday off I hope you all had a restful one.

Chicago politics #ChiMayor23

 

Two days ago we had an election. The sitting mayor of Chicago placed third in this election, she didn't make the run-off. Paul Vallas who was formerly the CEO of our public schools and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson failed to get to 50% of the vote and are in a run-off to take place on April 4, 2023.

Regardless we will have a new mayor on May 15, 2023.

Lightfoot proved to be abrasive and undiplomatic. She wasn't a politician and some may say she made all the rookie mistakes. She assumed she had the power thought not just a position or a title. She forgot that politics isn't subtraction it's addition. 

She couldn't help but alienate people on the Chicago City Council. Indeed she lost a city council endorsement or two in the lead up to the election. The worst one when an Alderman had shot himself accidently and she failed to even check out him - wow! And of course what many would cite is that she definitely lost the voters who helped her in a runoff four years ago.

What's shocking is that the Black wards of the city still voted for her. But then I understand 83% of Chicago voters wanted Lightfoot gone.

Chicago is a solidly Democrat city. A Republican would have a difficult time winning in this city. Voters seem to only want to vote for a Democrat. With the two in the runoff I see a choice between a more law and order candidate vs a very progressive candidate who may well offer more of the same from Lightfoot.

I wish I can predict where this mayoral race will go on April 4. Vallas got a plurality but then again that's no guarantee he'll win the runoff. What will happen in a month's time.

Can Paul Vallas or Brandon Johnson get the endorsement of the other candidates and will allow one of them to take the mayor's office? Will Gov. JB Pritzker get involved in this race? Will Chicago choose the faces of the Fraternal Order or Police or of the Chicago Teacher's Union?

As for Lightfoot well she's a lame duck. I won't say her voice means nothing - and especially now she's still mayor as we learned a police officer was killed in a domestic incident. Her police chief is leaving - all candidates in this race wanted to fire David Brown save for his boss Lightfoot.

I see an opportunity for a new direction, even a city so heavily Democratic. Our city could reverse most of trends seen in other cities in America. Solve our many social issues - especially the homeless. Hopefully we can get a handle on violent crime in ways that Lightfoot wasn't able to.

And perhaps Chicago voters will recognize that so-called "progressive" policies are destructive.

See you on April 4th!

Mr. Beat: The Iceberg Presidential Facts Chart

 

[VIDEO] Today is President's Day and it is more than appropriate to share Mr. Beat's recent video about the Iceberg of Presidential Fact. It's a bit of a metaphor and it uses a chart with an iceberg background to categorize these fact. The metaphor is to show that most of an iceberg is below the surface of an ocean and therefore perhaps most of these facts might be unknown to the general public.

What facts in this almost 23 min. video surprised you the most?

As an aside, I'm very sorry that I failed to mark President Abraham Lincoln's birthday which was observed last Monday, February 13, 2023 although it's actually on February 12th. I had to look it up!

Come to think of it President George Washington was born on February 22 so in a couple of days another Presidential Birthday.

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday we know as Presidents' Day. Of course according to Wikipedia it's still Washington's Birthday in Illinois and nine other states. Lincoln's Birthday is a holiday in Illinois and eleven other states.

I never appreciated these holidays when I was still in school. It was a day off from school and I liked that! 

Simply Railway: Pike's Peak & Cog Railway

 

[VIDEO] This is advertised as America's highest train going up to Pike's Peak in Colorado. Another place I can chronicle in the near future. Want to know more about this railroad check out this website https://www.cograilway.com/

Now that I know this is only 12 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado well perhaps the next time I visit Denver, Colorado via Amtrak possibly this would be worth my time.