SAT’s Back. The Experiment Failed.

 I’ve been watching the slow, quiet reversal on standardized testing and it finally feels like the data is catching up to common sense.

John Stossel just released a clear update on the whole saga: [VIDEO]

A few years ago, most colleges dropped the SAT requirement after activists insisted the test was racist. The pitch sounded compassionate: remove the barrier, open more doors, make campuses “look right.” Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal cuts through the rhetoric in the video — it was never primarily about learning. It was about aesthetics and control of the student body.

What actually happened? Students who were mismatched to the academic demands of the schools that admitted them were set up to struggle or fail. Riley puts it bluntly: “They’re being set up to fail… It’s not working.”

Making Illinois a Purple State: Better Representation in the General Assembly

To start, I wanted to discuss the possibility of making Illinois more of a "purple state" than the solid blue state it's considered today. In my opinion, there shouldn't be permanent red states or blue states. All states should be competitive—Illinois, California, New York, Texas, Florida, and everywhere else. Healthy competition keeps politicians accountable and forces them to deliver real results for working families across the state.

My goal with this exercise is to make Illinois more competitive politically, especially in the Illinois General Assembly. Democrats have held majorities in both chambers since around 2003, often with supermajorities that limit genuine debate. As of 2026, Democrats control the Senate 40-19 and the House 78-40. That's not healthy balance—it's one-party dominance.

Chamber IL House of Representatives - Source

Illinois Isn’t Finished Yet

I wanted to get back into campaign mode. We’re about three months from the Illinois gubernatorial election, and we’ve heard nary a peep from Republican nominee Darren Bailey. Meanwhile Governor J.B. Pritzker has been making noise about President Donald Trump and signaling his own 2028 ambitions.

Recently Al Salvi sat down with Jeff Berkowitz on Public Affairs for a half-hour worth watching if you care about Illinois at all. The title is blunt: Should ex-State Rep Al Salvi run Bailey’s IL Gov Campaign. The conversation is less about staffing charts and more about whether Bailey can actually beat Pritzker in November.

Watch it here: [VIDEO]

Creating an Illinois Republic: A Thought Exercise for the Land of Lincoln

I’ve wanted to write about this subject for a while and keep getting sidetracked. My goal has always been a genuine thought exercise — exploring ideas about Illinois governance without claiming to have all the answers. I’ve enlisted help refining these thoughts so I can better articulate why certain changes feel worth considering.

I’ve been using the word Republic a lot more deliberately. The U.S. Constitution guarantees every state a republican form of government. That guarantee is not just formal language; it is a commitment to representative self-rule, accountability, and government that exists for the public good. One aim of this exercise is to find ways of making Illinois a more distinctive state — a place people would actively choose to live, work, and build their futures.

We should not be proud of corruption or of functioning as a one-party state. Illinois ought to stand alongside states like California, New York, Florida, and Texas in terms of confidence and civic pride. California’s flag still proclaims “California Republic.” Texas was once an independent republic and carries that history with unmistakable pride. Both states have turned identity into energy. I want to explore what an Illinois Republic could mean — not as a name change on paper, but as an aspirational frame that strengthens representation, competition, and shared ownership of our state.

Some states have chosen a related but distinct word to express similar ideals of self-government. Four U.S. states officially refer to themselves as a Commonwealth: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. They adopted the term during their early constitutional periods. “Commonwealth” draws from an older English tradition meaning a political community organized for the common good — the “common weal.” In practice today there is no legal difference between a commonwealth and any other state. The word was chosen to emphasize that government exists for the people rather than for a monarch or privileged few. It is a proud, historical declaration of self-governance.

Why prefer Republic for Illinois rather than Commonwealth? Both terms point toward government for the public good. Commonwealth stresses shared welfare. Republic more directly highlights elected representation, the rejection of hereditary rule, and the active role of citizens through institutions. For the Land of Lincoln — a state whose most famous son defined government as “of the people, by the people, for the people” — Republic feels like the clearer link to the constitutional tradition we already inherit and to the competitive, responsive governance this thought exercise hopes to imagine.

This series will continue as an open exploration. Some ideas will feel practical. Others may seem more ambitious. The point is to think together about how Illinois can live up more fully to its republican foundations and become a place that inspires lasting pride.

What does a stronger republican Illinois look like to you? Which aspects of our state’s identity and history should guide that vision?

Mr. Beat: 250 Years of U.S. History Off the Top of My Head

 This livestream has been going on since about 7:00 AM Saturday morning on America's Semiquincentennial or 250th Birthday. I publish this post on the 4th of July aka Independence Day. 

As I post the livestream Mr. Beat had arrived on the 1900s. He's going decade by decade.

Check it out here at your leisure [VIDEO]

Happy 4th to you all!

Mr. Beat on Abraham Lincoln: America's Greatest President?

Mr. Beat teams up with Jared from The Daily Bell Ringer for an engaging deep dive into Abraham Lincoln’s life and legacy. It’s fitting that this video was filmed in Springfield, Illinois, because Illinois is often known as the Land of Lincoln. After moving there with his family in 1830 at age 21, Lincoln settled in New Salem, then Springfield. He worked various jobs, taught himself law, served in the state legislature, practiced law, and launched his national political career from the state—making it central to his path to the presidency.

Watch the full video here [VIDEO]

In conclusion, Lincoln is considered one of America’s greatest presidents for preserving the Union, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and ending slavery—demonstrating adaptability, moral growth, and extraordinary leadership in the nation’s darkest hours despite personal struggles and controversies. Jared (Daily Bell Ringer) emphasizes that Lincoln’s actions strengthened American democracy by showing that a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" could endure and expand freedom.

Thoughts?

What a Governor’s Job Really Looks Like: Lessons from the Bears Stadium Debate

Source: DesignYourWay.net

Rich Miller’s column from two Sundays ago, shared via Capitol Fax, pulls back the curtain on what effective governing actually requires — and why Governor JB Pritzker’s handling of the Chicago Bears stadium situation raises legitimate concerns.

Pritzker might want to take his own advice https://t.co/etQVjweabq

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) June 22, 2026