Stories | McLean County Times

OPINION: On the Issues: We Have No King but Caesar!

By Carl J. Wenning | May 20, 2024

On Good Friday, March 29, 2024, I attended an afternoon church service commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus. As the congregation listened to the gospel reading’s chatter between Pilate and the crowd, I heard an exchange in which the claim “We have no king but Caesar!” was uttered.

OPINION: On the Issues: Putting Lipstick on a Pig

By Carl J. Wenning | May 13, 2024

The phrase “putting lipstick on a pig” describes making superficial or cosmetic changes to something or someone in a futile attempt to disguise fundamental flaws or failings. The phrase has been used for quite some time, most notably in recent years by President Barack Obama. Its origin seems to be based on the adage, “You can put perfume on a pig, and it might smell sweeter, but at the end of the day, it’s still a pig.”

OPINION: On the Issues: What is the MCGOP doing about it?

By Carl J. Wenning | May 6, 2024

As Communications Manager for McLean County Republicans (MCGOP), I write a lot of “copy” for this organization. I manage posts on the MCGOP Facebook page, provide commentary on the news, produce articles for the MCGOP Newsdesk, maintain the MCGOP website, compose press releases, write email messages, cobble together the monthly newsletter, and produce a weekly op-ed such as the one you are now reading.

OPINION: On the Issues: I am Not a Camera

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 29, 2024

Nearly every week since mid-October 2023, I have taken pleasure in writing an essay for McLean County Republicans on a topic of current political or personal interest. It should now be clear to my readers that I enjoy writing. It was not always this way. I once hated to write. It wasn’t until I began to delve deeply into the subject matter that I learned how easy writing is.

OPINION: On the Issues: Are Conservative Republicans Bigots? (Part 2)

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 25, 2024

In my last On the Issues op-ed (Are Conservative Republicans Bigots? – Part 1), I noted how conservative Republicans must be liars, lunatics, or liberal-minded for not supporting anti-bigotry measures of the progressive Left.

OPINION: On the Issues: Are Conservative Republicans Bigots? (Part 1)

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 23, 2024

As a rather outspoken Communication Manager for McLean County Republicans, I’m used to getting “hate mail” from progressive Democrats. One of the most common accusations I hear is that conservative Republicans are racists or haters – bigots – because they oppose illegal immigration. Also cited as evidence is the undeniable fact that many conservative Republicans oppose the Black Lives Matter movement, the DEI agenda, public education’s 1619 Project, reparations for slavery, affirmative action, and the LGBTQIA+ movement. It would seem, at least on the face of it, that progressives have a solid case for their claim that conservative Republicans are either racist or haters, and perhaps both. But do they?

OPINION: ON THE ISSUES: Buses & Trains & Government Bloat

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 15, 2024

I recently drove north on US51 through downtown Bloomington. It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon. I was nearly pushed out of my lane by a giant Connect Transit bus that we all see lumbering around the Twin Cities. It took up so much of the path before me in preparation for a right turn that I had to hit my brakes to give it clearance. It wasn’t the driving that bothered me so much as the size of the bus and what it represented – government bloat.

OPINION: On the Issues: Righting the Ship of State

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 4, 2024

As I began to write this op-ed, I was in the mid-Atlantic aboard a 330-meter-long cruise ship, returning to the United States after visiting Greece, Spain, and Portugal. After departure from the Azores Islands, our ship headed southwest to skirt a gathering storm. Still, we experienced gale-force winds, and 15-foot ocean swells that resulted in the ship listing and rolling – in what one might call a rather tempestuous experience.

OPINION: On the Issues: Why I Speak Out

By Carl J. Wenning | Apr 1, 2024

I get tired of seeing claims by the mainstream media that conservatives have gone rogue. That is, they are becoming increasingly outspoken and are radicalizing the Republican party. The progressive media claim as evidence for this conservatives standing behind former President Trump, resisting gun control, opposing abortion, illegal immigration, the LGBTQIA+ agenda, and whatever else is popular with the elites! The latest claim is that conservative Republicans are “Christian Nationalists.”

OPINION: On the Issues: Illegal Immigration and Election Integrity

By Carl J. Wenning | Mar 27, 2024

Since my Election Integrity op-ed was published in McLean County Times on January 29th, more information has been revealed about Democrat efforts to encourage and support illegal immigration – and the revelations relate to election integrity.