Stories | McLean County Times

OPINION: On the Issues: The Evils of Soft Totalitarianism

By Carl Wenning | Mar 25, 2024

Totalitarianism, historically associated with socialist regimes like Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, evokes images of oppressive governments with centralized control and suppression of individual freedoms.

OPINION: On the Issues: Politics and Dead Fish

By Carl Wenning | Mar 21, 2024

I grew up in a small Ohio town alongside a large lake.

OPINION: On the Issues: Stand Firm or Compromise?

By Carl Wenning | Mar 20, 2024

Now that the Illinois primary election has come and gone, it’s time to focus on the November general election.

OPINION: On the Issues: Sit It Out or Dance?

By Carl Wenning | Mar 18, 2024

Winds of historical change are blowing across our nation, and citizens are being scattered hither and yon by political influencers.

Jesse Sullivan addresses people of faith

By Carl Wenning | Mar 14, 2024

Mr. Jesse Sullivan, 2022 Illinois gubernatorial candidate from Petersburg, Illinois, spoke enthusiastically to people of faith over a McLean County Republicans-sponsored breakfast on March 9, 2024.

OPINION: On the Issues: Election Integrity

By Carl Wenning | Jan 29, 2024

Progressive Democrats display clear dedication to replacing existing election laws with laws that enable voting by illegal aliens and other ineligible voters to participate in fraudulent activities.

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OPINION: On the Issues: Matters of Conscience

By Carl Wenning | Jan 22, 2024

Do conservative Republicans have a conscience? Progressive Democrats seem to think not.

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OPINION: On the Issues: Indoctrinating Students

By Carl Wenning | Jan 17, 2024

With the close of 2023, Illinois’ scholarship tax credit program for school children ended. The Invest in Kids program was terminated by the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly, which failed to renew the program during the fall veto session. The Chicago Teachers Union called the end of the program a “historic win for public education.” The Catholic Conference of Illinois blasted lawmakers, citing its essential unfairness

OPINION: On the Issues: Conservatives vs. Progressives

By Carl Wenning | Jan 11, 2024

You have heard it said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” These words, expressed by Founding Father Thomas Paine, initially referred to our nation in its Revolutionary War crisis. Even today, this statement is apt regarding our current political situation. Some two hundred and fifty years after Paine’s statement, the United States is again in crisis. We are immersed in a panoply of problems, but this time of our own making.

OPINION: On the Issues: Insidious Inflation

By Carl Wenning | Jan 2, 2024

Over the past three years – ever since President Biden took office – I’ve noted a significant change in my family’s spending habits. My family now shops at discount retailers rather than “specialty” markets. We also use a cellphone app to find the best place to purchase less expensive gasoline for our vehicles. When we do drive, we tend to “cluster” our trips to minimize the mileage.

OPINION: On the Issues: Illegal Immigration

By Carl Wenning | Dec 26, 2023

I attended a Sunday morning church service on a recent cruise returning from Europe.

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On the Issues: Gun Violence

By Carl Wenning | Dec 18, 2023

In the wake of all-too-common mass shootings, many members of our society have pleaded that we need to do something to control gun violence. As a conservative, I agree. But, as a conservative, I also realize that we shouldn’t let our emotions run away with us in the present situation. We need a well-reasoned response, not an emotional reaction.

OPINION: On the Issues: Our public schools

By Carl Wenning | Dec 11, 2023

In 1990, as the father of two young daughters, I realized that our public schools were becoming increasingly troubled.

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On the Issues: The Political Pendulum

By Carl Wenning | Dec 5, 2023

Almost everyone knows what a pendulum is. In its simplest form, a pendulum is a weight attached to a string. The string is anchored firmly at some point above the weight. When the weight is set in motion, it freely oscillates left and right under the influence of gravity. The pendulum is a good analogy for analyzing politics. Let’s look at a hypothetical political pendulum and see what we can learn from it.

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On the Issues: The Party of NO!

By Carl Wenning | Nov 29, 2023

Until recently, it was easy to distinguish conservatives from liberals. Conservatives told us how to run our lives.

On the Issues: Extreme vs. Mainstream

By Carl Wenning | Oct 31, 2023

The great divide between Republicans and Democrats results from political extremism.

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REPUBLICANS, LET’S GET BACK IN THE GAME!

By Carl Wenning | Oct 30, 2023

I’m an elected precinct committeeman for McLean County Republicans. I’m also a sports fan. Because of these interests, I sometimes use sports analogies to make political points with others. The word analogy is rooted in the Greek word logos, which means “reason.” It is often easier to reason or make a point using an analogy. “She’s as blind as a bat” and “He’s as busy as a bee” are two common analogies that drive home specific points.

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On the Issues: Virtue and Vice

By Carl Wenning | Oct 19, 2023

By definition, an issue is something that people legitimately disagree about. A broken-down car or a cancer diagnosis are not issues; they are problems in need of solutions.

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