Celebrating Labor Day in Northwest Illinois
Happy Labor Day!
I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and getting a chance to spend some time with family and friends.
One of the best parts of representing northwest Illinois is getting to see firsthand just how much work goes into keeping our communities going. I’ve visited farms and businesses, toured manufacturing facilities, and talked with people who have spent most of their lives working right here in our region.
Those visits stick with me because behind every business or operation are people who get up every morning and make it all work. That’s really what Labor Day is about. It’s a day to recognize the people whose work often happens without much attention but makes a difference in our communities every single day.
So, to everyone who works hard to make a living and provide for their family, thank you.
I hope you enjoy a well-earned day off and have a safe and happy Labor Day!
Remembering 9/11 Twenty-Five Years Later
This Friday marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks that took nearly 3,000 innocent lives and changed our country forever.
For those who lived through that day, the memories remain vivid. We remember where we were when we first heard the news and the shock of watching the events unfold in New York, at the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93.
We also remember the incredible courage shown in the middle of it all. First responders rushed into buildings as others were trying to escape, knowing the danger they were facing. Many never made it home. In the days that followed, Americans came together to mourn those we lost and stood behind the families whose lives had changed forever.
Twenty-five years later, more and more Americans are growing up without their own memories of September 11. That makes it even more important that we continue to tell the story of that day and make sure those who were lost are never forgotten.
On this anniversary, I hope you’ll join me in remembering them and keeping their families in our prayers.
We will never forget.
Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Continues to Inspire
Charlie Kirk left an impact on the conservative movement that continues to be felt across the country.
This Thursday will mark one year since he was taken from us, and it is still difficult to believe he is gone. Charlie was only 31 years old. There was every reason to believe he had decades ahead of him to continue the work he had started, which makes it all the more remarkable to look back at the impact he made while he was with us.
Charlie reached young Americans at a time when many of them felt like there was no place for their views on college campuses or in the broader culture. He showed them they did not have to be afraid to say what they believed. Through Turning Point USA, he gave many of those young people a way to get involved and become part of something larger than themselves.
That work did not disappear when Charlie died. Over the past year, we have watched the movement he started continue without him. Young conservatives are still getting involved and refusing to be intimidated into silence. I think that says a great deal about what Charlie built and the people he inspired along the way.
As we remember his life, we also cannot separate it from the terrible way it ended. Charlie believed deeply in making his case and debating people who disagreed with him. His murder was the complete opposite of that. Political disagreement is inevitable in a free country. Political violence can never be allowed to become an acceptable response to it.
Charlie should still be here. He should still be doing the work he loved and watching the movement he started continue to grow.
One year later, he is deeply missed, but he has certainly not been forgotten.
May Charlie continue to rest in peace.
