Upstream Ideas

Who’s worse: university professors or administrators? Why are students taught to be fragile and that their ideas should go unchallenged? Are educators teaching the importance of free speech? What colleges and universities actually promote free expression? President of Fund for American Studies Foundation, Roger Ream joins Dan and Amy to discuss in studio.

Why is IL Conservative Party candidate for governor, State Sen. Sam McCann, sending out mailers attacking conservative legislators? Is McCann doing Madigan’s bidding trying to take out suburban Republicans? Does he want another Madigan supermajority? Does he still have a path to victory? Candidate for governor, Sam McCann joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Is the media ignoring the Gosnell movie because they don’t want to confront the horrors of abortion? How were all the reports and complaints from the clinic ignored? How is identity politics used to drive people apart? What does it mean to be a writer? Gosnell screenwriter, Andrew Klavan joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

How are mayoral candidates supposed to navigate the racial/identity politics of Chicago? Are the Democrats in the City cannibalizing themselves due to identity politics? Is there a chance to shrink city government without raising property taxes? Are Chicagoans paying for the sins for politicians? Is more revenue from dope and gambling the path to prosperity in Chicago? Mayoral candidate, Paul Vallas joins Dan and Amy to discuss his financial plan.

What stands out in Reagan’s life before his presidency? How did Reagan’s dream of becoming a sports broadcaster lead to his acting career? What is his relevance in today’s society? Bob Spitz joins Dan and Amy discuss his new book, “REAGAN: An American Journey.”

Should the Trump administration make policy decisions on rumors or verifiable facts as Trump calls for Turkey's alleged tapes of Khashoggi's torture and murder? Is Trump playing good cop/bad cop on foreign policy matters? Should Congress get involved? What is there to anticipate from the Mueller report? What’s the appropriate role for a special counsel? Heritage Foundation's Lt. Col. Jim Carafano joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Would cutting off arms sales to Saudi Arabia hurt the U.S.? Is there more at play in the Khashoggi murder than him writing unfavorable pieces on the Saudi royal family? How does the resistance feel about their funds going into Trump’s pockets? Why are some media outlets letting Warren win the news cycle? Are Senate Republican nominees benefitting from the Democrats’ mishaps? Associate editor at Commentary Magazine, Noah Rothman joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

How does Northridge Prep prepare young men to not only be sound academically but build their character to be good husbands and friends? Do they use any Ipads or laptops in the classroom? How involved is the whole family? How does the all male staff serve as role models for the students? Headmaster for Northridge Preparatory School, Niall Fagan joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

What was once seen as a retail giant, is now filing for bankruptcy. Did Sears try to adapt to the modern market or did their decline happen too quickly? What about the future of malls? Should the Fed continue raising rates? CNBC Contributor, Jim Iuorio joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Is there more backstory we should be exploring regarding the Khashoggi disappearance/murder?  What about his ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and Bin Laden? What should be the U.S.’ response to the Saudi’s for their involvement? Former Trump aide, Sebastian Gorka joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Was Pastor Brunson’s prayer with President Trump a refreshing expression of faith rarely seen in today’s politics? Is there a fear of growing cynicism in the country? Why are cases of sexual assault seen as a public relations issue? Why are men and women on the left suggesting men should “take one for the team” and not fight back when they’re falsely accused of sexual assault? President of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Dr. Russell Moore joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Illinois' high property taxes are crushing middle and lower income earners. But the problem is even creeping into affluent areas, too, and more and more homeowners are looking for an exit and seeing their home values destroyed – like, say, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen. On this edition of Illinois Rising, Dan Proft and Wirepoints' President Ted Dabrowski discuss how the state's high property taxes are affecting all homeowners – rich, poor, middle class, famous and not. And they discuss the political status quo that wants to keep it this way.

Is there such a thing as too much law? Are there two systems of justice depending where you land on the political spectrum? Can democracy also die in a fully lit courtroom? Foundation Professor at George Mason University’s Scalia School of Law, FH Buckley joins Dan to discuss.

Are you planning on “movin’ out” of Illinois? There’s a new song for you to listen to while packing up. Tim O’Donnell from West Chicago joins Dan in studio to debut his new hit single, “Movin’ Out,” an Illinois inspired parody.

Despite the market downturn is it still good to be us? Are liberals still not getting in the market because of their dislike of Trump? Is the social media part of the tech sector going to take a hit? Is it worse for the stock market to go up for no reason but better to go down for a few good reasons? Fox Business Contributor, Scott "The Cow Guy" Shellady joins Dan and Kristen McQueary to discuss the market pullback.

Does the left’s treatment of Kanye expose how they really feel about people who don’t think like them? Is the right to defend yourself and your property the key to all other rights? Are people’s views on gun control reflective of their views of freedom in general? Senior editor at TheFederalist.com, David Harsanyi joins Dan and Shaun to discuss.

Was it a good move for the White House to have Melania do an open ended interview with ABC? Are there too many factions within the Republican Party? Is there an appetite in the party for limiting the size and scope of government? Has the argument against socialism for Republicans become less of a fiscal argument but a cultural one? Senior political correspondent at the Washington Examiner, David Drucker joins Dan and Shaun to discuss.

Is Rauner going to drag down all Republicans on the ballot? Is he closing the gap at all? Were all Rauner’s political defeats self-inflicted wounds? Did Rauner discount what he was up against and then decide to surrender instead of fight? Dan and Kristen McQueary discuss the future of Illinois and the governor’s race.

Will #MeToo encourage more false allegations? If men are "toxic" then why shouldn't women be able to falsely accuse them since they're intrinsically bad? What about teaching your children about the presumption of innocence? Are women led to believe the pains of regret are equal to rape? Why are campuses obsessed with teaching students to see themselves as victims? Contributing editor at City Journal, Heather MacDonald joins Dan and Kristen McQueary to discuss.

Will Trump’s supporters out live his presidency and continue supporting Republicans? Will the country be recognizable if the Socialist Democrats are able to take over? Did people gravitate to the right after the Kavanaugh hearings? Are white women gender traitors? Diamond Silk join Dan and Shaun to discuss these topics and their new movie “Dummycrats” in theaters October 15.