Sun-Times columnist rips Boss Madigan

Blogger Laureate of Illinois
guarding his realm

Sure Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, takes a few knock in this Chicago Sun-Times column, "Living in Illinois teaches people to hate government," by Phil Kadner, but he really unloads on Democratic boss Michael Madigan.

Madigan has been a legislative leader for more than 30 years, the longest serving legislative leader in the history of the United States, and therefore has had a hand in everything that is wrong with this state.

A brief list would include a pension debt of more than $114 billion, a public school funding system that is one of the most discriminatory in the nation, a budget that is chronically out of balance, one of the most underfunded mental health care systems in the country and one of the worst states to raise developmentally disabled children.

Property taxes in this state are highest in the nation because of the state’s failure to adequately fund schools as required by the state Constitution.

Despite all this bad stuff, which has disproportionately hurt minority communities (the voting base of the Democratic Party), members of the House keep electing Madigan their speaker.