It's Madigan, not Rauner who controls state

RE: Mr. Steve thompson's letter of the Aug. 20:

The governor controls one-third of the votes in the House and Senate. There are 59 senators in the Illinois Senate, of which 40 are Democrats and 19 are Republicans, i.e., a third of the senators are Republican and two thirds are Democrats.

The House has similar numbers and all the Democrats are beholden to guess who - Mike Madigan, or as they say in the legislature King Michael.

Rauner has as much say there as you or I - in a word, nothing he says will be done without King Michael's OK.

The state of Illinois is more than $108 billion in debt. The Democrats increased the income tax in 2012 and it expired in 2014. Not a dime went to reducing the debt. It all went to increasing the legislatures' salaries and giving jobs to the Democratic cronies of the King.

If you want to complain about Rauner, remember he doesn't run the state. King Michael does.

Bob Lowth

Arlington Heights