Hypocrisy behind Republican reform

In your Feb. 22 issue, it was interesting that on the front page was a story of an apparent patronage hiring in the Illinois Tollway of Republican leader Durkin's wife, an interior design manager for a job overseeing engineers. The story continues inside facing an op-ed by a local Republican state rep who basically says that Democrats need to oust Illinois House Speaker Madigan to allow our state to move forward. I would encourage the Republicans to clean up their own house first.

Madigan has been in office for a long time. During that time, problems have continued that really do need to be addressed. Yet during that time, our state was able to function. Since Rauner has been in office, our state has ceased to function.

Our bills remain not just late but so late that many nonprofits are going out of business. The last place I worked, a nonprofit serving mental health needs, was forced to shut the program that I worked in. I lost my job, but more important, my clients are missing the service that we provided and that they would benefit from.

All for what? Oh, so Gov. Rauner can hold our state hostage to enable him to weaken and possibly destroy Illinois' unions and Illinois' Democratic Party, too.

Dan Bailey

Wheaton