Not honorable leaders

Dan Bailey of Wheaton claims we should not expect Mike Madigan to resign, because he is a strong leader and a great fundraiser. Nowhere does he say that the citizens of Illinois are better off because of Mr. Madian's actions or that he is held in respect by the majority of the voters in Illinois. Power does not equal respect. Do not compare him to anyone else who is doing less than their best for the people represented.

Each political office holder needs to stand on her or his own achievements. Madigan's achievements include getting the protection of pensions in the 1970 rewrite of the Illinois Constitution in exchange for union backing to get it passed. Most years since then, he has failed to lead the state in ensuring that payments were made into this pension fund he helped set up. Most recently he has had allegations of sexual misconduct by people in his office and accepting of bribes in return for favors. These things do not build trust or respect.

Don Haraf, who starts out defending Mitch McConnell by using Mike Madigan as comparison, needs to understand that just because Madigan doesn't deserve to hold his positions of trust, does not mean that McConnell does. Neither one of them shows they care about the citizens of the state or country, only themselves and their party. Both are obstructionists and neither has earned respect nor shows honor.

David Krein

Schaumburg