Lawmakers should be fired, not handed a pay raise

RON KOPKO had this letter printed in the August 1 Dispatch/Argus. ..... marks paragraph breaks. "With a great show of arrogance toward Illinois taxpayers, House Speaker Mike Madigan tried to give himself a $1,300 pay raise. He and other lawmakers would get a 2 percent pay hike. Republican lawmakers tried to stop it; their efforts were never called for a vote. Of course Madigan controlled that too. ..... Never mind that Illinois is virtually bankrupt. Our bond rating is "JUNK" status; 1.4 million people have left Illinois since 1990; Illinois has some of the highest property taxes in the country; Illinois is in the top 25 percent in almost every tax category. ...... To top that off, the Democratic-controlled Legislature passed a budget with a deficit of $4 billion, which is illegal and unconstitutional. They want to cover the $4 billion deficit by raising taxes on us again. ..... Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the proposed budget, which he should. ..... So what do our local politicians, Rep. Mike Smiddy and Rep. Pat Verschoore have to say about all this? NOTHING! They are too busy helping Speaker Madigan fight Gov. Rauner. ..... The Democratic Party has turned the once great state of Illinois into one that people want to leave. The economic facts are there. Mike Madigan and the rest think they deserve a pay raise. What a "JOKE". They should all be fired instead."