SPRINGFIELD - Since “Governor” Mike Madigan rarely speaks to the media, the Illinois Republican Party suggests 10 questions that are on Illinois taxpayers’ minds:
1) Will any meaningful pension reform be passed in the Friday Special Session and if not, why is it taking so long for you to get anything passed on the most pressing issue facing the State of Illinois?
2) Do you intend on passing the “cost shift” of public pension debt to the suburban taxpayers in the lame duck session and if so do you think it is proper to put another tax increase on Illinois taxpayers during a lame duck session?
3) Given that a member of your caucus, Derrick Smith, is under Federal indictment and according to media reports, other Democrats are under federal investigation for misappropriation of funds along with the numerous other members of the Democratic Party of Illinois, including the former Illinois Governor, standing convicted of corruption related offenses, as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, do you fear that federal prosecutors might view the Democratic Party of Illinois as a RICO enterprise?
4) A few months ago, you were asked by a reporter if 50 years in elected office is enough, but you didn’t answer. Is 50 years enough? 60? 70?
5) Recent polling has shown that you are very unpopular with voters. In a poll conducted in at least one contested House District, among older women, an important demographic in any election, 65% strongly disapprove of the job you are doing and in a recent online survey on Capitol Fax, over 70% of respondents disapproved of your job performance. Speaker Madigan, are you a drag on your party’s candidates?
6) Are poor public policy decisions by you, like the decision to cut a deal with Rod Blagojevich and skip pension payment, the cause of the poor fiscal condition of the State of Illinois? If not, who is to blame?
7) Given the criticism you have received in the last few years for using your elected office to make money for your law firm, don’t you think it is time to disclose who has hired you for business that relates to government?
8) Why is it that you are not in attendance for visits to Illinois by President Obama – even though you are chairman of the state Democratic Party?
9) Will you support Pat Quinn for Governor in 2014 or do you plan on running someone against him in the Democratic Primary?
10) Do you think it is the job of the Illinois Attorney General to investigate public corruption and if so, why has your daughter, the Illinois Attorney General, not investigated and/or prosecuted any significant public corruption cases, even though she ran in 2002 on cleaning up Illinois corruption?
