From SouthTownStar.com:

Illinoisans are tired of the partisan blame game and they deserve better. In his recent column, Speaker Michael Madigan calls for an end to “partisan games,” all the while attempting to shift blame for Illinois’ fiscal crisis to Republicans at the state and federal level. Engaging in partisan finger-pointing serves no purpose, I will simply explain factually why Speaker Madigan’s arguments are not valid.

What we can all agree upon is that our state’s fiscal crisis is one of the most severe in the nation. Speaker Madigan tries to make the case that Illinois’ fiscal difficulties are due to a poor national economy, and are no different from those faced by other states. The problem is that a number of independent rating agencies that review finances for all 50 states to determine their stability and credit-worthiness don’t share this view. In fact, Illinois is tied with California as the worst-rated state in the nation by Moody’s Investor Service and is the second-lowest-rated state in the U.S. by the influential Fitch Ratings.

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