Wednesday Letters: Rauner a fish out of water in government

Under Bruce Rauner’s “leadership,” it seems our state is sinking lower every week. Illinois would benefit greatly if the governor would follow the advice of respected former Gov. Jim Edgar. Edgar wants Rauner to prioritize the incredibly important issue of the state budget and temporarily set the rest of the so-called “turn around” agenda. A sincere public servant with relevant experience would not need to be told this. If Rauner won’t listen to Edgar, he should listen to Moody’s, the bond ratings agency that just warned that the ongoing budget issue is a “credit negative” that can only cause further damage to the state. In his business career, Rauner used bankruptcy as a tool to make profits for his partners and himself. Someone needs to tell him that states, unlike companies, cannot declare bankruptcy. There are no profits to be made in this scenario, only losses that are reckoned in terms of human pain and suffering.

James Patrick O’Connor, Evanston

Washington blame games works both ways

Republicans use congressional committee hearings to selectively leak information to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. But, if she’s responsible for the Benghazi attack that killed 4 Americans in a remote part of Libya, why isn’t George Bush responsible for ignoring warnings about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center that killed over 3,000? Now that three Republicans have publicly admitted the Benghazi hearings are a sham designed to lower her poll numbers, the committee should fold its tent and stop the hypocrisy.

Tom Minnerick, Elgin