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Government

State Employees, Retirees to Rauner: Do Your Job

Around 50 protestors gathered in downtown Moline Monday afternoon to protest what they see as Bruce Rauner's failure to pass a budget.
The Illinois governor was in town to speak to members of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce about how to fix the state's financial woes.

Protestors were advocating for union rights, fair contracts and education funding.

Greg Johnson of East Moline worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections for 32 years. 

"And I'm also a parent to a five year old daughter who goes to school in East Moline as a kindergartner at Hillcrest and her school has been forced to lay off teachers because the state isn't paying the bills."

Collin West is a senior at United Township High School in East Moline and worries about where he'll go to college next year. He wants to go to the University of Illinois but thinks tuition might be too expsensive without state funding. 

That's what motivated West, who can't even vote yet, to protest on a sunny day off that other kids might have spent sleeping in or hanging out with friends.

"I believe it's my duty as a young millennial to be politically active and I wouldn't have it any other way."

West says he's frustrated with Governor Rauner's attempts to pass term limits and fair election maps when what the state needs right now is a budget. 

Government