In the recent Sun-Times article on Michael Madigan's private side of life, Madigan testifies during his trial that his father was an alcoholic and that there was no "nurturing" in his home life growing up.

He also states that he had to deal with the biological father of his adopted daughter, Lisa.

So tell me, are these reasons for his alleged criminal behavior? And why are they of any importance in his trial?

Look at the evidence of the supposed crimes he is charged with committing, and judge on that.

Janice Montgomery, Gage Park

GOP is out of step with Illinois

In Thursday’s Sun-Times, Republican House Majority Leader Tony McCombie “voiced frustration” with the Democrats' supermajority in our state House and Senate. I wonder if it ever occurred to McCombie to fix that by, you know, working on legislation that aligns with the goals and values of the voters of Illinois?

Instead of just spitting out whatever conservative garbage the Illinois Policy Institute or Richard Uihlein wants to shove down our throats, how about doing the hard work of finding out what is important to us?

Republicans don’t have to be conservative; they have just chosen to be that way. God knows the Democrats have problems of their own, but on average they give us what we want way more than the GOP does. How about McCombie tries to fix that?

Don Anderson, Oak Park

Philanthropy isn’t only way to bring real change

Debra Gittler’s letter to the editor, “There’s no substitute for philanthropic dollars to bring real change,” suffers from only one flaw: it is utterly wrong.

While everyone should cheer volunteers who dedicate their time and philanthropists who donate their dollars to our public schools and other good causes, it is self-evidently false to claim, as she does, that “True social change requires financial investment that only philanthropy can provide” and “This problem [of under-funded schools and community programs] can only be addressed by philanthropic dollars.”

“Only” is an absolute, and absolutes are (almost always) wrong.

“Only” philanthropy can provide money to schools? Really? There’s no other possible source of money for the public good? Well, the students could collect empty cans to recycle for cash. Or their parents could have bake sales every weekend!

Or, hey, what about, I don’t know, taxes?

You know, the very rich people who give money to their own charitable foundations might just pay more taxes in the first place. Then, “true social change” could come from such tax dollars being shared with all schools that need the money for facilities, nurses, librarians and teachers.

Crazy idea, I know. But, clearly, philanthropy is not the “only” answer.

Bill Savage, Rogers Park

Kudos to Trump

Whatever one thinks of President-elect Donald Trump's politics, his candor is refreshing. It is nice to have a president who has real press conferences, takes all questions, candidly answers the questions, and can think on his feet without handlers.

Jean DuBois, Naperville

Some puns don’t work

Kudos to Mr. Kevin Berg for calling out the Sun-Times for their not-very-clever headlines, especially in the case of Lil Durk (“Can Lil Durk beat the rap?”). Not funny and in bad taste for a big city newspaper.

Douglas Barnum, Winfield

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.