LISA MADIGAN

The wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly, but happily they turn.

In every community in Illinois, same-sex couples have chosen to join together and, in many instances, to raise families of their own. These couples are our relatives and friends, our neighbors, co-workers and parents of our children's classmates. They deserve the same rights and responsibilities that civil marriage offers straight couples.

Hard work, careful planning, and realistic financial advice will be required by many to regain solvency.

Being attorney general has truly allowed me to be a voice for justice for the people of Illinois and oftentimes the country - and I love it.

The explosive growth of the for-profit school industry has had disastrous effects on millions of Americans and our economy.

I initiated the State's investigation of Governor Blagojevich and have prosecuted public officials, including a sitting democratic state representative and democratic State's Attorney.

The Department of Education's refusal to oversee and hold for-profit schools accountable is a government-made disaster, and American students and taxpayers should not have to pay for it.

There were absolutely circumstances where Sallie Mae was working hand-in-hand with for-profit schools and other schools in offering and putting students into risky expensive subprime loans.

I feel strongly that the state would not be well-served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for governor if that would be the case. With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for governor.

I enjoy a good fight, and always have, and really just said to myself, 'Look, at the end of my term, it'll be 16 years as attorney general, and I'm ready for new challenges. I'm ready to use my skills in a different way to continue to help people.'

I've always wanted to be an advocate.

The last thing our children need is less protection.

A ban on same-sex marriage violates the state Constitution's equal protection clause.

My husband helps take care of our kids.

I've repeatedly seen unscrupulous lenders use every con in the book to charm and lie to homeowners. Lenders actually paid brokers a premium to put people in higher-priced loans with toxic features, such as adjustable rates and prepayment penalties.

Stalking is a serious crime with serious consequences.

Demand to know the school's accreditation. Regional accreditation is preferable to national, particularly if you want to transfer credits. Check with the certifying association or potential employer in your field to ensure successful completion of the program will actually qualify you for that job.

As I travel across Illinois and talk with people, and as others reach out to my office desperate for help, I am becoming convinced that, despite their rhetoric, many lenders have no interest in actually helping their customers.

Most of our children have access to Internet-accessible technology, yet most of us are actually not paying much attention to what they're doing online.

Stalking is a crime that can paralyze an otherwise productive person with fear.

I've been able to bring billions of dollars back to our state that has so desperately needed it - billions of dollars in relief to homeowners and our communities and our pension systems that desperately need it.

The party on Wall Street never ends - while the rest of us pick up their tab and suffer the hangover.

Unlike public universities and private, not-for-profit colleges, for-profit schools are owned by revenue-seeking businesses often more intent on boosting their bottom line than educating their students. They use hard-sell tactics to recruit prospective students, and veterans have become particular targets.

My investigation found Sallie Mae put student borrowers into expensive subprime loans that it knew were going to fail.

Even if you can afford the price of college, you cannot afford a worthless degree.