It’s time for another episode of…Illinois Political Theater!!!

It’s time for another episode of…Illinois Political Theater!!!

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The budget is still not approved. The Comptroller says we have 2 weeks til we really have to worry.‚  They have money, it’s the authority to spend the money that’s missing. So right now, the Comptroller’s office is paying for work for last year. On July 15th, new payroll will be due and Hynes won’t be able to pay state employees. Now, Senate leader John Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan say they will reconvene the legislature on July 14th.‚  That’s one day before the deadline. That’s not a coincidence. The leaders have hinted at how this is by design so they can work with a cliffhanger deadline looming. It helps get things done. Or makes those who are strong-willed weak in the knees because jobs, money and statewide meltdown are hours away. While all this is happening, the social service agencies have sent out layoff notices. Not necessarily because they don’t have a budget, but because the economy and the proposed state funding in the budgets is less.‚  So regardless of any doomsday, they are cutting staff.‚  This is a comment from a story yesterday. Now, it’s just a comment, it’s not confirmed, but it did grab my attention:
My co-workers were not left in limbo. 50% of our staff was laid off today. Human services has been massacred, budget or no budget, tax increase or no tax increase. Many shut their doors today, and many lost their jobs… This has happened to often in my lifetime---this year was particularly bad because the economy. I heard it before, but these people are not public servants. They are \“self servants.\“
In other news, computers are ruining our lives. First Mary Poppins, now United? What’s next? I better be able to check my fantasy baseball scores in real time. If that screws up, I’m gonna lose it. These stories are popping up more and more. But what is on-the-record and what is off-the-record? Ethical discussion…start your engines!!!! Ben Gordon is gone. And he feels bad for me. Marty Havlat is gone. But his Twitter feed lives on.