* The common practice in American journalism is to report the highest number available. If death estimates at a natural disaster are 15-40, the headline is sure to read: “As many as 40 feared dead.”

The problem with this practice, however, is that after a while journalistic shorthand often kicks in and the biggest number becomes the only one used. This phenomenon partly explains why we only ever see the highest estimate of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget deficit.

Anyway, this AP story follows the pattern. Can you spot it?

In a state where the government plans to spend $59 billion this year, it’s not a lot of money. But taxpayers can expect to cough up at least $80,000 for this week’s special legislative session.

Lawmakers will return to Springfield Wednesday and Thursday at the beck of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who says they sent him a fiscal blueprint in which expenditures exceed revenues by $2 billion.

Like anyone on business, Illinois’ 118 representatives and 59 senators are entitled to reimbursement for their expenses.

It’s $129 per day for lodging and meals, for a total of $45,400.

And for hopping in the car and crossing the flat prairie to the capital, each gets 50.5 cents per mile. They’ll drive 60,260 miles and get $30,400 in taxpayer reimbursements, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

The AP’s estimate assumes that all legislators will show up for the special session. Not gonna happen. Last year, several newspapers published daily cost estimates of the interminable overtime session which were based on perfect attendance. The number was far too high because attendance was never close to perfection.

* Now, on to the session itself. Finke has a pretty good roundup of opinion on why this week’s special session should be short…

THE COMING ELECTION: “The fact that there’s an election (Nov. 4) I think guarantees that they are going to do something and get out of town,” said Kent Redfield, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “The perception is that the mess of state government is the Democrats’ fault. It’s harder to make the case that more Democrats are better if there is a story day after day that there is no budget.” The issue cuts the same for Senate Democrats as House Democrats, Redfield said, giving Blagojevich no way to play one chamber against the other. […]

PAY RAISES: The House rejected 11 percent pay raises recommended by the Compensation Review Board, but the Senate hasn’t acted yet. Under the complicated rules of legislative pay raises, if the Senate meets in session four more days without rejecting the raises, they go into effect automatically. Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, is believed to want the raise but not have it take effect until after the November election. […]

WEAKENED GOVERNOR/IMPEACHMENT: After Blagojevich called this week’s special session. Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, renewed his call for the House to investigate whether Blagojevich should be impeached. That call will grow louder if lawmakers are stuck in Springfield for another extended summer stay.

Redfield said the conviction of Blagojevich friend and fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko and ongoing federal investigations into the administration leaves Blagojevich politically weaker than he was a year ago.

* And this is from Illinois Public Radio…

For the Governor, it’s a no win situation. If he signs the budget as passed, the state will have major money problems in coming months. Make the cuts, and he’s the bad guy once again. But the Governor sees another way out. He wants the House to pass plans that would bring in revenue from leasing the state’s lottery and shifting other money from dedicated accounts. But few expect the House will go along.

I doubt anybody thinks that the House will “go along,” even in the hermetically sealed governor’s bunker. If they do think that, then they’re more delusional than I imagined.

* Related…

* Special session by the numbers

* Per diem plans