* This is what budget cuts look like…

The Chicago Police Department may be forced to assume primary responsibility for patrolling 53 miles of Chicago area expressways — at a time when police manpower is woefully short — under Gov. Quinn’s proposal to slash the State Police budget and lay off 464 state troopers.

State Police have had exclusive control over Chicago area expressways since 1985. In 2001, Chicago Police joined forces with the State Police to help enforce traffic laws on the Eisenhower, Dan Ryan, Stevenson, Kennedy, Edens spur and Bishop Ford to curb rampant speeding.

Now, Quinn’s sweeping budget cuts are threatening to shift the entire burden to Chicago as early as July 1 — and it couldn’t come at a more difficult time. The Chicago Police Department is 700 officers short of its authorized strength and more than 2,100 officers short each day, counting those on medical rolls and limited duty.

And this…

With expected retirements, the layoffs will reduce the number of sworn state troopers by about 600, or 30 percent, Monken said. The force currently has a little over 2,000 troopers.

The five offices are those in Litchfield, Carmi, Pecatonica, Macomb and Des Plaines. State Police have 22 offices now.

“There will be significant consequences to public safety,” Monken warned.

“We expect an increase in traffic fatalities, increased exposure to terrorist threats in Illinois, an increase in gun and drug trafficking, in addition to the loss of an estimated $12 million in citation revenue for counties across the state,” he said.

And this…

Specialty units would be hit hard by the cuts. The Statewide Terrorism Intelligence Center would lose more than half of its officers, and Monken said the State Police’s methamphetamine response team would be “all but eliminated.”

“Investigations will get hit pretty hard when we send people to the Illinois Gaming Board. Those are investigators that go over,” he said.

And while the governor’s office claims this is unrelated to the budget, it most likely is. Gov. Quinn wouldn’t even think about dinging veterans if budget times were good…

The cost to stay in one of the state’s four nursing homes for veterans could jump by as much as 45 percent under a plan being pushed by the Quinn administration.

Quinn, who made veterans a priority during his tenure as lieutenant governor, has asked lawmakers to approve a $400 per month increase in the maintenance fee for veterans’ home residents.

Now, you could say that the proposed $32 million cut to the State Police budget and the increased rate for veterans are just more scare tactics by the governor. Cut schools, cut the coppers, cut the vets. Create panic.

Then again, the state is deeply in the red. The governor’s proposed $2+ billion in cuts would have to be tripled to erase the current structural deficit. And then there’s that projected $6+ billion in past due bills that the state can’t afford to pay and will roll over into Fiscal Year 2012.

You can’t just cut “fat” and make the numbers work by magic. You have to cut muscle and bone.

* Meanwhile, the AP crafts a lede for maximum impact…

A top contender for Gov. Pat Quinn’s running mate job said Tuesday that Quinn has failed to make the case that raising taxes is the only way to solve Illinois’ budget crisis, potentially undercutting the governor on his signature issue.

Sen. Susan Garrett said if the state cuts unnecessary spending and reduces pension costs she would be willing to consider Quinn’s proposal for higher taxes.

“But we’re not ready to do that yet. The message hasn’t been articulated to the general public,” the Lake Forest Democrat told reporters.

I don’t think she was nearly as harsh on Quinn as the lede implies (watch the video if you missed it yesterday). She never specifically blamed Quinn for not articulating the message, using “we” over and over again. But this sort of story was easily predictable.

The Illinois GOP e-mailed the article to its press list earlier this morning. They’re clearly happy with the result. Expect more like this.

Also along that vein, Sen. Garrett admitted publicly yesterday that she had been contacted by Gov. Quinn’s chief of staff about running for the LG office. Others, however, haven’t even been able to get their calls returned…

Unlike Garrett, [state Rep. Mike Boland (D-East Moline)] said he has not been contacted by Quinn or his top aides, but he has tried.

“All of us have probably sent communications to the governor, but none of us have ever gotten called back,” he said.

Rep. Boland has touted himself as Quinn’s top legislative ally for years. If people like him can’t get a return call while top Quinnsters court Garrett and supply her with a “driver” on interview day, then you get a good idea of where this is going.

I had a long talk with Garrett yesterday, and I’ll have more on this for subscribers tomorrow.

*** UPDATE *** From a press release…

State Representative Mike Boland (D-East Moline) yesterday announced he would step aside in his quest to be the Lt. Governor and throw his support to Art Turner to be named the Democratic nominee.

…Boland’s wife, Mary Boland, is a member of the Democratic State Central Committee.

“It is my strong belief that the nominee to replace Scott Lee Cohen should be someone who ran for the office of Lt. Governor in the February Primary,” Boland stated. “To not choose someone who has already campaigned extensively throughout this huge state and garnered over 180,000 votes would be to tell all of the hundreds of thousands of voters who took the time and made the effort to vote in the primary election that their votes meant nothing,” Boland emphasized. “Art Turner came in second in the primary voting and that has to mean something,”said Boland.

Yeah. It means he came in second.

* Related…

* Locals on the list for lieutenant governor

* Garrett downplays Lt. Gov. front-runner talk

* State Capitol Q&A: A look at the lieutenant governor position

* Democrats’ lieutenant governor favorites emerging