35 Comments - NorthsideNoMore - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:34 pm: At least we can be 1st in something ! - Lt Guv - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:37 pm: We’re 1st at worst! Yay? - Honeybear - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:38 pm: None of the gods survive Ragnarok - titan - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:39 pm: Illinois is the only one to get to a year without one. As I understand it, Pennsylvania is next longest at about 6 months. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:42 pm: The Great State of Delaware, “The First State”… Admitted into the Union? That would be December 7th… 1787. That’s 230 years of recognized “American Statehood” admitted in the Union. Illinois is the lone state in 230 years to go 2 years without a budget. No joke. It’s too depressing and mind blowing for comedy. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:44 pm: Well, it won’t be 230 years until December 7th, but are we going to quibble about 6 months when talking about 229 years? - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:44 pm: And it’s all one giant self-inflicted wound. Ughhhhh. - A Modest Proposal - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:45 pm: —Illinois Lottery director says tonight is last drawing for Powerball of FY17. Sales dropped 10% last week on news IL would suspend game.— what if someone bought a ticket for multiple drawings going into july? - Amalia - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:53 pm: (NOT) Winning! - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 12:54 pm: Several million people diddled relentlessly by a few politicians and their ilk, and we are outraged, indignant. And passively await the next round. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:06 pm: By his actions and their predictable outcomes, Rauner has earned a singular place in American history. All it took was $100M of his own dough and a scorched earth campaign through state government like Sherman through Georgia. - Romeo - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:10 pm: Just more incentive to pack up shop and go somewhere else. Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, heck even Indiana are FAR more attractive at this point. - Blue dog dem - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:10 pm: To the post. Yes we are. For the approx 200 years the state has existed, we have deficit spent to the tune of $73,000/hr. 200 years of inept leadership. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:11 pm: Rauner said that we were badly run, and now after he’s been elected, he still says that we were badly run. Worst.governor.ever. - Chuckee Baby - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:15 pm: Even Indiana, WIsconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky can get a budget done! - Ed Higher - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:17 pm: I wonder that some are viewing Illinois as a grand experiment in governance. And will other states follow our lead in the “no pain, no gain” road to hell? - Blue dog dem - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:20 pm: Ed. Illinois is the failed experiment. Over promise=$135,000,000,000 in IOU’s. That is failure. - Tommydanger - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:22 pm: Who knew governing would be so complicated? - Anon - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:35 pm: Biss and Manar were the only “NO” votes on the Lottery Director’s confirmation in committee. Did they give an explanation? - Curl of the Burl - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:36 pm: http://www.clickhole.com/clickventure/youve-been-elected-congress-can-you-pass-even-one–1146#1, - Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:40 pm: At the end of his tenure, whether it be in 2019 or, heaven forbid, 2023 Rauner will walk away from office unscathed and most likely much wealthier than when he began. He will be fine regardless of what happens to the state unlike so many residents, social service providers, and institutions. - JPC - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:46 pm: Illinois by all measures is a very wealthy state. Even our Governor is wealthy–much more so than we he entered office. This wealth of course raises (1) the requirements we have for government (roads, clean water, giant sewer projects to prevent pollution of our water supply, electric nets to keep invasive species out of our tourism, agricultural research, and so forth) and (2) our expectations of what the state can deliver (can’t we get some quality California-style education? plowed roads?). But no. We can’t afford it. We can’t afford it because we have a system that charges those on the bottom for the success enjoyed by those at the top. It’s not, as some above may think, over-promising. Besides, all that promising got us into the wealthy spot we’re currently in. This wealth isn’t free or cheap. - Huh? - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:46 pm: “what if someone bought a ticket for multiple drawings going into july?” Thanks for the idea. - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:50 pm: Funny thing… Prior to Rauner, IL was able to negotiate a budget with former governors. - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 1:57 pm: “Currie: “We are prepared to go a good, long way toward what Governor Rauner has requested in order to see to it that we can have a budget.” Dems, please don’t sell your soul to the devil. - Nick Name - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 2:00 pm: But hey, we got happy hour and a state “vegetable.” Budget smudget. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 2:25 pm: Cue Homer Simpson with the over sized Illini foam rubber hand with the extended index finger. “Whoo hoo! We’re number 1!” - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 2:40 pm: Does this not meet the criteria of “shaking up” Springfield? Why are so many surprised? The current party on the right wants to overwhelm and conquer. And, Illinois is a big prize. - AnonymousOne - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 3:20 pm: Gee, junk status will go a long way toward attracting all those businesses we keep hearing about. Makes top notch folks want to run to this state—-others be damned. What exactly would we hope to attract with all this national humiliating publicity, let alone financial disgrace. Certainly not tourists! - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 3:50 pm: What’s the point of being bad at something if you don’t aspire to be the absolute worst? - Anno - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 3:54 pm: Illinois was pretty bad a governing even when we had a budget! - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 4:30 pm: “Neither S&P nor Moody’s has ever downgraded a U.S. state to “junk,” a rating that signals heightened risk of default. ” The sad thing is the state never had a junk rating prior to Rauner becoming IL’s governor. The governor is suppose to be a leader not a spectator. He alone owns the junk rating. - muon - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 4:40 pm: OW - I think the notion that we are the only state to go without a budget has to be more clearly defined. In the 1800’s budgets were not always used by states to guide their expenditures. It was not until Gov Frank O Lowden (1917-1921) that Illinois had a budget act. The federal government only adopted a budget act in 1921. I’m not sure when other states passed their budget acts, but it’s probably more accurate to say that no state has gone for as long as two years without a budget since state budgeting has been used. For Illinois that’s 100 years. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 4:48 pm: - muon - Ok, and your beef isn’t with me on that, we both need to write the NCSL! :) The two consecutive years… Yikes, tough to find that(?) - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 28, 17 @ 6:10 pm: ==the governor is supposed to be a leader== He is leading. Leading us down the road to ruin. 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