He says he “won’t back down” as negotiations continue. The governor says he’s preparing for “all contingencies” if an impasse continues and schools and agencies are at risk of shutting down. Comment: Doing what we elected him to do.

Cullerton says Rauner has been spending time preparing an ad blitz. Comment: Good time to remember that Cullerton’s standard stump speech, that he has been giving for a couple months, incorporates a professionally produced video slamming Rauner’s budget approach. An example from his City Club appearance is linked here.

“The people of Illinois know all about broken processes. That’s why they elected Rauner – to fix those processes, not to play along.”

Stump is an actuary who writes about pensions.

“Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been a law unto himself in Springfield for so long that he probably no longer cares about constitutional mandates.”

An Illinois problem and a national problem. In Peoria, 45 percent of the population qualifies for assistance. Comment: Great article, but ignores the role of property taxes, which pass through directly to renters. Illinois has the highest in the nation.