Comment: A major tirade by Madigan on the House floor, with a standing ovation from his stooges there. And perhaps his grandest lie ever: “The fact is the current budget crisis was completely avoidable.” It was inevitable, not avoidable, thanks mainly go him. Neither he nor any of those clapping have ever suggested a way to avoid it.

Comment: Never mind that there’s no money to pay for it and nobody has the courage to propose a tax increase to cover it.

Part of a $5.06 billion national settlement over allegedly misrepresented mortgage-backed securities.

Comment: Convene a panel of legislators for a talk led by Ralph Martire and Lawrence Msall and that’s what you get — a brainstorming session on what taxes to raise.

A new proposal to pay for fixing Illinois’ roads could use devices to track how far Illinois drivers have traveled and tax them by the mile. The plan from Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, is aimed at gasoline tax revenues that have fallen as drivers have bought more fuel-efficient cars. Prius owners are the problem, he says.

Underfunded pension programs in U.S. states, cities and municipalities are “three or four times worse” than current government projections, said Joshua Rauh, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution think tank.