After 2 1/2 years...something good for Illinois.

[Ike Bana]

In 2015 a shitsack republican billionaire nursing home slumlord named Bruce Rauner became governor of Illinois. He ran against democrat Pat Quinn, using the typical strategy of the moment in 2015...linking every Illinois democrat to Rod Blagojevich. It quickly became clear what Rauner's agenda was...turn Illinois into Indiana. And for him to become the Mike Pence of Illinois. What he didn't figure on was running into IL House speaker Mike Madigan-D, and IL state Senate President John Cullerton-D. It became clear right from the get-go that both immediately went into, "Oh yeah? well fuck you Bruce" mode. So...since January 2015, the state of Illinois has been operating without a budget, bills have gone unpaid to the tune of $15 billion...state programs have been slashed to the bar minimums...even state participation in the Powerball lottery has ended for lack of money available for participation. Many republicans, conservatives and other assholes have, of course, blamed the whole thing on that evil scumbag Mike Madigan...which is a giant carload of shit. Rauner walked into the job, a beligerent billionaire not all that much removed from Donald Trump, acting like he had a "mandate" which he didn't have...and refused to cooperate with anybody with a "D" after their name. He stuck his fat nose in the process of the Legislative branch of Illinois government.

This past week the consequences of this situation had become catastrophic...and guess what happened? A dozen Republican members of the IL House sat down with House Democrats and hammered out a balanced budget deal. They agreed to a pretty stiff state income tax increase in order to begin paying down the state's debt and getting current bills paid. It hurts, but it's gotta be done. Rauner, acting like his mentor, Donald, immediately expressed his raging sense of betrayal, and vowed to veto any such budget. What Rauner is demanding is that a whole list of state services, mostly serving the working poor in Illinois would either be slashed or eliminated completely to satisfy his "balanced budget." Sound like anybody we know? Good, fine Bruce...go fuck yourself.

Several days later two or three republican state senators also abandoned Rauner's bullshit and voted to pass a corresponding Senate bill with pretty much the same tax consequences. The bill went to Rauner, who immediately vetoed it. Within hours yesterday, the Illinois Senate over-rode his veto, and everybody went home to watch the fireworks. It is expected that the IL House vote will happen tomorrow, and the votes are there to over-ride the veto there as well.

If you want a state government as it exists in Indiana, you're gonna have to move to Indiana, Bruce. But you're gonna be run out of office on a rail in the next election anyway...and we will be free of your ass.