It's the end of the world as we know it?
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It's the end of the world as we know it?

Posted by JP on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 12:19

Gov. Pat Quinn said today he's prepared to go to "double overtime" to get a budget deal.

Oh no! Double OT.

You might wonder, what's that?

After May 31, lawmakers are in an overtime session and getting a budget deal approved requires a politically difficult 3/5ths majority vote.

Now lawmakers are on the verge of starting the budget year (July 1) with no budget and Quinn's calling "double overtime."

And that means a budget deal will require a near politically impossible 6/5ths vote.

Yes, that, like many things at the Capitol, was a bad joke.

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Last week, in 95-degree heat, more than 5,000 people crowded the Capitol demanding a fair budget and tax increase to prevent cuts to social service providers across Illinois.

Well, that didn't exactly work.

A week later the state is about to head into a budget year (it starts tomorrow) with no budget.

The rally is far smaller today, a few hundred people, maybe.

But the weather is fantastic: 78 degrees with low humidity. A great day to be stuck in the Capitol.

Here's your pro-tax hike rally video ...