@ChefKevin Pay more so we can make more to pay more. Never ending.

Democrats control the senate, did you seriously expect any idea other than raise taxes? It's all they know. They're one trick ponies.

did anyone expect that Illinois was going to solve its budget issues without a combination of both tax increases and spending cuts?

not after decades of mismanagement by democrats, probably not.

Stupid question...What defines "rich" and "poor?" Is it people living above/below the poverty level, 100k/year jobs, what?I guess I just want to know which camp I live in.

@AV8R sigh. it will never get fixed because of the blame game.There is plenty of blame to go around for both parties. Illinois has fairly consistently alternated the party of governors over the years.It was a republican governor who proposed the ramp plan and democrats were complicit in going along with it because it pushed the problem farther down the road, making it a larger and larger out into the future. Well the future is now and the bill is due. It was also republican governor who, when the state was running a surplus during the booming economy in the nineties, decided to spend that money on capital improvements, (remember the Illinois First program) rather than smartly applying that surplus to the post poned pension payments, or tax cuts.

Legalize cannibas and ease the burden on all taxpayers and law enforcement alike.

@JeepPilot If you have to ask POOR.

@joepyeweed says one of the first string players of the blame game opposing team....

@EyeintheSky Everyone cries poverty.

Just for the record... my overall tax burden was less when Illinois' tax rate was @ 5% vs what it is now (3.75%). It is all because of that federal tax deduction for state taxes.

Does anyone have any information on how much the state is raking in from all the video gambling machines? They seem to be in every bar, restaurant, and convenience store. How much does the state get from these machines? Is it causing fewer people to go to the casinos? If that is the case, are gambling proceeds overall down?

@JustRight The only answer I know to your questions is yes business has been down at casinos since the video gambling started in bars etc.in Illinois.Par A Dice has cut hours of operation,laid people off and even closed one of the restaurants on certain days since video gambling has arrived. Pretty much the same story at Harrahs in Joliet.

@billybob I'm just trying to comprehend how our state is still in such financial decline when it appears that gambling has increased overall.

@JustRight You are not alone on that one. On a slightly different subject, I have to be careful as I don't want be too specific but a friends son and his wife bought a house in Chicago which need fixing up which they did. After it was competed the husband lost his job but found a new one in Ann Arbor. They could not sell the house at the asked price. so they are renting it out and renting n Ann Arbor.The hous is still on the market. There is one major problem and the house is in a neighborhood that is/was in transition and a long walk to the nearest subway/EL stop. For the same amount of money one could buy in a more transitioned neighborhood. Word is the slowdown in the neighborhood is due to ongoing problems in Springfield.