Tim Jones

The crushing pension debt that is squeezing out resources to pay for other services grew through decades of bipartisan political expediency. The candidates for governor steer clear of the topic as options to fix the crisis without pain narrow.

Politicians peddle an array of fiscal tonics to cure what ails Illinois. Rarely do they consider the property, income and sales taxes as part of a system that requires a comprehensive overhaul.

Tiny Rochelle, 80 miles west of Chicago at the intersection of Interstates 88 and 39, is on an industrial roll, blissfully ignoring a common narrative among political and business elites of an economically maligned Illinois.

Reformers hope a pending U.S. Supreme Court case reins in the widespread manipulation of election districts by powerbrokers, but data in the case suggest such gerrymandering in Illinois is less severe than in many states.

In what may seem a paradox, the worse off Illinois government gets the more the wealthy are willing to spend to gain control. It is part of a national trend that has seen ever escalating spending battles for even down the ballot offices.

Compared to other states, Illinois has fewer state workers, spends less on Medicaid per patient and owns a worst in the nation record for supporting local schools. So budget-balancing without tax hikes will mean cutting into muscle.

With the Chicago region robust and Downstate in a prolonged economic funk, fixing Illinois may be harder than the political talking points suggest.

The governor seeks a permanent property tax freeze as a price for a budget deal, but experts say such a plan goes beyond anti-tax moves in other states and could handcuff operations of schools and local governments.

Illinois’ governor demands term limits as part of the price for any budget deal, but experts say capping lawmaker tenure emboldens special interests and is no magic bullet to cure what ails the state.