It's 6:39AM and I'm heading down the Stevenson to Springfield.

By the looks of the cars hurtling down the highway with me, bumper stickers proclaiming union affiliations and support for teachers, there will be a crowd converging on the Capitol.

Illinois, near budget bankruptcy, is heading over a financial cliff. And yet lawmakers exhibit a certain tone deafness to the emergency at hand. If you doubt that, read on:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/2181726,CST-EDT-carol21.article