Optimism of a sort

Progress Illinois has a good story on a presentation today by legislators who are members of the self-styled group of "budgeteers". Legislators from both sides of the aisle are quoted as being cautiously optimistic about progress. Here's a memorable bit from two Democratic Senators, Andy Manar and Daniel Biss, calling out GOP talk about reform.

Biss commented on the Illinois GOP's calls for "structural reforms."

"I think we need to be a little bit careful about the unicorn -- that it's attractive to talk about reform when we mean cut," Biss said. "Just saying reform, instead of saying cut, doesn't necessarily mean that we're achieving a magical resolution that allows us to spend less without hurting people." . . .

Manar predicted that a potential budget agreement could mirror the spending plan Democrats passed last year. Rauner vetoed most of that Democrat-backed budget, citing its $4 billion shortfall.

"That was a bare-bones budget that was passed by the majority," Manar said.

The state senator added: "I would echo Daniel's sentiments that if there was a magic unicorn running through the Capitol, somebody would have caught it by now and would have put it into a bill, and we would have passed it and the governor would have signed it. There are no easy choices."