I’ve been belatedly reading Jeremiah Joyce’s 2021 book Still Burning: Half a Century of Chicago, from the Streets to the Corridors of Power; A Memoir. The former 19th Ward alderman and Southwest Side state senator is a conversational writer and speaks frankly about some very divisive times, particularly regarding race. (It can get cringey.)

I’m assuming you’ve already seen coverage of the Democratic Texas state legislators who fled to Illinois to prevent a Republican-backed redrawing of congressional district lines in their home state. Their absence means their Legislature doesn’t have enough members to legally conduct business.

The Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois and the Regional Transportation Authority agree that a change to Illinois’ sales-tax law will net the RTA an additional $150 million this year and another $225 million next year. That money will drastically reduce the impact of the looming $770 million “fiscal cliff,” which begins in January.

The costs to Illinois’ government because of the new Republican congressional budget-reconciliation law will be steep. However, the state has some time to prepare itself, and possible Democratic gains in the U.S. House and Senate next year might be able to reverse or mitigate some of the steepest cuts to food-security and health-care programs before the vast majority of them take effect after the 2026 elections.