Editor’s note

As the General Assembly fi nishes its work on the state budget this week, a growing national economy may be making some proposed draconian budget cuts unnecessary. No layoffs are expected. Education cuts, proposed earlier by Gov. Pat Quinn, are likely to be restored. The backlog of unpaid bills is decreasing. Though the sun isn’t yet shining on state fi nances, Illinois can take comfort that California, which three years ago faced a defi cit of $60 billion, now has a signifi cant surplus, as do seven other states. If legislators make the temporary income tax increase permanent before it expires next year, Illinois too may weather the storm. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher