Well, one place that isn't a train wreck in motion....

I continue to be impressed with my adopted state of Oklahoma. Working with state employees they've managed to get a handle on the retirement system, creating a funding path that will keep the outlay under control. This is due in part to the genuine common sense that the people here seem to possess in larger than usual amounts. The state workers recognize that the collapse of retirement funding isn't good for them, and consider it nonsense that they should expect to have to take the state to court to get what's owed them.

Right you are Nick. We handed them complete control on a silver platter and they still can't get anything done. Must be real hard to let their big money donors down but not at all hard to blow smoke up our asses. Just pray that those who elected Trump have memories in 2018.

Without a doubt!

That is what I have seen since he got elected, Ryan has treated him as the village idiot, yet he has done nothing in 6 months, he needs to go, along with all his crony's and the sad sack in the senate.

Well, I was not speaking of bailout, bailout just encourages more dysfunction, but at some point, if they had the "political power" they profess too, they could have dragged them all in a room and beat them until they had a better solution than what they have now. Although, this may all be the first flake in a huge debt bomb snowstorm to hit, in which case the Fed is screwed.

Excellent point, and I am sure a lot of it has to do with Chicago...

That is true...he was a buffoon in the campaign, and Trump out did him, but with more flair..

You may well be onto something.
And I enjoy watching the media whine.
I think it's "Trump wants people to beat us up" absurd for funny.

Illinois is the perfect illustration of Margaret Thatcher's statement that “The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Yes.... And as we know, if he did bailout IL, he'd be sending a clear signal that it's completely OK for each and every other state to spend itself to death with no consequence - and then they would.

Most of the time I think it is intentional and planned - give the mouth-breathing news media with the city college journalism or mass comm degree a tweet to fret over for 3 days, while 20 bills rolling back regulation are signed.

As to "making crazy videos or tweets;" I like it. Besides, I don't think he personally makes the videos.That hairdo identifies without revealing. As long as he stays on the road he is currently traveling, he can tweet until the birds fall from the trees as far as I'm concerned.

maybe if they delay long enough the creditors will walk and take a write off. no telling how these "law makers" brain functions that is if they have one.

The mainstream media picked up that weapon at the same time they tosses objectivity out the window.

And Ryan is a RINO snake while the mainstream GOP sucks.
I know a coal mine opened somewhere. The loony bull boasted about that in a recent speech.
That wouldn't have happened during the USA-hating econazi globalist-in-chief's watch.
Oh, and I don't think Christie needs to take arrogance lessons from Trump.
Ain't saying Christie didn't but there he huffity-puffity goes like a fart waiting to happen..

Trump has been on his own road ever since he announced his candidacy. He got next to no help from any republican Es and still gets none. These bafoons are about to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory and will never get with the Trump program.

Dino, it is almost like Christie took a lesson from Trump. I am not so sure on the economy as no basic fixes have been made, he can't fix it without getting control of the House and Ryan.

Yes, and it has become a standard procedure for states. Come up with some crazy program to buy votes, borrow for it (usually with some sob line about children or education) and make someone else pay for it. Worse than credit card debt.

Obama's only qualification was he was BLACK, Same can be said for his appointees. I hope never again.

Doc, as usual, you are indeed very astute and correct. The PERS issue is going to kill most, if not all states soon, Oregon is on the road and Kalifornia is ahead, and it is because of the Dumbocrap penchant for buying power with our money. That is an issue in Illinois, because Chicago took them to court to try to get some huge sum of money to salvage their PERS, lost and screamed bloody murder. So, they have the kedge anchor of Chicago as well as the rest of the state. Add in 2 parties who have abrogated their responsibility to the people and you have deep doo.

he is on his own road, pretty much alone. He is either a loon or a genius, and I have no idea which as he has yet to defeat the real dragon: The House Republicans and their Senate minions.

Well, yes, my point was the President does wield a lot of power, and BHO used to bask in his, (yet he never did a damn thing except hire every minority he could to make a point, vice on competency), but he could have done some backroom work to try to broker a fix. It sounds like this is a Hatfield and McCoy setup, they will let the state burn before either gives in. A good setup to toss them all out and try a third party.

Let's not confuse the magnesium with the magnesia. Illinois is a stew simmering for a while, of it's own creation and recipe. Even if Trump steps in, which he doesn't have a right to do unless some sort of assistance requested, what exactly could he offer that both parties would agree? Nothing. Same with California, a broke state, yet the Governor and legislature is hell bent on raising taxes in order to maintain benefits to illegal aliens and other neglected projects.
The tweets. The media is furious at Trump, mainly, because they can't pigeonhole him as they do every other politician. He controls the news cycle with a simple tweet. What most people don't realize is that with most of his tweets, Trump is talking directly to the people that elected him bypassing the media which wants to control the daily narrative. The media generally ignores those. Would I use some of the wording in his tweets? My imagination is not that good to manipulate a restricted number of characters into such an impact. I try, but have not mastered it. When Trump wants to rattle someone's chain, he does it very effectively. While they're running around in circles, including GOP deep state non-Trump supporter that reveal themselves like an air bubble breaking the surface, what happened in the background that he accomplished while he distracted their attention in a different direction?
Also remember the many times in the past that he would say or tweet something that would rattle their cages and after the outrage and dust settles down, we uncover something new and in fact, turns out he was right, again.
Right now, we have a former president halfway around the world talking trash about America, to non-Americans. If not mistaken, that's the first time ever, a president or former president is not in America celebrating Independence Day. The timing of the trip couldn't have been more telling. However, I don't see anyone writing any articles about that today. And they won't, because the narrative has been written by the media handlers to distribute amongst the media faces and mouths so they look and sound unified.
Covfefe, Mika, psycho Joe, WWE video, it's all catnip in a toy hanging from the end of a rope. Or a knockout blonde sitting crossed leg at the opposite end of a pool table distracting your eyes from where the 8 ball is.
So, horrific or catastrophic, if both parties agreed to ask Trump for help in Illinois, their problems would be resolved. He's all business not politics when it comes to resolving issues. That's the easy part. The hard part is them getting over themselves and resolving to work together, take the medicine and ask for assistance.

I think Trump's video was brilliant and doubt he spent any time on it at all but assigned it to a staffer. Liberal heads and the main stream media take the sucker bait hook, line and sinker!
Medicaid and all the other entitlement programs are for those who can't work for real reasons but far too many states hand out money to those who simply won't work and make it a lucrative scam. The State slogan for Illinois should be "It pays to be ignorant".