Day 23 without a budget. There are a lot of rumors floating around about how the progress is coming on the budget. The important thing has always been and continues to be getting a good budget. If you listen to all of the news and some of the pleas of the employees, the number one goal seems to be speed. Get something, anything signed so that the world of state government can continue. This, of course, is what the Governor counts on in this budget negotiation. He wants to wait until after the constitutional deadline and pressure legislators to agree to bad things. Things that they never would agree to under normal circumstances. Most people know these things, but I thought that I would remind everyone of our responsibility and the attempt to undermine it at this late date.

- John