The campaign finance reform bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly last week has been decried by some as “a crock,” “phony,” “a meaningless compromise” and “a farce.” The reform organizations that signed on were accused of being “bought out.” While recognizing that the bill failed to sever the financial umbilical cord between members and their leaders, we urge Gov. Pat Quinn to sign it.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

So the recession is over. Huzzah! And the peasants rejoice! If that sounds sour, it is. I'm not feeling recovered.

Before sentencing Ali S. al-Marri for committing the crime of aiding a terrorist organization in imperiling this nation, Federal Judge Michael Mihm explained Thursday - to the defendant and to America - that "I take very seriously this mandate of providing a just punishment. The weight of that decision stays with me after you leave." So in giving al-Marri the maximum prison time allowable, minus time served and a little extra for the harshness of his treatment while in confinement, did Mihm achieve his goal and meet his responsibility of administering justice?

Quick, who is the Illinois Lieutenant Governor? It’s a trick question, because at this moment the office is vacant. The state’s No. 2 executive post has been empty since January, and perhaps that is a point worth discussing. It’s a redundancy in our government that Illinois simply cannot afford in light of its ongoing state budget crisis.

State lawmakers wrapped up their annual fall veto session on Friday, and they certainly don't have much to show for their efforts. If anything, the last couple weeks have been an exercise in dodging tough choices in Springfield. So it should come as no surprise that certainly nothing was done to fix the still-imploding - and still woefully unbalanced - state budget and little was done to improve the ethical climate of Illinois.

The weeks before Halloween, the Little Man had whittled his list of costume ideas from approximately 3 million down to two: Spider-Man, which had been his costume for the previous two years, and Train Engineer.

For as long as Barack Obama has been in the national eye, there has been little love lost between him and Fox News Channel. Both the president and the network have traded barbs, with Obama describing them as "entirely devoted to attacking my administration." A hard freeze has now settled in as aides have been making it clear the administration views Fox as anything but a legitimate news outlet.

The H1N1 virus and its potential to kill has scared people, driving up emergency room visits. Given the publicity surrounding the virus, which health experts believe is causing most U.S. flu cases, precaution and fear are understandable. But it’s important for people to know that H1N1, while a new and aggressive flu strain, is not any more dangerous than the seasonal flu, which can also kill. It’s important to be rational if you get sick.

This year’s flu season has turned me into a germaphobe. It’s a completely foreign role to me. I was the woman who had a five-second rule on her child’s pacifier. I asserted, “That’s what an immune system is for!” when I got looks from other moms on the playground.

“I don’t recall.” “I do not recall.” “I just don’t recall.” Then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wasn’t the first government official to have severe memory problems, nor was he the last. But he certainly set the bar fairly high in an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee in April 2007.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Friday, Oct. 30.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to avoid anything that has to do with The Balloon Boy Saga. I did this because I feel I have an innate ability to notice when a news story is going to completely waste my time. If you have the same ability, you’ve probably stopped reading this column by now. But here are some news stories I did waste my time on.

The year 2002 was a political lifetime ago, and a year of great change in Illinois. The Republicans had controlled the governor’s office since Jim Thompson’s first election in 1976, but the latest member of the dynasty, Gov. George Ryan, had run the GOP train off the rails. Eight years later, former Attorney General Jim Ryan hopes to do what he couldn't in 2002: win the gubernatorial race.

With a late start and a silly, but noticeable advertising gimmick — putting Rod Blagojevich hair on pictures of other people, including former Govs. George Ryan and Otto Kerner — “outsider” Andy McKenna has entered the contest for governor.