For most of the past six years during budget debates, state legislators have enjoyed a rare bit of popularity, given that they were all that stood between Rod Blagojevich and his reckless policies.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Thursday, July 2.

Wheaton is one of the last places I’d expect to find anyone who doesn’t believe in God. Yet the city hosts a group called the Wheaton Atheists. Who knew? Meanwhile, there are the Fox Valley Atheists in Batavia, the Freethought Conversants in Glen Ellyn, and even the Non-Alcoholic Atheists in Lombard.

After watching Illinois legislators stumble around the state budget for the past several weeks without getting anything done, I’ve decided to model my life after their noble example. It’s going to be great. Of course, it will take several years for me to achieve such superior levels of tomfoolery, but, unlike the state’s budget, my shenanigans are all planned out.

Arguments have finally been settled and the Supreme Court of Minnesota has spoken: Al Franken is the new U.S. Senator representing the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and brings with him the magic 60th vote for the Democrats. Illinois offers a lesson for Congress, when it returns from its Independence Day week-long recess and formally performs the swearing in ceremony to seat Franken: Too much power in one party is a bad thing.

Sadly, many folks died last week in central Illinois. There was Jim P., 68, of East Peoria, whose music brought many joy, especially in the area's senior citizen homes. He founded his own dance band, the Starlighters, and kept it alive for 50 years. Marcella S., 95, of Germantown Hills, founded the library there in 1952 and when she retired after 40 years, they named the place after her. Mary C. of Peoria was 95, too, and boy did she love to cook, especially those green beans for her three kids and 29 grandkids and who knows how many great-grands and great-greats.

There was a fireworks demonstration on the National Mall this week, but it wasn’t an ooh-aah sort of thing. Oh, no, here it comes, we can hear you say. The lecture about being safe with fireworks. What are we supposed to do? Just stand by silently, even though 7,000 people went to emergency rooms last year for injuries related to fireworks? Seven people died.

Each year we try to alert the public to the dangers of fireworks and the applicable ordinances regarding their use.

Illinois cannot keep deferring pension payments and hope one day everything will be all right — it won’t. You’d think lawmakers would have learned that not paying into the system has dire consequences. They haven’t.

An interesting, if not high-stakes, political strategy is being played out this week in Springfield. The Republican Party, which is at a distinct disadvantage in both the Illinois House and Senate, suddenly has influence on the direction of the state budget.

It's the kind of nightmare scenario that keeps parents of newly licensed teen drivers lying awake nights: Navigating an up-and-down or winding rural road - without a seatbelt - text messaging up a storm, the teen becomes so distracted that she edges over into the opposite lane. Finally noticing a car coming at her, she swerves back into her own lane, making so sharp a turn she rolls her vehicle and is thrown from it as it tumbles end over end.

In 1977, it was Elvis Presley. Thirty years later, Anna Nicole Smith. We don’t know yet if Michael Jackson had a similarly enabling cadre of hangers-on who helped hasten his death last week at age 50, but there’s a common thread regardless. From Elvis to Anna Nicole, from Britney Spears to Jon and Kate Gosselin, we’ve seen countless times the power of fame to destroy lives.

Dear Governor Quinn, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said this past week he will not call a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow the recall of the governor unless you sign the loophole-laden, incumbent-protecting campaign finance bill passed by the House and Senate. We know you cherish the idea of having recall put into the Illinois Constitution. It’s part of the reason you agreed to support the bogus contribution limits in the campaign finance bill. But your response to Cullerton ought to be, “Fine. Both are a sham, anyway.”

If it’s summer on the highway, tempers are flaring about work zone cameras. Let’s step into a cool room, calm your road rage and discuss facts that could save you a $375 ticket.

“Mushrooms” is the name lobbyists, bureaucrats and journalists have for the backbench legislators at the Capitol, which includes nearly every lawmaker who is not House speaker, Senate president or the leader of the Republican minority in either chamber.