If Illinois is serious about a mammoth plan for public construction and repair projects, it’s time we part with the notion that we can have something for nothing.

In this case, we have been hearing for months that it’s possible for the citizens of Illinois to get $25 billion worth of something without paying an extra dime for it. All we have to do is hand over our state lottery to a private company for 50 years.

Lease the lottery, says the Blagojevich administration, and we’ll be able to fix bridges, pave roads, build schools and, in the latest twist, curb the gun violence that has plagued Chicago.

We’re certainly willing to consider the idea, but we’re not willing to do it under the threat that we either accept it now or we let the state’s infrastructure continue to rot.

If we start down the path of selling off a state asset every time we need to fund a capital plan, we’ll be looking for something new to sell every five or 10 years.

We think it’s worth remembering that there was no magic formula to fund the state’s last major capital works plan — Illinois FIRST, which pumped $12 billion into the state infrastructure after its passage in May 1999. License plate fees went from $48 a year to $78. The state’s liquor tax went up.

There is no question that the state needs to pour some serious money into its infrastructure. But if we want better roads, new schools or — as the governor wants — summer job programs for inner-city youth, we have to pay for them. A fire sale of state property is not a proper revenue stream for these needs.

Illinois needs a capital construction plan now, and the governor needs to offer a sensible way to pay for it.