Editorial: Where is negotiation on state budget?

What passes for a week's worth of work in Springfield ended Friday virtually no further ahead of where it began.

Yes, both Houses managed to approve a grandstanding and meddling bit of legislation limiting community colleges - but curiously no other public bodies - to what they can offer early-departing administrators. And, among an assortment of perfunctory bills, the governor signed a terrible law permitting the unnecessary, purely recreational hunting of bobcats. Oh, and they courageously gave us "happy hour" back. But when it comes to what really matters in Illinois - a budget that puts the state back on a path where prosperity at least appears on a dim horizon - there were only more vain theatrics and pointless name calling.

We're not sure where it's all headed or even what to hope for anymore from this dysfunctional group, but here's a thought that every rank-and-file lawmaker could take to heart: Since the only thing you're really doing is waiting for the governor or House speaker to blink and then tell you what to do, why not lay off the sideline business and demand something from your leaders?

It is a sorry but accurate observation on the state of governance in Illinois that party leaders entirely control the process involving any issue of consequence - and everyday lawmakers are only too happy to keep it that way. "We haven't been given anything to vote on," they will say when confronted with questions about why they aren't doing more to settle the state's budget woes. And, when they are given something to vote on, it is only predetermined political spectacle, carefully shaped to provide misleading bluster on a campaign flyer.

That's why a severely flawed Senate bill this week that purported to address Gov. Bruce Rauner's call for a property tax freeze while packaging a host of ineffectual and controversial school-funding proposals passed on a 32-0 vote - supported entirely by Democrats, with all Republicans who voted voting "present" rather than face the prospect of being accused of opposing a property tax freeze.

As long as Illinois' senators and representatives wait for a budget to be handed to them, this kind of political foot-shuffling is about all we can expect. So, lawmakers, how about this suggestion?: Instead of finding bipartisanship in bad legislation or exhibiting a pretense to backbone in the support or opposition of legislative farces, why not insist your leaders get into a room together and not come out until they have produced legitimate, unqualified compromise?

There is an acceptable middle ground between the $4 billion deficit budget Democrats have produced and the overreaching Turnaround Agenda Gov. Rauner has promoted. It won't solve every problem and it will anger and hurt interests on all points along the political spectrum - possibly, we acknowledge, even us.

But that's what negotiation is and that's what it does. Right now, it's hard to see where anything like it is going on - and without it, we'll end next week and likely the summer and beyond, not only no further ahead of where we began but behind.