LIVING AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS. Illinois might have a one-party legislature, but the interests of Downstate legislators are not necessarily those of their Chicago governor.

Most of the new spending talk in Springfield since March has focused on schools and health care, but recent doomsday budget projections by Chicago-area transit agencies mean they're now also in line for limited state funds.

A Blagojevich spokeswoman said Wednesday that the governor would be interested in paying out $100 million to keep Chicago's trains and buses running at full capacity.

But as downstate lawmakers hold budget talks up because of high Ameren and ComEd power bills, some say they're not too interested in helping Chicago-area transit.

“We hear about the governor ready to dedicate $100 million in state money to a regional problem,” said state Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville. “Obviously, it's going to frustrate us a little bit when something we've been talking about since February has not been addressed.”

Negotiations to deal with electric rates continue.

State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, said Chicago-area taxpayers would be better off using their own money to help regional transit.

New state money, he says, should be focused to schools, universities and health care.

There really isn't any "new" state money, only the proceeds from the sale or lease of the lotteries.