By Justin Carlson, includes “Illinois has spent more than it brings in for 21 consecutive years, giving it the second-largest total debt burden of any state and the nation’s lowest credit rating – even though it recently received its first bond upgrades in decades. Responsibility largely lies with numerous lawmakers and governors who have made fiscally irresponsible policy decisions for those 21 years. But there is another important culprit: the budget process itself. …”