Every proper failed Socialist state needs 2 things.
1. A corrupt economy running out of money
2. A cult of personality with a holiday celebrating the Beloved Leader
Now Illinois has both.
Illinois is grappling with a full-fledged financial crisis and not even the lottery is safe – with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner warning the state is entering "banana republic" territory.
Facing billions in unpaid bills and pension obligations, the state is hitting a cash crunch that is rare even by Illinois standards.
A top financial official just warned 100 percent of the state's monthly revenue will be eaten up by court-ordered payments. Rauner is calling a special session of the Democrat-led General Assembly in a bid to pass what he hopes will be the first full budget package in almost three years.
But wait. It's not a banana republic yet.
Former President Barack Obama got a special treat for his birthday this year - his very own holiday.
Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Friday a measure to designate Aug. 4 as "Barack Obama Day" across Illinois.
The newest state holiday will be celebrated each year on the 44th president's birthday, beginning in 2018.
Okay, now it's a banana republic.
The holiday will be "observed throughout the State as a day set apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities," Senate Bill 55 reads.
Sure. Just ask all the dead cops and looted businesses. The thousands of soldiers of killed. And the current civil war we're in. So many bridges.
The only remaining question is which gulag do non-observers of the Beloved Leader holiday get sent to. And who will pay for the gulags.
Democrats' efforts to make Obama’s birthday a legal state holiday – during which schools and state offices would close, while banks and businesses could, but would not be required to close – stalled.... Republicans, including Rauner, also noted the economic cost of closing state buildings on the holiday, and the impact of workers having the day off.
But wouldn't losing a lot of money be the best way to commemorate the legacy of America's Worst President Ever?
Legislators also voted in July to rename part of a Chicago-area highway after their former colleague, designating the stretch of Interstate 55 from the Tri-State Tollway south to mile marker 202 near Pontiac as the "Barack Obama Presidential Expressway."
Three people were killed on the Barack Obama Presidential Expressway when a burning dump truck full of money overturned in the middle of a gangland shootout.