Below are our daily picks from the Illinois blogosphere and media at large:

Stopping The Damage Already Done
Doug Schenkelberg points out the obvious flaw in arguments against raising Illinois' income tax now: There will always be a reason to avoid doing so.

Splitting On Energy
Grist's David Roberts says that there is a growing divergence of the South (specifically coal-mining Appalachia) and the Midwest on energy politics.

Midwest Before California?
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation committee, tells MinnPost that the Midwest is far ahead of California in terms of planning a high-speed rail initiative.

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