With the primary election in the rearview mirror, Illinois lawmakers have found yet another excuse for punting on the state's budget crisis: the general election. Mind you, there's no shortage of academics, lawmakers, journalists, or policy wonks making the case that a tax hike is neccessary and inevitable. Still, State Sen. President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) says lawmakers are "unlikely" to pass an income tax increase in an election year. In an interview with the Illinois Statehouse News, State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) asks, "What’s the cost of doing nothing?” The word meltdown comes to mind.