If you've been following Illinois politics over the last six months, at some point you've probably heard someone say that they would like to see a "forensic audit" performed on the state budget.  Former gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski coined the phrase, which has been embraced by the Republican leadership in Springfield, some rank-and-file members from both parties, and various editorial boards.  It's an impressive-sounding way of saying that they want to go through the budget line-by-line to see where waste exists.

But how would that process actually work?  And how much would the undertaking cost?  And are proponents' claims about the audits performed in Kansas and Texas really accurate?  In an excellent column today, the Tribune's Eric Zorn tries to figure that out and concludes that the forensic audit -- while well-meaning -- "looks more like a gimmick than a plan."