By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner, includes “The budget is more consequential than ever because it’s a whopping $6 billion, or 60 percent, larger than the pre-COVID 2019 budget of $10.7 billion. … Lightfoot is unintentionally setting Chicagoans up for a bigger fiscal cliff – first, by ignoring the city’s worsening debts, and second, by creating more dependency through a multitude of new programs. When the Fed’s largesse runs out soon, Chicago will have millions in additional program expenses and even higher debts – and no plan for how to pay for them.”