Cook County Cover Up: budget, finances leave some scratching their heads

The Daily Herald reports on America's most corrupt county:

If you're asked to approve a change to a budget at midyear, but still don't have the original budget, can you really approve changes?

That was the question Cook County Board commissioners found themselves asking Tuesday as they gathered for the annual task of midyear appropriations, the process by which certain departments that are over or under budget either return money or ask for more to get them through the year.

The process is always confusing, but this year, several commissioners said it was nearly impossible because President Todd H. Stroger's budget department has yet to release the final 2008 budget, more than six months into the budget year.

"It's far more difficult to try to analyze this when you don't have that final appropriation bill," said Commissioner Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat. "Some of this doesn't make sense."

Todd Stroger is the Chicago Machine hack Barack Obama supported.