Labor Day weekend has come and gone in Illinois, and state officials still haven't figured out how to pay for a massive jobs bill.

The General Assembly left town a few weeks back without taking action on a statewide construction program that would put thousands of people to work.

The disagreement continues to center on how to pay for the program. Last we checked, they had zeroed in on a plan to give Chicago a casino.

The revenue generated by the gambling palace would help pay for the bonds that would bankroll the construction of roads, bridges schools and new university facilities.

Somewhere along the way, however, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley discovered his town wasn't going to be getting as much as he wants out of the deal. So he threw up a roadblock that has put the issue on hold for the time being.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich keeps blaming his nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, as well as Republicans, for the hold up. Madigan says the mayor should play a role in the process. Republicans want the construction program, but are worried that Blagojevich won't allocate money for projects in their districts.

So, largely because of distrust among the people elected to lead Illinois, those thousands of jobs the measure would create remain in limbo.

We talked to John Penn, business manager for the Great Plains Laborers' District Council, which represents 13,000 Laborers' International union members, organized into 15 different locals covering northern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

The Bloomington man has been heading up issues for the Laborers for three decades.

And, despite the meltdown that has occurred in Springfield this year, he sounded a positive note that Democrats who control state government can put their differences aside in exchange for billions of dollars in local projects and jobs.

"We haven't had a highway bill in years," said Penn, referring to the last major construction program, which was put in place during former Gov. George Ryan's administration.

He says he is hopeful lawmakers can come to an agreement on the plan in the coming weeks.

"We are trying to put some things together," said Penn. "How much remains a question."

Laborers International is just one of several vocal lobbying groups pushing for the jobs bill. They are joined by other trade unions and Republican-leaning business groups.

Despite the governor's lack of ability to shepherd a jobs bill through the General Assembly, Penn said members of his union, who usually work on road projects, have fared well in recent years because of ongoing work in the private sector.

But, he said some laborers in border areas where private sector construction is less robust -- including Rockford and the Quad-Cities -- are leaving the state in search of jobs.

"Those areas are being hit harder than we are," said Penn, who is also the chairman of the McLean County Democratic Party.

For now, however, it doesn't appear likely that any action is imminent. The House will return today to deal with Chicago-area mass transit funding. There are no plans for other legislative initiatives to be heard, nor is the Senate scheduled to come back to town.

The governor, of course, could schedule a special session and then sue lawmakers when they ignore it.

Penn says the time to take action was last spring.

"These bridges and highways and everything else, they need an overhaul," he said.

Dems going ballistic

No need to speculate on how angry House Democrats are over Blagojevich's decision to veto most of their projects out of the budget.

From state Rep. John Bradley in Marion to Pat Verschoore in the Quad Cities, all agree that the governor's punishment of them was a bad move.

Here's what state Rep. David Miller, D-Dolton, had to say last week:

"He has a major problem with following through on his promises," Miller said. "I learned that from hard personal experience when, several years ago, he pledged his support towards building a third regional airport in the south suburbs."

"In the time since, he has done and said virtually nothing more on the subject. His track record on the airport and other state health care programs over the last five years does not inspire confidence that he can get the job done."

Ouch.