Today an article entitled “Illinoid Department of Transportation to hire 170 new workers” in the Herald-Review gave me cause for pause. Aside from coining my new favorite word “illinoid,” which while I am sure was a Freudian slip by the person who posted it, it lays out the next chapter in the strange saga that is Teamsters in Illinois:

“The state may be broke, but that isn’t stopping officials from putting out a “Help Wanted” sign. Under an arrangement between the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Teamsters union, the state is gearing up to hire at least 170 new highway maintainers over the next six weeks.“

“Once in place, the workers will mow interstate right-of-ways, pick up dead animals and operate snow plows. But, given the state’s massive budget woes, some lawmakers find the mass hiring puzzling. “Seems a little strange,” state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said Tuesday.”

“DOT spokeswoman Marissa Kollias said the agreement inked with the Teamsters last year gives the state a $3 million financial incentive to boost the number of new maintainers from last year’s level of 1,737 workers to more than 1,900 by July 1. Base pay for a highway maintainer is about $47,700 annually….”

If my state—well, my city, considering that I live in the District of Columbia—were broke but struck a deal with the Teamsters to spend more tax payer dollars even with “financial incentives,” I’d be “illinoid” too.

For your amusement, here are the correct uses of the word “illinoid”:

“I am so illinoid because labor is stalling the new Walmart in Chicago.”

Or…

“I just get so illinoid everytime I see Rod Blagojavich, or someone with his hair.”