Illinois politics has been labeled boring, but unfortunately for us, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Rather than boring, 2007 has been a year noted for power-plays, pissing contests and breaches of etiquette. Add in the fact that we voted for them to be there, and this has all the drama of a Fox reality show.

The epicenter of this drama is an ongoing political tug-of-war between Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-22nd District). Though both are Democrats, their time together at the capitol has been marked by polarized debates.

The rivalry between Blagojevich and Madigan came to a head in August, when the governor announced he was suing Madigan over what amounts to a matter of procedure.

Earlier this year, Blagojevich called special sessions of the legislature, and Madigan responded by rescheduling some of them to more convenient times and effectively cancelling others by telling lawmakers not to bother showing up.

Blagojevich’s lawsuit said Madigan’s behavior is “aimed at eradicating the governor’s constitutional and statutory powers.” Madigan said the lawsuit is means to an end, telling the Associated Press that “his ends traverse into a dark realm that ultimately seeks to replace the rule of law with rule by a single man.”

When your elected officials make politics sound like the script for “Lord of the Rings,” one might infer that they’re no longer thinking rationally. Meanwhile, still on the table are all sorts of budget measures with far-reaching implications for Illinois residents.

The CTA, Pace and Metra all need money from the government to avoid fare increases, service cutbacks and layoffs. Public transportation is particularly important in Chicago, where thousands of commuters depend on the El, but it also should be a matter of concern for travelers, business owners and people concerned about the environment who’d like to see fewer cars on the roads.

Other funds would go to infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads and highways, so that we don’t see any bridge collapses like the one in Minneapolis.

In all areas, we’re coming up short.

Blagojevich made several unpopular line-item vetoes to the state budget, including cutting more than a $100,000 from NIU’s budget. He also made cuts to flood-prevention funding at the same time he declared parts of Illinois a disaster area because of flooding.

The proposed solution is expanding gambling in Illinois, adding casinos in Chicago and possibly the northern and southern suburbs. Another proposal is increasing the Illinois sales tax, but both are sore and sticky issues for most people in government.

So far, however, discussions of problems and solutions are almost entirely stalled because no one seems capable of getting along with anyone else. Madigan is opposed to Blagojevich’s vetoes, and it seems less likely that they’ll be able to compromise while there’s a lawsuit standing between them.

People say politics are boring. They probably would be, too, if things were running smoothly. But until they are, it’d be in our best interest to pay close attention.