There is a fight brewing to save the last glimmer of the American dream.

No, we're not talking about the dream of owning a home, a feat that is less common in the U.S. today than any time since 1967. Nor are we talking about the idea of sending your children to college so they can have a better life, a reality threatened by the fast rise in student loan defaults. And of course we're not talking about the ability to retire because, well, let's be honest: that dream is shot to hell.

The fight is to preserve what could more accurately be called the insurance policy for the American dream: winning the lottery.

When all else fails, as it too often does, you have the option to spend money you do not really have on lottery tickets you should not really buy in the hopes that it just might (but probably won't) pay for the dream you hoped hard work and a smooth functioning economy would provide. (Even though the lotto often ends up funding a nightmare of robberies, divorce and general burnout from the sudden wealth.)

In recent weeks, however, it has come to light that one state is reneging on this all-important obligation. The Illinois Lottery has stopped paying out prizes of $25,000 or more to winners as lawmakers have yet to pass a budget for the state which is about $5 billion in the red.

The money for the prizes is there, according to previous statements from Illinois Lottery officials, but the "legal authority" to issue the payments is not.

It's an issue that affects only a small number of people in the state who hit a jackpot of that size, but last week, two of those winners generated a disproportionate number of headlines and reactions online by filing a lawsuit against the Illinois Lottery demanding it cease lottery ticket sales and make immediate payments to the winners. The suit leaves open the possibility to represent other winners-in-waiting.

As Daniel Chasteen, one of the lotto winners ($250,000, in his case) behind the suit, explained to The Wall Street Journal, “You dream about winning the lottery all your life and it finally happened, and you don’t get paid.”

The idea of spending a lifetime dreaming of winning the lottery is sad enough, but the second half of the sentence damn near breaks your heart.

Great! Now I can't even dream about winning the lottery #Illinois http://t.co/QTEAChYXqD — mrs c (@jenm_c1) September 14, 2015

???: What gambling entity takes your money yet won't pay out jackpots? The mob? No. The @IllinoisLottery! @cbschicago http://t.co/Zt843P7bnF — Brad Σdwards (@tvbrad) September 10, 2015

Slogan is "anything's possible"... Article: Illinois lottery winners have to wait for payout due to budget impasse http://t.co/J6ANgBl0bj — Eric Verbit (@verbit) September 6, 2015

Some, like the editorial board at the Chicago Tribune, the paper of record in the region, appear to be scratching their heads at the fuss around this issue, of all issues.

"This isn't a problem that affects a lot of people," the paper wrote in an editorial on Monday, listing off the many ways that the state's budgetary crisis will hurt workers, retirees, students. "Perhaps two dozen winners are awaiting their checks."

The temporary halt on lotto jackpot payments may only affect a few individuals, but it cuts to the heart of two beliefs among many Americans: that the government should play fair and straight with us and our money — and that we have a right to dream irresponsibly big, all the more so as our modest dreams for a home, a steady job, a good education for our kids and a safe retirement slip out of reach.

Perhaps this incident will shake some from that more farfetched dream and encourage those in Illinois and beyond to re-double their efforts to be smart with their money and push for local legislators to do the same. If not, there are still dozens of other states where you can hope to win a lottery jackpot right now. To borrow from the wise words of the Illinois Lottery motto: "Anything's possible."