Ilyce filled in for Mike McConnell Tuesday morning on WGN Radio 720, where she talked politics, Mitt Romney’s slam on Chicago, the effect of the drought on corn and on the economy and answers your questions about the housing market and refinance.

In the first hour, Ilyce defends “Chicago-style” after Romney slammed the city’s culture of corruption and vents frustration about the state of political campaigns today, arguing that the recession has made us more polarized, more sick of the other side and less willing to listen. She also talks to Chicago Sun-Times political reporter Lynn Sweet about the Obama and Romney campaign.

In the second hour, she takes up the drought and how it’s affecting corn and soybean harvests around the country, particularly in Illinois. It has been the hottest year across the country since 1895 with 1,000 counties declared natural disaster areas due to the drought. She talks to a farmer who says he’s losing $10,000 a day due to the heat and predicts that the costs of many commodities will rise due to the weak crop.

In the final hour, Ilyce gives listeners her rules for a home run refinance: lowering interest rate, lowering payments, reducing the length of the loan and managing the costs of refinance. She also answers listeners’ questions on how long a short sale will effect a seller, how to find a good real estate attorney and walking away from underwater mortgages.