More Pain

Although the economy seems to be slowly mending, the worst recession since the Great Depression is still producing aftershocks. Gov. Tim Kaine detailed the effects of those aftershocks when he laid out the particulars of the latest round of budget cuts.

The layoff ax will lay low nearly 600 employees. The effect falls particularly hard on Lawrenceville and Botetourt, two small communities where correctional institutions will close. State universities will take hits, as will the state's health department.

The governor spared K-12 education. This was politically helpful to his would-be successor, Creigh Deeds, but doesn't seem an ideal choice from a green-eyeshade perspective, for two reasons. First, the public schools have been the beneficiaries of disproportionate spending growth during the past decade, when the growth of appropriations outpaced the growth of enrollment by a ratio of 4:1. Second, the public schools represent a huge slice of the state-budget pie. Shrinking that wedge slightly -- e.g., by laying off one additional teacher per school district across the state -- would have seemed to spread the pain more evenly.

That said, everyone should recognize that in the current circumstances there are no happy choices. (The governor also has taken a commendable stand regarding the ratio of support staff to instructional personnel.) Our hearts go out to those who are losing their jobs. State government is a safe harbor from economic storms in ordinary circumstances, but there is no refuge from the current fiscal hurricane. Let us all wish the economy a speedy recovery.