Fiscal crisis

The brouhaha over New York Gov. David A. Paterson's planned address to the state Legislature Monday night is another expression of the dysfunctional nature of state government.

Initial reports indicated that some Senate Democrats had planned to snub the governor and not show up for his address before a joint session of the Legislature Monday night to deal with the state's $3 billion deficit this year.

Some Democratic lawmakers apparently did not want to take themselves away from a five-day conference in Puerto Rico to return home in time to hear Gov. Paterson present his case for slashing midyear spending to close this year's budget gap and forestall deficits of up to $10 billion over the next two years.

Lawmakers must attend the extraordinary session of the Legislature called by Gov. Paterson for Tuesday, but not his speech.

However, confronted with criticism, Senate Democrats have relented. They will now join Assembly Democrats and Republicans in both chambers as Gov. Paterson again makes his case for resolving the state's fiscal crisis.

The boycott talk was not only a personal slight to the governor but also disrespectful of his office. However, it was indicative of the divide that separates the governor and members of his own party. Senate Democrats and the governor's office blamed each other of engaging in photo ops. By creating the scheduling conflict that might have been avoided, Gov. Paterson exacerbated the tensions between them.

Gov. Paterson has also aggravated the strain between him and the Senate by adding distracting issues to the one-day session's agenda. Gov. Paterson wants the Legislature to deal with tougher drunken driving laws and legalizing same-sex marriage, a hot-button issue that the Senate has been reluctant to take up. Those issues can wait, though. The deficit cannot.

Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli estimates that the deficit will grow to $27.5 billion over the next three years.

Local governments have to know what they can expect in state assistance in the coming months. School districts are entitled to know how much state aid they might lose. Legislative indecisiveness is making it more difficult for schools, hospitals and universities to adjust their budgets in a timely manner. The longer the state holds off, the more difficult it becomes for everyone.

Other agenda matters can wait. The state's dire fiscal problems take precedence over all else.