New York State lawmakers are meeting this week at the request of Gov. David Paterson who has asked that they cut $2 billion from the state budget this year. Unless they do that, cautions the governor, New York State will be facing a serious financial crisis next year and be unable to balance its budget. More than that, every service, program, benefit and project in the State will be threatened now and for years to come.

New York State offers wonderful services to its citizens and every public servant, organization, volunteer and worker's are passionate about bringing those serivces to their fellow citizens. Whether it is health care, education, counseling, help for senior citizens, the poor and the needy, the work they do is an important part of New York State's commitment to care for its people.

But these are hard times, not only here in New York but also across the nation and it has become impossible for government to maintain the same level of services it has in the recent past. It has three options: do nothing and face a full financial breakdown, eliminate programs or services or deduct across the board.

Paterson believes the best way to face the crisis is to share the pain. His hope is that state lawmakers will agree that asking everyone to do with less, for a while, is the responsible approach.

We agree with Paterson, but would also ask that lawmakers do more. They should look for ways to establish greater efficiency, eliminate greed and corruption as they have been doing with the state's retirement, disability and Medicaid programs, and reduce state spending in areas where the costs exceed the benefits.