The lack of outcry statewide indicates either that Pawlenty and his team did a good job spreading out the pain and preparing local governments for the inevitable, or that municipalities are so concerned about next year that they basically took their medicine, grimaced a bit and are now figuring out how best to say "Please, sir, may we have some more?"

The problem, of course, is that when the Legislature convenes next month, there will be no shortage of hungry hands asking for more as the state grapples with a budget deficit that's at $5 billion and growing. Every lost job translates into less revenue, and Sen. Tom Bakk, who chairs the Senate Tax Committee, last week told our editorial board that a deficit of $6 billion or even $7 billion is within the realm of possibilities.

Even before the legislative session begins, there are signs of trouble in St. Paul. Bakk, a DFLer from Cook, expressed some concerns about how the House DFL leadership will attempt to balance the books.

"The House leadership has led people to believe that if they dig in their heels, they can protect their own little pieces of the pie," he said. "But we simply can't solve this problem with a lot of things being taken off the table."

It's an interesting philosophical dilemma: In a financial crisis of this magnitude, should anything be off limits to the budgetary ax? Are across-the-board spending cuts -- which Bakk says he and his Senate colleagues prefer -- better than asking our elected officials to make a dizzying array of Sophie's choices?

The poster-child in this debate will be K-12 education, which consumes 40 percent of the state budget. Rochester already is in the process of slashing nearly 10 percent of its $155 million annual budget, so the thought of static state funding -- let alone an actual cut -- is somewhat alarming. We want our children to receive the best education our tax dollars can buy, and view such expenditures as an investment in Minnesota's future.

Bakk, however, didn't mince words with us. "Education Minnesota (the state teachers union) is going to have to figure out how to participate in fixing this," he said. "The University of Minnesota is going to have to participate. All communities ultimately will have to share in the state's problems."

Those are unusual assertions from a DFLer, but it should be noted that Bakk has launched his campaign to be Minnesota's next governor. Picking a fight with your own party leadership is a great way to demonstrate one's independence, so there may be some political gamesmanship going on.

Regardless of Bakk's motives, we'd argue that he's on the right track. In these extraordinary times, every state program, agency and department must be challenged, not only to find "fat" in their budgets, but also to maximize the impact of every taxpayer dollar they receive and spend.

Is our educational system as lean and efficient as it can be? We're not sure. But we do know that if the Legislature gives certain spending categories a free pass from budgetary scrutiny, the resulting acrimony won't be limited to the floors of the House and Senate.