Rather than fix the structural problems in state finance, the 2003 S.C. General Assembly and Gov. Mark Sanford produced the latest in a long series of smoke-and-mirrors S.C. budgets, with a handy assist from last-minute, one-time federal money.

Now, with fiscal 2004 barely under way, it's already clear that the state faces a significant revenue shortfall, and that deeply slashed schools and state agencies face another round of cuts as early as September.

Worse, S.C. legislators and Sanford prospectively face a hole so deep only radical tax increases or liquidations of entire agencies can fill it. Considering that 2004 is an election year for every S.C. legislator, readers have good reason to wonder whether they'll inflict the pain necessary to produce an honest budget at last.