Gov. Mark Sanford has cranked up his budget hearings for the second time, and it is a worthwhile effort that needs more attention from the legislature.

Sanford, widely known as a penny-pincher in both his personal and public life, achieves a lot by opening budget preparation to new perspectives and public access.

Sanford wants to look at the state budget from the ground up. Legislative committees also work on agency budgets, but the governor is trying to see the whole picture. He begins by hosting all state agency leaders in a series of public forums in which they defend expenditures and he asks why things are done the way they are.

Last year, some of the governor's questions or suggestions were seen as off the wall. But there is nothing wrong with assumptions or traditions being challenged.

Beyond that, the hearings helped reveal where blurred accountability exists. Agency heads may feel they answer to key legislators, or factions on the five-member Budget and Control Board, meaning it can be hard to tell who is really in charge and thereby accountable.

Public budget hearings can also reveal duplication of services. Or, as the libertarian Sanford is particularly keen on finding, situations where the private sector might do the job government is doing.

The public hearings also could help the state get a better picture of its overall goals. Revenue shortfalls in recent years have forced the state to make many budget cuts. But the cuts typically have been across-the-board. A closer look at each dime spent by each agency could help the state do a better job setting priorities -- cutting one program altogether in order to boost another program deemed a top priority.

The process is tedious, and it can be uncomfortable. But it is good for the state.