Why are small budget cuts always deemed "deep" budget cuts? "Budget Calls for Tax Hikes, Deep Cuts," reads the Boston Globe headline. The Associated Press similarly contends that the Massachusetts budget makes "steep government service cuts." FY10's budget? $27.4 billion. Last year's budget? $28.1 billion. By way of comparison, the tax increases, which weren't prefaced by "steep" or any such scare words, are nearly twice the size of the cuts.

Dan, these are folks who tout themselves as thrifty when they slow the rate at which spending increases. Spending increase is like oxygen to them, and cuts are virtual suffocation.