The budget approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor Wednesday isn't quite worth a sigh of relief, but at least it gives people an opportunity to come up for air.

The state is drowning in debt and overspending, and this budget does little to change that. The plan includes $3.4 billion in direct borrowing and what amounts to $3.2 billion in indirect borrowing - further delaying payment of overdue bills.

It does bring some needed stability that could help social service agencies devastated by earlier cuts and avoid massive layoffs.

State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who voted against the bill, doesn't think government would have come to a halt if this budget hadn't been passed. Instead, he thinks a continuing appropriation could have been approved funding government at 90 percent of last year's funding level.

We aren't so sure such an agreement could have been reached.

Instead, this compromise plan was developed. Like many compromises, it's not perfect. Lawmakers most likely will have to take further action this fall or possibly in January. But at least the immediate crisis has been averted.

Gov. Pat Quinn will have to make cuts - and that's good. Spending cuts have to be part of the equation.

Brady, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for governor in 2010, doesn't think Quinn will manage the budget properly, leaving the state $2 billion short. Coupled with one-time revenue that won't be available next year, such as federal stimulus money, Brady said the current approach "creates between a $5 (billion) and $8 billion cliff" a year from now.

People need to recognize that sacrifices will have to be made. Quinn needs to recognize that this is his opportunity to demonstrate leadership - even if it's not popular.

What's needed in addition to immediate cost cutting is substantive, longer range changes that will put Illinois on more solid footing and end the spend-and-borrow, borrow-and-spend routine which got us into this mess and can't be sustained indefinitely.

The state needs to make changes in its pension system and Medicaid. It needs to review programs - both those run by the state and those operated by private agencies through state-funding - to see where money can be saved through combining programs, eliminating duplication and ending those that are ineffective or shouldn't be a high priority.

As state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said, "We have to look at reforming Illinois ... changing the culture of spending."

Let's start by no expanding existing programs and scaling back those expanded by Quinn's predecessor, Rod Blagojevich.

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