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Governor, the popular Democratic chief executive of Arizona

Conservative Republicans, group who want to minimize taxes and government programs

House Minority Leader, a cheerful, moderate Democrat from Tucson

Senate President, a thoughtful, moderate Republican from Tucson

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman, experienced Republican legislator from a Phoenix suburb

The Chorus, Democratic and Republican members of the Legislature who are not part of the budget negotiation process, many of whom feel disenfranchised

SCENE — Scorching day at the Arizona State Capitol. The sun reflects off the copper dome into the eyes of all who look upon the scene. Theme from "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" wafts from the orchestra pit.

ACT I

Narrator: Behold, it is a tense day in Phoenix, seat of government for the great state of Arizona. Temperatures, humidity and tempers are rising as the protracted legislative session continues into the longest days of June.

Enter stage left, Governor. Enter stage right, Senate President, followed by Conservative Republicans.

Governor: Lo! Friendly Senate President, who has created a spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship among our legislators. You gathered the legislative decision makers early in January to work out the details of both the 2008 and the 2009 state budgets in the face of serious deficits. I presented the Legislature with a comprehensive, balanced budget that included some accounting manipulations, but, importantly, offered some valid ideas for balancing the budget such as bonding for school construction. I am a realist — I didn't expect to get everything in my budget, but I did expect progress.

Conservative Republicans: Pish-posh. You know we do not want to borrow money for school construction — we have said that since January, when you first proposed it. We are unhappy with the moderate buzz in our caucus.

Enter stage center, Chorus, House Minority Leader and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman.

Chorus: The hour is late! The new fiscal year begins in 10 days. Our state must have a budget.

Minority Leader: We are making progress. The Republicans have allowed Democrats into the process. We are meeting. We will have a budget that will include some financing for school construction and cuts.

Chorus: You have exhausted us. We have been in Phoenix since January doing the state's business. We must return to our districts, our families, our jobs. Campaign season is upon us — early voting for the primary election beings July 31.

Senate President: We have made progress. Last week State legislative leaders agreed on a $10.6 billion budget for next year. Granted, the tax cut package is smaller than House and Senate Republicans would like. However, we must be reasonable with our Democratic governor, who must sign the budget. The package has about $10 million in tax reductions, mostly for business.

Governor: Yes, Yes. That proposal is encouraging.

Conservative Republicans: Arrrgh! The tax cuts in the plan are only peanuts and a pittance. Too much compromise and not enough cuts.

Chorus: That means we're at a standstill. An impasse. Sigh! The state cannot continue without a budget. It will stop functioning.

Governor: Au contraire! Even if lawmakers don't approve a new budget by July 1, the fundamental elements of government will continue. Prisons will operate. The Department of Public Safety will patrol the highways.

Chorus: But how?

Governor: I'm not going to reveal exactly which Arizona law gives that legal authority, but I'm prepared to take appropriate action if there is no budget by July 1. We have done our research.

Conservative Republicans: But that's not what our legislative counsel said. He said constitutional functions like the governor, attorney general, courts and the Legislature can go on, and that the governor can call out the National Guard in cases of emergency, but the governor can't decide unilaterally keep services going without a budget. So there.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman: Wait! I don't want a messy legal fight over the governor's power. Nor do I want a shutdown of the state. I'm putting together an interim budget — sans non-essential state services — to enable critical services to continue for another month.

Chorus: Hurray! A month-long, interim budget would mean state and university employees get paid for the work they are doing right now. Their checks for the last pay period of the year are due July 2. Whoa Nelly! Does that mean we have to spend July here? What about our families? Vacations? Would the state budget would be on a month-to-month basis?

Narrator: Alas, we cannot write Act II, because the standoff continues. Without question, dealing with the state budget, especially in times of deficit, is one of the most complex and often contentious things with which legislators must deal. The possibility of entering a new fiscal year without a budget is unmapped territory. In 1988 and 1992 the entire budget was not enacted until hours into the new fiscal year, but there has not been case in which there was no authorized spending plan for more than a few hours. We hope to soon write Act II — with the happy ending of a balanced budget that makes cuts as necessary and includes bonding for school construction.