Special session not productive now

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is hoping the Arizona Legislature will hold a special session soon, perhaps next week, on the state's ongoing budget woes.

We're not sure it wouldn't be a waste of time, given the past unwillingness of the governor's office and legislative leaders to put aside differences and diligently work on an acceptable compromise on what to do about the state's overspending.

Even if a special session does take place, it apparently will only address a portion of the state deficit - about $500 million in spending cuts for social services and K-12 schools. That leaves perhaps $1.5 billion in excess state spending hanging out there to be resolved.

The budget issues is timely, given a report this week that Arizona is on the same path that has led to the financial collapse of California state government. Of course, various Arizona leaders have been saying for some time that on a per capita basis our state is actually in worse shape than California, even though the total dollar amounts are lower.

And the fault rests with the Legislature and governor's office, especially when Janet Napolitano was in office. There was full awareness the state was in fiscal trouble - spending more than it was taking in - but only timid steps were taken for years to stop it. Instead, there was a reliance on accounting trickery and expense shifting to try to forestall the inevitable day of reckoning.

There is no denying that the state is in serious trouble, but the idea of a special session at this point seems rather meaningless. It is only a matter of weeks before a new regular legislative session starts in January.

The remaining time in the year could probably be spent more meaningfully by preparing to address the problem during the regular session. Perhaps then the budget crisis can be dealt with in a conclusive way that does not make it necessary to keep revisiting it every few months.