Now that Gov. David Paterson has revealed a budget proposal that calls for serious cuts in spending, an intense fearmongering campaign by special interest groups won't be far behind.

One of the first volleys fired Tuesday was from a group of education advocates arguing that education cuts would stifle programs, immediately affect the quality of education and would be an attempt to balance the budget “on the backs of our children.”

And The Iroquois Healthcare Alliance argued that because the health care industry is one that continually creates new jobs, that any cuts would be “devastating to Upstate New York and further the economic depression.”

The truth is that education and health care aren't the only targets for cuts, and Paterson is right when he says that state lawmakers must not shrink from the challenges before them.

Outright cuts in some areas and very small increases in others are going to be necessary if the state is going to finally face its growing deficit and finally do something about it.

State spending has been allowed to grow out of control for too long.

The 1982-83 state budget was $25.9 billion. By 1991 it had more than doubled, and the current operating budget is $120.8 billion.

Yes, budget cuts will be painful, but they will also be necessary.

Perhaps special interest groups would be wiser to put their money into programs that directly benefit their members, rather than playing a deceitful public relations game seeking to pit the public against state lawmakers who dare to speak in support of fiscal restraint.

It would be quite refreshing to hear somebody say, “We're going to have to get by with less this year.”

Fighting the process every step of the way with scare tactics won't, in the end, do any good for New Yorkers.