Budget picture not very rosy

On May 1, members of the Nevada Economic Forum meet to provide the last piece of the budget puzzle before the Legislature completes its work.

The forum looks at economic factors in the state and predicts what revenues will do in the coming two years.

The numbers on which the Legislature is working now were released in December and there's no economic indicator that has improved in the mean time.

Lawmakers announced earlier this month that it would require a $2.2 billion in tax increases to keep services where they are now.

Few lawmakers have the stomach to raise that much money on the back of an already shaky economy.

The struggle over cutting the higher education budget is just one sample of what lies ahead for the struggle to reduce revenues.

Our bet is that when the economic forum announces their forecast for the state's revenues next week, the news won't be better, it will be a lot worse.

And like a dice thrower betting his last chip, legislators are going to find themselves alone in the green felt jungle with snake eyes looking back at them.

In those final few weeks, reality will hit lawmakers, who will have to slash costs and raise taxes in order to complete their mandate to balance the budget.