Most state lawmakers and people involved with government have been operating under a myth that Washington state must have a balanced budget. In fact, many people thought it was part of the state Constitution.

Times reporter Andrew Garber's recentstory debunks this notion. In fact, the state Budget and Accounting Act requires the governor to submit a balanced budget to lawmakers but it does not require the Legislature to pass one or forbid the governor for inking a signature on a budget that is out of balance.

The idea of deficit spending might be tempting for Washington state budget writers, particularly given the projected budget deficit of $5.1 billion during the next two-year cycle and Gov. Chris Gregoire's campaign pledge to manage the state without any tax increases. She has already started budget cutting and has noted the budget she will be proposing this month -- balanced by law -- will be "ugly" and some of the proposals are pretty dire. See the Times' editorial offering some suggestions.

What do you think? Should state lawmakers and the governor embrace deficit spending for the next biennium during this tough economic downturn? Or should they adhere to what has been a time-honored practice of balancing expenditures with the state's actual revenues?