Gov. Rod Blagojevich said that the Aug. 8 drop-dead date for the Illinois budget was "arbitrary."

Well, the governor, who is not right about many things -- is right about this. Just about everything in life is arbitrary, except, of course, death and taxes. All other things are arbitrary. They can change -- and do.

State officials worried mightily that by moving past the date they would jeopardize state paychecks and slow up school aid payments. The governor moved to allow the schools to borrow money, interest-free from the state.

Two thoughts come readily to mind.

* One, we have arrived at a point in time where so much of the state depends on government checks that any delay will work real hardship. The ordinary taxpayer will see little change in his or her life. The state employee worries about making the mortgage payment.

* Two, it is simply amazing that the Democrats, in complete control of every facet of state government, cannot agree on what to do. The governor, bitterly posturing for the press and for posterity, promises to hold out for "days, weeks and months" to get what he wants. What he seems to want is a big pile of money to spend, while state legislators say "no."

Here, Democrats are running into the same act of a play that will shortly unfold across the nation. Everyone expects governments to miraculously pay for loads of new services, but the cupboard is bare.

Meanwhile, leaders of both parties have laid down a "smokescreen" for years for the voters. The Institute for Truth in Accounting, which monitors such things, notes that Illinois has run up a $44 billion deficit in the last 20 years of legally required "balanced budgets." Blagojevich's last five balanced budgets have lost $769 million in 2006, lost $2.1 billion in 2005, lost $2.5 billion in 2004, lost $4.1 billion in 2003 and lost $4.2 billion in 2002. If this were your car payment, your jalopy would have been repossessed long ago.

The common-sense thing would be to pull back on spending. But that wins no votes. Instead, we promise things to people with no money to pay, and hold out to promise more and spend more. God bless our children, who will have to pay the bills.