The poorest of the poor; the people with the weakest voice and the least sway on Capitol Hill - Medicaid recipients - will likely suffer the most.

You can't fault the Legislature for acting promptly this week, or preserving the budgetary reserve for a rainier day. The national economic downturn, which has spread to Utah, will take a $354 million bite out of state revenue, and lawmakers were right to bring spending into line. But the way they wielded the cleaver can certainly be called into question.

Medicaid took a $16 million hit. That irresponsible cut will cost the state an additional $23 million in federal matching funds. Programs providing physical therapy, eye care, chiropractic care, and speech and hearing services will be ravaged, and approximately 19,000 recipients will not receive the care they need.

And a reduction in Human Services spending may effect programs that treat drug abuse and mental illness, and serve the elderly, disabled and families.

Lawmakers did a lot of things right while economizing. For example, they gave public education a pass, and retained tax breaks to help small businesses provide health insurance for employees. But there were better bull's-eyes in the budget than Medicaid and human services, ones that would not have jeopardized the health and welfare of struggling Utahns.

For example, transportation would have made a more humane target. While the Utah Department of Transportation's Critical Highway Needs Fund will take a $35 million hit, $55 million remains in the fund for major construction projects. Less than half of that would restore the Medicaid and Human Services cuts.

The highway projects would have merely been delayed. And they could have been quickly restored with a modest gas tax hike 15 cents on top of the current 24.5 cents-per-gallon tax would make even more money available for road projects next year. But the damage done to the health of Medicaid recipients, if they fail to receive the care they require, may well be irreversible.

Think of it in terms of your household budget. If you needed to reduce spending and the kids were sick, would you take them to the doctor, or pave the driveway? Lawmakers chose to pave the driveway.