True, they did give teachers and public employees a raise. They funded school enrollment growth and gave the state's colleges and universities much of what they requested. So how could they still look like skinflints?

The answer is that they could have done more for basic state programs, especially human services. But they chose, instead, to pay down road bonds in anticipation of constructing new highways.

From one standpoint, the lawmakers' passion for asphalt is understandable. The state is facing billions of dollars in highway construction needs, and plowing budget surpluses into the Centennial Highway Fund is something that legislators were right to do.

The highway fund was raided during the economic recession of the last three years, so it was time to put some big money back when the state's wallet was fat again.

We only differ with the people's representatives on the amount. The $85 million that the House sought early on would have been enough, in our view, and it would have left more in the pot for other pressing needs. When they socked away $120 million for roads, they got carried away.

To understand why the Legislature acted as it did, remember that they had $675 million in one-time and projected revenue surpluses. That kind of wealth brings pressures, particularly after three years of budget cuts.

Mostly, people expect you to do things for them. Everyone from teachers to tourism promoters wanted a piece of the larger pie, especially to make up for the recent lean years.

To their credit, lawmakers recognized that there are so many legitimate needs for state services that now was not the year for a major tax cut. But times of plenty still make fiscal conservatives nervous, because they don't want government to grow faster than population and inflation.

Their solution to slowing government growth was to plow large parts of the surplus into roads. Spending money that way does not cause growth in ongoing state programs. That's why fiscal conservatives like it.

As a consequence, some mentally ill patients won't get treatment. Drug offenders won't be diverted from prison to care. That's a shame, because the money was there.

And in coming years, even with the money this Legislature plowed into highways, increases in fuel and other car-related taxes still will be necessary if we're going to build all those roads we need.