The absurdest play known as the state budget shifted to House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, who responsed, finally, to Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s proposal to cut $466 million from the current plan, including $84 million in aid to cities and towns.

“This is the shock to them and they would have to find ways to deal with providing funding for their schools and services,” said   Donovan.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipal (CCM) quickly jumped in and bought radio time to say these cuts were passing the buck to Mayor’s and First  Selectmen, a time honored tradition at the state Capitol. CCM thinks all of this will lead to higher property taxes, or gasp, a reduction of services, personnel or both.

Most Republican Mayors and First  Selectmen are already ahead of the game, having made cuts prior to the laughable budget and they deal with it like they always do – directly. That is why most of the GOP locally elected leaders were reelected this past election.

The real problem is in the big cities, which consume most of  the state subsidies for education and general operation. Mayor Bill Finch of Bridgeport has been the only one of  the big three to make any substantive cuts. Mayor Eddie Perez of Hartford is under federal indictment and will go to trial in the spring and Mayor John DeStefano continues to blame the Republicans and the Bush administration for his problems.

Democrat Mayor of East Hartford Melodie Currey almost got it right when she shouted in despair – “what are people willing to live without?”

It should be “how much government can we live without?

The answer is plenty but Speaker Donovan continues to play his electric guitar and not hear the voice of any reality-based lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, who rightly points out the budget gimmicks and one-time revenue arrangements leave only one option.

“We need to cut spending,”Cafero said.

Instead, Donovan will be conducting five public meetings to talk about the effect the Great Recession is having on children.  These audiences would be sprinkled with the usual collection of union sympathizers and non-profit agency groups plus a few stray child psychologists.

The media will  follow along as parents tell the heart-wretching story about the excesses of Wall Street, the failure of those who make money to pay their fair share and subseqent problems a unemployment and dependency create for families. It’s a ll about the kids.

Speaker Donovan will nod his head, pull on his chin and say, “something has to be done!”

Then, in February Speaker Donovan will roll out another “tax fairness” proposal to cover the immediate shortfall and make our state “fair and competitive.”