The Herald & Review editorial page runs a reality check today on the House’s statewide budget hearings.

The effort that is going into a series of statewide budget hearings, sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, is noteworthy.

We would add that it’s always good for legislators and others involved in the budget process to hear from folks before making any final decisions.

But we’d also note that when it comes to state budgets, it might be wise to take what is said at these statewide budget hearings with a grain of salt.

The basic problem is people either don’t understand the problem or they choose to ignore it. And most of the people testifying at these budget hearings attend because they want to promote or protect a program. In the end, the folks who pay the bills - the taxpayers - don’t get a chance to say much. […]

State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, warned those at the hearing that sales and income tax increases weren’t going to happen for a couple of years.

“In an era of limited government, we need a priority list of what should be funded,” he said.

That’s the approach the General Assembly should be taking, but it’s not likely much of that will be heard at the series of budget hearings.