At Last, a Year for State Budgets When the Sky is Not Falling

After a four-year run during which states had to close budget gaps of historic proportions, the term "surplus" is finally making a modest comeback in capitals. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, at least 45 states saw their revenues increase over the past year. Enough economic vital signs are headed in the right direction that the mood in most states is encouraging, and some legislatures will start reversing the most painful of their recent cuts as soon as this year.