This year's state legislature session ended much the same as last year's, with a few accomplishments but many other problems unsolved as leaders of the majority party spent the final hours feuding over tax cuts.

The General Assembly wrapped up its 40-day session on Friday by passing a $2.1 billion budget, but differences between the House and Senate over a $1.7 billion tax cut plan led to raw tempers and kept other key initiatives from being approved.

The plan pushed by House Speaker Glenn Richardson and his lieutenants would have eliminated the annual car tag tax. The Senate preferred trimming the state's income tax rates. A compromise measure would have done both, but Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle balked and kept it from coming to a vote in the Senate.

It's just as well, because Gov. Sonny Perdue doesn't favor cutting taxes amid concerns over the state's fluctuating revenue levels. A report last week showed that Georgia took in less tax revenue than expected last month, some $19 million less than in March 2007. As a result, the state may need to tap into its $1.5 billion reserve fund to boost the state budget.

House leaders say that tax cuts will boost the economy by stimulating consumer spending, and in turn raise the state's revenue levels. Still, the governor remains unconvinced, and likely would have vetoed a portion of any tax cut plan. (The car tax was proposed as a constitutional amendment and not subject to a veto.)

If this battle looks familiar, it is because we saw the same song and dance at the end of last year's session. House leaders approved a tax refund in the final hours that Perdue axed via line-item veto. That led to threats of a special session to override his veto, though such a vote didn't happen until early in this year's session.

Afterward, the angry rhetoric was reminiscent of what we heard last year. But instead of aiming his barbs at Perdue, Richardson put Cagle in his cross hairs.

"When you go home on the tag tax, tell everyone it has a new name: The Cagle birthday tax. Every time they pay it, they can think of Casey Cagle," he said.

Cagle shot back: "It is unfortunate that those who are in the position to join us in providing tax relief were blinded by ego and were unwilling to come to an agreement."

If Friday's comments are any indication, the anticipated 2010 race for governor between those two Republicans is going to get ugly in a hurry.

Back to the legislature: Is it the right time for a tax cut? We all like more money in our pockets, and we agree with the notion that surpluses are the people's money and should be refunded to those who filled the coffers.

But first things first. An extra $100 in our pockets might pay a few bills or fill the gas tank twice, but it won't help us overcome shortfalls in spending for trauma care or transportation. And those priorities were not addressed adequately in this year's legislature.

Keep in mind that it's an election year, when legislators would rather have us eat our dessert first. By cutting taxes, they hope to buy our votes. In fact, you can pretty much set your watch by it. It doesn't matter to many politicians if tax cuts make sense as long as they can put that feather in their cap at campaign time.

The tax cut battle overshadowed most everything else that occurred during the session, though the final scorecard for this year's session did include some positive moves. The budget restored some educational spending cuts favored by Perdue, including $2.4 million toward a new Gainesville State College academic building and $6 million in building expansions for Lanier Technical College's campuses in Dawsonville and Cumming.

Our state's schools can't be expected to do more with less. Passing on such expenses to local governments only means that money has to come out of another pocket and doesn't save us anything in the long run.

A bill to allow online wine purchases was headed to Perdue's desk, though many would have preferred a plan to allow Sunday alcohol sales statewide.

Both houses voted to boost penalties for dog fighting in Georgia, long overdue in light of the Michael Vick story, and a surprise to most that the state's laws were so weak. And legislators addressed credit theft concerns by making it easier for us to freeze our credit when our identity is stolen.

The critical need for a plan to conserve water by creating new reservoirs was passed on the final day. The effort wasn't helped by a goofy sideshow notion to redraw the state line and take water from Tennessee.

Yet many other important issues were derailed by the tax feud. A plan to allow local governments to levy a 1-cent sales tax to pay for transportation projects failed. That would have been helpful in growing areas like ours that are suffering from traffic headaches and need to raise money to improve roads. A sales tax would have spread the burden to all, including visitors who pass through the area and stop to spend money.

A more important concern is funding for trauma care, which remains inadequate. A legislative study committee confirmed that the state's system is in crisis, as evidenced by the financial woes Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital has encountered. A plan to create a voluntary car tag fee to help fund trauma care passed the Senate, but it failed to win final approval over concerns that such money could be diverted into general funds and away from its specific purpose.

This year's legislative session began with a divisive vote over the state transportation board. It ended with yet another battle over tax cuts that seems beyond the reach of its leaders to resolve. Once again, political concerns took precedence over sound policy.

Are we surprised? No, just disappointed, as usual. The one benefit of single-party governance is supposed to be some degree of consensus on key issues, for better or worse. Yet we're not getting that from Republicans in charge as they fight among themselves.

So now that the gavel has come down, it's our turn. All members of the legislature are up for re-election this fall, with the state primary set for July 15. Those who showed statesmanship and acted on our behalf responsibly deserve to be returned to the Gold Dome. Those who put short-term political gains over the public interest need to adjust their priorities or give way to someone else who can govern more effectively.

We've heard from our state leaders for the last three months on what they think is important. Now it's time they heard from us. Let's make sure they get the message so next year's legislative session is more focused and substantive and doesn't dissolve into childish spats and name-calling for a third straight year.