At all levels of government, budgets that pay for services that as a whole help everyone are being cut to the bone.

Voters in the November election made it clear they don’t want higher taxes, even for such critical services as police and courts. Is that an all-out assault on government or just a reaction to a mighty recession that has made every household cut back? The answer is both reasons play a role.

Now, it’s up to our lawmakers to fulfill the voters’ wishes. It won’t be easy.

The Renton City Council just adopted a budget that protects as much as possible important priorities, such as public safety, while providing other public services as efficiently as possible. Still, jobs were lost, some capital projects deferred and tough choices made.

The state Legislature faces a world of hurt, starting with another $385 million revenue shortfall that must be filled in just a few short months. A special legislative session to deal with that shortfall is a necessity. Then there’s the multibillion hole in the next biennium.

Go figure Washington, D.C. The politicians there seem more interested in protecting their ideological turf and in winning the next election than in helping Main Street recover. In the meantime, Wall Street and its rich inhabitants (the banks and investment houses) are doing just fine.

So, to recap. Don’t raise my taxes, go ahead and cut my services, say the voters. At this point in time, that’s necessary. But the public trough, which helps sustain everyone in some way, will remain forever shallower. That will be the intended (or unintended) consequence of the general election.