From Newsday comes this word: tell Gov. Eliot Spitzer how to cut the state budget deficit down to size.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer wants your ideas on Friday about how to close the projected $4.3 billion gap in next year's budget, along with spending priorities.

Budget director Paul Francis will hold a "town hall meeting" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the H. Lee Dennison County Office Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. The public session can also be viewed on the Internet at www.budget.state.ny.us.

All the speaking slots have been filled. But a spokesman said residents were welcome to attend the hearing and to e-mail their suggestions to budgethearing@budget.state.ny.us. The comments will be reviewed by budget analysts and posted online, he said.

Readers of the SPN Policy Blog certainly have some useful ideas. Send them in! This doubly true if you're a resident of New York.