On May 7, more than a month into the start of the state fiscal year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an agreement on a new annual budget.

Minutes later, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — whose leadership role gives him a lot to say about that — declared "There's no budget deal" because major issues and spending details had yet to be ironed out. Hochul had acknowledged it was conceptual, and "the final details" will be worked out.

On Wednesday — nearly two weeks after Hochul's half-baked announcement — lawmakers finally began voting on the first bills which included the new calculations for state aid to local school districts. It was a day after the public voted on school budgets. And 11th-hour knots over the proposed legislation were arising as additions were reportedly made and some matters were still disputed.

Which proves — for the millionth time to........

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