The bad thing about rainy days is you never really know when the rain will stop.

Sure, the weather guy predicts Thursday. But, hey, he’s been wrong before.

It’s raining in our country today. And no one, not even the experts’ experts, knows when it will stop.

But the world goes on. Local governments, state governments and the national government must keep ticking. They must make new budgets and carry on with business as close to normal as possible.

The Mississippi Legislature convened last week, and Monday our local legislators came to town to chat.

Two senators and two representatives attended the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce’s legislative breakfast. But they didn’t pretend to be the weatherman.

“We need to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Rep. Sam Mims said.

Mims is right. We are glad to hear his level-headedness in troubling times. And we are happy he and other legislators are being honest with us.

All legislators and voters need to recognize the fact that the state simply won’t be able to fund all that it has in the past.

That may mean some worthy requests are best denied, despite the political flak.

Increased taxes on cigarettes are a positive move, but they won’t solve the budget crunch.

We hope our state leaders will spend conservatively this year, even if it means cutting ineffective, but popular programs.

Then, when the sun comes out again, we can re-evaluate what’s important and share the wealth where it is needed most.