Aren't these supposed to be hard times, some on the right asked, and not the moment for a more or less standard election-year budget?

But election-year budgets are not designed to please everyone.

So they don't have to worry about election-year budgets and making sure enough plums are handed out to the right supporters.

So in the election-year budget that legislators passed last week, they both got what they wanted.

Besides, election-year budgets usually contain enough pork to send everyone home happy without too much fighting.

The early election-year budget contained some items that would likely gain approval.

At first blush, it does not look like an election-year budget.

"This is the kind of thing that happens," he said, "when people do election-year budgets."

"This is a gubernatorial election-year budget on behalf of the Speaker," he said.

In New Jersey, this is the year after the election-year budget.