The stage could be set for a Pennsylvania budget battle in 2010 that will make this year's seem like the good old days.

That's the opinion of G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young, who write a twice-monthly column, "Politically Uncorrected," that deals with commonwealth issues. Madonna is professor of public affairs at Franklin and Marshall College, and Young is managing partner of Michael Young Strategic Research.

Anyone who doubts their ominous prediction should ponder not only the current uncertain, troubled state of the national economy but also think back to past national economic downturns. Madonna and Young are reminding state residents that, in the past, fiscal situations in the states often continued to deteriorate even after national economic recovery had begun.

There's a feeling in this country that an economic turnaround has begun, but state residents shouldn't embrace the thought that after this year's budget battle is over that the commonwealth will be "home free" from additional serious budget challenges.

To their credit, Madonna and Young aren't just spreading dire predictions. They also have a good suggestion.

They are advocating a modern-day "Hoover Commission" to identify program redundancies, re-evaluate main functions and measure the efficiency of state services provided — all with the goal of saving money. The General Assembly should rally behind such a positive exercise.

For those unfamiliar with it, the federal Hoover Commission, whose official name was the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the federal government. In 1949, the commission forwarded its findings and a total of 273 recommendations to Congress in a series of 19 separate reports. A 1955 study concluded that 116 of the recommendations had been fully implemented and that another 80 had been mostly or partly implemented.

As Madonna and Young point out, over the past six years, state government spending in Pennsylvania has risen at twice the rate of inflation.

That comes as no surprise to most state taxpayers, who realize the haphazard growth of government that has occurred in recent decades.

Hundreds of programs have been created or expanded by lawmakers under the belief that spending boosts their political popularity back home. But there's no assurance that all of the programs continue to be needed.

A commission like the one being proposed by Madonna and Young would carry out a comprehensive review and make recommendations for keeping, cutting or eliminating programs.

Whether or not 2010 is as bad as they predict, a commission like the 1940s Hoover panel is a great piece of advice that Pennsylvania should heed quickly.