On Wednesday, just three days from now, the curtain rises on a brand new fiscal year for the state of Connecticut. But there is no budget for the next biennium - and no prospect for one in the foreseeable future because of a failure of leadership in the quiet chambers of legislative leaders and in the governor's office.

Yes, the majority Democrats patched up their intraparty differences and produced a budget Friday. But if Gov. M. Jodi Rell signs it, it would be a miracle. A veto is most likely. And that means back to square one in the Rell vs. Democrats standoff over how much spending to cut and whether and how much to raise taxes.

Lawmakers and the governor are out of touch if they can't sense constituent frustration over their lack of action. Some Capitol insiders say the budget deadlock won't be broken until at least September, with clueless lawmakers and Rell administration officials quietly making plans for July vacations - just as if their work was already done. They should be too embarrassed to take time off.

"We don't see urgency at the Capitol," said Simsbury First Selectwoman Mary Glassman. "We don't see legislators meeting. We don't see the governor at the table."

Lamentably, she's right. Mrs. Rell pulled her budget officials out of talks with Democratic negotiators and said negotiations would not resume until the Democrats passed a budget. Of late, figuratively speaking, you could fire grapeshot inside the Capitol and not hit anyone working toward a fiscal 2009-10 budget agreement.

That had better change now that the Democrats put a budget on the table. Both sides should commit to making serious and immediate headway on a budget agreement. Delay vacations until the work is done.

Mrs. Rell is in the stronger political position because she is popular and has the executive authority to approve grants of state aid to municipalities and money to keep the agencies functioning as budget negotiations drag along. But her political capital will go only so far.

Local officials look industrious and responsible in comparison to their state counterparts. They've already done the heavy lifting - scaled back town services, ordered layoffs, tried to cushion homeowners from big tax increases - all with budgets calculated on assumed levels of aid from the state. Their work could be for naught if legislators and the governor unexpectedly cut back on the big grants to municipalities or raid other funds that cities and towns count on.

How much better it would be if legislators and the governor got their budget work done on time. As it is, they appear more irresponsible with each passing day.