This editorial appears in the Jan. 14, 2010, Yakima Herald-Republic.

Forceful, eloquent, ambitious -- for Democrats, those are words that aptly describe Gov. Chris Gregoire's State of the State address she delivered Tuesday to a joint session of the Legislature.

Worrisome, evasive, costly -- for Republicans, those accurately portray what they heard from the governor.

What words will be uttered at the end of this short 60-day session depend on how well the two parties cooperate in bringing into balance a budget that's $2.6 billion out of kilter. It won't be easy, and from the rumblings we hear following the governor's speech, it won't be pretty either.

At least for now, leaders in both political parties pledge to work together.

Paramount is whether taxes will be raised, and if so, how the Democrats, who hold comfortable majorities in both chambers, will get those passed. Will they set aside the two-thirds vote requirement that had been authorized through the initiative process? We offer this advice: Don't do it.

While the governor lacked specifics about where additional revenue will be coming from, she did offer exact figures for new jobs that she wants the state to create: 40,000. She said this could be accomplished by attracting $2 billion in new investment capital and by providing small businesses with tax credits for hiring new full-time employees.

The governor also promised to slice away at bureaucratic red tape and streamline the permitting process for businesses. And for those projects with existing permits that have been stalled due to the tight credit market, the governor wants to extend them for another two years.

Gregoire also delivered on a promise she made last month when she produced her first version of the budget by restoring additional financial support to school districts that have lower-than-average property tax bases. School districts throughout Central Washington will benefit from these levy equalization funds.

The governor also pledged to give what she called "tuition flexibility" to allow four-year institutions the ability to raise tuition. For this academic year, universities across the state, including Central Washington University in Ellensburg, have enacted 14 percent increases in tuition.

Lawmakers have already discussed legislation that would give universities full authority to boost tuition rates without approval from the Legislature. We'll be interested to see how far that goes. The University of Washington is a prime mover behind this measure.

Republicans correctly question why the governor did not address the issue of salaries for state workers. Why search for more tax revenues at a time when state employees are in line to receive scheduled increases in their salaries? Shouldn't those be frozen in order to bring the expense side of the budget back into alignment?

Far too many questions remain following the governor's speech. She's eloquent and her words carried a sense of urgency in this time of severe economic distress.

But specifics are critical to how the process will unfold for balancing the state's budget. These need to be offered up for debate before the serious work by lawmakers can even begin.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.