The passage of the state budget, which involved hard choices forced by a sour economy, has come home with a vengeance. It took an unconscionable time to approve, and it seems all that political anguish bought was pain and disappointment.

There is depressing news all round. The governor's office announced that Friday will be the last day of work for 319 employees. Perhaps that is inevitable, but it will translate to real misery for state workers and their families as they enter the holiday season.

And to the human cost can be added the public cost. The state Department of Environmental Protection will lay off 138 employees or 5 percent of its work force, the largest number of layoffs in any agency. The department had its budget cut by almost $56.5 million -- a 27 percent reduction.

To be sure, there is always some fat in government, but a cut like this to an agency that serves as a vital public watchdog can only spell trouble. With environmental concerns increasingly to the fore as the debate about climate change rages, Pennsylvania finds itself turning away from its future.

At the same time, it is turning its back on its storied past. As was brought home to Pittsburgh earlier by the state withdrawal from the Fort Pitt Museum, these are hard times for the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, which saw a 43 percent cut in its budget. That pain has now spread to Old Economy Village near Ambridge, Beaver County, the charming, historic site of the Harmony Society founded in 1824. Unless volunteers can maintain the site, it appears headed for permanent closure -- a shocking loss.

The budget from hell has only just begun to sear Pennsylvania.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.