State Sen. Abel Maldonado is taking plenty of heat from the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere for standing his ground on the budget issue.

But we think the former mayor of Santa Maria is doing the right thing by stating what he believes and using his pivotal vote in the budget mess to make a key point.

That point would be that California’s spend first, tax later program is broken beyond the fixing point.

We don’t necessarily agree with everything on the Maldonado agenda, but when it comes to state employee salaries we are with him 100 percent of the way. We also agree that Maldonado has every right to stand up for his principles if he believes that it is the right thing to do.

Maldonado can expect the press and pundits to give him plenty of criticism — that’s the American way, too. Maldonado has held a more nuanced position than no-tax extremists. We respect his right to speak his mind and to get a better deal for the businesses large and small that are going to foot the bill for excesses in Sacramento for decades to come.

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