There were few surprises in Governor David Paterson's State of the State address this afternoon. We knew he would say that things are tough in New York State, and he did. "Perilous" was his word.

To get out of this mess, he said, will take courage, hope, and action. And it will take leadership. Legislators will have to find a way to balance the state's budget while they provide better access to health care, education, and jobs, he said.

Many of the specific measures he proposed had already made the news: a tax on sugared soft drinks, for instance. It was good to hear, though, that he wants the state to adopt the recommendations from the commission that studied local-government efficiency. That commission recommended ways to lower the cost of local government - including providing incentives for merging some governments.

And it was good to hear him urge further reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and better treatment for drug abuse.

He talked about the need to inject life into the state's economy, improve education, make a college education more accessible, boost biotech, and protect the environment. He said he wants to find a way to "begin an energy revolution in New York State." Whatever the state does in those areas will cost money, though. And, as he said, that will have to take place within a balanced budget in a state in severe - "perilous" - financial shape. That means cuts in some areas, and cuts will meet - have already met - resistance.

Paterson talked about the need for sacrificing today to build the state we want tomorrow. He talked about the need for "shared sacrifice."

Paterson is absolutely right. None of the cuts we'll have to make will be popular. In his speech, he appealed to New Yorkers' better nature - to the better nature of state legislators.

What happens next is up to those legislators, and to the interest groups who are hoping to fend off the cuts that will affect them and their constituencies.

Paterson titled his speech "Our Time to Lead." During the next several months, we'll find out how many leaders New York has.