Voters should take note of the dismal legislative session that just ended.

The Legislature passed the General Fund budget.

The Senate spent the last day of the session bickering over the education budget without coming to terms.

Now, we, the taxpayers, will have to fork over about $100,000 for a special session so they, the lawmakers, can finish their work.

Lawmakers also have hurt school teachers and other staff. Without an education budget, schools will have to hand out pink slips to folks without tenure, according to State Superintendent Joe Morgan.

The education funding represents the tail end of the session.

The Senate did not consider a House-approved constitutional measure to allow voters to decide on eradicating the 4-cent sales tax on groceries.

Even a bill to exempt the federal stimulus rebate checks from state income taxes died in

Capitol. That would have saved taxpayers $57 million.

About the only thing we can say for this session is it didn&8217;t end in a fistfight that made CNN and other worldwide news outlets.

Taxpayers in Alabama should thank their stars for small miracles.

Certainly, we cannot be thankful for a productive session.

But we&8217;ll remember come election.