Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century British politician and author, wrote it's "much easier to be critical than to be correct." And Nevada's Democrats and liberals are taking the easy way out when it comes to the current budget problem.

"I've noticed while there are people critical of the governor's budget, there are no alternatives yet," Budget Director Andrew Clinger remarked recently. "There are people who even say they have crisscrossed the state to come up with ideas to help solve the budget crisis. I haven't heard an idea yet."

Mr. Clinger is exactly right. I mean, it's not like this budget problem is something new. It's been well-known for more than a year and two legislative special sessions now. So it's high time for all these critics to put up or shut up.

For example, teachers and other government employees have been flooding legislators with e-mails and newspapers with letters to the editor complaining about Gov. Gibbons' (R) proposal to cut salaries by six percent. Fine. What's your alternative? And be specific. What should be cut instead of your pay? Or which taxes on which businesses should be raised and how high?

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford (D) has objected to shutting down the Nevada State Prison. He went on to say "the governor's proposed cuts are too short-sighted and devastating" and "clearly we can do better." Fine, Sen. Horsford. Your party is the majority party. What are your alternatives? What are your answers? What do you propose which will be "better"?

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley (D) -- who has been traipsing all over Nevada for several months now on her "Magical Misery Tour" -- declares we can't make any further cuts in Medicaid. "We're going to have to come up with another solution," she says. Well, Madame Speaker, what is it? What's your solution?

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie (D), a blue-blooded California liberal, complains about proposed cuts to the Mental Health and Disabled Services agency, declaring, "I'm not going to go along with it." Fine. What should be cut instead? Inquiring minds wanna know.

UNR's student newspaper has called for Gov. Gibbons' impeachment for proposing to cut the higher education budget by 36 percent. Fine. What's your alternative, kids? Where else should the budget be cut so you can keep paying the lowest tuition rates in the country at taxpayer expense?

In his 2009 State of Education address, University Chancellor Jim Rogers declared "we cannot cut our way out of this (budget) problem," declaring we need to find "new revenue sources, including a new and productive tax system." Fine, Chancellor. What's your alternative? Where's your proposal? Put up or shut up.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better," said Teddy Roosevelt. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena."

Gov. Gibbons is in the arena. Do any of his critics have the stones to join him there?

Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a nonprofit public policy grassroots advocacy organization. He may be reached at chuck@citizenoutreach.com.