In the latest effort to resolve a $500 million state deficit, an executive order by Gov. John Engler could leave 590 Michigan residents without a job.

On Tuesday, legislators approved the order, which includes cutting about $320 million from the state budget and transferring $180 million from state accounts toward fixing the deficit.

Notably absent from Engler’s order, a delay in the single business and income tax cuts. Such a move could have saved many of the state workers now facing layoffs, but Engler said the tax cuts are a better way to stimulate Michigan’s economy.

The effects of this order seem all but stimulating. The state Department of Corrections, possibly the hardest hit by the cuts, could lose as many as 561 people. By the end of the year the Jackson Maximum Correctional Facility will close along with two more low security facilities.

While state officials aim to minimize the amount of layoffs, it doesn’t seem right to cut taxes now and have a large amount of citizens unemployed. No one supports high taxes, but cutting jobs is contradictory to stimulating the economy. A higher unemployment rate is certainly not a boon for Michigan.

Fortunately for families and students, these cuts do not touch the K-12 and higher education budgets.

But most disturbing is how fast these budget cuts were approved. If the state Legislature would have focused on the budget and completed it when it had the opportunity, Engler would not have to do the dirty work and clean up legislators’ mess.

The Legislature failed one of its most important duties in passing a balanced budget. Now citizens stand to suffer from a haphazard solution.