I'M SURE that it's just coincidence that His Edness announced a budget "deal" the Friday night before the Eagles home opener; just as I'm sure that it's coincidence that he wants to sign a budget in Harrisburg this Sunday, a day the Eagles have a bye.

The business of state would always take precedence over the Guv's Eagles' jones and/or his Comcast analyst gig, one of which he did from Harrisburg, reimbursing the state for broadcast services.

But I'm unsure whether the budget "deal" first announced by three of the four legislative caucuses Sept. 11, then announced by the Guv and the same caucuses Sept. 18, has a chance of actually passing both legislative chambers and getting signed into law by Oct. 4.

Yet the Guv calls for that, argues the budget pace is too slow (really?) and says that, despite a lack of details and some dissent, he and three caucus leaders are confident that votes are there for passage - by Sunday. When pressed, he says Monday or Tuesday, "at the very latest." If you're keeping score, the budget was due July 1.

To call this mess an example of political incompetence is being kind. We're the only state without a budget. Child-care services, drug and alcohol programs, schools, counties, hospitals and others await long-overdue payments, and many face interest charges on loans that they took in the absence of a budget.

Now, rank-and-file lawmakers are force-fed a mulligan stew of taxes and program cuts cooked up by their "leaders" and pretend that they're part of representative government. As one veteran House Democrat tells me, "We don't have leaders, we have managers."

Against this backdrop, many lawmakers are pounded by VFWs, volunteer fire companies, Elks clubs, the arts community and others facing new taxes. (The Guv and Senate GOP Leader Dominic Pileggi say that pro-sports tickets couldn't be taxed because team lease agreements say that any state ticket tax must be paid by the city - just what Philly needs.) And House Republicans, the only caucus opting out of this deal, are slamming Democrats and the process.

In a memo to all 97 House Republicans, House GOP Leader Sam Smith notes that the Guv/three-caucus deal raises taxes while refusing to consider his caucus' balanced, no-tax plan.

Smith notes that the state faces new taxes on nonprofits and fraternal organizations ($20 million on small games of chance run by fire companies, veterans groups and others), on museums, zoos and performing arts ($100 million) and on employers ($300 million, by killing a scheduled cut in a business-assets tax).

"We are in a recession," Smith's memo says. "People are still worried about food, mortgage payments and keeping jobs. They shouldn't need to worry about paying more taxes."

Other leaders and the Guv say that the budget deal is the best they can do in tough times without raising broad-based taxes. (It raises the cigarette tax by 25 cents per pack and expands gambling to include table games for an estimated combined take of $500 million.)

But there's another problem. House Finance Committee Chairman Rep. David Levdansky, D-Allegheny County, says he and 30-some other Democrats oppose the deal because it plans to lease state forestlands to natural gas companies for $60 million this year, $180 million next year.

"It's wrong and shortsighted," he says. "We manage our forests, which makes our hardwoods get top prices in the world market,and it's not sustainable. If we do it year after year, then what's left?"

Since the Republican-run Senate favors the deal, including the leases, support by the Democratic House is critical. Yesterday, rank-and-file House Democrats met behind closed doors for their first dose of details. They went in at 2 p.m. They came out at 6:15 p.m. with another meeting set for today. Which suggests that a budget by Sunday is wishful thinking. *