The governor has wielded his veto pen to cut the state budget, but his cuts don't make a lot of sense.

Gov. Pat Quinn sat alone on the sidelines while legislators crafted the new state budget that went into effect on July 1.

But armed with his veto power, Quinn made his presence felt by ordering $376 million in budget cuts last week. Aside from proving he is relevant, however, Quinn's cuts don't make a lot of sense.

He eliminated $11 million appropriated for the offices of the state's 44 regional superintendents of schools. His spokeswoman said Quinn prefers money be "spent in the classrooms rather than on high administrative costs."

The regional superintendents are creations of Illinois law. No governor can wipe them out with a stroke of the pen. Further, who will do the work done by these offices?

Greater efficiency in government is a worthy goal. But this is not how to get it done.

Next was an $89 million cut in school transportation costs. The cut still leaves the schools more than $200 million to get the job done. Maybe they don't need the extra $89 million. But there's nothing optional about providing buses to get kids to school. If the need is there, the state has to meet it.

Finally, Quinn cut Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals by $276 million, which means that the bills they submit will go unpaid until the 2012-13 fiscal year.

These cuts make no sense, unless they are part of a larger horse-swapping plan Quinn intends to pursue in the fall veto session.

Further, Quinn's cuts contradict his earlier spend-more plan. Earlier this year, he proposed $2 billion more in spending than the General Assembly ultimately approved. As of a couple of weeks ago, Quinn was working with Senate President John Cullerton to add about $400 million to the final budget package, an effort that failed.

Now our quixotic governor has made $400 million in cuts that will be hard to sustain. Quinn has proved he's a player. But does he know what game he's playing?