The world’s longest budget negotiation kicks into gear in Harrisburg today.

No, this is not “Groundhog Day,” that’s still a month away, although at this rate the state budget still might be taking shape in the glacial way things work in our illustrious state capital.

The Legislature is expected to go back to work today and attempt to cross the i’s and dot the t’s on a bill to give the green light to table games at the state’s slots parlors.

As if there is any doubt that’s it’s going to happen. This is not a matter of if, it’s simply when. And in Harrisburg, that usually means later rather than sooner.

But just to spice up the talks a bit, Gov. Ed Rendell exited the Eagles post-game show and announced Monday that if he did not have the bill approving table games on his desk by the end of the week, he would again move to ax as many as 1,000 state workers. Among them would be a lot of workers at state prisons, state police and the state Department of Welfare.

It’s probably not going to happen. Apparently there is a deal in place among leaders in both the House and Senate. Now it’s a matter of selling it to the rank-and-file.

Rendell needs the $250 million from the licenses casinos would pay for to institute poker, roulette and craps, along with the taxes on the proceeds.

That was a key plank in the state budget, which legislators finally signed off in October, 101 days after the deadline to have a spending plan in place.

Look for the table games deal to be announced this week, and Rendell’s threat of layoffs to dissipate.

Then maybe Rendell and the Legislature can try to dream up some form of gambling they can tax to solve the looming public employee pension crisis that increasingly is hanging over Harrisburg like a shroud.