Enough is Enough!  How many more times will you pick up a newspaper and read about an elected official breaking the law?  Yesterday's stunning news should be the very last time, but regrettably we all know it won't be.  What we find absolutely mind-boggling  is some elected officials seem to believe that taxpayer funded campaigns will resolve what drives a person to corruption.  As the NY Post editorial points out, US Attorney Preet Bharara, indicated that the city’s public campaign-finance system, which was to have cleaned up politics and which Albany is looking to spread statewide, allowed the pols — like others before them — to use it to take public cash illegally. 

The NY Post also wants to know if those who enabled the shenanigans of Smith and Halloran will pay a price?  We already know the answer.  If Legislators were the least bit serious about ending the corruption that is so rampant in our state, they would pass term limits and pass a bill the ends all benefits upon conviction of any felony.

Michael Goodwin writes "The point for Cuomo to consider is not whether Halloran and Smith are right that everybody else does it. The point is that people like them think everybody else does it, and they act as if the whole game is rigged and everybody has a price. Their cynicism is contagious and fuels a public distrust of government that grows with each scandal."

Unfortunately the public distrust of government does grow with each scandal, and good people see no reason to vote or get involved in electing a good person.  As a result, we no longer have the best of the best seeking office, we have those who seek office to enrich themselves.  

The Governor was swift in passing legislation to abridge law abiding citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights, but only says the allegations against those arrested are "very serious" and "we have zero tolerance for any violation of the public integrity and the public trust". 

Governor, if you truly have "zero tolerance" no one would object if you used a message of necessity to pass term limits and end all benefits (including collecting their pension) of a convicted elected official.  Another famous Democrat used to say "The Buck Stops Here", well Governor, will you make this latest scandal the last one we have to endure?  Zero tolerance means zero, as Michael Goodwin pointed out, when you campaigned for Governor, you vowed to clean up state government.  Shortly after being elected, two legislators were arrested and you repeated your commitment to clean up Albany. 

We, the average New Yorker, the non-elected person who pays all of New York's bills, say enough is enough.  Don't had us a plate of bunkum, sprinkled with talk of campaign finance reform and expect us to believe that things will be different now.

Public distrust is growing and the rest of America is watching.