To Think That Sex with Call Girls is Actually the Lesser Evil

Almost exactly two years ago, Eliot Spitzer, with his obviously angry wife at his side, resigned as Governor of New York State after it was disclosed that he frequently purchased the services of a high-end prostitute.  I found that completely and utterly repugnant, and my admiration for the crusading governor immediately turned to disgust.

Initially, I saw David Paterson - a local Long Island man - as a worthy replacement.  Then the fumbling and bumbling started - he could barely exercise any control over the State Legislature, although the Democrats had the majority in the Senate for the first time in a generation.  Of course, the fiscal crisis that erupted in September, 2008 didn't help, and a series of high profile scandals within the party made effective governing even more difficult.

But it seems that Paterson not only could not rise above the problems, walk the high road even when times are tough - he's actually as corrupt and degenerate as any politician that comes out of that thing called the Albany Machine.

Spitzer's sins were those of the flesh - and really do lie between him and his family, they do not involve the public trust (let's just say that things would have been much different had Client 9 used state funds to pay for the evening's entertainment).  Paterson's sins are worse by many magnitudes - the allegations, if proven, are true political corruption - using the power of the office to commit criminal acts.

Reading the latest set of allegations makes me almost physicially ill - he asked for and received free tickets to the opening game of last years World Series, and when he was confronted with the illegality of accepting such an expensive "gift" he tried to pay for the tickets with a freakin' backdated check.

It's time for you to go, Governor.  Now.

There's the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out.