As if you needed another reason to vote the bums out

The pay raise fiasco of 2005 resulted in 55 new lawmakers being sent to Harrisburg the following year.

What will the Bonusgate scandal of 2008 do for reforming the Legislature? It depends on voters.

More than 100 incumbent state legislators face opposition on Nov. 4. You can do your part to help clean up the cesspool of corruption in Harrisburg by voting out incumbents.

The Mercury takes a look at the ongoing cost to taxpayers from the Bonusgate scandal in an editorial headlined, "Lawyers and consultants"

From the editorial:

The probe has been hailed as a sign that someone is minding the store in Harrisburg and that at last the force of prosecution may work to clean up what has become a lifestyle of legislative corruption.

Those in power are circling the wagons, and the attention and allocation of public resources to defend state employees is mushrooming out of control.

As the investigation continues, public funds are being tapped to pay the costs, a situation that is like a slap in the face to Pennsylvania working-class constituents.

Citizens witness the uncovering of the illegal practices that have gone on so long in Harrisburg, and one group continues to benefit.

Regardless of how Bonusgate ends, the lawyers are happy. They've already had a pretty nice payday.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site