"The result," said Michael Waldman, executive director of the Brennan Center, "is interest group paralysis and an incumbent re-election rate all too reminiscent of the Supreme Soviet."

That second assertion is certainly true. Incumbents win in about 98 percent of the state races each year, despite the public's dismay of New York's direction, taxing policies and the ethical lapses that have taken place in Albany over the years.

In the last election cycle, incumbents outspent challengers by more than 2-1, and that ratio was even higher in the mid-Hudson Valley.

The cost of campaigning must be addressed if voters are ever going to have legitimate choices at the polls. The state can start by closing loopholes and enforcing the laws on the books. But it should be open to offering public financing of campaigns as an option. The system as set up isn't working.