Damned if you do...

Megan McArdle:

"Governor Paterson of New York, who stepped in to fill Spitzer's shoes, is now about as popular as a summer cold. In part, this is because he was never meant for prime-time; he's a ticket rounder without much political charisma. But he's also been handed a really lousy hand. All states are suffering in this downturn, but New York has spent twenty years getting used to the lavish spending that taxes on financial salaries enabled. If you try to take it away, they feel that their civil rights are being violated--and they take their righteous rage out on the nearest politician to hand."