Bloat in Albany

Those laid off by Wall Street may want to try for a job in Albany, where, our Jacob Gershman reported on Monday's front page, 62 of Governor Paterson's aides earn $100,000 a year or more. The result is a governor's office annual payroll of $15.6 million. Massachusetts manages with a governor's office payroll of $4.8 million, Florida with $6.8 million. Texas, which has a larger population than New York, manages to staff its governor's office by spending about half as much money as New York does. In California, only 46 of the governor's aides earn $100,000 a year or more.

The aides earn more than state lawmakers or judges; the governor's spokeswoman earns more than the chief judge of the state of New York, Judith Kaye. If Mr. Paterson is prone to spending a lot on staff, he has a history of it; our Russell Berman reported earlier this year that as state Senate minority leader, he oversaw an empire of 143 employees, more than five times the number that Senator McConnell uses to run the minority leader's office of the United States Senate in Washington. It is part of the reason New York's taxes are so high compared to other states. Ordinary New Yorkers, who earn an average of $47,000 a year, are being taxed — without mercy — to pay for Mr. Paterson's aides.