In today's NY Sun, Herb London, one of New York's most consistent and accurate advocates for smaller government, discusses NY's present fiscal woes and asks an important question:

"who are the reformers? Who stands above parochial interests and who has the ability to harness legislative zeal for spending?"

As everyone who's paying attention knows, NY State's and NYC's fiscal woes are completely self-inflcted wounds - where legislators spend beyond taxpayer's means because it pleases the special interests who fund their inevitable re-election campaigns - like the Teacher's and Healthcare worker's unions - and, unfortunately, because few NY Voters are paying close attention to what Albany does on a regular basis.

"Who are the reformers?"

That truly IS a good question, but I have another one: Where will the reformers come from?

Will they be Democrats? Will they be independants or third party folk? Or, more importantly, will they be Republicans?

For years, many of us in NY's GOP have advocated for fiscal responsibility, yet have seen few real reformers run on such a message. To the contrary, it seems that many GOP elected officials are in bed with the UFT and 1199. What else could explain thier absolute silence regarding the out of control healthcare and education spending taking place in Albany and City Hall today?

The GOP controlled State Senate as well as our former GOP Governor actively supported the spending levels NY State is regretting during this present budget crisis. The phrase "more with less" has been used often by Mayor Bloomberg, yet NYC faces a similar budget crisis as NY State for the same reason as NY State - unsustainable increases in government spending - "more with more," if you will.

The GOP, both nationally and locally, is at a cross-roads. Will the GOP remove the shackles placed on them by these powerful special interests and their lobbyist counterparts to become the party of small government again? Or will the GOP need to lose all it's power, as it seems almost inevitable today, so that a new breed of reformers can emerge to save NY city and state?

Herb London's words should be call to action. The question is, who will answer the call?