Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Spitzer Scandal

Cipel later resigned amid criticism that he wasn't adequately qualified. And we all ultimately learned that Cipel and McGreevey were lovers. How could a governor compromise safety by appointing a love interest -- of any gender or sexual orientation -- to oversee security and expect taxpayers to fund that person's salary? Not surprisingly, McGreevey resigned in 2004.

Every time an elected official resigns amid a scandal, taxpayers also foot the bill for the costs associated with transitioning from one administration to another. And if the scandal arises from criminal activity, taxpayers bear the costs of investigations, prosecutions and incarcerations.

Yes, I know. It's all just another day in politics. But when are we -- and our families -- finally going to stop settling for that rationale? These escapades, at state and federal levels, are just too widespread.

Most recently, they've also included Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana -- a client of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the "D.C. Madam," and Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho who plead guilty to disorderly conduct for making sexual advances to an undercover officer in a Minneapolis airport bathroom.

I've learned a new word in the wake of the Spitzer scandal. It's called schadenfreude, a German word meaning "taking shameful joy in another person's misfortune."

Several publications have used the term to describe Wall Street's reaction to Spitzer's downfall. The former governor made countless enemies there resulting from his zealous investigations and a lawsuit against NYSENYX Chairman Richard Grasso over his $187 million compensation package.

But I don't feel any joy over Spitzer's downfall. And the shame isn't mine to bear.

I just feel outrage over public money that could have been better spent.