Listened to Republican state Sen. Bill Larkin on Kingston Community Radio this morning as I was driving to Kingston for my monthly half-hour in the studio.

Larkin climbed on the soapbox for his usual mostly uninterrupted monologue. There were glimmers of sense in some of what he said about the state of Albany. But, as usual, Larkin lost me when he suggested state government's problems are all the other party's doing.

I believe I'm quoting him correctly when he said, "I've never been so ashamed of state government."

Senator, where have you been? Many New Yorkers have been ashamed of state government for decades. Democratic governor or Republican governor, Republican Senate majority or Democratic Senate majority (the Democrats historically dominate the Assembly), no matter. State government in New York stinks.

But now, with their voices muted and their ideas buried, stunned Senate Republicans like Larkin say they've finally caught a whiff of the stench.

Understand, I'm not necessarily opposed to the Senate platform. Some of it I like, some of it I don't. But please, spare me the blatant political finger-pointing. I'd like to think most of the public - including Larkin's listeners this morning - see right through it.