For a while, there, it looked as if California was going to overtake New York as the site of the most desperate government in America. New York senators would not hear of it, however, and have responded by staging the grandest circus ever.

Unbelievably, two imaginative Democratic senators orchestrated a coup to overthrow their own party's majority and hand control back to the Republicans, who had lost it in last fall's election. Then, just when it seemed as if somebody was finally in charge, one of them changed his mind and scurried back to the Democrats, guaranteeing what had been only a promised stalemate. The Senate is now split down the middle, 31-31, with no sitting lieutenant governor to break ties. What a system we've allowed. Only in New York.

Who knows what's going to happen, as courts are beckoned, secret rendezvous are held and "negotiations" try to sort things out?

What we do know is what's not going to happen, and that is anything to benefit the state's residents. (All of this is subject to change, however, as shocking developments, positive or — more likely — negative, may be only moments away. We'll find out when the circus masters want us to.)

Only a few days remain in the legislature's half-year session, and that is one of the few pieces of good news in this entire idiotic, counterproductive, self-serving play. Heaven forbid that these people were running things for us year-round.

One issue that could have had enormously positive outcomes for us this year but apparently won't is property-tax reform via a circuit breaker, a spending cap and/or mandate relief. As for local items, Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) was hoping to pass a bill for temporary liquor licenses and one designating Mirror Lake an inland waterway so it would qualify for government grants, along with a Fishing Trail bill to enhance bass-fishing tournaments.

Legislators instead are deciding who's in control. What do we care who's in control? Republicans, Democrats ... it doesn't matter. Nothing ever changes for the better. We foolishly took it for granted that nothing would change for the worse, either, but we sure missed that one by a mile.

Will people continue to elect senators who are so disoriented as to think the most important business of the day is deciding who's in control in the legislature? We'll find out the next time they run. It seems a flimsy platform from which to cast a campaign, but maybe downstate voters put great store in such things.

We were hoping that in this year of financial crisis unseen in 75 years, our leaders would see finding a solution to our problems would be at the core of their efforts. Apparently, we missed that one by a mile, too.

Don't blame Little for what's not going on down there. She's as frustrated as we are, and there's not much she can do about it.

New Yorkers deserve much better, but, after viewing more than 30 years of Albany politics, we know it's folly to expect it.