If you happen to be undergoing anger-management therapy, reading Lachman's newest book will probably test your recovery.

Long-time residents of New York, those who have chosen to stay, have watched a steady decline grip many parts of the state. While other regions of the country enjoyed the go-go days of the 90's, New York was still hunkered down in a recession. Eliot Spitzer caused an uproar when he compared Upstate to Appalachia, but for many New Yorkers, the analogy fit.

Lachman's "Three Men in a Room: the Inside Story of Power and Betrayal in an American Statehouse" gives the ultimate insider's view of the state's corroded political infrastructure.

A Long Island Democrat, Lachman served nine years in the State Senate. His conclusion: our worst fears about Albany are true --- billions of tax dollars wasted, a legislature that doesn't legislate, and a government completely controlled by what Lachman calls a "trimocracy."

Lachman was in town on Tuesday, talking to folks at RIT and the Center for Governmental Research about reform. While it was the theme of Spitzer's campaign and his State of the State address --- budget reform, education reform, reducing taxes, an end to gerrymandering districts --- Lachman says Spitzer is in for the fight of his life. And he'll need help if he is to succeed, because the leaders of both houses of the legislature will resist with everything they've got.

We're already seeing it.