The notion that the state Senate is somehow under a deadline to end its current session is a sham, and we don't want to see this group of pampered and privileged state workers go on vacation until they get something real accomplished.

As the ugly struggle for power in Albany drags into its second week, some people have been led to believe that there's an urgency to settle things before June 22.

But the opening and closing of state legislative sessions are not written in stone, and this is one that needs to continue beyond its previously scheduled ending.

What the Senate needs to do now is go back to June 8 - when the work of the people suddenly took a back seat to the Senate's internal power struggle - and add up all the days between then and whenever the issue is resolved and continue the current session for at least that many days.

The state Assembly has been quietly chugging along and passing bills, and there are plenty of unresolved issues that require the attention of our state senators, too.

Some of the biggest right now are gay marriage, a state spending cap, and a restructured pension plan for newly hired state workers.

And let's not forget that New Yorkers are continuing to wait impatiently for property tax relief.

The Senate needs to find a way to get some legislation on the floor and have some bills sent to the governor's office.

As much as recent events have been yet another black eye for New York and its dysfunctional government, the lasting impression of the state Senate in the minds of New Yorkers will be even more tarnished if our senators choose to go on vacation after June 22nd.