The continued sniping and public bickering between some of our top elected officials has brought that point home.

While Gov. Manchin and the state senate went into last week's special session with defined goals and a clear focus, it seems the House of Delegates was up to its old tricks - putting politics, pandering and career ambition in front of everything else.

House Speaker Rick Thompson, who, it appears, is thinking about his own long-term goals and not about what's best for the taxpayers, needs to step up, and pardon the pun, get his house in order.

Our elected leaders - at every level - owe it to us, the taxpayers, to be prudent with our money.

I think Gov. Manchin has made his aim pretty clear - so to everyone else I can only say lead, follow or get out of the way.