Talk about free parking.

The spaces available in the state House Democratic Legislative Research Office weren't for cars. They were for employees who had little or no legitimate state business to perform but were hired to do political work, according to a former employee who has talked to state investigators.

Jason Lawrence, who worked there as a research analyst from 2005 to 2006, told Post-Gazette reporters Tracie Mauriello and Dennis Roddy the office was "largely a parking place for people until they were needed for a campaign." Other caucus employees gave similar accounts.

It is illegal for state employees to be paid with taxpayer dollars for work on election campaigns, but that's exactly what is being alleged. Workers were compensated in do-nothing jobs, they stayed in the office during late sessions in order to be eligible for compensatory time, and then they were expected to use the time off to do political door-knocking and other tasks.

So where is the outcry?

The news report appeared in Sunday's editions, and that was that. No expressions of concern from the governor's office. Nothing from party leaders. Not even a surge of callers to local talk radio. Are Pennsylvanians developing an immunity to the foul stench wafting out of the Capitol?

The House Democratic Legislative Research Office is supposed to conduct research pertaining to government services and legislation. But the way the operation has been described for state investigators, it sounds like an illegal storefront, like the little market with the big table in the back room for the booking slips.

Does the news just sound too familiar? It is true that many of the most egregious violations have been attributed to Mike Veon, the long-time Beaver County legislator who was second-in-command among House Democrats before voters kicked him to the curb. Many of the aides involved already have been fired by House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese. And state Attorney General Tom Corbett has convened a grand jury whose questions now go beyond the $1.9 million in state bonuses paid to employees, possibly for campaign work.

Sadly, though, the continuing revelations spilling over from that investigation keep offering new and increasingly damning evidence of a culture of corruption. We're almost afraid to ask: Where will it end?