Some people might say former state Sen. Jane Orie is getting all that she deserves in connection with her conviction on political corruption and forgery charges. In addition to her more than two-year state prison sentence, she has been ordered to pay approximately $180,000 to cover restitution and Senate legal bills stemming from her case.

She still might also be ruled responsible for paying at least some of Allegheny County’s cost of prosecuting her.

While some constituents and other state taxpayers might be content with the penalties doled out to Orie so far, others might regard the former lawmaker as lucky her sentence isn’t much harsher for the violations of public trust for which she was deemed guilty.

Once a respected rising star on the legislative front, she, like other lawmakers convicted in recent years in connection with the Bonusgate scandal, has eroded public confidence in this state’s government.

There are no doubt residents wondering whether honesty is any longer a component of government — that and the partisanship that has turned the Pennsylvania General Assembly into a legislative quicksand.

It’s a quicksand that must be eradicated, just like dishonest public servants must be cast aside, if not by the courts then by the voters.

A major “housecleaning” in November would send a clear message to new lawmakers — that public service isn’t about their own best interests, but about the state’s and its residents’.

If Jane Orie’s conviction plays a part in bringing that result, it will be the one positive aspect of her now badly tainted legislative career.

Pennsylvania government must again become a respectable entity. Even with a housecleaning in November, the public will be uncertain whether that message will have hit home amid the politics of stalemate that has become the consistent trademark of Harrisburg business.

Unfortunately, Orie, by way of her leadership position, was a big player in that often-unproductive partisanship.

Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning can be regarded as having been fair to both the prosecution and Orie by the study he gave to the various considerations surrounding Orie’s penalties.

While neither the defense nor prosecution can be totally happy with what the judge handed down, the public can feel comfortable that justice is being served.

The same should hold true regarding what financial obligations Orie might face in connection with Allegheny County’s costs.

There never will be full agreement over whether Orie received penalties as tough as they should be, but Orie behind bars delivers the message that Pennsylvania government is not above adhering to rules. That applies to forcing workers to do illegal campaign work, as Orie was convicted of doing; bending the rules about time requirements for acting on legislation; or anything else.

Wrong is wrong, and excuses don’t undo that wrong.

That assessment is a central message from the Orie case.