There was a most interesting article in the paper (Springfield,MO News-Leader 07/27) from a national columnist Donald Kaul. I may not agree with everything he says, but he seems to be more well-read and/or informed than me, so I feel comfortable quoting from his article.
He was admonishing the government for spending so much money trying to prove that professional athletes are using banned (from sports) drugs, and lying about it. As he put it "...lying to congress...was a crime..."?
We're spending millions of dollars trying to get to the bottom of all these allegations against various professional athletes. "Six million dollars..." on Barry Bonds alone! And it wasn't proven "...that he actually lied...just that he was evasive." Shouldn't that be the job of the governing bodies associated with the sport? Why don't they spend their millions on litigation?
At a time when we're having a "budget crisis," we need to look into areas that are truly frivolous, and these law suits appear to be just that. Besides, I think we already know that steroid use, etc, etc has been in play, and that too many athletes are using them. So, they're consenting adults, and if they want to screw up their bodies, that's their business. If they're cheating the public, then let their governing bodies take care of that.
I do suppose we're trying to keep them from setting examples to our children, that these drugs are okay, but shouldn't that be the responsibility of the parents, guardians, coaches and other adults? NOT the US government? Don't most people want "less government" in their lives? Or is that only when it comes to taxes, and not when it comes to making us be more responsible human beings?
We all need a reality check today and after... Day 157!
He was admonishing the government for spending so much money trying to prove that professional athletes are using banned (from sports) drugs, and lying about it. As he put it "...lying to congress...was a crime..."?
We're spending millions of dollars trying to get to the bottom of all these allegations against various professional athletes. "Six million dollars..." on Barry Bonds alone! And it wasn't proven "...that he actually lied...just that he was evasive." Shouldn't that be the job of the governing bodies associated with the sport? Why don't they spend their millions on litigation?
At a time when we're having a "budget crisis," we need to look into areas that are truly frivolous, and these law suits appear to be just that. Besides, I think we already know that steroid use, etc, etc has been in play, and that too many athletes are using them. So, they're consenting adults, and if they want to screw up their bodies, that's their business. If they're cheating the public, then let their governing bodies take care of that.
I do suppose we're trying to keep them from setting examples to our children, that these drugs are okay, but shouldn't that be the responsibility of the parents, guardians, coaches and other adults? NOT the US government? Don't most people want "less government" in their lives? Or is that only when it comes to taxes, and not when it comes to making us be more responsible human beings?
We all need a reality check today and after... Day 157!
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