So once again a famous person - in this case a politician, but it's the same for actors, singers, and other celebrities - has had sex, and everyone thinks it's their business. More than that - I'm not sure if it's worse, yet - everyone thinks it has some bearing on the person's ability to do their job. I'm thinking specifically of President Clinton, too, but what does hiring a hooker or doing the deed with an intern have to do with one's ability to run whatever level of government one is running? Who you have sex with - be it a hooker, an intern, or (here's a thought) someone of the same sex (or for that matter, your spouse) - is your business and nobody else's, except your partner's, and maybe your children if you have any, depending on the circumstances. That gay reference just put me in mind of that guy in the men's room - what was his name? Senator Larry Craig. Amazing - politicians like sex! With people they aren't married to! Could it be that they're just like most other people in this country? All of whom are doing just fine at their jobs and aren't persecuted for their sexual decisions - certainly they don't lose their jobs over it. I think we need to do away with this double standard. And after all, we elect these people to represent us; given the numbers of people who cheat on their spouses in one way or another, or are gay, isn't that just what these men are doing? But back to my point: it's none of our business who they chose to sleep with, just like it's none of our business who you choose to sleep with or who I choose to sleep with.
Now I'll grant you, in Spitzer and Clinton's case, they broke the law. President Clinton lied under oath, and deserved to be punished for it - but he should never have had to be discussing the situation in the first place, and wouldn't have committed perjury if people had kept their noses where they belonged and realized sex doesn't actually have anything to do with job performance. As for Spitzer, well...I can't really defend him on this point. He knew what he was doing was illegal. Whether prostitution should be legal is a different discussion; the fact is if he wanted to cheat on his wife he should have found someone willing to do it for free. And with the number of desperate people looking to hook up for free in bars, I don't quite understand why anyone would want to pay a hooker. Especially not an expensive one.
But illegality aside, one's personal life and decisions really shouldn't have a bearing on one's public job. And that's all I have to say about that.
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