Governor gets down and dirty? Yesterday, March 10, 2008 Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York is involved in a prostitution scandal. This is just another one of those political scandals that have reveal the corruption and poor leadership in our nation. Not all politicians are like this, and I hope MOST arn't! But people are put in question when leaders say one thing, yet do another.
Governor Spitzer was voted into office just over a year ago. He planned to make many reforms while in a state position. Specifically, he protested against prostitution. Those of you who might not know exactly what happened...please be informed.
Governor Spitzer was involved in a prostitution scandal, the very thing he protested against. Apparently he had dealings with many prostitutes around the nation. He was eventually caught yesterday, during a phone tapping, and was labeled as "client 9". He had many sexual dealings with women, and yesterdays's plans were not a first. Spitzer had a sex date with a prostitute the day before Valentines's Day, which is ironic because of the mere fact that he has a wife and three daughters.
At a rate of $4,000-$5,000 Spitzer was getting what he wanted. Now he's getting everything, BUT what he wants. I'm sure his wife and kids are devastated and ashamed of this man. So am I.
Questions are asked all around. How does or did this affect his politics in government? Wasn't it just one mistake, why can't we forgive him? What about censorship? Why was the government wiretapping him to begin with?
These are all very good questions. First I might add that life events do affect your life, and apparently the governor was living a lie inside himself as well as to New York. Prostitution is illegal, and if any average joe were to have been in a similar situation as Spitzer, he would be put in jail for a long time. Be fired from his job! Not just a resignation. People do make mistakes, but don't you think he should be punished for it; At least put out of office?? Spitzer violated a U.S. crime, and he knew it. He does not have the right now to represent the law anymore!
Censorship plays a large role in this scandal as well. I know many Americans feel strongly that censorship should be reduced if not eliminated all together. The only reason why governor Spitzer was being wire tapped is because one of his co-workers noticed unusual behavior with Spitzer. This gave him reason to further investigate, and I think it was the right move. Some might think it was an invasion of privacy. In some ways, I do to. But crime should be found out, and given consequences to. Besides, politicians don't get much privacy anyway.
First question: Should Governor Spitzer be removed from his office?
Hopefully most people in their right mind would agree to that.
Second question: Should Governor Spitzer be given a further consequence than a mere resignation? Like being fired, or jailed? ---After all, you'd probably be put in jail if you were involved in a prostitution scandal.
comments greatly appreciated!
Totally agreed with everything that you said. I mean, I could see where people are coming from when they argue that it was an invasion of privacy or that the press is blowing the whole situation out of proportion, since if a normal everyday person were to commit this crime and not a politician, they wouldn't get so much scorn from the public. But the fact of the matter is that this man was someone who was elected into office, we (or the NY) people elected -- and what he did was not only morally wrong but shows how corrupt his intentions were. I find it extremely ironic that Eliot Spitzer was known for prosecuting people involved with prostitute circles, when he was actually involved in it himself. Talk about irony -- and probably the worst case of hypocrisy I've ever seen in our government.
Although there are some people that might sympathize for Spitzer, and think that resignation is enough, Spitzer should at least face some jail time and suffer the consequences of committing a crime -- like any one of us who commits a crime. I understand that because he is a politician, he has to suffer and deal with the public and shame on a whole another scale of which we cannot even comprehend, but that is the price he should pay for deceiving the people that had elected him into office and gave him the authority and power which he obviously abused.
I feel bad for his family though. Whether you're a politician or just a regular average person -- it'd be hard for any wife or child to accept that someone that you loved or cared about committed that kind of crime.
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"No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it." -- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.