Posted on 03/16/2008 10:24:40 AM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
Ben Stein Says The Feds Driving A Governor Out Of Office Is A Scary Thing
Like every other American, I was stunned by the fall of Elliot Spitzer. Of course I feel terrible for his family and for him. He fought the law and the law won.
But something sinister is happening here and it scares me.
Governor Spitzer was elected by an immense majority in the third most populous state. He got millions of votes. Now he's out of a job and in disgrace, and a man the voters did not vote for as governor is governor.
Why? Because some nosy civil servants at the IRS started a fishing expedition against Spitzer because they suspected he might be moving around money for political bribes.
So they wiretapped him and they found he was using the money he was moving around to buy the services of prostitutes.
Now, this is illegal in most states, and clearly it is in New York and in DC. But let's be honest: Men hire prostitutes by the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, every day They also bring women across state lines for sex every day.
The punishment for the men who hire hookers is usually nil, or at most a small fine close to what you'd get for a traffic ticket.
However, in Governor Spitzer's case, he got outed, humiliated, disgraced in front of his family, and then the voters lost the guy they voted for.
It is deeply scary to me that a few employees of the federal executive branch can start a train rolling that has such immense effects on the electoral process. Basically, a few career civil servants have nullified the will of the voters of the Empire State (over something clearly wrong, I don't doubt that, but it's not a political crime, not treason, not terrorism).
Having elected officials kicked out of office by appointed officials is a very dicey proposition. Over hiring prostitutes?
I strongly suspect that if the feds followed a hundred young male elected officials around for a year, they would find some sexual hanky panky among a lot of them, and some money or gifts changing hands often. If the feds prosecuted them all, it would basically mean that federal prosecutors have a veto over the electoral process.
That is dangerous.
More will be revealed but it all scares me. Elections are a lot more important than call girls.
You left out forcing hospitals to provide abortions on premises and require physicians to either perfrom abortions themselves or refer patients to abortion providers under penatly of losing state medical licenses.
I'm glad this hypocrite and sleaze is out of office. But, to a degree, I have to say Ben Stein has a point. This seems to be an abuse of powers the government has to catch terrorists.
Spitzer is not the man presented in the campaign, so it's a bit disingenious for Ben Stein to bring up the percentage by which he won.
Keep in mind that Al Capone was caught on income tax evasion. I’m sure that the Feds would have been glad to charge him with racketeering, murder, etc. if they could prove it. I’ve always like Ben but I disagree with him here. You get them whatever way you can.
You know what it is, Ben? A bad guy finally, finally got caught and punished. That’s what this New Yorker sees!
Actually, I’m pretty sure it was Kristen who did the swallowing.
That bothers me because I happen to be Jewish myself. I think Spitzer was a miserable bastard who richly deserved what he got, and the members of my family I’ve spoken to (all more liberal than I) quite agree. As for spies like Pollard and the Rosenbergs, they deserved what all spies against America deserve. The only people who are still trying to argue their innocence are the same types who think Alger Hiss was set up - even though the KGB archives prove otherwise. They are idiots - useful or otherwise, and please note that a person’s religious affiliation makes no difference in this regard.
Throwing stone from a glass house has always been a risky activity.
I’ve noticed more than a few really stupid comments uttered by Stein in last few years. A governor frequents prostitutes, and the people are not supposed to care.
“Governor Spitzer was elected by an immense majority in the third most populous state.”
That does not give him a license to violate the law, Ben. I assure you that if a local politician were arrested for hiring a prostitute, he’d be out of a job. I don’t think that Spitzer deserves any better.
Ben, Ben , Ben! What about the 900 FBI files the Clinton mob collected and illegally used? Or what about the many IRS audits they caused to be made on numerous citizens they disliked for some reason? Or how about the fact that we are talking RATs here, probably not Pubbies. Most civil servants are died- in- the- wool RATs. Are you saying they are not? The IRS and the banks study all funny transactions, even yours if you make numerous deposits and transfers to other bank accounts. Wake up Ben, you’re getting senile!
So in your morality book, Clinton is as pure as the driven snow, including being a probable rapist? Spitz was a public figure and subject to potential blackmail by the hos he rented and their keepers (the mob?). Public figures do not and should never get a free “sex-with-anyone pass” from the voters.
No.
First, this man prosecuted and imprisoned people for the very same thing that Stein is decrying here. So only the peasants have to obey these laws?
Second, as a life long Republican and Republican presidential supporter, you have got to be kidding me if you are going to complain that a Democrat who just happens to be someone employed in government or appointed thereby or voted therein cannot engage in endless fishing expeditions and taxpayer funded assaults against the chief executive. “Welcome to our world.” And even though I don't live there, I'm pretty sure rats screwing rats has been S.O.P. in NY for decades. This isn't new or surprising either.
Third, one can deduce that this goes a lot deeper than prostitution because he hasn't even been charged yet, but has resigned. Two obvious possibilities come immediately to mind when an elected Executive gets caught and resigns like this, extortion and bribery. Extortion is my guess, and your beauty contest winner being on the receiving and delivering ends.
At this point I expect to see Ben Stein on the complete list of Emperor's Club johns.
But if you didn't pursue crimes because the offender was powerful, that is a greater injustice.
And if the offender made his career through dubious persecutions, justice is served in holding him liable to the same laws as those he persecuted.
me too. He’s guilty. are we supposed to keep criminals in office?????
I guess when you are void of anything else in your life then power is your idol no matter the price. Better them than me.
You are off the mark again..actually the Spitzer infanticide bill would allow non physicians to perform infaticide...you know that and you keep insisting otherwise. Why? Lies can sustain pro abortionists..and YOU apparently.
Note #2 carefully:
1. S5829 WOULD MAKE ABORTION LEGAL THROUGH ALL 9 MONTHS OF PREGNANCY.
2. S5829 WOULD ALLOW NON-PHYSICIAN MEDICAL PERSONNELL TO PERFORM ABORTIONS.
3. S5829 WOULD ELIMINATE ALL AGE RESTRICTIONS ON EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION.
4. S5829 WOULD REPEAL ALL FETAL HOMICIDE LAWS
5. S5829 WILL PREVENT ANY UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AND PARTENTAL CONSENT LEGISLATION.
What the hell are you talking about? According to what I read in other threads, the bill would have forced Catholic hospitals to provide abortions.
Calm down...I thought I was replying to a pro abortion person who has been hounding me on this bill.
Sorry about that-— and you are right..a horrible bill...and it still has a chance of passing the NYS Legislature.
Spitzer had very few goodwill chips to cash in when he got caught in the hypocritical activity that ruined his political career. The MSM had gone easy on Spitzer’s proclivity for leveling serious charges against people when he didn’t have a case - and never correcting the assumption that they were guilty. Because Spitzer’s a Democrat. Republicans don’t get by with stuff even remotely like that. Spitzer wasn’t called on his nonsense, else the media would have helped the public make a better choice. Evidently, he also got a pass on campaign irregularities in his race for AG. Democrats get a pass; hopefully, history will take care of the lies of the biased media and their convoluted reasoning. Spitzer was beyond the pale.
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