by Robert Mckenna

Created on: August 30, 2010

Our government talks about responsible spending in these economically difficult times; at the same time, the US Government is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute a baseball player for lying to Congress, perjury, and obstruction of Congress, based on hearsay evidence about his using human growth hormones and steroids.  One thing evident about politicians, they must have all failed the IQ test as a prerequisite for their election to Congress.

Roger Clemens has enough charges stacked against him to land him in federal prison for the next thirty years and pay over a million dollars in fines.  Why is the government pursuing this case?  For argument, let us say Clemens did use human growth hormones and steroids.  This action at best should disqualify him from the Baseball Hall of Fame, because the drugs gave him an unfair advantage over players who obeyed the law and refrained from drug enhancement.  The idea that famous athletes are role models for children makes his use of drugs reprehensible.  However, professional athletes put their entire life into being the very best at what they do and are compensated with tremendous salaries.  The pressures' ballplayers are under to perform are extremely demanding, and in such an environment a person sometimes makes poor judgments.  Like most people who did something they are not proud of doing, their first reaction is often to cover up their wrongdoing.  Athletes are usually young with large salaries, and given responsibilities, they never bargained for or understood.  They are human, and subject to the same pitfalls in life as everyone else.  What benefit does the government gain from prosecuting Roger Clemens?  The government is supposed to serve the people.  How does this prosecution serve the people?  Would not the money for the prosecution be better spent patching a few potholes on the interstate highways?

Roger Clemens may or may not have used performance enhancement drugs.  To prosecute Mr. Clemens for lying to Congress is an oxymoron, because no one in congress tells the truth.  A politician by definition is synonymous with lying; it comes with the job.  The best liar is elected.  OK, that sentence might be a hyperbole, but politicians do promise their constituents much more than they can deliver to gather the votes necessary to win.  Once elected, our politicians start with the excuses, and never deliver on most of their promises; it is what politicians excel at doing to maintain a long career in government.  They lie and say they would like to deliver on campaign promises, but the other party blocked all of their attempts.  Maybe instead of Congress prosecuting Roger Clemens for crimes most Americans do not care about, Congress should start working on a bipartisan effort to pass some legislation that will get more Americans back to work and back in homes that were lost to millions of Americans in this recession.    

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