Eliot Spitzer has apparently resigned as governor of New York. Turns out he was hiring high-priced call girls. Uhm, okay. And what business is that of mine how someone wants to voluntarily spend his money on consensual sexual activities?
But then, that's the Libertarian in this penguin. I don't think it's the State's business to tell folks that they can't engage in the World's Oldest Profession or use the services of the World's Oldest Profession. At best the State has an interest in making sure that there is no health hazard to society as a whole as a result of the activity (i.e., health checkups for STD's and such required). At least unlike Larry Craig he wasn't taking up an airport restroom stall doing, uhm, things said stall was not designed for, at a time when I needed to take a dump and all the stalls were filled with people playing rather than pooping.
But then, I never got the point of harassing Bill Clinton over a blow job either...
- Badtux the Libertarian Penguin
You are right no one should care about who is buying sex from whom. But prostitution is illegal and as a politician at his level, Eliot Spitzer should have realized that you can't go around promoting illegal activities without there being consequences. If he thought he was right, then why didn't he have the law changed and stop harassing others for doing what he did himself?
ReplyDeleteFirst, I certainly agree that it should be legal.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it seems fair to have a scandal over the governor breaking the law -- especially when he came up through the state Attorney General spot.
(The Clinton thing was pretty tenuous. I mean, his lawbreaking came from him making misleading statements that could be interpreted as perjury. Not worth a massive impeachment trial over.)
Oh, I agree it was stupid and hypocritical on his part, just as it was stupid and hypocritical on Larry Craig's part to get busted for soliciting sex in a public restroom. But I just don't see any point in making a massive production about it. Consider it the Libertarian in me. I have the same opinion of drug laws, BTW -- if someone wants to kill themselves by snorting or injecting or whatever, that's their business, not mine.
ReplyDeleteSpitzer's problem is that he a) crusaded against prostitution, then b) used the services of a known prostitution ring. Which meant he could not due the usual c), i.e., "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" (followed by a broad wink) that happens when other politicians are linked to prostitutes. Sorta like why Larry Craig became a laughingstock -- someone who crusades against gays, himself proving to be gay?! But you'll notice that Larry Craig is still in Congress...