Poetic justice

Point proven! It was almost all too fitting that the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal story broke just a week after my column “Oversexed.” Some could have even called it a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” This is becoming more normal in America: our culture destroying sex and leaders betraying their constituents. Leadership has gone wrong.\nEliot Spitzer, former New York governor, resigned in disgrace after being caught in a prostitution scandal, supposedly spending more than $80,000 on sex while he was serving as governor and New York’s attorney general. Unlike Spitzer, I think sex is priceless. Unlike Spitzer, I wouldn’t spend $4,300 in one night for an “engagement.” Unlike Spitzer, I wouldn’t campaign as being “ethical” if I actually wasn’t.\nSpitzer had everything the world could offer him: an affluent upbringing, a Princeton education, a Harvard Law degree, a beautiful Harvard Law-educated wife, three teenage daughters and wealth. It was agonizing to see his wife “stand by her man” with heavy eyes and a sullen face as Spitzer conceded his actions.\n In 2004, Spitzer broke a prostitution ring and stated: “ ... its owners and operators will be held accountable” Engaging with prostitutes himself, Spitzer got exactly what he deserved: a bite in the butt, poetic justice.\nStepping in to save the day was David Paterson, the first black and legally blind governor of New York. A day after being sworn in, Paterson admitted to having engaged in multiple affairs while still married. And his wife did, too!\nPaterson proclaimed, “I think we have a marriage like many Americans, maybe even like many of you. Elected officials are really just reflections of the people we represent.” \nAre you kidding me? Did he seriously say that? I could only hope he isn’t reflective of the people he represents. Paterson not only proved our oversexed culture, but that he is satisfied representing it. \nMillions of people in New York have been hurt as a result of Spitzer’s behavior. “Kristen,” Spitzer’s aspiring singer/escort, may have earned some fame: Her MySpace page has received 3 million hits from visitors listening to her music. But a sex-scandal-plagued governor is replaced by another infidel “representative of the people.” And three daughters and a wife may never know how to trust a man again.\nAre you satisfied with this? Are you satisfied Spitzer was elected before his behavior was exposed? Are you satisfied former president Bill Clinton is still so highly regarded in the Democratic Party? Are you satisfied Republican Sens. Larry Craig and David Vitter are still in office? Overall, do these representatives represent you? Are they “reflective” of the people?\nSome may label this attitude as cynical. Some may label abstinence as idealistic, and some may label these views as being for religious zealots. I say you should demand more from your representatives, more from your society and more from yourself. I say at the end of the day my plan for abstinence outside of marriage can drastically decrease STDs, decrease divorce rates, decrease abortion and increase so many great things. My plan works every time.