As the parent of a child who has expressed an interest in public service, I am appalled at the details that are being revealed about Congressman Foley and his sexual advances (via email) toward teenage male Congressional Pages.

I am rarely surprised by what I hear on the news. I guess I’ve lived long enough to know that anything is possible when it comes to humankind. One of our greatest strengths, and most profound weaknesses, is our free will.

When it is used for the good, we are capable of stupendous feats. Think about it. We now have a space station permanently encircling the globe, even though it’s only been about 40 years since we first successfully undertook space travel.

On the other hand, when that free will is used with malicious intent, the results can be equally astounding. The example that comes to mind is the ongoing scandal on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Pages.

As the parent of a child who has expressed an interest in public service, I am appalled at the details that are being revealed about this. I would have considered it an honor for my son to have been selected to serve as a Congressional Page from my district, and I’m sure he would have as well. We would have been thrilled that he would have been able to see our national government work from the inside out.

However, among the hazards I would have prepared him for in embarking on such a journey, pedophilic politicians would probably not have been high on my list. It’s not that I’m naïve enough to believe that some our elected representatives don’t have serious personal issues.

I guess I would have thought that they’d have protection for that in the seat of our national government.

Why?

Because when we apply for employment these days, companies perform background checks so thorough, you wonder if they looked under your kitchen sink. They give us tests to ensure that we’re mentally stable; that we’ll be a good fit into their company. Then, when we prove we’re clean, they give us drug tests.

They even test for drugs in the NFL.

When we apply for new credit, the finance company also checks us out. They can tell you everywhere you’ve lived and worked since you’ve been born, who your friends are, and exactly how often you’ve paid your bills late.

Even online daters do background checks. I’m told that once they garner your full name, and/or your home telephone number, most run an online background checks just to make sure that you’re not a convicted criminal or have lousy credit. That is, if they’re smart.

But we don’t even think to subject our elected officials to that type of routine scrutiny. Oh, some of it comes out in the campaign process, as the candidates scramble to prove they’re the best person for the job. But I’m speaking here of obvious flaws. For example, I’m trying to remember the last time I heard in an election campaign that the candidates had to submit to regular drug tests, including blood alcohol level. I don’t believe there’s any program that requires our incumbent pols to submit to regular, routine drug tests.

Having once worked with an alcoholic, I can tell you that it its symptoms can’t be hidden. They constantly smell of alcohol, and they’re always looking for opportunities to drink. When they can’t drink, they tend to tremble, and their minds wander. Usually, by the end of the day, each day, they’re drunk.

So, even though the GOP is blaming Foley’s actions on his alcoholism, I can’t imagine that they didn’t know the severity of his drinking problem, and its resulting actions. I’d also guess that he was unable, most of the time, to properly represent his constituents. The GOP probably knew that too.

A Time magazine poll, conducted this week, indicated that 2/3 of the folks questioned believe that the Republican Party knew about Foley’s problems and tried to cover it up. I agree. Further, I think they did so to maintain power. Foley was probably a good ‘company man’—a kindly drunk who followed orders—a good foot soldier. So, they turned a blind eye, hoping he’d get his act together, and no one would ever know.

The report I read said that other young men have now come forward with reports of Foley's sexual advances. They were probably intimidated into keeping their mouths shut—because Foley was being protected by the GOP.

And, that’s what disgusts me most about this scandal. Public service in Congress is just a job for many of the pols—some of the most powerful have been doing it for a very long time. But the Congressional Page program is the opportunity of a lifetime for the nation’s youth. Did anybody ever think about the kids when the decision to protect Foley was made? Was there any consideration given to the stain that would be put on the program if this became public? Did anybody think about the implications of a cover-up? What else are they covering up? How many cocaine addicts, unconvicted rapists and other criminals lurk in the halls of Capitol Hill?

We all know the adage, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts completely.” Yet, I think those with power often forget the less spoken of result of that idiom—corruption destroys trust and confidence, resulting in less than optimal decisions. That means that because we have lost faith in an option, our pool of available choices becomes smaller. Opportunities we once thought of as viable can no longer be considered, because they are too dangerous.

I can’t help but wonder how many talented, potential leaders will be diverted now because their parents won’t let them participate in the Congressional Page program. And, how many young men will be saved because that decision turned out to be the correct one.

Shame on us—U.S. government! Even UPS would have fired an alcoholic pedofile.

See you at the top!
Wendi