Politicians need to think before acting

On Feb. 9 Rep. Chris Lee (R-New York) resigned his position in the House of Representatives because he was caught interacting on Craigslist in an unbecoming way. In March of 2008 Eliot Spitzer resigned his position as governor of New York for paying for sex. In 2007 Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana resigned after he was linked to a prostitution ring.

All of these politicians had to resign because they were involved in some sort of sex scandal while in office.

We believe that politicians should not be behaving this way. Politicians may do as they please when they are not in office, but as soon as people elect them, this type of activity must stop. While in office, it would be wise for politicians to not proposition women (or men for that matter) for sex, they should not hire an escort, and they shoulds also consider only posing with clothing when sending a picture via cell phone.

The picture that cost Lee his seat in Congress was a shirtless picture he took of himself. Although the picture was relatively tame compared to other “sexting” scandals, Lee sent the picture to a woman he was propositioning through Craigslist. And of course, Lee is married. It is baffling how many of these politicians are incapable of practicing fidelity. At the very least they should stay faithful to their spouses while in office.

Unfortunately this is not a new trend that has risen in the past decade. Cases of politicians being linked to prostitutes and escort services go back to 1976 when Rep. Allan Howe was arrested for soliciting two undercover policewomen, according to a timeline by U.S. News and World Report.

Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards had a highly publicized affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter.

These extramarital affairs and the fact that these politicians are careless enough to get caught speaks volumes about their character. We understand that every marriage has its issues, but if politicians are willing to lie to their spouses and abuse the oath of marriage, who is to say that they will not lie to their constituents and break their oath of office?

Politicians need to honor their vows or end their marriages all together instead of sneaking around with mistresses or prostitutes. Or at the very least they need to make sure that their dirty laundry does not make it into the media headlines, because it could will cost them their jobs.

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