Karen, Shut the Heller Up

In yesterday’s Inquirer, columnist Karen Heller wrote a fairly stupid commentary on the Elliot Spitzer case. In it, she gives Spitzer’s wife unsolicited advice on how she should have reacted, as if she gives a damn what some newspaper columnist in Philadelphia thinks.

Does Ms. Heller have a degree in psychology or marriage counseling that we don’t know about? Has she been receiving off the books tutoring from Dr. Phil? If not, she should shut up.

Frankly, I am getting sick of hearing about the Spitzer Affair. There are far more important things the news media could be focusing on right now. Let’s make a list.

1. The resignation of Admiral Fallon, who had been military commander in the
Middle East. His resignation apparently stems from disagreements about the strategy we should pursue against Iran.

2. President Bush’s veto of a bill that would bar government agents from using waterboarding in interrogations.

3. The real reason behind rising oil prices. Although Hillary Clinton blames OPEC, the increase stems from speculation driven by the weak dollar, combined with political events overseas. It is not an issue of supply.

4. How our nation’s inflation is being driven by the move to ethanol. As a recent NPR story notes, the diversion of corn to ethanol is raising food prices across the board. Even meat is being affected, as most corn is grown for animal feed.

This focus on unimportant, salacious stories is reminiscent of the mindless chatter that passed as news before 9/11. It almost makes one question the wisdom of the first amendment.

Spitzer Down the Tubes

Well, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s career is pretty much down the drain. Personally, I think this is a waste and an overreaction to what was essentially a private peccadillo. Gov. Spitzer was a talented force in politics, and his skills should not be thrown away just because of his sexual issues.

Think about it. What real bearing does this have on his ability to govern? None, other than the fact that our infantilized media, who crawl over everything having to do with sex, won’t leave him alone about it. Successful presidents such as JFK, Dwight Eisenhower, and FDR engaged in all manner of philandering, with no discernable affect on their job performance. I see no way in which the involvement of money changes that, other than the existence of anachronistic, nanny-state laws.

Naturally, the folks at Reason’s Hit and Run Blog are crowing over this, a rather ironic position to take when you advocate the legalization of prostitution.