What Foley Took From The Page Program

Jason Bellini is a CBS News correspondent and a news anchor for the Logo network.

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In 1992, I was a 16-year-old, junior in high school. I was appointed as a Democratic page for the spring semester.

To go to Washington as a House or Senate page is to be adopted, for five months, by the U.S. Congress.

They feed you three meals a day in the Congressional cafeterias.

They make sure you're in your room at bedtime.

They give you an allowance – around $1100 a month when I was a page in 1992.

The House Clerk and Senate Sergeant At Arms offices play the role of your parents. You answer to them if you get into trouble or your grades in school drop.

The Capitol Police protect you.

I felt like one of the luckiest kids in the country.

Today I still feel that way. What most angers me about Mark Foley's behavior is the violation of trust that, if the program survives, will take years to repair.

Parents of pages trust Congress to protect their children. Pages trust that when the senators and congressman they serve take an interest in them, they do so because they see future potential.

It was flattering, never frightening, to have a senator talk to you in the cloakroom, invite you to lunch, which was not uncommon, and call you by your first time. Now I imagine senators and congressman will think twice before being friendly towards pages, out of fear of being seen as too friendly.

My year, Sen. Robert Byrd invited pages to ice cream parties in his Capitol office. Sen. Joseph Biden, on several occasions, filibustered on our behalf to keep the Senate in session past 10 p.m., so we wouldn't have to go to school the next day.

Without the interaction and proximity to people in power, there would hardly be a point to the page program.

The page program doesn't offer ideal academic experience. Getting up at 5:30 AM, you only get a few bleary-eyed hours in class at the page school. The errands you run aren't interesting in and of themselves.

What makes the page program worthwhile is the access — fantastic access — to the fascinating, exclusive world within the closed-off confines of the Capitol.
Jason Bellini

[vipaka]

to watermelawn: Oh yes, I couldn't agree with you more on deviance in behavior. You used the example of the deviance of teens. But look at the deviant behavior of adults in our society. My goodness, they smoke weed, snort coke, shoot steroids, tamper with cars, drive too fast, drive drunk, beat people up, let their dogs run loose, and even poison dogs. And none of the above are even options. They're against the law, pure and simple. And these same parents gossip, lie, and poke fun at others in front of their children, and expect their children not to do that to other children. So intimidating and so unethical. Such abusive energy that could be channeled to real good, and not to cheap thrills. And gosh, many adults even use the platform of their job to furnish private medical information and other private information and drag their name all over the place. That's against the law, too. And disturbing Indian burial grounds by builders is against Indian law. Disturbing these sites is said to harm human life and the cycle of life. I don't think other people make it easy for others to get help by adding more stress. But nevertheless, I'm waiting for the real God to step in. Right now he has just given us a loose rope and is slowly letting us hang ourselves. I want to have good things on my resume for God. I always say before your accuse someone else, you should take a look at yourself. God certainly will certainly have the last look.

[vipaka]

Some who stand on the commanding hill of power use it for good to restore peace and order in this world. Others abuse it and use it as a taunting symbol of arrogance to get others to buckle into a heap. We also know it is the job of power to free the affliction and punish the afflicter.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs th

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.

[wattermelann]

Participating in this page program looks good on a resume and having access and experience within those political walls is probably an unforgettable experience. One must be very focused on their goals to ensure the programs success. There is a saying "It takes two to tango" and I know alot of teenagers who would not participate in any IMs that were not part of the professional conduct requirements of the page program and would immediately report any deviance to their supervisors and their parents. There are some teenagers who are attracted to deviance and willingly participate. The page program outlines expectations and rules which the participants are supposed to adhere to.
Mr. Foley definitely has had some serious stress issues to deal with and obviously he has ignored stress' warning signs for a long time. Stress and alcoholism is a lethal mix and can really cause serious damage if not dealt with immediately. Mr. Foley's ignorance to maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit has now become his downfall. Lets look at this very unfortunate and very damaging faux pas in a positive light and restructure a very important program for young people interested in politics, so that any future discrepancies regardless, of how minute or silly, can be dealt with effectively and proactively.