Elections More Important Than Call Girls

Ben Stein Says The Feds Driving A Governor Out Of Office Is A Scary Thing

(CBS)  The woes of New York's resigned Governor Eliot Spitzer have been much in the news this past week, and much on the mind of our contributor Ben Stein:

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Like every other American, I was stunned by the fall of Elliot Spitzer. Of course I feel terrible for his family and for him. He fought the law and the law won.

But something sinister is happening here and it scares me.

Governor Spitzer was elected by an immense majority in the third most populous state. He got millions of votes. Now he's out of a job and in disgrace, and a man the voters did not vote for as governor is governor.

Why? Because some nosy civil servants at the IRS started a fishing expedition against Spitzer because they suspected he might be moving around money for political bribes.

So they wiretapped him and they found he was using the money he was moving around to buy the services of prostitutes.

Now, this is illegal in most states, and clearly it is in New York and in DC. But let's be honest: Men hire prostitutes by the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, every day They also bring women across state lines for sex every day.

The punishment for the men who hire hookers is usually nil, or at most a small fine close to what you'd get for a traffic ticket.

However, in Governor Spitzer's case, he got outed, humiliated, disgraced in front of his family, and then the voters lost the guy they voted for.

It is deeply scary to me that a few employees of the federal executive branch can start a train rolling that has such immense effects on the electoral process. Basically, a few career civil servants have nullified the will of the voters of the Empire State (over something clearly wrong, I don't doubt that, but it's not a political crime, not treason, not terrorism).

Having elected officials kicked out of office by appointed officials is a very dicey proposition. Over hiring prostitutes?

I strongly suspect that if the feds followed a hundred young male elected officials around for a year, they would find some sexual hanky panky among a lot of them, and some money or gifts changing hands often. If the feds prosecuted them all, it would basically mean that federal prosecutors have a veto over the electoral process.

That is dangerous.

More will be revealed but it all scares me. Elections are a lot more important than call girls.

[applaudsptiz]

Has this Hypocrite nation forgotten what ELLIOT SPITZER has done for NY and the world, by exposing corrupt SOB CEO''''s, mutual fund thieves who were milking the poor guys, wall street bottom-top level crooks who were making sure to make an illegal buck on the side and making investors suffer while a few made millions. They ALL must be visiting prostitutes and having affairs and taking drugs but they have not been caught yet, because they are nobodies. They are not Harvard Grad Governors. Have the forgotten how Spitzer got rid of the gambino families%u2019 organized crime grip on the garment district, trucking, etc. NY lost a GREAT MAN called ELLIOT SPTIZER...we will miss you sir. I applaud you and GOD BLESS YOU, hope to see you soon kicking the butts of all the people who are mocking you now. I dont know one married guy who does not mess around on his wife, go to bachlor parties get drunk and mess around with the strippers, have affairs, watch porn and visit prostitutes. The hypocracy is not with you SIR, it is with the world. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG, only wrong was not to allow these people to do to you what they are doing now. You are too smart to allow this to happen, that is the only thing bothering me ELLIOT, how did you allow the fed and irs and the other corrupt republicans to get you like this.

[bmiller19108]

I am a feminist, a good "old" girl, and a life-long Democrat who writes to thank Ben Stein for his eloquent commentary on Eliot Spitzer. Obviously, what Spitzer did was wrong--and yes, my heart goes out to his family (and to him!)--but he and the Empire State were railroaded by feds with agendas that have NOTHING to do with prostitution--and everything to do with returning New York and Wall Street to the status quo of the recent past. As for Mr. Spitzer''s proclivities and dalliances, "There but for fortune go you and I." SHAME ON THEM!
bmillerPhiladelphia

[octavianfdlr]

Now let''s get this straight: Governor Spitzer was receiving money from a prostitution ring, and all that Ben Stein can see is that Spitzer used a call girl.

What does Ben Stein really fear?
A black Governor?
Getting caught himself?

[libertymd]

I cannot believe the words of Ben Stein. What Elliot Spitzer did made him a target for blackmail! In his position that is not a good thing. Is your solution that elected official should be exempt from breaking "some" laws? The laws they are supposed to enforce? He knew this activity was illegal! Integrity runs DEEP...in governors and presidents...he thought he was more important than call girls too! HUBRIS

[malarynt]

I was appalled and disgusted this Sunday AM when you defended that pervert Elliot Spitzer. He is such a low life for what he did to his wife and 3 girls - and you say the public didn''t want his resignation. I say you should do a survey. I usually think you hit the nail on the head but I think this time you head is up your other end. Typical man talk SHAME on YOU Mr Stein (typical of a man when it comes to another man''s misgivings. And shame on CBS for allowing you to utter such blubber on a fine show as Sunday Morning. I will switch the channel when you come on from now on.

[sumpsimus]

Thank you, Ben Stein, for your insightful, well-thought-out commentary. WHY HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE MISSED YOUR POINT? YOU NEITHER CONDONED NOR DISMISSED SPITZER''S BEHAVIOR. YOUR POINT WAS WHETHER NON-ELECTED FOLKS SHOULD BE ABLE TO FORCE ELECTED OFFICIALS OUT OVER NON-POLITICAL CRIMES, CRIMES THAT MANY PEOPLE IN THE WORKADAY WORLD DISMISS AS TRASHY AT BEST AND FOR WHICH MANY MEN GET FINED BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK. SHOULD BILL CLINTON HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OVER HIS *** SCANDAL OR, DISPITE HIS LACK OF MORAL CHARACTER, WAS HE A GOOD LEADER AT THE TIME? SPITZER SPENT HIS MONEY ON HOOKERS AND HE WAS WRONG TO DO SO BUT, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, HE DIDN''T SPEND ANY MONEY ON BRIBES OR POLITICAL CONSPIRACIES OR TERRORIST ACTIVITIES. HE WAS A BAD HUSBAND, A BAD EXAMPLE OF A FATHER, AND A TRASHY EXCUSE OF A MAN. BUT WAS HE A BAD GOVERNOR? WHAT WOULD THE CITIZENS RATHER SPITZER BE BAD AT? HUSBAND OR FATHER OR GOVERNOR? NOBODY IN OFFICE IS WITHOUT SOME ERROR IN JUDGMENT SOMEWHERE. WE ALL HAVE THINGS WE WOULDN''T WANT OUR CO-WORKERS OR EMPLOYEES TO KNOW ABOUT. PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES AND SPITZER WAS WRONG TO DO WHAT HE DID, BUT SHOULD FOLKS WE DON''T VOTE FOR HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORCE OUT ELECTED OFFICIALS OVER CRIMES THAT DON''T DEAL WITH GOVERNING THE PEOPLE? WHAT''S THE PUNISHMENT IN NEW YORK STATE FOR HIRING A HOOKER? COULD SPITZER HAVE A TRIAL? THEN PUNISHMENT, LIKE THE MEN LISTED IN ANY LOCAL NEWSPAPER IN JUST-ABOUT-ANYWHERE, USA? Thank you, Ben. All you people, please re-read Ben''s comments and think about it.

[ubrew12]

We need to separate the question of Spitzers guilt from the question of why he was investigated in the first place. He was snared by a Justice Dept that, under GW Bush, has become a tool for totalitarianism. This used to be a country whose Justice Dept investigated crimes rather than people. I think, in this case, the IRS/Justice Dept inflated a bankers concern over some barely unusual bank payments into a witch-hunt of a prominent Democrat who''d (not coincidentally) gone after corrupt bankers.

Spitzer is guilty and was right to leave office. But, are you encouraged that Justice was done in this case? The Justice Dept turns away thousands of cases like this every year. Increasingly, the cases it turns away are investigations of Republicans. In fact, under GW, it carries out investigations of Democrats at a rate 5.6 TIMES that of Republicans. THATS not justice, THATS INjustice.

If you want to live in a society that investigates PEOPLE, rather than CRIMES, go back to Stalins Russia, circa 1930, or Saddams Iraq, circa 1980. If thats really the kind of society you want to live in, your welcome to it. Just don''t bring it here. Its profoundly unAmerican, and has no place in this society.

I hear the passion of those of you who insist Spitzer was a hypocrit. Do you hear my passion? The ''wheels of justice'' need to be investigated in this case or, this time next year, Republicans will be finding themselves being investigated at a rate 5.6 times that of Democrats.

[tekpal]

I am thinking of not watching your show any more (and I usually enjoy it) if you agree with Ben Steins comments. The people of NY did not vote for a liar and someone who could disgrace his family the way he did. And if Ben Stein thinks ALL men are doing this, then he should be investigated also. Are there any decent men out there?????

[ssully74]

BOLOGNA%u2026 SPITZER promoted himself as the LAW and ORDER prosecutor and governor all while sneaking around knowingly breaking the law. To think that he would have gotten away with it is what is REALLY SCARY. Yes, many other politicians are doing the same thing and hopefully they too will be brought to light. Just because this has been going on for years in the %u201Cold boy%u2019s networks%u201D does not all the sudden mean a constitutional threat to all because one was busted.

[ssully74]

BOLOGNA%u2026 SPITZER promoted himself as the LAW and ORDER prosecutor and governor all while sneaking around knowingly breaking the law. To think that he would have gotten away with it is what is REALLY SCARY. Yes, many other politicians are doing the same thing and hopefully they too will be brought to light. Just because this has been going on for years in the %u201Cold boy%u2019s networks%u201D does not all the sudden mean a constitutional threat to all because one was busted.