Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Steroids and the US Legislators
If only US legislators showed as much interest in real domestic and foreign issues - a real environmental blueprint, unjust wars, a fiscal plan to tackle the deficit, social security and health care reform, and domestic security / emergency preparedness - as they do on the goose chase of professional sports and performance enhancing drugs, the US would be a beacon for the world, instead of a laughing stock.
The US Senate is considering two bills that call for a two-year suspension for a first positive drug test and a lifetime ban for a second. Senator John McCain, R-Ar., sponsored the Clean Sports Act; Senator Jim Bunning, R-Ky., a member of baseball's Hall of Fame, sponsored the Professional Sports and Integrity Act. There are three similar House measures.
NBA, NFL and NHL officials raised some complaints about the bills, saying a "one size fits all" proposal isn't fair; U.S. law couldn't be applied to Canadian teams; and the two-year ban for a first offence is too harsh.
McCain and Bunning said they'd prefer not to legislate but warned that Congress is prepared to. Apparently, Rafael Palmeiro is now more dangerous to America's youth than Osama Bin Laden.
The US Senate is considering two bills that call for a two-year suspension for a first positive drug test and a lifetime ban for a second. Senator John McCain, R-Ar., sponsored the Clean Sports Act; Senator Jim Bunning, R-Ky., a member of baseball's Hall of Fame, sponsored the Professional Sports and Integrity Act. There are three similar House measures.
NBA, NFL and NHL officials raised some complaints about the bills, saying a "one size fits all" proposal isn't fair; U.S. law couldn't be applied to Canadian teams; and the two-year ban for a first offence is too harsh.
McCain and Bunning said they'd prefer not to legislate but warned that Congress is prepared to. Apparently, Rafael Palmeiro is now more dangerous to America's youth than Osama Bin Laden.
# posted by Shaky @ 11:56 p.m. 
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The time that US legislators are spending on the issue of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports is ridiculous. It is, unfortunately, just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to time wasted Congress and the Senate on frivolous issues at the expense of more important ones.
Your post reminded me of a great piece in the July issue of GQ (yes, GQ) that compared the amount of time spent debating various issues in the past year. Here are some highlights:
33 days dealing with ensuring that America's moral decay will not be televised (following Nipplegate) vs. only 19 days spent discussing, and virtually rendering useless, the "No Child Left Behind" policy.
21 days to ensure that the next generation of Boy Scouts get the funding they need vs 14 days investigating the abuse perpetrated at the Abu Ghraib prison.
On the other hand, it is amazing that US legislators have any time to debate any issue. In this time of war, a fact that Bush mentions every time he opens his mouth, both the House and the Senate have spent less time in session that any other period since 1950.
It’s ranching time!
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Your post reminded me of a great piece in the July issue of GQ (yes, GQ) that compared the amount of time spent debating various issues in the past year. Here are some highlights:
33 days dealing with ensuring that America's moral decay will not be televised (following Nipplegate) vs. only 19 days spent discussing, and virtually rendering useless, the "No Child Left Behind" policy.
21 days to ensure that the next generation of Boy Scouts get the funding they need vs 14 days investigating the abuse perpetrated at the Abu Ghraib prison.
On the other hand, it is amazing that US legislators have any time to debate any issue. In this time of war, a fact that Bush mentions every time he opens his mouth, both the House and the Senate have spent less time in session that any other period since 1950.
It’s ranching time!
# posted by 
: 11:30 p.m.
: 11:30 p.m. << Home
