EDITORIAL Sexual infatuation

The evening news and the "Jerry Springer Show" have become two very similar television programs. Tune in to either one and the content will include at least one, if not all, of the following: marital infidelity, lurid sex details, deception and scandal. However, there is indeed a very significant difference between the evening news and the "Jerry Springer Show." People, by their own free will, choose to participate on the "Jerry Springer Show" and divulge the intimate details of their lives. Those targeted by evening news reporters, like Bill Clinton and former speaker-designate Robert Livingston, do not offer extensive information about their private lives to the public. The personal information of public figures is forced out into the open by rumors on the Internet, devious confidantes, etc. And, in actuality, the descriptions of the private acts of these public officials is really none of our or the government's business.

With Clinton's impeachment trial possibly coming to an end in the near future, we need to reflect upon what message and impact this event, as well as Livingston's resignation due to public awareness of his infidelity, has on aspiring office holders. Somewhere out there in the nation, there is a man or woman with tremendous potential for leadership and greatness, who is petrified of running for any kind of office because he/she cheated on a girlfriend/boyfriend sophomore year in college. It is terrible to think that our nation will be missing out on excellent leaders because of fear of their private acts being made public.

Whether public officials go to bed with Bibles, their wives or interns is not important enough to destroy reputations and careers. We and our government need to concentrate on the significant actions our office holders are performing that actually have an effect on us.