The latest uproar over the “pardons-for-payment” program initiated by the outgoing administration should come as no surprise to anyone who reads a daily paper. But the Clintons’ pattern of bending the rules deserves a second look.
It’s obvious that any individual who spends his or her life studying law will become adept at knowing just how far it can be bent without crossing the line. When these tactics are employed at a level as public as the presidency, the ramifications become more far-reaching for those less in the public eye–if it’s OK for him or her to do that, why can’t I?
To a more impressionable mind, such as that of my teenage son, these events give credence to an end-justifies-the-means mentality.
In an era where Eminem, Ray Lewis and Bill Clinton represent the best “heroes” or role models our country has to offer, and a show such as “Temptation Island” can even get onto the airwaves, I hope I’m not the only parent who wonders if my old-fashioned morals that I try to instill in my child can carry as much weight.
