. Gary Condit

Our federal government now has time on its hands to go into the romance business.  Feeling reassured?  You’re not alone - most aren’t.  Politicians and fidelity go hand in hand about like Oprah Winfrey and the Texas cattle ranchers.  Consider those who’ve not put their marriages first, got busted and then had the whole sordid story unfold in the public eye:

Bill Clinton - Nine words: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman!”

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer - His call girl scandal caused him to resign as governor. 

Former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey - Before being outed as a homosexual, he admitted to being “as avid a womanizer as anybody else on the New Jersey political scene”. 

Gary Condit - He was briefly a person of interest in the abduction of Chandra Levy in 2001 because of a romance between the two that he initially denied.  This ultimately ruined his career although he was never charged.  An imminent arrest, thanks to a DNA match, of a former gang member was announced in February 2009.

John Edwards - An admitted affair with a former campaign worker ended Mr. GQ’s political career.  As his wife struggles with cancer, he was working double-time to keep his affair secret and out of the media.  What’s even more bizarre is how this magically dropped out of the media spotlight just as it was heating up.

Former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer

These are just a few of the most recent scandals that come to mind.  Granted, I doubt the creation of the government’s website for Romance and Marriage 101 will have any of these fellows as guest commentators, but it’s almost laughable that those responsible for this new brainchild are actually managing to keep a straight face as the announcement is made of the five million dollars that will be used to bring this site live.  We can’t forget, either, the hundreds of other scandals our elected head honchoes find themselves in - including bribery, theft, DUIs, writing worthless checks - the list is endless.  And yes, they’re human…but they’re held far more accountable since they’re the ones breaking the very laws they’ve written.

Granted, there are major costs associated with divorce and single parents.  And most people agree with the sanctity of marriage, both morally and legally.  It just feels like a kick in the teeth to most us who’ve watched so many scandals, courtesy of politicians and lawmakers from every state, play out on the evening news day after day…after day.

There is another storm brewing too.  The gay community says it’s their tax dollars that will be contributing to this new program, yet they’re not given the option of marriage in this country. 

Public opinion is less than optimistic, to say the least.  The site, if you’re interested, is www.TwoOfUs.org

To say 2008 was a year of change is an understatement. As we’re nearing the end of the year and are anticipating the holiday season with Christmas only a few weeks away, I thought it might be interesting to take a walk down memory lane with some of the legal, political and other issues making headlines this year. With many anticipating a short work week and most of us are planning trips to visit family, this week is the ideal time. You might be interested in knowing how these events unfolded throughout the year. Here is January through March.

January 2008

· In Honolulu, a man who was babysitting a neighbor’s son tossed the baby from an overpass. He has a history of psychiatric problems and has been in and out of hospitals. He was also involved in a racing accident where the driver of the car he was racing crashed his car and died from the accident. He wasn’t charged in that case, but is charged with second degree murder for killing the boy he dropped from the overpass.

· Heath Ledger died from an overdose of prescription and over the counter drugs on January 20^th.

· The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments over whether lethal injection should be considered “cruel and unusual punishment”.

· Efforts to avoid a recession include the Fed’s interest rate cut to 3.5%, the market closed at 11,971 this day (1/22) and many believed most of the worries were exaggerated. Talk about hindsight!

February 2008

· Five people are killed inside a Lane Bryant store in Chicago’s Tinley Park. The killer has never been caught, despite a $100,000 reward that’s being offered. Lane Bryant also established The Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund to honor the five murdered women.

· The New York Giants win the Super Bowl by defeating the New England Patriots. The final score was 17-14.

· A major tornado outbreak killed 56 people throughout Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky on February 5^th.

· A week after the Lane Bryant murders in Chicago, another gunman enters Kirkwood, MO City Hall and kills five people before being killed by police.

· On February 11, Gregg Bergersen, who was employed with the US Defense Dept. as an analyst, was arrested and charged with spying and leaking US military secrets to China. He is said to have sold this information to a New Orleans furniture salesman from Taiwan. From there, the salesman forwarded the information to China. Gregg Bergersen was sentenced to more than five years in prison.

March 2008

Heath Ledger

·Brett Favre, who was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, announces his retirement.

·Super Tuesday II - March 4^th: John McCain wins Vermont, Texas, Rhode Island and Ohio Republican primaries, ensuring his nomination for the Republican Party. Mike Huckabee withdraws his candidacy, while IL Senator Barack Obama takes the Democratic nomination.

·Marion Jones, an Olympic gold medalist, begins her six month sentence in Texas for perjury. She denied using steroids and later admitted lying about her past use.

Former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer

· New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer,resigns on March 17^th after a prostitution scandal.

· Bear Stearns, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lending companies, receives a large emergency loan from JP Morgan-Chase. It wasn’t enough and Bear sold its shares for $2.00 each to JP Morgan.