SC's Sanford Escapes Impeachment: Sasha Smith

I'm currently studying for my Graduate Record Exams (GRE's) to apply to a graduate program here in Atlanta. In practicing for the Issue Essay, we are told to make a list of examples for and against an issue. I decided to use this same technique to decide on the issue of Mark Sanford remaining in office. Sanfordgate is rather interesting. Immediately, I want to say that he should be impeached but I took an extra minute to think about the issue.

Stealing money from the government and essentially the people to take a trip to visit your mistress to keep her company in the Argentinean summer is just not acceptable. He not only took trips on the tax-payers dime but also lied to his family and the public stating that he would be hiking in the mountains. Thinking that this sort of behavior is acceptable as a public servant is not okay. I can't help but to think this is the exact privileged behavior that got our country into most of the problems that we are in today.

The most interesting part of this story is that Sanford voted for Clinton to be impeached during the Lewinsky drama. He was quoted as calling Clinton's situation "reprehensible." The irony that he is caught up in a similar scandal is just typical of Sanford's character. Now, I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not biased. Any opportunity to dismiss a white man in power who shows no love for social justice, gay rights, and abortion is cool with me - but I guess I'm not suppose to judge him on that. I personally would never vote for Mr. Sanford to be in office but the majority did in his wonderful state of South Carolina.

At the end of the day, we should not be judging a government official on his personal life or sexual preference. It has nothing to do with how he or she can perform his or her duties. America is one of the few countries that does judge their officials on their personal lives and I'm not sure that this practice is okay. If a government official has the most scandalous home life but really works for the people and cares about them then it is what it is. And I guess he gets to keep his job since he did pay the taxpayers back for his little getaway to Argentina. If the people that put him in office are cool with it then I guess I am.

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