This tawdry affair and the likewise reporting of it, especially the need for Starr and others to make every detail available to the people of this nation, is quite a small problem in relation to the whole that goes on in Washington, DC.

I know many will disagree with this but a married person lying about an affair and having to stick with the lie regardless of the potential consequences is quite the norm, not the exception.

No, the mess I am thinking of is the mess created by politicians who have too long been in office, or seem to get in the news more often than others, and the rather wearisome partisan power struggles that go on in lieu of properly governing this nation.

WE don’t need party politics confusing every issue with their fodder that is intended to mislead. We don’t need any other than eclectic reasoning abilities from our politicians, especially those (state and federal) who are supposed to deal with legislation on a day by day basis.

How many man-hours have now been tied up by the relentless pursuit of President Clinton by the Republican Party? How many millions more than Starr’s 40 to 50 million dollars have been spent in wasted time?

And, for what? The complete truth?

Not hardly. The money has been spent for party power which means your tax dollars have gone to aid the Republican Party and its congressional members in keeping or gaining seats.

This, in turn, assures those same powerful people the return of all their dollars invested (yes, getting elected is a business proposition. Each expects to be returned the money spent regardless of the amount.)

How do they get it returned? Let’s say Gingrich had remained to campaign once again. A couple of months ago, he already had right at $4 million dollars to campaign with. Would his salary, a paltry, paltry sum to professional, Congressional politicians have repaid him the money?

Not a chance. He would have been lucky to recover even ten percent of the total spent. No, the money would have been returned as it always has been, through corruption and the tiny bit from personal speaking engagements.

Do others besides Clinton lie? Or, get contributions illegally? Or misuse campaign funds and/or donations?

Do others lie about moral issues? About their motivations for legislation or for their attacks on others, especially their competitors (can’t wait for the primaries to see who proves who not suitable for the job of presidency. During the last primaries, the Republican Party hopefuls proved to many of us they didn’t have anyone worthy of the presidency). Will we have a repeat?

Take Rep. Dan Burton, R-IN. "The attorney general is hopelessly conflicted when investigating her own boss," Mr. Burton said. "The American people should understand that in Janet Reno's Justice Department, as well as the Clinton dministration, there are two rules of law: one for the president and his friends, and another for the rest of us."

Consider this. His former boss, so to speak, Gingrich, lied and used funds donated for education for his own purposes. And, all Gingrich got was a minor slap on the wrist which was, in all probability, kissed well by the tobacco industry.

He (Burton) berated Clinton for lying and all while he had lied for years (16) to his constituency. And he accuses Janet Reno of favoritism and the Clinton administration of having its own set of rules of law.

Seems to me he is rather confused as are all the Republicans entering into the fray of campaign funding. As I once understood it, there is one set of laws for all of us, whether politician or private citizen. But, apparently history, civic, and other sources are wrong.

Or, maybe Burton, in his seemingly less-than-fully-aware state of what he really has said, meant there were three sets of rules of law: one for the Republicans, one for the Democrats, and one for the rest of us.

This would make sense since Burton, after the story broke of his illegitimate son, indirectly told many of us he had more or less lied on his application to the people of his state, Indiana, and outright to the rest of us when he first slammed Mr. Clinton.

What else did he lie about or has he lied about? We will never know unless a multi-million dollar investigation is conducted against him. But, if we apply his and others’ logic, then we may assume the list to be quite extensive.

That is the crux of the matter. We don’t know what congressional members do or how they go about doing it.

We don’t know whose backs they are scratching when any legislation is being considered.

We don’t know anymore who is lying, who is almost telling the truth or if any could recognize the truth if it hit them right square in the nose.

We don’t even know if any ever truly consider what is best for this nation and its people and fight for it regardless of the effect on party power.

What we do know is that politicians will do or say anything for votes, even against their own party members. We hear the dirt every election, even when campaigning against their own.

We also know they rely heavily on major campaign contributors and we know major campaign contributors, those powerful, filthy rich special interest groups, expect (probably demand) favors in return. That is corruption and our nation’s capitol reeks with the foul odor of it.

I don’t know about you but when I have a smelly mess at home, I clean it up, bag it, and get rid of the trash and garbage. It is out the door and done away with. Why keep what is polluting my senses?

Maybe we should do the same with our governing. Maybe we need to completely clean house, re-define our governing in a manner that can not be corrupted by power hungry, greedy people.

Is there a way of doing this? Sure, but it will take the people of this nation working together to rid ourselves of the apathy that has led to one of the most corrupt, secretive, amoral, unethical governments on this good Earth - the old (but not good) governing body of these United States of America.