The United States is slipping into a recession. It is also embroiled in a war against an ideology. Its currency is losing traction in the global economy. Then, why is Congress spending so much time grilling baseball players? Does Congress seem to think that the business of running the country, fixing its financial woes, restoring its standing among the nations of the world and securing its liberty is less important than cross-examining baseball players for lying to protect their livelihoods? Does Congress have nothing else to do? Of course they have better things to do, but they aren’t.

Are they upset that baseball players have appropriated Congress’s time-honored right to lie when it pleases or benefits them? I do not mean to excuse the actions of some of the players of America’s pastime, which are dishonest at best and criminal at worst, and perhaps the government has some right in determining baseball’s practices by dint of the legal monopoly granted to Major League Baseball, but give me a break. The members of this congressional committee investigating this trivial venture should be ashamed of themselves. With that being said, hearing Representative Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) talking about the mass on Roger Clemens buttocks is ironically appropriate.

Patrick J. McDonald is a senior Latin and classics student.