I’m sad to say that when I read an article or catch a newsflash about a politician cheating on his wife, I’m not all that surprised. Yesterday, when South Carolina governor Mark Sanford admitted that he spent the weekend in Argentina with another woman, calls for his resignation sprang up immediately. Whether or not Sanford survives this scandal is yet to be seen, but when it comes to politicians, how they behave behind closed doors is directly related to their fitness for the job.
When things like this happen, disappointment and disillusionment reign. It’s difficult to read reports of deception and see the wife standing by her husband’s side (although in this case, the Sanfords have been separated for two weeks). I’m all for practicing grace and issuing forgiveness, but when it comes to politics, integrity is a major issue. If the governor (or president or senator or mayor) cannot be faithful to her spouse, then her word loses value and becomes almost meaningless, which even Governor Sanford recognizes.
As a struggling freelance writer, I admit that one of my fears is not getting paid for the work I do. It’s difficult to find a paying job in the market these days, since no one has much money to spare and everyone and their brother has a blog. Words are cheap, as evidenced by the number of Web sites and publications that offer a byline as payment for an article. The byline is nice, and I’ve certainly written some things for free, but that doesn’t help me pay off my student loans.
These days, when I receive a contract offering to pay me for my work, I get very, very excited. I’m quick to sign the contract and drop it in the mail, and I immediately start working on the assignment. Some companies only pay upon publication. Others pay when they receive a completed manuscript, but in this economy, some publishing houses don’t pay at all.
When I read the Times article about Inkwell Publishing’s inability to pay their writers for work that had already been completed, shivers went up my spine. Inkwell owes some of its writers over $10,000, and not a penny has been seen. All that work, for naught. Scary stuff for all of us freelance writers. Not good news at all.
Earlier tonight I watched a young couple announce their divorce in front of millions of viewers. Regardless of the circumstances or who is to blame, my heart breaks for them. When I try to imagine how horrific life must be for them right now, I cannot. Not only do they have to navigate through the painful process of divorce, they must do so in front of the entire nation. Every decision and every action is publicly scrutinized and criticized, and blogs are jumping with those quick to point fingers at the couple’s mistakes and gleefully bask in the destruction of a family.
