government (over)involvement in baseball

Finally back in service with a new computer and even cable internet, although my current work schedule doesn't allow for much bloggin'. But I was able to read this ESPN.com article. It seems that the House Government Reform Committee thinks one of its duties is to get to the bottom of baseball's steriods scandal. Sure looks like (another) gross assumption of power that the government obviously shouldn't have, but definitely not surprising in the least. Several things jump out of that article as being absurd in one or more ways, and this quote from Reps. Davis and Waxman is one of them:

The committee will conduct a thorough, fair, and responsible investigation. It is important the American people know the facts on baseball's steroid scandal. And it is important that all Americans, especially children, know about the dangers of drug use. Consistent with our committee's jurisdiction over the nation's drug policy, we need to better understand the steps MLB is taking to get a handle on the steroid issue, and whether news of those steps -- and the public health danger posed by steroid use -- is reaching America's youth.

So is the Government Reform Committee really responsible for policing drug control policies of private organizations? According to the committee's own website, the closest such power is the "authorizing legislation for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and its programs as well as general oversight for all U.S. government drug control efforts" under the Subcommittee of Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources. So the reps are getting sloppy with the language; it's government drug policy, not national drug policy. Big difference. I don't think the latter could even be construed to include MLB's efforts but certainly the former couldn't. And it seems that the Office of National Drug Control Policy gets its authority from the committee in the first place so it shouldn't be a player either. Not to mention the constitutional angle that could be taken here. The bottom line is that the government shouldn't be involved in any way whatsoever.* As if that's ever stopped them before.

Worse yet, it seems that the committee is not taking action to actually control the problem, but to ensure that us average Americans know how dangerous drugs are and what steps baseball is taking to stop drug abuse among its players.** Sorry, but we don't need the government--federal or otherwise--using our money to tell us drugs are bad. We can figure that out for ourselves one way or another. And we, not our government, are accountable for our own actions. As far as knowing what MLB is doing, that's no business of mine. They aren't required to disclose any such information to me or anyone else outside of their organization, and if I don't like it I can refuse to buy their tickets and merchandise. It's in MLB's best interest to keep us fans informed but not required by any stretch of the law.

Toss this one on the "more government BS" heap...

*I suppose one could make the far-fetched argument that since cities are subsidizing stadiums these days they have a voice in how the game is regulated. But (1) the city would then have some authority over the venue in which the game is played, not teams or players, and (2) it would be city governments, not the federal government, with said authority. And since when should cities be propping up building projects that apparently couldn't succeed on their own (judging from the belly-aching from owners)? The whole argument is bunk and at best is simply another reason cities shouldn't fund stadiums.

**I don't know how many, if any, of the "drugs" being used are actually illegal, but I'm sure not all of them are. I can go to the local GNC or even a supermarket and choose from rows and rows of supplements. There isn't some kind of far-reaching drug conspiracy taking place here, with all the murders and sob stories and such. These are guys cheating to get an unfair advantage in a game. But illegal? Is Congress trying to regulate fairness in baseball? If so then perhaps they should investigate every blown call or every team's schedule. I mean, why only worry about one part of the problem?