Libertarians are calling for a strict separation of sport and state in response to Sen. John McCain's threat to intervene in the baseball steroid controversy.
"Will Sen. John McCain please sit down?" asked Joseph Seehusen, Libertarian Party executive director. "Major League Baseball is perfectly capable of handling this problem without the help of the federal government."
In response to revelations that New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, the Arizona Republican is warning the players' union to toughen its policy on steroid use as it meets this week in Phoenix.
But in this case, grandstanding politicians should stay in the grandstands where they belong, Libertarians say.
"The government already intrudes into our businesses, our schools, and almost every other aspect of our lives," Seehusen said. "It would be one small but significant victory if we could declare just one area completely off limits to the government. How about a complete separation of sport and state?"
The Libertarian proposal: Let baseball decide the rules of baseball.
"Commissioner Bud Selig already has the power to impose a 60-day suspension and a fine of $100,000 for the use of illegal steroids," he said. "And that policy seems to be working. According to Don Fehr, head of the players' union, the number of positive tests for steroid use fell significantly between 2003 and 2004."
Now owners and players are considering adopting a tougher policy, similar to that in the minor leagues, in which the first offense incurs an unpaid 15-game suspension, with suspensions for future offenses rising to 30 games, 60 games and one year, he noted.
Under that standard, one failed drug test would cost a star like Barry Bonds a cool $1.6 million, and a third offense would cost him a staggering $6.4 million, notes Seehusen.
"Which do you think is a bigger deterrent: the thought of losing an immediate $6.4 million, or the prospect of Congress passing yet another law sometime in the next few years?" Seehusen asked.
Keep in mind: Steroids are already illegal, which means the laws aren't working, he noted.
"McCain is proposing to solve a problem that seems to be improving, by relying on more laws that seem to be failing," Seehusen said.
"Let's let the players, owners, and ultimately the fans decide what's best for baseball. If Sen. McCain doesn't like it, he doesn't have to buy a ticket."
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