Here are a couple things I have difficulty understanding.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press ran a story about Clinton administration officials who are or have come under investigation by the Justice Department or independent counsels.

This list starts at the top, with President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

They're under an ongoing investigation by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr concerning their involvement in the failure of Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association of Little Rock, Ark. The infamous "Whitewater."

There's the potential for obstruction of justice and false statements coming out of that investigation.

Also, the president is under scrutiny for his role in the Democratic National Committee's fund-raising fiasco. So far Attorney General Janet Reno hasn't found any evidence of crimes committed by the president, but campaign finance quirks continue to be investigated by the Justice Department.

Next is Vice President Al Gore. Again, Reno has found no evidence of crimes by Gore during the 1996 election, but he remains under investigation by the Justice Department.

Ex-Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros is waiting for his day in court. He's charged with making falst statements to the FBI about payments made to a former mistress.

Ex-Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy is waiting for his day in court, too. He's charged with accepting favors from businesses that his department was regulating.

Ex-Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who was killed in plane crash in Croatia, was being investigated by an independent counsel over private financial dealings. The probe was turned over to the Justice Department after his death.

Ira Magaziner, a senior presidential adviser, was ordered just last month to cough up $285,864 in fines. A judge ruled that Magaziner lied in 1993 when he said in a deposition that Clinton's health care task force included no non-government employees.

Bruce Babbitt, the Secretary of the Interior, is under investgation by the Justice Department, too. That's part of the campaign finance probe. Seems Babbitt may have had a role in getting a an Indian casino license rejected. The rejection came after rival tribes gave $300,000 to the Democrats.

Webster Hubbell, an ex-associate attorney general, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was convicted of tax evasion and mail fraud. He bilked a Little Rock firm. Hillary Clinton was a partner with him in that firm.

Ex-Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary was investigated by the Justice Department. she was accused of seeking donations in exchange for a meeting with Chinese businessmen. Reno just last month decided that O'Leary didn't know the donations had been solicited

Remember, these are the folks that called the '80s the decade of greed.

And these are just the cabinet members. There are lots of other White House types involved in shady activities.

And there was the scandal where they found hundreds of FBI files in the White House, and the travel office scandal where they railroaded Billy Dale.

(Did you know Chuck Colson, of Watergate fame, did a year in prison for having one FBI file?)

There are probably a couple other scandals that I have forgotten.

The thing I don't understand is why nobody seems to care.

Seems most people think it's just standard operating procedure these days.

It's almost as if it's expected for people to be dishonest, misleading or criminal.

It's amazing. We get letters from people all the time raving about somebody who actually did the right thing.

You've seen the good samaritan letters. "Thank you to the man who returned my wallet."

Values have become so twisted that we feel the need to publicly thank somebody for not stealing from us.

Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

*****

I hope that Kristina Crooks is feeling really honest.

She's the one who was convicted this week in the death of her 11-month-old daughter.

Lois, the daughter, choked to death on her own vomit. An autopsy showed six cigarette butts in her stomach and the sedative Valium in her blood. The baby had bruises on her body.

The reason I hope Crooks is honest is because she is currently a free woman.

She was free on bond before her trial, and after she was convicted, that bond wasn't increased.

She was convicted of reckless homicide, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury and subsequent death, and neglect of a dependent.

She faces a maximum 20 years in prison.

If ever there was a flight risk, it's Kristina Crooks.

I don't understand why we wouldn't hike the bond and get this woman locked up. [[In-content Ad]]