Steroids & Congress - a match made in Hell

I probably shouldn't read the news. Half the time I feel like I'm going to have a brain spasm when I do. I just read where a House of Representatives committee has approved the Drug Free Sports Act. If passed into law, it will set the penalties for positive steroid tests in MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL (like it was necessary to include hockey). Normally, I like it when Congress gets involved in silly shit like this. I figure it means they won't be doing anything in important areas where they can cause real damage. However, I have to ask - have these friggin' morons completely lost their mind? Since when does Congress need to get involved in sports' rules? Should legislative agenda be set based on what gets John McCain face time on TV? There used to be the old saying about not making a federal case about everything, but that's certainly no longer the case in this country. Our Congressmen seem to think they need to pass a law about every friggin' thing that comes to mind. What's next? Mandating how many illegitimate kids NBA players can have?
Do I think steroids should have a place in professional sports? No. I don't care if someone wants to damage their future health by taking them, but it screws it for players who don't want to take them. The only way to be competitive with the juice junkies is to take steroids themselves. So, yes, I think the leagues should ban steroids. That doesn't mean Congress should be involved. The Congressional hearings on steroids (otherwise known as the "we'll be on CSPAN and ESPN hearings) were the biggest joke I have ever seen. Instead of leading to less steroid use, I think it could have led to more. Suppose Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire had admitted that their home run chase was fueled by steroids. Sammy Sosa still plays at a relatively high level, and while retired, McGwire still looked in good shape. So, what's some zit-faced 16 year old who thinks he can be a major leaguer even though he can't start for his high school JV team going to think? If I take steroids, I may have medical problems years down the road, but I'll make lots of money and become a larger than life celebrity. I sure nobody wants that.
If Congress thinks getting involved in setting penalties for sports teams is good, what will they think of next? I think baseball's bigger problem is a lack of competitive balance due to salary issues. Should Congress go in and decide what the salary cap should be? Should they decide what tickets should cost? How about regulating the price of hot dogs? Maybe they can clarify what the offsides rule is in hockey (or declare the NHL a national disaster)? Why isn't the WNBA included? The complete lack of fan interest didn't preclude the NHL from being added. Maybe the President should use the Taft-Hartley Act to order the NHL players to start playing again? You see the problem? Once Congress gets involved in penny-ante shit like this, there is no stopping them. After passing crap legislation like this, who do you think needs to be drug tested - baseball players or Congress?