The occurences surrounding Rep. Barney Frank, D_Mass., are disturbing. Abuse of power and privilege while holding governmental office has been a recurring theme ever since the rich landowners of 200 hundred years ago began calling themselves politicians.

Frank admitted last week that he used his congressional immunity to void parking tickets incurred by a personal aide, who also was a male prostitute. The man has now been fired, but the story doesn’t end there. The story also has a rather dubious beginning.

Frank first met his aide when he paid the man $80 for sex. Frank is an admitted homosexual, but that is not the issue here. The issue is the fact that an elected government official paid for sex, hired the man he had sex with to assist him with governmental his duties, let the man run a prostitution ring out of Frank’s apartment (Frank said such reports are false) and then allowed the man to use his vehicle and waived his parking tickets.

Governmental officials waiving parking tickets is an old story, and there is no need to beat-up on Frank for that. What is disturbing is the lifestyle this man has been living under—the guise of a responsible representative.

Frank asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate his relationship with the fired aide, and let’s hope they take necessary action to keep this type of behavior out of Capitol Hill.