Time cures all problems, including the dishonest politicians

Is Texas making the right choice when it comes to candidates for 2012 president? Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker and perennial big thinker in the Republican Party, recently has indicated that he will run for president in 2012. I think the article “Texas Republicans prefer Newt Gingrich for president; Ron Paul lags far behind” is worth reading, because we will see more of Texas support for Mr. Gingrich in the near future.

How easily Gingrich’s ethic issues are forgotten by Texas republicans. All that was needed is time. Time cures all problems, including the dishonest politicians.

On January 21, 1997, the House voted 395 to 28 to reprimand Gingrich for ethics violations dating back to September 1994. The House ordered Gingrich to pay a $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House's 208-year history it had disciplined a Speaker for ethical wrongdoing.

Eighty-four ethics charges most of which were leveled by House Democratic Whip David Bonior were filed against Speaker Gingrich during his term. These included charges that he claimed tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes. Eighty-three of the 84 allegations were dropped. Gingrich denied the charges over misuse of tax-exempt funds; however, he admitted to providing inaccurate statements during the probe over the college course and agreed to pay $300,000 for the cost of the investigation. The House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented "intentional or ... reckless" disregard of House rules.

The full committee panel did not reach a conclusion about whether Gingrich had violated federal tax law and instead opted to leave it up to the IRS.

In 1999, the IRS cleared the organizations connected with the "Renewing American Civilization" courses under investigation for possible tax violations.