Lance Armstrong faces charges of doping and fraud in a federal
investigation led by the FDA's Jeff Novitzky.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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If a pesky neighbor spitefully reported to the police that you possessed illegal drugs in your home, should that be enough for a warrant? Is that really just cause? What if the reality was that the neighbor simply hated you and wanted to cause trouble.
Could this be the case with Greg Lemond and Floyd Landis? They obviously do not like Armstrong, and that does not surprise anyone since Armstrong has a reputation of being an arrogant jerk.
With previous failed investigations into allegations of Armstrong doping, should this be happening, again? Isn't there something suspicious about the timing of Landis' email accusations coming out during the Tour de California the week of May 16? Doesn't it strike anyone that bringing this to light and delivering subpoenas during the Tour de France is a little dirty?
Fraud charges against Armstrong
The United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) angle is not just doping, but fraud. The idea is that the federal government was cheated out of money it would not have paid in sponsorship had the U.S. Postal Service cycling team not doped and not performed as well as they did. The fact that the USPS reaped any possible rewards of the sponsorship does not seem to matter. One could argue that this would be buying the cow, selling the milk for a period of time, collecting all of the benefits, and then claiming that the milk was bad and the purchase price of the cow must be refunded.
The thought process used for singling out and charging Armstrong over his former teammates is his relationship with the team. One of the goals of the investigation is to determine whether Armstrong was in an ownership and administrative relationship with the team. This would make him an easy target for fraud charges, especially if public dollars were used to illegally purchase and distribute drugs for the purpose of doping.
Armstrong investigation a waste of tax dollars?
Sure, if Armstrong were found guilty, the desperate U.S. Post Office could stand to recover some of those much-needed sponsorship dollars, but the reward would very unlikely come close to matching the expense of the investigation. Is this really prudent use of tax dollars?
Another question one might wish to ask is, "Why is the government sponsoring sports teams? Are those sponsorship dollars really going to make me purchase a stamp over using email, forego Fedex pick-up at my door for a trip to the post office, or shout, 'Yay, government?'"
Comments
Yes, the investigation should be taking place. Please do some research before writing a vacuous article.
Damn zidal. Bad day? Nothing better to do than harass people on the internet? Are you that small and insignificant? The article was saying if there should or should not be an investigation. It was raising points. Maybe you should learn to read before cutting other people down.
I didn't see anything in this article that wasn't true. Lemond and Landis do hate Armstrong. The investigation is targeting Armstrong for fraud related to doping.
I think the whole investigation is a waste of tax dollars. If LA had a positive drug test, then I could see investigating fraud, but he didn't.
I meant to write:
The article was NOT saying if there should or should not be an investigation.
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