Should government officials be held to higher standard than us?

[Stonent]

I think I'd love to see legislation passed that increased the prison sentence for politicians committing a crime beyond what a normal citizen would get. 

Take this guy for instance.  Within a couple of days of kicking off his campaign to go from being a California State Senator to California Secretary of State, he gets busted by the FBI for illegal weapons trafficking.

But what really pisses me off is being a hypocrite. Supporting legislation to reduce gun crime and then getting busted for selling guns to criminals.  I have no sympathy for crooked politicians, especially hypocritical ones. I wish him a fair trial and hope he enjoys his new special friend in Federal Prison.

Nothing quite as nice as seeing a politician go to jail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Yee

Arrest on corruption charges and gun trafficking

An affidavit was filed on March 14, 2014, and unsealed on March 26, 2014, charging Yee with violating Title 18 United States Code Section 1343 and 1346 for honest services wire fraud by allegedly taking bribes from Well Tech, Chee Kong Tang, and for Medical Marijuana Legislation from undercover FBI agents in return for promises of official action; and Title 18 US Code Sections 371, 922(a)(1) and 922(1) for conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms from the Philippines by setting up an international weapons trafficking deal with undercover FBI agents. Yee was with 25 other defendants in the FBI criminal complaint. Yee is accused of dealing firearms without a license and illegally importing firearms. He is also accused of accepting "tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and cash payments to provide introductions, help a client get a contract and influence legislation." Yee and his campaign staff accepted at least $42,800 from undercover FBI agents in exchange for carrying out specific requests. Yee discussed the opportunity for an agent to get weapons worth up to $2.5 million from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines to bring them to the US. He told the agent, "There's a part of me that wants to be like you. You know how I'm going to be like you? Just be a free agent there." Yee was arrested on 26 March 2014 and charged with six counts of depriving the public of honest services and one count of conspiracy to traffic guns without a license.
The FBI raided Yee's office at the California State Capitol and the San Francisco Chinatown office of the Ghee Kung Tong fraternal organization. This is linked to the arrest, on March 26, 2014, of Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow.

[dr.diesel]

Too bad there are hundreds more just like him, in equal or higher positions.

[Stonent]

Though when you come down to it, "charged with six counts of depriving the public of honest services".  I think all politicians given time will fail that litmus test.

[zapta]

But what really pisses me off is being a hypocrite. Supporting legislation to reduce gun crime and then getting busted for selling guns to criminals.

But what really pisses me off is ignoring the presumption of innocence.

;-)

[ixfd64]

Absolutely. The same goes for police. They're supposed to held to a higher standard than the rest of us, yet they get away with lots of stuff that would undoubtedly land us in prison.

[Bored@Work]

I think I'd love to see legislation passed that increased the prison sentence for politicians committing a crime beyond what a normal citizen would get.

First things first. And that would be that they are treated the same as normal criminals, instead of letting them off the hook lightly. 

[Stonent]

But what really pisses me off is being a hypocrite. Supporting legislation to reduce gun crime and then getting busted for selling guns to criminals.

But what really pisses me off is ignoring the presumption of innocence.

;-)

I said I wished him a fair trial. :-D

[dr.diesel]

First things first. And that would be that they are treated the same as normal criminals, instead of letting them off the hook lightly.

The amount of stuff that get's covered up for these people would likely shock even us.

[SeanB]

You are shocked by crooked politicians?

[Phaedrus]

Step 1: Make legal guns harder to get
Step 2: See increased demand for illegal guns
Step 3: Sell illegal guns
Step 4: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Step 5: Buy all of the cocaine

Not a hypocrite. A scumbag.

[CaptnYellowShirt]

Do you think Milton Freidman was the devil?

[ahnuts72]

Step 1: Make legal guns harder to get
Step 2: See increased demand for illegal guns
Step 3: Sell illegal guns
Step 4: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Step 5: Buy all of the cocaine

Not a hypocrite. A scumbag.

Summed up nicely.

I would include anyone in any office as far as more accountable for breaking the law LEA,Judges.Prosecutors,Political.

[T3sl4co1l]

Should government officials be held to higher standard than us?

No -- of course not.

They write the rules, and also enforce them.  Why should they even be held to the *same* standard as the general public?

Tim

P.S.

[bench_knob]

Hi Stonent, and All,


<<< Stonent says: >>>

<<<
I think I'd love to see legislation passed that increased the prison sentence for politicians committing a crime beyond what a normal citizen would get.
>>>

And

<<<
Nothing quite as nice as seeing a politician go to jail.
>>>

Hah, you're thinkin' in the right direction, however, I'd amend things a bit, --I feel as a pre-requisite to qualify for running for political office, at least in the USA, a politician shall attend a Constitutional Law school and must have better than 80% passing grades, and then, they need expend 24 months in a US Federal Prison, PRIOR to serving as a public representive, for all the crimes they'll get away with, for which they don't get caught while 'serving' the  US Public.

But frankly, to clean things up a bit, Americans need to fire about 50% of those bad management political skunks, but not the State Parks employees, or the Senior Citizen facility employees, nope, fire the city, state and federal voted-in and appointee representatives. Those skunks have forgotten who pays their (woefully criminally inflated) salaries. 

I don't know what its truly like in the rest of the world, I'm sure y'all have your own skunky politician problems but here in the USA, the US Government is mindlessly out of control, and Americans are becoming pissed-off about the state of affairs.

bench knob

ps Skunk - for those who reside in countries that don't share the land with these varmits, and the 'odor'? well, if ya get sprayed no one, including your dear Mother, will stay near ya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk

[EEVblog]

Step 1 - Get money out of politics
Step 2 - Take away benefits for politicians (like lifetime pensions etc)
Step 3 - At least hold them to the same level of accountability to the law as us peons.

[KJDS]

I'd like to see anyone that wants to be a politician banned from becoming a politician.

Once upon a time it was the choice of those that really wanted to serve their local community or those that had set up a successful business empire and wanted to give something back to the country by using their skills to serve.

Now we get career politicians who have never done any work outside of politics telling us how to live our lives whilst doing their utmost to line their own pockets.

[CaptnYellowShirt]

I'd like to see anyone that wants to be a politician banned from becoming a politician.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism

[Macbeth]

I'd like to see anyone that wants to be a politician banned from becoming a politician.

Once upon a time it was the choice of those that really wanted to serve their local community or those that had set up a successful business empire and wanted to give something back to the country by using their skills to serve.

Now we get career politicians who have never done any work outside of politics telling us how to live our lives whilst doing their utmost to line their own pockets.

I fully agree.

But how else can we get socialist politicians? They are all from redbrick uni's or trendy islington set champagne socialists funding their offspring to carry on the good cause. Never had to do a days work in a real job in their life. They now demand taxpayers should fund their political campaigns.

Like Harriet Harman, they get involved in ridiculous political groups that support peadophilia as it's a human right to rape children, and only tories are against it because they are so anachronistic.

These chattering class lunatics should not be allowed in the house of parliament.

MP's should only be such on merit. But meritocracy is something never tried compared to the failed democratic model.

[Stonent]

Step 1: Make legal guns harder to get
Step 2: See increased demand for illegal guns
Step 3: Sell illegal guns
Step 4: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Step 5: Buy all of the cocaine

Not a hypocrite. A scumbag.

My alternate title was going to be "Is this man a piece of human excrement?" and was going to "Wish him well in his future career as a human body fluid receptacle" but thought that was a bit much for the opening post.

[Fsck]

No government official would ever pass such laws. Like most people, they're concerned about  self-preservation.

[Stonent]

I'd like to see anyone that wants to be a politician banned from becoming a politician.

Once upon a time it was the choice of those that really wanted to serve their local community or those that had set up a successful business empire and wanted to give something back to the country by using their skills to serve.

Now we get career politicians who have never done any work outside of politics telling us how to live our lives whilst doing their utmost to line their own pockets.

I fully agree.

But how else can we get socialist politicians? They are all from redbrick uni's or trendy islington set champagne socialists funding their offspring to carry on the good cause. Never had to do a days work in a real job in their life. They now demand taxpayers should fund their political campaigns.

Like Harriet Harman, they get involved in ridiculous political groups that support peadophilia as it's a human right to rape children, and only tories are against it because they are so anachronistic.

These chattering class lunatics should not be allowed in the house of parliament.

MP's should only be such on merit. But meritocracy is something never tried compared to the failed democratic model.

"I wanna be a bureaucrat when I grow up!"

It reminds me of those anti-drug commercials in the US in the 80s "I wanna be a Policeman! I wanna be a doctor!" ... "Nobody ever says I want to be a junkie when I grow up"

The part about rich kids going to college reminds me of this:



Lord Monty, Lord Snot, Ms. Money-Sterling, and Mr. Kendall Mintcake.

Up Scumbag! Up Scumbag!

[c4757p]

No government official would ever pass such laws. Like most people, they're concerned about  self-preservation.

If they equate avoiding having to follow basic, moral laws with self-preservation, we have a huge problem.

[Tinkerer]

I would like to cite Ron Paul as one of the few actual statesmen in the world. Lobbyists didnt even bother coming by his office when he was a house rep. There is a point when people say term limits though. Being there for only 3 or 4 terms max would help get rid of alot of this. Making the the rest be required to sign up for obamacare(at least those in thge US) would probably help alot too.
My state of Virginia has a limit of one term per governor.

[Stonent]

I would like to cite Ron Paul as one of the few actual statesmen in the world. Lobbyists didnt even bother coming by his office when he was a house rep. There is a point when people say term limits though. Being there for only 3 or 4 terms max would help get rid of alot of this. Making the the rest be required to sign up for obamacare(at least those in thge US) would probably help alot too.
My state of Virginia has a limit of one term per governor.

I think I recall Ron Paul "donated" his entire salary back to the government while he was a congressman.

[Mr. Coffee]

...But what really pisses me off is being a hypocrite. Supporting legislation to reduce gun crime and then getting busted for selling guns to criminals.

There is big money in prohibitions. Maybe this is why he push legislation to "reduce gun violence" whatever that means. 
Send him to the electric chair.