HOWEVER
I do find selective prosecutions more troublesome than conviction for failure to report something that I’ll bet a whole lot of Senators aren’t reporting, and/or are creating new definitions to avoid reporting, and/or are volitionally deaf and blind to keep them from reporting.
My opinion is that there isn’t a Senator and Rep alive who either isn’t skirting some issue, perhaps on this side of the line or perhaps on the other side, OR who can’t be made to look guilty of some transgression, at least in an indictment. And if the AG’s office is allowed selective prosecution of representatives, we cease to have a democracy.

Personally, I’d like to see the AG’s office prosecuted for something.

Lawmakers should not delegate their responsibility to comply with a law requiring lawmakers to be held accountable.

The defense of -’the law doesn’t apply to me because I didn’t take my responsibility seriously’, doesn’t wash, IMO.

Does that help simplify things?

I don’t begrudge the ADN trying to boost circulation, but this is all the ADN doing their best to spice up what is basically no story and Stevens supporters doing their best to keep the dream alive. It is interesting to compare with the Washington Post trial coverage. WP reporters are appartently a lot more used to seeing crooked politicians on trial in D.C., their trial coverage was a lot more matter of fact, without most of the drama and defense flourishes reported by the ADN.
It is certainly possible something may come out of the investigation of the prosecutors, but we’ll see.

It’s a crappy house, IMO. Have you seen the photos of it? I can’t imagine someone who served 40 years in the US Senate risking his seat and his reputation for that crappy little house. Stevens didn’t spend much time there, because the Senate schedule had him stuck in DC so much of the time. He only spent less than a month every year at home, and much of that traveling around the state to talk to us, his constituents.

In my mind, it just doesn’t add up. Maybe he’s guilty as all get-out, I dunno. But somehow, it just doesn’t feel right to me. I just don’t think the old man failed to disclose $240,000 in crappy home improvements on his Senate Disclosure paperwork on purpose. Ted Stevens is not a stupid man. And his wife practices international law. Catherine Bittner-Stevens isn’t stupid either.

But there is the matter of ethics. It sounds like ethics violations, to me. And the problem that I have with Stevens is that he’s been around politics long enough and is certainly old enough to know what is right and what is wrong. Claiming that he trusted the wrong person or that he was tricked just doesn’t excuse him from responsibility, in my opinion.

We are all faced with choosing how we conduct our business and our personal lives every day. Do we tell the clerk in the store that he gave us too much change – or do we consider it a lucky break? What do we do with money we find on the ground in the parking lot – turn it in to security only if it’s over a certain amount or put it in our own pocket? After all, $10 to a person who doesn’t have a good job is a huge amount – but if we don’t try to find the person who lost it, then how would we ever know. Do we set the record straight when we are complimented or given a raise or bonus even though it was someone else who did the work? Do we admit that we made a mistake even when no one knows? What about our tax returns – do we only take legitiment deductions or do we look for the loophole and congratulate ourselves that we’ve outsmarted the government?

Each of us, every day, chooses how we conduct our lives. The choices we make are the indication of our character. I’ve found that the older I get the more aware I am of the importance of living my life honestly and ethically. It’s the reason I can sleep at night and the reason I don’t feel guilty about things I’ve done. I don’t have regrets and I don’t have to wonder when I might get caught in a lie because I haven’t lied. If we choose to do the right thing, the ethical thing, then no one can put us in a position of having to prove that we didn’t do anything wrong – it won’t even be an issue.

Stevens had to have known that all that remodling was way beyond what was allowed. That’s just common sense. And past service doesn’t exempt anyone from being held accountable for current choices.

Pat

While working people are losing their jobs and homes, the WSJ cries about how unfair it is that the bankers and Wall Street brokers will get their multi-million dollar bonuses cut. Cry me a river already.