The Verdict is In

Don Siegleman and Richard Scrushy will not be able to read this blog entry. As you read this both of them have been remanded to the Montgomery County Jail awaiting assignment to a Federal Prison which could take up to 45 days. U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller sentenced Alabama’s former governor to 88 months and Richard Scrushy the founder of HealthSouth to 82 months. Their attorneys will have 10 days to file an appeal. The Siegleman and Scrushy sentences also include restitution, fines, community service, parole, family separation, and public disgrace. I watched the details unfold on WSFA and asked myself, “How many more are out there like that?”

Lord Acton’s famous words of wisdom, “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has validity beyond Acton’s foreseeable expectations. Politics itself is a favor based institution it always has been and forever shall be. There is a host of politicians that have fallen by the waist side (pardon the cliché) and there are many more just itching to be indicted. Politics itself is a host of a social disease called greed and it is highly communicable. Looking for an honest politician is like looking for the cure for cancer. The cure may be out there but we will catch immortal hell trying to find it. It is just that simple. Bribery is a way of life in politics and it shows when there are concessions made in an effort to appease one politician to sway his or her vote for the common good of the group. Yep that’s bribery.

I do not feel sorrow for these two men nor do I feel sorrow for their families. Both of these men are wealthy. Both of these men have absolutely nothing to loose but time. Their families will enjoy the life that they are accustomed to and will not miss a beat. But I wonder…I wonder when the first decision was made by either man to accept a less than legal gift, or when either man decided to pay someone off. I wonder if they felt remorse or got a thrill and I wonder what both are thinking at this very moment as they don orange jumpsuits and know they are over 6 and a half years away from their release.


~Vale~