RSS Feed
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Siegelman's tragedy It is a great tragedy of epic proportions. The man who was elected to more offices more times than anyone in Alabama, the man who many thought could be Alabama's greatest governor found guilty of trading on his office and sentenced to over seven years. Former Gov. Don Siegelman was found guilty of appointing healthcare mogul Richard Scrushy to a important state hospital regulatory board in exchange for a $500,000 donation to help promote a pro vote for a state lottery favored by the then-governor. The lottery effort was defeated by voters. Federal prosecutors say it didn't matter that Siegelman didn't profit directly from the donation. The fact is, they stressed, that he traded on his office and in doing so broke the public's trust. Siegelman's actions were wrong and so was Scrushy's, who also got jail time, it should be noted. Some jail time was justified but we wonder, like others, if the sentence was excessive for the crime he was convicted of and perhaps politically motivated, at least to some degree.
We take no joy from one of Alabama's once brightest stars falling so far. We do hope that others take note of this conviction and make changes, if needed, in the way they conduct the people's business in this state.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
