[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Sorry, I missed the memo - when exactly is a crime not a crime? When am I allowed to say - "Sorry officer, I know the law says it's a crime, but, hey, we both know it's not a REAL crime." ? I can't wait to use that on my next parking ticket.

While enforcement of crimes is sometimes (and, admittedly, more often then is acceptable) uneven, a crime is a crime is a crime. Further, it is the chief executive (whether mayor, governor or president) who is charged with enforcing the penalties for those crimes. To assert that such an individual should not be held accountable for violating the laws he/she is charged with enforcing undermines the rule of law.

In this particular case, the chief executive conspired to avoid detection both by use of the banking system and by avoiding the security officers provided to the chief executive (and who's duty is both to the individual who occupies that office and, on behalf of the state's citizens, to the office itself). The purpose of his avoiding detection was participate in an illegal business operation that, in of itself, was a conspiracy to break the very laws Spitzer was charged with enforcing.

Add to this, the hypocrisy element and Spitzer is simply getting his justifiable due.

Sucks when the karma train rams you in the ass.

Ok, if a crime is a crime is a crime, and everyone should be prosecuted evenly, then they also must be punished evenly as well. If you or I were busted "paying for it" we'd get whatever level of crime this is (misdemeanor?) and pay the fine for a first offense. No one would be calling for our job... I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for his actions, but I think him losing his job is a bit much. That said, how was his performance on the job?