Reply #7: Wouod an ordinary American go to prison

[Jackpine Radical]

if he committed crimes comparable to those of Stevens?

He accepted gifts from people whom he then benefitted. He took bribes. Bribes big enough for the average American to retire on.

Tax evasion is theft from the rest of us. Somebody shoplifts from Walmart, they get hammered. Somebody who embezzles that much from a private company will not be dealt with lightly. With tax evasion, Stevens cmmitted a similar crime.

I'm not going to speak about the punishment he deserves. I don't know. I do want to put his crimes into perspective. He sorely abused his public trust as an elected leader.