Progressive Idea of the Week: Do not promote a culture of Inequality of Fairness by pardoning people that do not deserve it.

A person who commits a  non violent criminal act and redeems him or herself through good samaritan acts may deserve a pardon.

A person wrongly convicted of a crime definitely deserves a pardon.

A person who is elderly, ill, and has served a part of a sentence may deserve a pardon.

Where does Sheriff Joe Arpaio fit among these three scenarios. He does not. He was recently convicted of disobeying a judges order and President Trump (who Arpaio supported in the last election and who was a fellow birther against President Obama) pardoned him before he was sentenced. He may have been fined, imprisoned for up to a year, or both.

To some extent this is similar to Ford's pardon of Nixon and Bushes pardoning of the Iran Contra figures. If you are connected, your chances of getting favorable treatment are enhanced. This sends the wrong signal to our citizens and it is an inequality of fairness. The former Sheriff (he was defeated for reelection at the age of 85 last November) knowingly broke the law. While most people (including this writer) think a year in jail may be too much for an 85 year old, a conviction and a fine on the person's record is not. People need to know that justice is blind.




http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/25/politics/sheriff-joe-arpaio-donald-trump-pardon/index.html