Principle #5 - If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

“I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

This is one that I feel really shouldn’t need explanation or commentary. However, this last year has highlighted the disturbing number of arrogant and/or stupid politicians on both sides of the aisle that are in some kind of trouble, be it taxes, misuse of funds or power, and a number of ethics violations. What’s more disturbing is that relatively few of them suffer any consequences other than a little public embarrassment. You have think that our elected officials are generally smart and well educated people to have gotten to where they are, otherwise it’s a scary indication of how stupid we the electorate can be. Given that, they had to know what they were doing was wrong and/or illegal, but did it anyway because they thought they wouldn’t get caught, or that if they did they were above reproach due to their position. Oh the arrogance….Sadly, some of them were right, and that’s a true American tragedy. This country has to get back to the point where no one is immune to the law. That concept has to start from the bottom up, because the top sure isn’t going to regulate itself. WE have to start holding everyone accountable; everyone from the minimum wage worker up to the President. More importantly, we have to start holding ourselves accountable. There are far too many people, particularly in the younger generations, who are upset and/or bitter with the government and law enforcement not because of how or why laws or made, but because they got caught breaking them. The victim mentality of “poor me” and “look what THEY are doing to ME” simply must go away if we are to have a healthy and just society free of corruption.