Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyB
No doubt, pardons are such a strange authority of presidency in the US. A functioning democracy doesn't seem like it should feature anyone having the authority to indiscriminately distribute get out of jail free cards to their buddies, fans and donors.
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Yeah, it's weird for sure.
I like it for some reasons. It's let's the president correct some past mistakes or adjust punishments to something more appropriate as society changes. For example, Clinton pardoned some people who were convicted and given huge sentences because they promoted communism or Puerto Rican independence. At the time they were convicted, society saw those things as big dangers and large sentences were considered appropriate. By the time the 1990s rolled around and some of those people were still in jail, it made sense to issue pardons. Or when Obama issued pardons or clemency to people who were given excessive sentences when the war on drugs had lawmakers in a frenzy.
I would also bet that those 2 also abused the system and that every president abuses it, but it can also be used for good. It's just too bad there isn't a better system in place to moderate it.