One thing that bothers me about this story is I have always thought (and I don't really know why just my own moral compass I guess) that is a more serious offence to accept a bribe than it is to offer one. I guess I assume that when someone has been entrusted with a public good of some kind (politician, university, amateur sport) that one of the most important aspects of that trust is that they wont be corrupted, because there will be those who will attempt to corrupt them. So when I vote for the mayor, I assume there are people out there who would be willing to bribe him, this doesn't bother me that much as it is just the nature of the universe. We need people of strong character in these positions so the offices keep their integrity. I guess what I am saying is I think the people who accepted the bribes should be in much more trouble then the people who offered them and that doesn't seem to be the case.
|