Siegelman: Fair shake?

We put a lot of faith in our justice system and assume fairness will rule.

Thousands of people are asking themselves today whether that assumption is true in the case of former Gov. Don Siegelman.

Siegelman, Alabama's governor from 1999 until 2003, was sentenced to seven years and four months in federal prison for his conviction in a bribery and corruption case.

Some will tell you the sentence is ridiculously unfair and smacks of politics.

The allegation was that Siegelman coaxed HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy into contributing $500,000 to the fund that Siegelman was using to campaign for a statewide education lottery. In return, Scrushy was appointed to the state medical regulatory board, which oversees hospital expansions.

Federal prosecutors have never contended that Siegelman used any of the $500,000 for personal gain. He was not accused of putting money in his pocket or that the donations benefited his career.

"Selective prosecution" has been uttered often during this case.

More than a few callers have asked what big-time politician in Montgomery or Washington hasn't done favors for people who contributed to their election campaigns. Frankly, it's a hard question to answer and it probably stretches beyond Montgomery and Washington.

Supporters get jobs sometimes and their family members get jobs sometimes. Some supporters are appointed to committees or placed on boards. Right or wrong, name one governor in our history who hasn't done the same.

Legislators award taxpayer money to senior centers, volunteer fire departments and such back home. Are we to believe that they won't get a few votes from appreciative members of those groups? If so, they receive more personal gain from those handouts than Siegelman received in this case.

Former Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt was convicted in criminal court of using campaign money to pay personal bills. He also violated the ethics law by using the state airplane on preaching trips. You know how much time he spent in jail? Not one day. In fairness, that was state court and Siegelman was convicted in federal court.

You make the call about selective prosecution.

Was this politics at its best?

I will say this -- it's hard to find many people, even moderate-thinking Republicans, who see the fairness in this one. I have spoken to a couple of Republican friends who say Siegelman has done far worse than what he has been convicted of in this case. That may be so, but all we're supposed to judge him on is what he's been convicted of today.

When all is added up, does the punishment fit the crime?

The judge, who was appointed by President Bush, said Siegelman's actions in this case have damaged the public's trust in government. Many will tell you his sentence has damaged the public trust in the judicial system.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740.