Bob Ney, go directly to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect any golf trips to Scotland.
Former Rep. Bob Ney was sentenced Friday to 30 months in federal prison for his role in a congressional bribery scandal.
Ney, the first congressman ensnared in the case, pleaded guilty to trading official favors for golf trips, tickets, meals and campaign donations from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Thirty months, plus two years probation and a paltry $6,000 fine and alcohol rehabilitation. However...
The sentence was harsher than recommended by prosecutors or Ney's lawyers, Huvelle said, because Ney had violated the trust place on him as a public official. "Both your constituents and the public trusted you to represent them honestly," she said.
Trust. The trust placed in a lawmaker by the people who vote for him or her cannot be overvalued. Too often, elected officials fail to understand that, or take it for granted, treating constituents like mere annoyances to be trifled with while keeping the eye on the bigger prize - more power, more money.
As Bob Ney has found out, that's not what the citizenry is there for. That's not what prompts a voter to go to the polls and pull a lever, punch a chad, fill in a circle, connect an arrow, or plod around a computer screen and hope their vote is counted. Trust. If you abuse it, you'll pay. It may take longer than it should, but eventually you'll be made to pay with your job, your credibility and reputation, your pocketbook, and your physical freedom.
Just ask ex-Representative Robert William Ney (OH-18) about those consequences.
