Zero Tolerance For

Self-Enriching Politicians

To the Editor:

Hooray! State Representative Arthur O’Neil is co-chair of the commission to examine Governor Rowland’s conduct.

Representative O’Neil is a real law and order kind of guy. I know this because last fall I asked him if this state’s marijuana penalties weren’t too harsh. He assured me that a year in jail for possession of any measurable quantity, less than a thimbleful, of marijuana (first offense) is not excessive. He follows the same logic for someone with the audacity to try it again, and that therefore five years in prison for a second offense is not out of proportion to the crime. Art Garfunkel’s recent little stunt (carrying marijuana in his pocket) could be worth a year or five years in prison in Connecticut, depending on his criminal history. In New York he paid a $100 fine.

Representative O’Neil also supports the current statute that imposes a mandatory minimum five years in prison for a person convicted of selling crack cocaine to a willing adult buyer. It doesn’t matter how much they sell, even if it wouldn’t fit on the head of a pin, nor what other mitigating circumstances exist.

Which brings us to Governor Rowland, who, by his own, belated, admission received $50,000 in goodies. Was it a bribe or a kickback? At best, a tip. Should no more wrongdoing be found, removal from office seems the appropriate sanction because accepting tips from state contractors and openly lying about it are a breach of the people’s trust.

I hope the same moral compass that guides Representative O’Neil to endorse drug laws that throw people into a cage for a large fraction of their lives also guides him while looking at Rowland’s wrongdoing. Shouldn’t he insist on zero tolerance of self-enrichment by politicians? Of course, he should.

Jon Norris

145 Hornet Nest Road, Southbury                         February 6, 2004