Crime and Punishment

Jerry Bonner was in Federal Court yesterday.  He was sentenced to two years probation, including three months home confinement.  He admitted to passing a "gratuity" from an engineer to a fellow fellow member of the Luzerne County Housing Authority.

No one disputes that Jerry Bonner is a nice guy, who's done a lot for the community.

Granted.

He says he didn't realize he was doing something wrong.

Huh?

The amount in question:  $1,400.

If this was above board, why didn't the engineer directly pass the money to the board member?  Why didn't the red flag go up for Jerry Bonner?  Bonner said he thought he was doing someone a favor.  I still have trouble believing Bonner when he says he thought he did nothing wrong.

Some chalk it up to the local culture of corruption.  Palms get greased, and that's the way we do business here.  Sickening, but true.

At least Bonner had the guts to face the cameras after the sentencing.  He admits to an error in judgement, and we've all done that, at least once-- maybe not to Bonner's extent, but we are, by nature, imperfect beings.

I reserve the right to remain skeptical when it comes to Bonner's alleged logic.

Shifting gears, Bloomsburg Police handed out more than 150 citations during block party weekend.  If you treat people like adults, they will act like adults.  There's a big crowd on block party weekend that apparently has maturity issues.

There are many times when I'm sorry I didn't take the time to have more fun during my college years.  Fun is one thing.  Law breaking is another.  There are more than 150 in Bloomsburg who have to learn when to stop.