[Jeff Higgins]

We keep hearing about some "higher standard" to which judges, law officers, and others within our legal system are held. Yet every time they are caught taking advantage of their positions of authority to break the law, their punishment seems nothing if not lighter than what the rest of us would receive for the same offense. What exactly is this "higher standard", then?

I think there should be an additional mandatory minimum sentence for public officials who break the law while in office. Be it a judge, cop, congressman, or whatever - we need to put some teeth behind this "higher standard". We have mandatory minimums for gun crimes in many areas; we should have the same in cases like this. Something like a minimum of ten years, no parole, for violating the public trust.