Charlie Rangel "guilty"

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel was recently found "guilty" of 11 counts including failure to pay taxes on a Dominican Republic home and improper use of a government mail service and letterhead. The decision was made by a House ethics subcommittee that found "clear and convincing" evidence for all charges.

Rangel was originally facing 13 charges. The ethics committee--ful name being Committee on Standards of Official Conduct now is in the process of deciding and recommending a punishment for Rangel which can range from a fine to expulsion.

I found this interesting because I originally heard this news while watching CNN. The CNN correspondent reported this information by saying Rangel was found "guilty." She also added that "guilty" was not the word usually used in ethical issues such as these (and I don't think that line was in the original script). I thought this was something to think about because technically he just made a few crappy decisions (and abused power) and was caught (NOTE: Tax evasion is a felony and a person can be found "guilty" of this charge.).

Making a decision in an ethical dilemma that may not be the best one apparently does not make a person guilty. It reveals that the person's decision-making process--and/or the person--may be flawed. Bad decisions occur just as often as good decisions. "Guilty" is probably not the best word to describe it. Mistake. Unfortunate decision. Who knows what it should be called. What's most important is that the actor learns from the decision in order to make a better one the next time around.

P.S. I think Rangel should get a fine on top of all the money he owes the government.

***The title of this blog is a link to the CNN story on the ethics committee's decision.

Cheers,

RE