Apologies

Have you, like me, been feeling a bit disenfranchised? I know I'm feeling a bit like a second class citizen and here's why...
First would be the dope smoking medal winner Michael Phelps. You're a public figure and you go out and smoke pot at a party? Have you taken all leave of your senses? Bad pun, but good question. In this age of cell phone cameras and all kinds of "got'chas" going on, why would you do something like that? The smallest amount of common sense should have screamed no at you. Yet, it appears that he won't lose his endorsement contracts. Well, after all, he did apologize - it was just a youthful mistake.
Then there's Tom Daschle. A small $120 thousand "mistake" on his taxes. He didn't know that a car and driver gift should be reported as income. The tax code can be complicated, but this is something that everyone with a company car that they can use for personal business knows. He was the one who said, "Tax cheats cheat us all and the IRS should prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law." Who knew that the fullest extent of the law would be a promotion to the President's Cabinet? It does seem funny that, in spite of finding out about the problem last summer, he waited until just last week to pay. It couldn't be that he waited to see if Obama got elected and if he'd need to pay it back to get a post? Nah.
So, he'll probably get his Cabinet post. Oh, and don't forget that in spite of the fact that IRS penalties should run somewhere in the neighborhood of doubling the entire bill, he paid - none. After all, he did deeply apologize.
It makes sense though, we've already seen the precedent in Tim Geithner. Taxes.. don't pay 'em. Then, when you get caught, apologize. Sure, you'll still have to pay them back, but the apology should get you a waiver of interest and penalties and a Cabinet post.
Is it any wonder that polling shows that people feel disenfranchised? Look at the last three tales. If you were caught smoking dope, would you have endorsements or a jail cell. Do you think that an apology would save you? I know people personally who have the IRS nearly destroy their lives over a couple hundred dollars of unpaid taxes. Yet, tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes doesn't get anyone a jail cell. It gets them a cabinet post - of course, they did apologize.