Free Republic

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted Monday of racketeering conspiracy after prosecutors said he presided over a breathtaking profit machine by rigging contracts and demanding bribes. The racketeering count carries up to 20 years in prison. Kilpatrick was convicted of at least six other criminal counts and acquitted of one, and jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict on two. Kilpatrick was charged with 30 federal crimes. The verdict was still being delivered in federal court in Detroit. Jurors began deliberating Feb. 18. Kilpatrick, 42, was charged with bribery, extortion and tax evasion Prosecutors said that Kilpatrick,...

In the midst of all the outrage, opining and round calls for resignation in recent scandals among some of the nation's top politicians — a major point is getting lost in the muck — morality. Whether it's unethical conduct, irresponsible spending or an adulterous affair — morals matter. With the rapid rise and fall of New York Mayor Eliot Spitzer and increasing calls for the resignation of embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick drawing comparisons between the two "rising stars," it's worth noting the stark differences among the similarities. Both allegedly broke the law and used public funds to do it....