Vick proves crime pays

In BushAmerica, crime pays.

Just ask Lynndie England - the war criminal who cashed in on her own crimes by writing a book that Fox News has promoted every chance it gets.

Another infamous individual who proves crime pays is football quarterback Michael Vick.

For starts, Vick only had to serve 18 months of his 23-month sentence for a felony dogfighting conviction.

You'd think this conviction would have been the end of Vick's lucrative football career. He was convicted of serious state and federal felonies. In other words, major crimes - the same thing all the TV shows warned everyone against back in my day.

But he's coming back! Now he's signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he'll earn $1,600,000 in only a year.

Hey, I think I'll commit a federal felony so I can make $1,600,000 a year.

Why does the NFL tolerate this? The league doesn't tolerate tailgate parties, and it doesn't have much patience for fans who'd rather watch games on TV than endure pat-downs at the stadium. Yet it puts up with players who commit federal felonies? The NFL has more tolerance for felonies than it does for acts that aren't even crimes at all!

Three words come to mind: It's fucking ridiculous.

Michael Vick isn't as unrepentant about his dogfighting activity as Lynndie England is about her war crimes. But I used to think society had rules and consequences. When you break major laws, you should face the penalty.

Part of the problem is the poor example that public officials have set for years. When the elder Bush pardoned all those Iran-Contra figures, people realized crime pays.

America in the 2000s has become a predominantly crime-based economy - one of very few examples in the history of the world. Look at all the corporate scandals like Enron. Look at all the stories about major corporations violating laws and getting away with it.

Next time you hear of someone being rewarded for a serious crime, you have to consider that this has been a hallmark of American society for years now.