Hart’s consequences fall short

When I look at what happened in Washington, D.C., to Rep. Charles Rangel , I see a lot of parallels to our own Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart.

Rangel did not pay his taxes. Hart did not pay his taxes. Rangel was on a “tax” committee, and Hart was on a “tax” committee. Rangel was forced to step down from his chairmanship. Hart was forced to step down from the committee.

There are some differences though. Rangel only owed tens of thousands in federal taxes. Hart owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. I don’t think Rangel stole any timber and then failed to pay for the full consequences of his actions. Nevertheless, Rangel was censured.

It looks like Hart will once again escape the demands of ethical conduct. When will our Republican leaders wake up and realize that ethics rules apply to them, regardless of their ability to overpower all complaints?

Vern Stambaugh

Hayden