Pardons aren’t illegitimate. They’re constitutional (Article II, Section 2). They’re also compassionate. We need more of them. Who should get pardoned? Contrary to myth, there aren’t a lot of innocent people on death row. But there are quite a few guilty people who ought to be forgiven. For example, President Bush pardoned a 50-year-old Missouri farmer named Leslie Owen Collier. In 1995, Collier accidentally poisoned three bald eagles. An indisputably solid citizen, Collier was horrified by the birds’ death. Some self-aggrandizing prosecutor went after him anyway, and he wound up a felon. There are thousands of Leslie Colliers out there. The trick is bringing them to the attention of the White House. That’s not easy. – Tucker Carlson, the Daily Beast
The president of the United States should not be able to unilaterally pardon people for crimes they have committed, or for crimes they may be charged with committing. This archaic practice flies in the face of the justice system and should be abolished. Thousands of petitions for pardons are sent for presidential review every year. This takes time and energy away from a person who should be focused on innovation and leadership, not favors and forgiveness. Why, oh, why, should one individual be able to gain favor (and freedom) over another in a democratic system such as ours? The pardon system should be done away with, and along with it the ethical controversy that it portends. – Thomas Kostigen, MarketWatch.com
