1. Should it not be cause for immediate removal from office provided an elected official publically admitts to breaking an already written law?

I'm not asking about moral indescrestions, but laws that as a citizens ourselves can be prosecuted and jailed for the same offence.
Such as when an elected representitive charged with any sex offence stands before the public and or a judge, ie; solicitation while in office, and admitts to the offence publically.

2. Once he has admitted his guilt, why isn't the first rule to remove him from office?

Then go on with the criminal proceedings.

Here in Michigan, if a man or woman gets arrested for peeing in public it is a filed as a sex offence.
Though you may get very little jail time, you must register as a sex offender and report your living address for the rest of your life. I believe this is the law in many other states also.

There's been a lot of elected officials admitting to wrong doing, but after resigning, nothing futher seems to be being done about his or her offence.
Some are not even resigning after pleading guilty in the courts.

3. Shouldn't they be held to higher standards than the general public?

Heck, I've have seen where seven year old, first grade boys being charged with sexual harrasment charges in Civil court.
Reported in our local paper court section.

This post has been edited by unjustjohn: Apr 4 2008, 07:40 AM

Even the same standards would be nice.

Depending on the State and depending on the crime for which an office-holder is convicted, removal from public office is a legal requirement. I have to agree that there are many inconsistencies with the process that need to be addressed, both by state legislatures as well as the judicial system.
One must also, I suggest, make a clear distinction between violations of law (primarily felonies) and acts contrary to public morality ("law" seems misapplied to morality, since moral standards differ so much). Many people feel, for example, that sexual peccadilloes are not automatically reasons for a person, even a sitting President of the US, to resign. We may also take the examples of the two latest Governors of NewYork; one resigns, one confesses.
Z

I guess this is sort of my point.
It seems as though we have been having a rash of officials breaking actual laws, and here locally we have been dealing with a mayor who violates written regulations and hasn't so much as charged with even a misdemeanor dog leash law violation that he was seen violating on local television.
Not that this is a big deal, but he's not the most liked guy in government around here lately.
It really reaks of cronyism (don't know if I spelled that one right)

I personally am more apt to forgive a man who has admitted past wrongdoings, as opposed to someone who has been elected to a position and continues to lie about the ongoings of their office.

Detroit has a mayor who has been caught red-handed text messaging his favorite squeeze.
Denies it, and is now begging for donations to help him with his legal costs.
The charges he faces are based on perjury he committed while this whole thing was being investigated.

The case is so strong against him that even a first year law student would be able to convict him, but yet he hasn't been asked to step down from his office.
Both he and his girlfriend have been ordered to wear ankle locators, because they are both considered to be a flight risk.

How much are we willing to put up with from our leaders?

"How much are we willing to put up with from our leaders?"

I think this is precisely to the point. Leaving moral transgressions aside, we seem to be permitting a double-standard, in which elected officials are allowed to "slide by" infractions of the law that normal citizens would be hauled into court for and punished. But it is the electorate that must take the blame, especially those in leadership positions, for not demanding accountability. In the case of the mayor of Detroit, despite the calls from the city council that he resign, the voters are rather quiet and there does not seem, alas, to be a groundswell demanding his resignation from the electorate.

One gets, in the last analysis, the government one allows.
Z

Exactly!

I mentioned in another thread somewhere that if everyone really wants to bring about change in our federal, state and local governments, then it is very easy to do. Do not vote for any incumbent. Within 6 years, every elected official we have will be different than the ones we have currently. Fast forward 6 years and if those officials aren't doing their job, do it again.

Just an update about the Detroit Mayor and Ms.Beatty.
A court has overturned the order for the ankle locators.

Well, yeah -

wouldn't want to subject them to cruel and unusual punishment.