I was annoyed by the Daily Editorial Board when they said that Nick Johnson’s punishment was a slap on the wrist, but the article “Heads…We All Lose” by Tim Kearns put me over the edge. Mr. Kearns, your article included some of the most ignorant comments I have ever heard. First, you say he got off ridiculously easy. I’m sorry, but I figured a college student of all people would understand just how much $37,000 and 200 hours of community service is. That’s not a sentence that can be taken lightly by anyone. It seems to me that you must have that kind of money and time to spare, otherwise you wouldn’t say it was just a slap on the wrist. Second, you try to make probation seem like no big deal. You are partly correct, it won’t be a big deal as long as he doesn’t break the law. But think of the consequences if he gets caught for something as little as being 5 mph over the speed limit. This will make him think twice about doing anything remotely against the law. It will be a good deterrent. It is not something that he can just ignore. Finally, the kicker. This is by far the stupidest thing I have ever read. I will directly quote you: “Frankly, if there were ever an example of ‘crime pays,’ this is it.” Your support for this comment is that his girlfriend changed her testimony. I don’t see the correlation. Mr. Kearns, please tell me what Nick Johnson gains from this whole deal.

Aaron Bonfig

Sophomore

Computer engineering