[supercat]

Now you might respond that the person copping the plea will not have a criminal record. Since the US has tons of diversion programs where first offenders who commit serious misdemeanors end up without a criminal record, I don’t see such a big difference.

Should people who get caught embezzling be allowed to buy for $5,000 plenary indulgences which would permit them to continue embezzling with no further penalty?

What the government's peddling isn't actually amnesty, but if anything indulgences are far worse.

[JLS]

Well the problem with your analogy is that illegals are not embezzling. You seem to think their is a finite pool of money for wages in a country. That is not true.