I agree with the first statement above, and as to the second....eh, maybe.  In the end, I doubt there's anyone on DT who knows Philipma1957 that would tag him for giving a few merits to his alt accounts--regardless of the reasons for which he did so.  It's not a good standard to set for newcomers, though, because when they (or anyone else for that matter) see a long time member getting away with something that they themselves might get tagged for, it just gives the impression that there's a class of members that's above the rules.

And it shouldn't be that way.  Everyone ought to be held to the same standards, with the caveat that each case should be dealt with individually and all factors taken into account.  Come to think of it, when was the last time DT members tagged anyone for merit abuse?  I thought that was kind of a thing of the past.