Act First, Ask Later

Peter Dreier and Kelly Candaele

July 11, 2006

Peter Dreier is professor of public policy at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Kelly Candaele is a trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District.

News reports about three recent court decisions—Texas gerrymandering, labor violations by Ralphs supermarket chain and President George W. Bush's treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo—make it appear that justice prevailed and the wrong-doers got their comeuppance. But the opposite is true.

Instead, these rulings reveal why the Republican Congress, the Bush administration and big business are so effective at getting what they want. They have an “obey when convenient” approach to our laws and judicial system. They break them when it suits their purposes, hoping that either they won't get caught or, if they do, that the punishment will be a slap on the wrist. In other words, they don't ask for permission. They ask for forgiveness.