Better to apologize than ask permission, as the saying goes... The principle st play is everywhere in the legal system: the penalty for lying on a tax return i

Better to apologize than ask permission, as the saying goes... The principle st play is everywhere in the legal system: the penalty for lying on a tax return is much higher than not filing returns; the penalty for buying something with counterfeit bills is much higher than that for simply stealing it; using a fake ID to buy booze (if under 21) carries a higher penalty than buying it from a clerk who forgets to card you; lying to sn FBI agent in an investigation is infinitely worse than saying nothing; etc., etc.