(An, All Things Considered, Not, Realistically Speaking, Immodest Proposal)

The casual observer of a mugging in one of the City’s many understaffed, underfinanced parks or recreation areas must be moved to extrapolate his observation, and ponder, with a grim sense of waste, the huge amount of money which, daily, as a result of such crimes, goes elsewhere than into the City treasury—money that could surely be put to better use in renovation of the inner city, financing of rehabilitation programs, advancement in environmental and social research, talks on nuclear disarmament, and building bridges.

It will come as a surprise to no one, certainly, that more than $150 million is stolen annually in the City. This is enough money to operate five hundred child-care centers for a year, or provide nearly a million free abortions. Enough money to install a component stereo system in every slum apartment, or run the Long Island Railroad for almost a week. Could we raise even half such an amount, we should be well on our way to solving the City’s financial problems. And should someone discover a method for doing this while, at the same time, eliminating $150 million’s worth of illegal activity, he should be congratulated by the entire City, and his discovery acted upon at once.

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Dennis Fagan

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The casual observer of a mugging in one of the City’s many understaffed, underfinanced parks or recreation areas must be moved to extrapolate his observation, and ponder, with a grim sense of waste, the huge amount of money which, daily, as a result of such crimes, goes elsewhere than into the City treasury—money that could surely be put to better use in renovation of the inner city, financing of rehabilitation programs, advancement in environmental and social research, talks on nuclear disarmament, and building bridges.

It will come as a surprise to no one, certainly, that more than $150 million is stolen annually in the City. This is enough money to operate five hundred child-care centers for a year, or provide nearly a million free abortions. Enough money to install a component stereo system in every slum apartment, or run the Long Island Railroad for almost a week. Could we raise even half such an amount, we should be well on our way to solving the City’s financial problems. And should someone discover a method for doing this while, at the same time, eliminating $150 million’s worth of illegal activity, he should be congratulated by the entire City, and his discovery acted upon at once.