It's hard to believe that the New York Times is a serious newspaper and not some elaborate satirical joke.
If we go after drug cartels, then the magic red GDP line might go down a little? Best to let them bring in crime, drugs, death, and destruction just in case the economy takes a dip?
As silly as this sounds, it's exactly how the brains of some academics work. And El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele dealt with a very similar thing in his country:
The "elite" class told Bukele he couldn't take out the gangs all at once, because it would hurt the economy. But he recognized the incentive structure was set up to encourage criminality.
Cleaning up society is like treating cancer: Sometimes you have to take a hit in order to kill the cancer before it kills you.
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