Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version nyu B notes v1.5 12/10/84; site acf4.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!philabs!cmcl2!acf4!mms1646 From: mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: (Re:**N) Affirmative Action Message-ID: <1340230@acf4.UUCP> Date: Thu, 27-Jun-85 00:34:00 EDT Article-I.D.: acf4.1340230 Posted: Thu Jun 27 00:34:00 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 30-Jun-85 01:43:03 EDT References: <259@kontron.UUCP> Organization: New York University Lines: 21 >/* cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) / 2:53 pm Jun 21, 1985 */ >To suggest that crime is a response to the lack of economic opportunity >is implausible. Perhaps burglary or armed robbery might be argued that >way, but a lot of ghetto crime is murder, rape, and assault. There's >no economic motivation involved. Crime is not caused by anything. A criminal makes a decision to commit a crime. Doubtless in many cases poor people are influenced by their precarious economic situation to commit crimes. But the situation does not cause them to do it. Clearly, some poor people are stronger than others and won't commit crimes. I can't say for sure that if I were in the same position I wouldn't steal. In any event, to the extent that people are tempted to commit crimes by the promise of greater material wealth, we cannot respond by giving then our money, as I have seen suggested -- i.e., if only we gave poor criminals more money they wouldn't rob us. That would be absurd. Mike Sykora