Freakonomics

[midnight Target]

Anyone read this yet? The most startling part of the book claims that the one event that had the greatest impact on reduced crime rates is..

Roe v Wade

Here is a review.

http://www.englishrules.com/archives/2005/freakonomics.php

[NUKE]

Originally posted by midnight Target
Anyone read this yet? The most startling part of the book claims that the one event that had the greatest impact on reduced crime rates is..

Yeah, if you are an idiot maybe you could view crime as related to abortion. I view abortion as a crime, so crime has only increased since R v W

[Holden McGroin]

Makes you rethink capital punishment eh?

[GRUNHERZ]

That seal it! We should open as many abortion clinics as possible in high crime areas!

[NUKE]

Personal attack

[Tumor]

Dead babies do not grow up to be criminals?

[Holden McGroin]

Yeah Tumor, the author's rationale is that unwanted children grow up in less than ideal circumstances and therefore tend toward criminal behavior.  

So when you kill 'em early, problem solved.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Tumor
Dead babies do not grow up to be criminals?

Dead unwanted babies do not grow up to be criminals.

[NUKE]

Originally posted by Sandman
Dead unwanted babies do not grow up to be criminals.

"unwanted" babies ?

[midnight Target]

HArd to argue with the numbers, but it turns out .. Nuke, that the author might agree with you. This of course doesn't change the facts.

From an interview (Levitt is the author)

Levitt: I have gotten a whole lot of hate mail on the abortion issue (as much from the left as from the right, amazingly). What I try to tell anyone who will listen -- few people will listen when the subject is abortion -- is that our findings on abortion and crime have almost nothing to say about public policy on abortion. If abortion is murder as pro-life advocates say, then a few thousand less homicides is nothing compared to abortion itself. If a woman's right to choose is sacrosanct, then utilitarian arguments are inconsequential. Mainly, I think the results on abortion imply that we should do the best we can to try to make sure kids who are born are wanted and loved. And it turns out that is something just about everyone can agree on.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by NUKE
"unwanted" babies ?

Believe it or not

really... it happens

[Toad]

If we killed everyone, there'd be no more crime!

[Gunslinger]

Levitt: I have gotten a whole lot of hate mail on the abortion issue (as much from the left as from the right, amazingly). What I try to tell anyone who will listen -- few people will listen when the subject is abortion -- is that our findings on abortion and crime have almost nothing to say about public policy on abortion. If abortion is murder as pro-life advocates say, then a few thousand less homicides is nothing compared to abortion itself. If a woman's right to choose is sacrosanct, then utilitarian arguments are inconsequential. Mainly, I think the results on abortion imply that we should do the best we can to try to make sure kids who are born are wanted and loved. And it turns out that is something just about everyone can agree on.

woa that's way to much common sense for a political argument    

[Tumor]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
woa that's way to much common sense for a political argument    

No no no!!  More dead ones means less you have to want!

[Seagoon]

Originally posted by Sandman
Believe it or not

really... it happens

Just want to make sure I understand the underlying logic here.

They are better off dead than abandoned?  

Has anyone told the grown-up foundlings?

- SEAGOON

PS: Hey, wait a minute, why limit the benefits when we could eliminate crime entirely simply by killing everyone!