"To make crime unprofitable, let the government run it"

Irene Peter employs irony and wit to spotlight the perceived inefficiencies and bureaucratic tendencies often associated with government-run enterprises. Suggesting the paradox that an activity as illicit and profitable as crime could be rendered unprofitable merely by imposing government control, the quote cleverly satirizes the capacity of public institutions to diminish profitability and productivity. The essence lies in the popular stereotype that governmental organizations, mired in red tape, regulation, oversight, and institutional inertia, have a knack for stifling innovation, wasting resources, and limiting efficiency. If crime, traditionally a pursuit of high risk and high reward in the shadows of illegality, were to be subject to those same inefficiencies, its allure of quick monetary gain would dissolve as surely as if harsher punishments had been imposed.

Peter simultaneously mocks both the system of crime and the system of governance, suggesting neither is fundamentally productive or noble. Crime survives and thrives in part because it is free from the constraints that govern legitimate businesses: no taxes, little paperwork, and ruthless efficiency unencumbered by legal obligations. Yet, once these efficiencies are replaced by governmental procedures, the edge is blunted. Graft, delay, committee meetings, endless documentation, and regulation would replace the cutthroat rapidity with which criminal enterprises operate. Profit margins would shrivel under the weight of bloated administration, lengthy approval processes, and a lack of competitive drive.

Beneath the surface, the remark is a tongue-in-cheek proposal for combating corruption and criminality. Rather than through policing and punishment alone, she suggests that the mediocrity of state management could be a far more effective deterrent, turning crime from a lucrative risk to a bureaucratic slog nobody would want to endure. By framing a serious societal issue through the lens of dry humor, the statement invites further reflection on the roles and failings of both criminals and bureaucracies.