Some Things I Could Do With The NYPD’s $6 Billion Annual Budget

The NYPD should be defunded and abolished at once. Once we’ve done that, we’ll have $6 billion extra dollars a year to improve the city. What would you do if you, personally, were in charge of that $6 billion? Jason Adam Katzenstein has some ideas.

First: take out a huge ad in Times Square reserved for difficult truths that the people need to hear, like how Richard Kind is one of the most underrated comedic performers of our lifetime. 

Fix the subway.

A vanity presidential run, but I promise to make it entertaining. My signature issue would be mandatory Supreme Court Justice casual Fridays attire. 

Pay all the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. actors their rate (1 million each per episode) to do a whole new season. Can’t wait for “The One Where Joey Has Covid.” 

Pay NYT Op Ed writers to have better opinions. 

Hire Vampire Weekend to do a cover of the Cellino & Barnes theme; the hook is there but we need their arrangement skills and soothing vocals. 

Not kill anybody. 

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Our stunning 56th issue is here. This is a fun one, folks. Ron Purser shows how the cannibalization of universities by ChatGPT goes beyond student cheating—administrations are embracing the very AI tools that are undoing the institution. Our correspondent K. Wilson takes a trip to the Bible Museum in D.C., Emily Topping revisits the bizarre reality show Kid Nation, Alex Skopic introduces us to a creepy red tower that serves as a metaphor for our economic system, Ciara Moloney shows us how underrated Western movies are, Hank Kennedy looks at old anti-communist comic books, and I pay tribute to New Orleans music! That’s before we get to all the wonderful art and loopy “false advertising,” including products like Democratic Inaction Figures and the “Slur Cone.” It’s a jam-packed issue filled with colorful surprises and insightful analysis, plus gorgeous cover art by Sarah VanDermeer. Check it out! 

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