The racial and ethnic slant is also hard to miss. If the NYC underground economy is indeed the only thing keeping minorities afloat, that means the economy is d

The racial and ethnic slant is also hard to miss. If the NYC underground economy is indeed the only thing keeping minorities afloat, that means the economy is dependent on exploiting minority communities (keeping them working in illegal ventures, preventing upward mobility). You nailed it, only it applies to most of the country and not just New York. The shoddy enforcement and looking the other way is the cost of doing business. Enforce too much and it collapses.