That's basically my point. On one hand, I get into debates with people who talk as if the Colombos - one of the 5 NY families for crying out loud - will be gone by the end of the year. On the other hand, I've got other people insisting to me that Detroit is still going strong under the radar with 60 made guys. I'm left wondering what exactly these people are looking at.

But the worst has always been the Chicago guys. And that's probably because there was a time when the Outfit rivaled some of the NY families. And that image of the Chicago mob still persists in many people's minds, no matter how little evidence there is to support it. Now, Chicago is basically the only viable family left outside the northeast (and that's saying something) but people - especially posters from Chicago - continue to insist on the Outfit having this monolithic presence in Chicago, will almost all crime and corruption revolve around it. When, in reality, the Outfit is simply one entity that revolves around the long-standing corruption in Chicago, and has it's own niche in certain criminal areas. Far from rivaling any of the NY families today, it's much closer to New England or Philadelphia.