I agree with some of the original post but the numbers do matter. Without a core group of made guys, there really is no Outfit anymore. Just family members, friends, and associates scattered here and there, many having gone completely legit. It's important not to extend that Outfit label too far, where it doesn't really apply. Also, while I agree the smaller size of today's Outfit is, in part, intentional, one can't ignore attrition being a factor as well.

Most of the Outfit's presence does not extend beyond Chicago and it's suburbs within Cook County. Very little activity out west anymore. The Crazy Horse Too bust was the last big case out there and that was a decade ago now. And when was the last time anyone read anything about any Outfit operations in Florida? Maybe some old guys living out their twilight years there but not much else, I'd expect. Posner does have the Excelsior in Aruba but I'm not aware of any other interests in Central America or anywhere else. Back in 2005, it was reported some investors of a tribal casino boat (Lac du Flambeau) off the coast of Mexico did have Outfit connections but that project never panned out.

You'll also notice that the non-Italian names that always get listed when it comes to the Outfit's working with other ethnic groups are usually long dead.

Finally, to equate the Outfit with the "government" of Chicago is also a highly outdated notion. Chicago couldn't function without the Italian mob or corrupt Irish politicians? C'mon. As I've said many times, all or even most of the corruption in both the city and state has nothing to do with the mob.