@ Ivey
This is actually one of things most repeated that I have always found confusing.... What exactly made the recruiting pool shrink?
Because doesn't Chicago still have the third largest concentration of Italians? I get confused cause people talk like they all moved away. And on top of that, a LOT Italians have a lot of prominent positions in the city and state structure.
It's not because Italians have moved away but simply because less of them are getting involved in the mob life. That's what it means when we talk about Italian Americans assimilating into mainstream society. This leads to attrition in the mob in terms of both quantity and quality. And it explains why the Outfit has significantly less size and scope than it once did.
