Originally posted by M.M. Floors:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Turnbull: [b] Vito was scarcely blameless, too. True, he opposed drugs, but mainly because he thought drugs would menace the police and political protection he needed for his regular businesses. And they were hardly "victimless crimes." The big bucks in the illegal gambling business come less from the odds, more from loansharking--a business of broken kneecaps or worse. And every dollar Vito got from the unions was stolen from some working stiff's union dues, which were supposed to buy a better way of life for the working man.
[[/b]I'm sorry, MM. Your postings are so good that I sometimes forget that English isn't your native language.
I meant to say that most people think that gambling, Vito's business, is a harmless activity in which no one gets hurt. But in America (and probably elsewhere), "loansharking" goes hand-in-hand with gambling. In loansharking, gangsters lend money to degenerate gamblers at sky-high rates--often as much as 6% per week. If the gamblers don't pay up on time, they get their kneecaps broken, or worse.
Gangsters like Vito often exploit labor unions. They seize control of unions by putting their own men into leadership positions. Then they plunder union treasuries and pension funds. All of that money came from working people's union dues, so union members are victimized by gangster activities.
I hope I've explained this to your satisfaction.
