the way i see the show is this. like someone above said it wasnt about portraying all powerful, untouchable mafia family. quite the opposite, thats why the show is set in the late 90s, the time of mafia decline, and the main family is not some of the big ones from NY, but a small one from NJ. its all shown at the beginning of the show, when tonys crew are playing cards and in the background on a tv is going a conversation about how mafia isnt powerful as it used to be, and also tonys complaining to melfi how guys today flip all the time, and how its nothing like in the "old days". that said i wouldnt look at the things from "was tony a good or bad boss" stand point. just look at some of the top wiseguys. paulie is a frickin clown(loved his character nevertheless), pussy is a rat, top earners like vito and ralphie ara homosexuals and unpredictable coke addicts, bosses protege was also a hopeless drug addict. on the other hand look how old school "by the book" guys like richie and feech ended up. dead and in jail. i think all this sums up what the show is really about, portraying mafia during the difficult time and disappearance of old cosa nostra values. so i wouldnt be so harsh as to call tony a bad boss. of course he was paranoid, too proud and selfish with little regard for the rules. but he wasnt the only one, the whole mafia was like that. just look how many rats there were during the show. tony, as all others is just a product of new, modern time.