Firstly, I'd like to say salutations to the members here and to state that I am new to posting here but well versed in mob-related topics.
Secondly, as I read through some of the posts here, something has stricken my mind and it is not indicative to any one person or organization or anything like that. But time and time again you hear that "the reality is that today’s Mafia is an empire based on greed. Its financial structure is a pyramid scheme in which money flows upward to the Don, not downward to soldiers."
I understand why this is said but what really pisses me off is the fact that most corporations and businesses and business models are not only pyramid schemes but are primarily based upon greed. I know because I've worked for a few corporations and businesses where this is exactly the case and I'm sure alot of you have too. Now I know I may come off as though I'm a huge fan of the mob and it's tenets and I'm not going to say I'm not, but I'm also not a fanboy as I've heard some here call others.
I am a fan of being realistic and up front though. And this is what gets me mad. These corporations and alot of legitimate businesses claim that they're so law abiding and doing the public good by being in existence when the truth of the matter is that they're just as greedy and dishonest as any mob family ever was. And what do you think they're in business for? For the benevolent good of their fellow man? No! For the dollars, always the fricking dollars.
At least with the mob you know what they're here and in existence for. They're making no bones about it. Can't say the same for most legitimate corporations or businesses.
So am I a fan of the mob and it's ways? You bet I am! I can honestly say that this country alone was a far better place to live in for the average WASP during the first half of the 20th century than it is today. Just make a quick comparison of Detroit in the 1940's to the Detroit of today. A city destroyed by greedy corporations amongst other things. And that is just one example and you can find many others like it throughout the rust belt of the United States of America and beyond. I'm sure there are some members here that remember when Detroit was THE premier city to live in in America and now look at it.
So in all honesty, I long for the day when Joe Batters ran Chicago and most cities beyong going west with an iron fist in a velvet glove. If that makes me a fanboy or however you call it, then hey, yeah, I'm that!
And the same opinion goes for the government who has destroyed more lives, killed more innocent people, and extorted and continues to extort more dollars from the honest, hardworking citizen than any mob family. I'd rather pay a few dollars more for an item or service, even knowing that those dollars go into the pockets of mobsters than have a situation like we have today.
I guess I'm just sick of the side taken is based on such a black and white concept that it's bad because it's illegal, illegitimate as opposed to legal and legitimate. Some of you are going to read this and say to yourself, "Whaa, yeah so and your point is??" And maybe I don't have a point other than to voice that I can't stand when people take sides based on such a broad basis of being legal (legitimate, corporations, businesses, government) and that that is right and good and everything mob related (illegal, illegitimate) is just flat out bad. If I had my choice in who to root for and kend support to, the mob or the government, corporations, most businesses, I would give my support to the mob hands down. At least they're not fronting like they're some great benevolent operation being in existence for the good of mankind. And even though I know they do bad and extort others, I can't ignore the fact that America was a much better place to live in when the mob had an all powerful stranglehold on America and alot of its citizens.
For the members here and to give some usefulness to this thread, what do you guys think about this viewpoint? Are there others here who hold this same feeling/belief and are not scared of the responses of others in voicing it? Thanks for reading and your participation.