Don Pappo, you really have a pessimistic view on law, society, and politics. Maybe that is caused by the country you live in, I don't know.
But anyway, maffiosi are sometimes in a position of 'crush or being crushed'. But most of the times they're not.
Read this story of DC. What he tells is very common in the world of maffiosi, and is this 'crush or being crushed'??
Originally posted by Don Cardi:
Let's say tht you work very hard and you save up some money. Then you open a business with your hard earned money. You work in your business day and night trying to make it a successful business. You are an honest and hard working man.
Now one day both Carlo Gambino and Vincent the Chin hear that you have opened up a business. So Don Carlo sends one of his men to you and he tells you that you need to pay him $1000 per week to continue to operate in his neighborhood. The next week The Chin sends in one of his men who tells you that you must start using XYZ garbage removal service at a cost of $500 per month. You tell the Chin's guy that you are only paying ABC company $250 per month for garbage removal. So the next week ABC does not show up to pick up your garbage and the city inspector fines you $1000 for leaving your garbage on the street. Now the Chin's guy comes back and tells you that if you don't pay XYZ garbage removal $500 a week to remove your garbage, then no other service is going to do it and you'll keep getting fined. So now you agree to pay him the $500 per week.
A year goes by and business has slowed down. But Gambino still wants his $1000 protection money, and the Chin still wants his $500 per week for garbage removal services. You tell them that you don't have the money. They say, "fuck you pay me." You pay them. The next month you don't have the money, you fall behind two months, then 3 months.
Now Joe Bonnano sends a loanshark to you. " Hey Pappo, I hear that you have fallen on some hard times and have fallen behind in your payments. We'll here's $5000 to get you back on your feet again. You'll give me $100 per week which does not come off the top of the $5000 that I just lent you, and you'll pay me the $100 until you come up with the $5000 to pay me back. But at least with the $5000 that I have just given you, you'll be able to get those other guys paid off and off your back."
So you take it out of desperation. Trying to salvage the business that who've put so much money into and have worked so hard to maintain. You have to in order to feed your family.
Now you owe Bonnano's guy $5000 and are giving him a $400 per month vig until you can come up with his $5000. Your giving Gambino $1000 and The Chin $500 per month. Your shelling out $1900 per month with a $5000 outstanding loan on top of that. Your business is really dying and these payments are draining you. You can't keep up with the payments and you tell these three guys that.
The very next week you get a beating, some broken bones, and you have no choice, if you want to live, but to sign your business over to these people.
You said it like becoming a member of the maffia is the only possibility some poor people have. Bullshit. Either find a job, or get social security.
Or at least, become a normal criminal :rolleyes: , not a maffioso.
