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From: sykora@csd2.UUCP (Michael Sykora)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Rent-a-Cop
Message-ID: <4340030@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Dec-85 20:26:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.4340030
Posted: Mon Dec 23 20:26:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Dec-85 01:02:20 EST
References: <883@mmintl.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
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>/* franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) /  9:46 am  Dec 17, 1985 */

>Which forces it to concentrate on other areas, which still would be illegal.
>The most relevant one here is extortion.

With lower returns, I believe.

>>As far as I can tell there is not that much difference between the government
>>of NYC and organized crime.  Organized crime is more violent some of the time,
>>but the NYC government extorts more money from the public.

>Do you really mean this?  A much larger portion of the money collected by
>the NYC government benefits the ordinary residents of the city.

You may be right.  In truth, I (nor anyone else on the net, I imagine) knows
how much organized crime collects.  In any event, an extraordinary amount
of the money the city collects not only doesn't help its ordinary citizens
but hurts them.

>It is much more responsive to the wishes of the residents.

It attempts (and, apparently, often succeeds) in giving the majority
of its residents the impression that it is responsive to their wishes to a
much greater extent than it actually is.

>As for the amount of money taken, that is only a
>matter of opportunity.  Given the opportunity, organized crime would take
>much more.

No doubt.  The same is probably true of government bureaucrats.

>Frank Adams                           ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka

Michael Sykora