Government vs Mob

Generally people think of the government as benevolent but I have been wondering just how the Government is different from the Mob. The Mob being the Mafia of the movies or organized "crime". Both offer protection for a piece of your income. And that protection is the main thrust of this rambling. Mainly since I can't think of anything the Government offers which could compare to going to a casino getting high while I play then getting laid by that cute little hooker who works for the mob.


The Mob sells you protection from themselves, and from other mobs. They will also keep the small time rif-raf away since it would be bad for their business if you didn't have the money to pay them because some kid held you up. If you don't pay they bust up your business then you. Should you try to protect yourself from them then they bust up your family too.

The Government On the other hand, wants you to pay them licenses fees and taxes. This pays for a police force. If you don't pay your license fees or taxes they send the cops to close your business then put you in jail. If you try to protect yourself from them then they will bring more cops take your family hostage. You may say the police protect you, but: If you call the police because someone stole from you they take a report. If you tell the police that someone threatened you (like the Mob) they tell you that no crime has been committed so don't bother them, until a crime has been committed. In fact most people only interact with the police when they are being given a citation which is another way the government takes money from them. So from looking at what the police actually do their job is to write citations and lock up people who don't pay their protection, oops taxes.

The Mob is pretty much a neighborhood or city organization with a fair amount of muscle to insure compliance with their rules, who all live within the community. Most of the money the mob collects is spent within the community except when the Godfather makes a visit to the homeland. But he can't do that too often since the underlings may start to get ideas or feelings of grandeur. The Mob will not allow foreign bullies or those who are not members, that would be bad for business. If a Member of the Mob bullies you you can go to the Godfather and seek his intervention. If he agrees that the bully was wrong, end of problem.

The government covers the country and has branch offices which all need their own piece of the action, They have quite a bit of muscle (Cops) but they pretty much only are in the business of generating income via fines for minor infractions of the rules. And enforcing the license fees and taxation. After all when was the last time a cop helped you? I'll bet you even said thanks for the ticket you got. Also the government has their outside police (in the US: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) They pretty much bully people of other nations. Of course that means that the money you pay them is being spent over seas. Not helping the local economy much. Of course the Locla bullies, I mean Police, they do spend their money locally.

So, the bottom line appears to be that the Mob actually protects you along with enforcing their charges. The Government only collects their share of your money.

What if the mob grew to be as big as the government? Maybe they would see the wisdom of not providing anything for the money they collect? Maybe there is little news of Mob action because the Mob now is the government?

Government. What a racket, Tell the people how they have a choice, Vote! You can either pay Guido or you can pay Bubba. You can choose Barack as the new godfather or you can choose John. You have the choice to give us half or your money or you may give us 50%. But nothing will really change. No matter who is elected we will continue to pay more for less.

The Mob would have been a better choice to pay for protection but it really appears that the only mob left is the Government.

Even though I write this from the perspective of a US citizen from what I see of other countries there is little or no difference. Some countries are further along the path of collecting more for less. Some aren't as far. But the bottom line is that Government seems to be nothing more than the stronger mob. Offering words for your hard earned money and threatening loss of property, liberty, or even life should you defy them.

And most people seem to be OK with that. Sad.