Problems Presented and Various Relationships Established by Organized Crime
A discussion of the symbiotic and reciprocal relationships between the underworld and upper-world will clarify the savings and loan scandal, the Central States Pension Fund, and contra as well as how collusion and skimming benefit the money movers. A large part of the problems presented by organized crime stems from the relationships formed between legal officials, banks, and those who classified as criminals.
Although the upper-world consists of individuals occupying public trust positions and the underworld consists of persons who live on the other side of the law, a common history of exchanges between the two developed into a corrupt and long-term relationship. In fact, corrupt public officials are the true organizers of crime (Lyman & Potter, 2007). A summary of six examples of the connection of upper-world and underworld criminal behavior acts as an indicator of the lengths of organized crime in America. President George W. Bush and President George Bush, Sr. are well-known for organized crime element ties (Schiem, 2005). President Bill Clinton reputedly received “gifts” from a mob boss in the Whitewater scandal (Isaac, 1996). President John F. Kennedy associated with the mob. President Richard Nixon and President Ronald Reagan maintained relationships with organized criminals. Meyer Lansky attempted to integrate corporate America and organized crime (Lyman & Potter, 2007).
The symbiotic and reciprocal relationships occurring between the upper-world and underworld are vital in organized crime. Lyman and Potter state that as public officials receive investment opportunities, campaign money, direct assistance in negotiations and bargaining, and private graft from organized criminals for official favors a symbiotic relationships form. In Morrisburg, a comprehensive study found that contributions to political parties and candidates from organized crime syndicates in legitimate and above the board transactions. These contributions usually function to bring in voters as “street” money. Reciprocal relationships between the underworld and upper-world unite government representatives, clients, and criminals. The collusion between the legitimate world of politicians, police officers, business, and finance and the illegitimate world of organized crime is a primary function of the organized crime syndicate. The money mover who puts illegally gained profits to work in stocks, bonds, real-estate, importing, and trust funds is a vital part of the symbiotic and reciprocal relationships (Lyman & Potter, 2007).
In the savings and loan scandal, members of the Bush family helped to skim savings and loan funds to payoffs lucratively made to bank directors or they performed interventions that influenced unsound and speculative investments that required non-payment of loans in non-profitable ventures. In this scandal, political connections to the Bush family protected the acts of skimming that guilty parties of misconduct committed (FDIC, n.d.). The Central States Pension Fund Nixon received the endorsement of a mob-controlled Teamsters union. Hoffa, involved in borrowing money from the Central States Pension Fund teamsters, went to prison for a thirteen year term during the Kennedy administration and in 1971, Nixon pardoned Hoffa.
Contra involved revelations about America arming Nicaraguan guerillas, foreign policy that benefitted drug trafficking, government collusions in money laundering with the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, and Middle Eastern arms shipments. The contra scandals gave the Reagan administration heightened “sleaze factor” (Lyman & Potter, 2007).
It is very difficult for law enforcement and politicians who are on the “straight-and-narrow” to combat organized crime. The thin-blue-line that is in the police departments prevents legitimate law enforcement officers from telling on those who are in symbiotic relationships with criminals. Even though laws may exist against certain behavior, it seems as though most politicians are immune to such laws as is evident by the amount of scandal in the White House alone (Lyman & Potter, 2007). Limitations associated with combating organized crime stem from legitimate criminals who are usually considered to be on the right side of the law. Another limitation is that people who see what is wrong in the government are shunned by their peers or called militants by the government. As long as schools teach that those who are willing to stand against the government’s wrongs are considered organized criminals, there will continue to be corrupt officials who ensure that organized crime thrives.
Although there are major federal laws and strategies to support the effort to control organized crime, they will all fail. There are so many different departments that have been created by the government to combat organized crime, but as long as the politicians and officials are a part of organized criminals they are all just a waste of money. A critique about the strategies and laws is that they are just a lot of bologna schemed up to fool the truly good officials and police officers into believing what the corrupt top officials wish them to believe so that the “bad guys” are those who are illegitimately in the business. For example, it is very disgusting that Mrs. Reagan was pushing for a Drug War at the same time her husband was making money from the drug runners (Lyman & Potter, 2007). The strategies of the War of Drugs has made a handsome profit for the actual drug dealers and their “legal partners” and ruined the lives of millions of non-violent people who were imprisoned for drugs. It seems like the politicians making money from the drug cartels are much lower than those who are serving time in prison for something that is a personal choice.
An easy solution to the problem of organized crime is not a simple endeavor. Fundamental changes would have to be made in police organization, substantive laws, and investigative processes to diminish the threat that organized crime poses to our social and economic systems. Law-enforcement efforts against organized crime needs to be increased while the obtainable profits associated with criminal organizations need to be decreased. The legalization of narcotics and marijuana under strict clinical and medical controls for chronic addicts would reduce the revenues of drug traffickers. Since legalization of gambling does not lessen the criminal element in it, stiffer gambling laws would benefit law enforcement. The Anti-Racketeering Unit of the federal Department of Justice should be strengthened to break down the isolation of different law-enforcement agencies. State activity should expand to connect with local law enforcement to eliminate the inertia and isolation of local law-enforcement agencies. Police corruption should be eliminated in regards to organized crime, and law-enforcement efficiency should be improved. To pierce the wall of silence surrounding organized crime procedures should be made available for gaining compelling testimony and evidence (Ploscowe, 2014).
The problems presented by various relationships established in organized criminal activity, legal limitations associated with combating organized crime, a critique of major federal laws and strategies to support this effort, and realistic solutions to control organized crime have been examined. It has been concluded that organized crime cannot prosper without the symbiotic and reciprocal relationships between the upper-world & underworld. This suggests that without a serious overall in the system organized crime will always be a problem in America; however some suggestions have been made that may benefit the combating of organized crime.
0 comments :
Post a Comment