Existence Tax: The Vig Plus 3%
20th July 2024
Read it.
In the bad old days, before G-Men took down the mob, were urbanites getting a better deal? Does the betting man receive worse odds from state run lotteries than Vinny gave on the corner running numbers? Did businesses shaken down for “protection” have higher hopes of survival in mob clutches than in municipal ones? Was there more or less anxiety about making rent or the mortgage in 1974 than in 2024? Which is the greater fiscal peril, organized crime or uber-societal-organization? It has become a valid question.
Sometimes the major difference between the government and the mob is the quality of their suits. Certainly the mob offers better protection from random street crime than, say, Gavin Newsom.