daver@hp-pcd.UUCP (daver) (09/19/84)
>The Mafia works in a nicely capitalist way, providing services that people >want to trade for, and using force where necessary to ensure their dominance >of the trade. They cooperate among themselves very well. The description of the Mafia makes them look like good capitalists: they provide services that people want. The reason they get away with using force is that the services they provide are proscribed by the government, the protector of society, and therefore the rivals are not able to appeal for protection against the force. In a totally socialist economy, everything not produced by one of the official channels of production is proscribed, and anyone who provides such a product or service is therefore outside the control of the law in the same way that the Mafia is outside the control of the law. It seems there should be a much greater problem with organized crime in a socialist country, as there are many more proscribed goods, and the only way to restrict this would be with a level of police power which would probably be considered unacceptable in this country. Dave Rabinowitz hplabs!hp-pcd!daver