Term Paper on "Organized Crime Is Becoming Indistinguishable From Capitalist"

Term Paper 6 pages (1726 words) Sources: 6 Style: Harvard

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Organized crime is becoming indistinguishable from capitalist business while capitalist organizations are behaving more like organized crime groups.

In the midst of the biggest financial rip-off in history of this country, it is clear that within capitalist organizations there are billions of dollars are being misplaced by Savings & Loan criminals who steal and have gotten away with it. This is complete insanity due to the fact how this country defines crimes in society. If a person steals $5, they are considered as a thief, however if they steal $5 million, they are labeled as a financier. Organized Crime has always had a negative label because of the constantly changing environment in America as well as the social state of its homeland. Due to how society defines organized crime, people are convinced that the Mafia consists of criminals, pimps, and murderers. "During the 9th century, the Mafia's main purpose was to strengthen themselves against enemies, which invaded their homeland in Sicily. It was supposed to create a strong feeling of togetherness between all Sicilians. This idea of family was carried through in the structure of the organization, which had a strong hierarchical layout" (Mafia History). People believed that the Mafia had the best system of power, than any other group or government known today. Within capitalist business and organized crime, it is apparent that a leader cannot lead without followers, and the followers cannot follow without leaders. Organized crime has no problems doing whatever it takes to get what they need or accomplish the goals that they have, which capitalist have taken on the same prospective. This is why it seems as though they have taken on one another role, which has completely changed society.

Capitalism and crime

In today's modern society, the media suggests sometimes that the only difference between big business and organized crime is the mob's willingness to use murder to accomplish its ends. With that, capitalism is a way of organizing crime so that it can masquerade as something altogether different even though they are the same. In order to grasp this concept, it has to be seen that capitalism cannot be reformed; it has to be transformed into something else (Capitalism is Organized Crime).

Most Americans, in fact, think they do have social responsibilities to the needs of others. But the doctrine of complete independence from others is a powerful idea in American thought and it occasionally leaks out in unadulterated form. Bush's Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has wondered aloud whether Social Security and Medicare are really necessary. "Able-bodied adults," he said, "should save enough on a regular basis so that they can provide for their own retirement and for that matter for their health and medical needs." This man, it seems, agrees with Margaret Thatcher's infamous remark, "There's no such thing as society." And in a way, they are right: capitalism isn't so much a society as it is an anti-society -- a system of organized crime. A real society, a legitimate society, would, instead, be organized cooperation: society organized into forms of cooperation aimed at the full and free development of all its members" (Capitalism is Organized Crime).

Along with that, it should no surprise that many members of today's criminal class are current or former government officials and businessmen. In Russia, thirty to forty years ago, crime networks forged based on the ability of the criminal underground to provide Soviet officials with consumer goods and services unavailable under the communist regime.

As Mikhail Gorbachev liberalized the economy in the early 1990s, Russian organized crime retained its links to government officials and many former police and intelligence agents joined the Russian mafia after the collapse of communism. Several recent books published inside Russia support this account. Mafia: Unannounced Visit by interior ministry official Vladimir Ovchinsky describes the intertwining of the corrupt state bureaucracy and the criminal underworld, especially during the last years of communist rule. In Thieves in Law, Georgy Podlesskikh and Andrei Tereshonok expose how organized crime and the Russian government are tied to each other. On the basis of internal KGB documents, they show that Soviet officials influenced and sometimes supervised organized criminal activities" (Dempsey and Luckas 1998).

In today's modern society, there are no level of government that is immune from criminal infiltration. For example, Gregori Miroshnik was imprisoned four times, and he was considered to be a dangerous criminal. However, in 1991 he somehow became the economic adviser to Russia's vice president. The vice president said that he was too busy and could not check everyone's resume (Dempsey and Luckas 1998).

Though some may question, as did Marx, the system's fairness in applying its rules, today most people don't question the basis of the system itself. That is, people don't question the relationship between those who own and those who don't. Though many people vote every four years on who governs, they never vote on and rarely question what governs. People don't challenge the legitimacy of the system, they accept it. The exception of course is when the oppressed rebel in insurrections. But usually we don't step outside of the frame around the picture. We don't disconnect the dots. Emile Durkheim argued that crime is "normal" and necessary social behavior. "According to Durkheim, the inevitability of crime is linked to the differences (heterogeneity) within a society. Since people are so different from one another and employ such a variety of methods and forms of behavior to meet their needs, it is not surprising that some will resort to criminality. Thus as long as human differences exist, crime is inevitable and one of the fundamental conditions of social life" (Capitalists and Siegal p.40).

From the above evidence, it is apparent that crime is big business in America and other countries. The laws are changed to ensure profitability in the industry of crime, which indicates that social conditions serve to maintain levels of poverty, feed the industry of crime, also put stress on the social stratifications of society. America is a nation of criminals as elucidated in the Wall Street Journal article, social conflict is inevitable. With that, it becomes a matter of identifying the real culprits of crime, and seeking the means to have them become accountable for their criminal behavior. This include the redistribution of their wealth, and the reorganization of the social contract between the government and the governed (Captilists).

The key to targeting the facilitators of organized financial crime is in the integrated nature of the teams. While the RCMP component of the IMETs may not necessarily lay criminal charges against some of the aiders/abettors or facilitators, some of our seconded partners may definitely have an interest in pursuing regulatory and code of conduct investigations with their home agencies. In other words, it is not so much about the types of crimes that we target as it is about what we do not do. For example, having investigators from our national revenue service (Canada Revenue Agency or "CRA") formally seconded to the IMET teams ensures that the tax department will follow up on any incidents of tax evasion/avoidance by facilitators that may be identified. Other examples range from secondments from the provincial securities commissions or the Canadian Investment Dealers Association. The spirit of integration also ensures that our investigators and managers are continually cognizant of the interests of such groups and the various law societies that might be interested in the behaviour of their members" (Sliter 2006 pp 383-386).

Organized Crime

Along with that, while the daily activities against Organized Crime are typically police actions, the long-term effect of OC poses a substantial threat to a safe and secure environment, and the growth of a stable government and economy. However, most business today, function like organized crime, which indicates leaders in peacekeeping missions understand the nature, environment, and targeting of organized crime.

Without question an ineffective or corrupt judiciary prevents the function of legitimate rule of law. In addition to not meting out just punishment it brings discredit upon the local police. The average citizen, who sees a wrongdoer arrested and then back on the street days or hours later, makes the connection that the government did not do its job. Oftentimes, the populace lacks a fundamental understanding of the particulars that govern the functioning of the system, and the laws by which the police must abide. A judicial system that cannot or will not prosecute offenders not only keeps dangerous individuals on the street, but lessens the power of the police in the public's eyes, according to Cesar Beccaria's 1764 work on Crimes and Punishments. This perception has a cumulative and negative effect on the perceived ability of the policing arm, and begins to make their job that much more difficult" (Mintz,2007).

From there, the burden on the small business sector should be measured not only in financial terms, as the tribute paid may be offset by tax avoidance. Far more serious is the implied tax on the time of entrepreneurs, which often tends to be… READ MORE

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