02/21/04  Dallas Gangs

There are different "forces" at work here.   By letting the gangs run the streets, there is a greater demand placed on the politicians by the public.  That demand makes the politicians feel needed, important.

A sense of job security, if you will.

That's right. Many politicians know how to keep the good folks in line by keeping the animals on a long leash.  Gang members are treated like altar boys compared to those who want to keep more of what they have earned. 

Remember, Al Capone went to jail not for murder but for tax evasion.

Then there is the city hall gang.   Ruthless and vicious in a way the street gangs could only dream about for this gang has the law on their side.  In fact, they are the law.

There are many ways they conspire to rough you up. One of their slyest is to come up with other names besides taxes as they pick your pocket clean.   Service charges or fees or line charges or Robin Hood is the moniker they ascribe.

Look at your phone bill or water bill.  Better yet, look at your Independent School District bill.  Independent from what, from whom???

So if you have yet to get roughed up from a 6th grade dropout on the mean streets, take solace.  There's a person with a suit on waiting to carve their share out of your hide right from the comfort of your own home.