1. Were you surprised to read in the materials that practically all the recent U.S. presidents have had some ties to people with organized crime connections? Is this a necessity for politicians to at least have connections with people in organized crime to raise money to run their races? What implications do these ties have to how the country is governed?
2. The text talks about organized crime in labor and business. The section about unions speaks of the enormous infiltration by organized crime into unions. What is your perception of this? As the strength of unions has declined in the United States in recent years, is organized crime less involved? Are there redeeming qualities of unions? What is the future of unions in the U.S.? Why are the unions such an easy target for organized crime?