Paulie

No, not that Paulie. I'm happy about that Paulie.

The comparison isn't perfect, of course, but whenever I see stories like this...

Eight current and former city employees claimed Tuesday there was no way to get a promotion at City Hall without clout, [...]

The employees described being passed over for promotions and lucrative overtime by less qualified, less experienced employees with clout from their associations with: John Daley's 11th Ward Regular Democratic Organization; Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward organization and the Daley-created Hispanic Democratic Organization run by the mayor's former political enforcer Victor Reyes. [...]

Michael Sullivan, a 16-year veteran of Streets and Sanitation, says 11th Ward political powerhouses John Daley, Robert Sorich and Patrick Slattery call to request light duty for 11th Warders, while guys like Sullivan get harsher assignments. When given an assignment he didn't want, one 11th Warder allegedly told his supervisor, "F--- you! I don't work for you. I work for John Daley." [...]

Kenneth Ayers, a seasonal laborer in the Department of Streets and Sanitation, was told by a 29th Ward superintendent that he needed to become politically active to get a promotion. "If you don't have protection, you can get fired at any time. It can get really ugly for you," the complaint says.

A 24th Ward superintendent told Ayers, "You got to get a chinaman. The Shakman decree is dead. No one gets a job here unless he is connected with the organization," the suit says. [...]

Ann M. King, a Streets and Sanitation worker, was told by her supervisor to join the Hispanic Democratic Organization to advance her career. She did and had no problem getting days off to do political work to elect Ald. George Cardenas (12th), state Rep. Iris Martinez, Mayor Daley or Gov. Blagojevich, the suit states.

...I'm often reminded of this:

"Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie and he got a piece of everything they made. It was tribute, just like the old country, except they were doing it in America.

"All they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. That's what it's all about. That's what the FBI can never understand - that what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can't go to the cops. They're like the police department for wiseguys."