The Russian Mafia Controlling Russia
             When people from western countries view Russia, all that they may see is an unbalanced nation with a bankrupt economy, and a failing government. Times in Russia seem to be often tumultuous, and it is looked at as amazing sometimes that life can continue to exist in such conditions. People do survive though; people are able to find a whole array of ways in which to make money and survive through dire conditions. The organized crime syndicate in Russia appears to be a true impairment to the Russian society as a whole from every conceivable angle. However, in actuality organized crime is one of the only stable sources of income for many people. In fact the Russian mafia and the corrupt government officials affiliated with organized crime, have for all practical purposes been in charge of running Russia throughout the 90's. Russia is being run by the mafia; the mafia is helping to supply millions of people with an extra income to help them survive.
             "Over 10 million families now own their own apartments, and 40 million Russian's have plots of land. Despite falls of about 50 percent in real incomes" (Bush 58). If the real income has fallen of late in Russia, then how are these 50 million people now owning homes or properties? The answer is that the Russian mafia supplies millions of people with an extra income for their respective involvements in organized crime. There are a whole array of people under pay of the mafia; a large percentage of the government officials of Russia are in the employment of the mafia. These crooked Russian government officials perform many tasks for their pay. Many of their tasks include cover-ups, ignoring crimes, and helping with extortion. The people that do oppose working for the mafia are few, and their intentions are not fully understood by others. They are never able to receive much support and many of them are eventually forced to work for the mafia.
             The offici...