Show Burtons Burton's Report from Washington US Crime Draining Economy By Rep Laurence J Burton Utah R-Utah Organized crime in the Unit Unit- United ed States Is big business IS as pointed up dramatically by n a recent report of the Presidents President's Crime Commission The Commission reports that organized crime reaps I a profit of 7 billion per year rear through illegal gambling activities Traffic in drugs is another real moneymaker moneymaker- for the the racketeers The illegal heroin trade alone brings in mil mu- lion annually with trade in marijuana and hallucinatory drugs such as LSD also contri contri- contributing buting substantially to the take Loan sharking the lending of DC money It at higher rates than the limit allowed by law the Com Com- Commission mission found to be organized crimes crime's second largest source of revenue Annual receipts from this type of of activity area ac ac- ac according cording to the Commission in the multi billion dollar range 50 SO PER CITIZEN In light of these reliable es- es estimates estimates it seems fair to place the revenues from these three illegal activities at nothing less than 10 billion a year or 50 for every man woman and child in America This is ap- ap approximately approximately proximately one half of the en- en entire entire tire cost of the war in Vietnam for the fiscal year 1967 almost the exact amount of the federal budget deficit of 99 billion for the same year and half again the 63 03 billion the President or or- or originally said his 10 per cent surtax on incomes would pro pro- produce duce in the first year ear It is interesting to note that If organized crime paid income tax on every cent of their vast earnings everybody's tax bill would go down I do not suggest that all the money one that is thus being pour pour- poured poured ed into the coffers of organized crime erime could uld or even jC he diverted to the federal govern govern- government ment In fact I think it would be n a good idea if it were spread arol around nd for far use by some of u us racketeers non who do pay our taxes But I cite these figures to show the staggering ering sums that arc being siphoned from the American public at the ver very time when we are being asked to combat inflation cut the budget deficit and pay for the increased cost of the war FEED ON POVERTY The organized criminals of to- to today today day are generally not creatures of poverty and despair although surely they principally feed up- up upon upon on the victims of poverty and despair Organized crime cannot be met with programs whose impact will not be felt for twenty years It requires immediately effect effective e solutions laws and law enforcement Part of the responsibility for enact enact- enacting enacting ing the laws lies JiE'S with the Con Con- Congress gress part of the responsibility for enforcing these laws lies with the executive branch of th the federal government In my view existing federal statutes specifically aimed at gambling narcotics trafficking and sharking loan are arc largely inadequate The anti in ing statutes of 1961 have hao been effective to some degree in this regard but experience has shown that even they are but a partial solution No substantive legislation of significance in these areas has been enacted since then A comprehensive le legislative package for Cor updating the battle a against organized crime is now being in the Congress I hope that it will be acted upon soon EAVESDROPPING NEEDED I believe that the sin single l most important step the Congress could take In the war against organized crime would be the enactment of legislation permit ting supervised court electronic eavesdropping Passage of n a broader witness Immunity pro would also be highly significant I realize of course that more than even these statutes are arc necessary If it Is to tobe tobe be a scale full war that we are areto areto to fight and win And fight and win we must It to m that if Anni Amri- cans can try to run the affairs of the world as we are pre pre- presently doing we can at least do what is necessary to put the hoodlums and racketeers who operate in this country in the jails where they belong |