Scenes from an Italian butcher shop

I’m lookin’ at this shit in the papers about this Senator… Doc Roger Marshall, down in Kansas. The fake outrage in the media. It’s somethin' else, it really is. The guy’s an OB-GYN, right? He delivers a kid. A beautiful, pristine, miracle of life. And what does he ask for in return? A little respect. A little vig. Eighteen percent.

Eighteen percent on a C-section? T, that’s stiffer points than what we hit Davey Scatino with for the sportsbook layout. That's f'ing shylock numbers.

Hey! Watch your mouth! You’re missin’ the whole concept here! This man took an oath! The Hippocratic Oath! You know what that means? It means you pay your fuckin’ earners. You think medical school is free? You think those cute little ultrasound machines just fall off the back of a truck in Great Bend?

(Takes a loud, raspy sip of Chianti)

He sued seven hundred of ’em. Seven hundred! That’s called follow-through. That’s called runnin’ a tight crew. Today, everybody wants a free pass, a fuckin' UBI. "Oh, Doc, my deductible is too high." "Oh, Doc, my insurance didn't cover the epidural." Whaddya want me to do, cry? I got a family to feed, too! You got money for a baby stroller, you got money for the eighteen percent.

Word on the street is he had eighty-one of ’em locked up. Cops show up, put the silver bracelets on ’em for missin' a court date. Heh-heh. That’s real old school.

That’s how we handled that deadbeat from the drywall union back in ’98. No court, no payout—straight to the can.

Exact-a-ly! It’s about caporegime level discipline! A guy delivers your kid, you don’t duck his phone calls! You don’t make him send some stunseed collection agency like he’s a jerk-off!

He’s a United States Senator now! He understands the business! You let one broad slide on a hundred and one dollar balance, word gets out to the other deadbeats.

Next thing you know, the whole waiting room is walking out with free diapers and a sense of entitlement.

They’re calling him a loan shark in the press, T. Sayin' he’s practically a shakedown artist in a white coat.

A loan shark?! He’s a pillar of the community! He’s charging eighteen percent. You know what bank rates were back then? It’s called inflation adjustment! He’s a businessman! The guy’s out there, workin' with his hands, doin' heavy lifting in the delivery room, and people wanna treat him like he’s a mobster because he garnishes a checking account?

(Puffs his cigar, blows a thick cloud of smoke toward the ceiling)

Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type. The kinda doctor who hands you a baby, hands you an invoice with a compound interest clause, and if you don’t pay, he takes your Buick or gets the sheriff to lock your ass up. That’s what built this country. Not this... this soft, maggott' Ova whining about "medical debt." You owe the man his taste, you pay the man. End of story!

Get Sil on the horn. See if we can get this Marshall guy down for a seat at the executive card game. I like his style—guy knows how to crack a kneecap without ever taking off his surgical gloves.