I observed then that when it comes to the efficacy and efficiency of organized crime in America, particularly the extortion racket, our United States government has the Mafia beat hands down.

Johnson found that out the hard way after he excavated a small stock pond on his property to provide better access to water for his livestock. First he went to the trouble of obtaining all the proper permits from his state government before starting the project. "We went through all the hoops that the state of Wyoming required, and I'm proud of what we built," he explained

So he built his pond. But when the EPA found out about it they told Johnson that he was violating the federal Clean Water Act.  And they didn't give a damn about all his State of Wyoming permits. Johnson was ordered to restore his property within 30 days to the condition it was in before he excavated the pond. On top of that the goons imposed $37,000 per day in fines and claimed that their hapless victim owed them $16 million.