Now that the Republicans are suffering their worst case of DT’s since the repeal of prohibition, it might be a good time to investigate the phenomenon of Trump as well as the fascination with Bernie, the eruption of “Save the Environment” groups all over the place ans the resistance that’s emerging against spending billions on fighting assorted wars with assorted groups raising assorted threats, in short, a unified theory to explain all of them. My somewhat simple explanation is finally, the American people are wising up to the fact that their country is being taken over by that ancient curse of mankind, greed.
Now greed has always been a bit of a black sheep. It’s on the Seven Deadly Sins list, it’s bewailed by both political parties and most moralists and generally denounced by parents, but the problem with greed is that, in its milder form, it’s been a part of our DNA since the nation was founded. Greed is ambition on crack; Horatio Alger on steroids; the undetected lump in our collective breast. Where ambition may have many limits — like being the head of the company, curing cancer or founding a symphony. greed has only one: the amassing of MORE. Whatever may be the goal of greed, “enough” is not one of them. True greed can never have enough. Like other diseases of man, greed can infect any number of people and at present, there is no cure. So how has greed affected our body politic?
Let’s begin with the Donald and Bernie. Both of these men rested their campaigns on the fundamental foundation that there was a huge, unchecked flaw in the way our country was operating. Economic inequality extended to inequality in opportunity, health care, legal protection and education. Donald’s solution was isolation and exclusion; Bernie’s was political reform and regulation.Neither specifically named greed as the culprit, but neither mentioned the only economic system in the world that incorporated the tamer form of greed as part of its structure was our own capitalism. This is not to say that private enterprise is intrinsically bad — in fact, it’s probably the best recipe for growth in human history. It also is, however, the ripest for exploitation and manipulation.
Meanwhile, environmentalists were setting up a hie and cry about “protecting our environment.” They omitted informing the public from whom the environment needed protection. It wasn’t the government — they were the ones that were supposed to do the protecting. The unnamed villains were our captains of industry — the businesses who were polluting our lakes and rivers, screwing up our coastlines, poisoning large portions of prairies and generally doing whatever they could get away with to make a few extra bucks. It also seemed they were not adverse to starting a war or two to boost profits. After all, the Iraq mess cost the taxpayers a few trillions and the United States several thousand men and women, but the oil companies and their suppliers did rather well. When we say the war cost “us,” we’re a little vague on exactly whom they’re talking about.
So we see greed as the prime enemy of what we’re supposed to be all about as opposed to ambition, which is not only our friend, but necessary for our prosperity. So what do we do?
Frankly, the outlook isn’t looking good. Limiting greed will necessitate readjusting our entire value system, which is itself built on the absence of “enough” and the enshrinement of “more.” It will entail the end of endless stories about the Richest Ten this or the Biggest Ten that. Instead, our media will have to stress things like the Nicest Ten this or the Most Beneficial Ten that. We as a people have to start weaning ourselves from the kind of excess that nourishes greed, but this will come at an economic cost which i sincerely doubt we’re capable of accepting. The potential gain is astronomical: a healthier world, a better chance for peace, less stress and probably a more bountiful life. A life without greed.
