| BACON! |
So last night, my
Brother posted an article that prompted a rousing discussion on
Socialized Healthcare Pros and Cons. This conversation prompted one
of my friends to ask, “What is wrong with Greed?” That question
got my headparts to thinking. Is there anything inherently wrong
with the concept of Greed? Is the desire for money, wealth and
power, by the very nature of the beast, evil?
Now the direct
concept of Government Sponsored Healthcare and various other services
that “help those less fortunate” are based off Utopian concepts
where everyone feels some sort of obligation to help everyone else.
The idea is that Services will be offered at the lowest rates
possible so that everyone can enjoy the same privileges as everyone
else regardless of their social standing or income ratios. So
Doctors, drug producers and insurance companies should be willing to
charge bare minimums for profits and forgo major profits.
| Smile darn you, this shift is funny! |
The problem is
that businesses are in the business of making money. They want to
make as much money as they can from as little expense as possible.
Business is not in any way Utopian in its drive. And unlike a lot of
people who rail against capitalism, I am very much okay with that.
That is how the Free Market System works. A business charges X
amount for an object or service. If the public wants to pay that
amount, then it sells. If the public isn't willing to pay that
amount, then the business is either forced to reduce their profit
margins or stop making the item.
As a system, this
has worked pretty well for a very very long time. It prolly started
when Ogg the caveman traded rocks for sticks to Oog the caveman. Oog
wanted 5 rocks for two of his prime sticks. Ogg felt like 3 rocks
for 2 sticks was more fair. When Oog insisted, Ogg prolly hit him on
the head with one rock and took the sticks. See Capitalism at its
best.
This country was founded on Greed. A
bunch of middle aged White men felt that the government was charging
them unfairly on their taxes. (The funny part is, Historical Scholars
still debate if the taxes charged by Fat George were actually unfair
when measured against taxes levied elsewhere.) This country was
built on greed. (Sorry but the old Manifest Destiny is the living
embodiment of greed to me. “We deserve to have the whole damned
continent!”) The Industrial Revolution ran on the fuel of greed.
Pretty much every aspect of modern life came about through some form
of greed.
| "I want money, lots and lots of money... |
So is Greed
inherently EVIL? Hell no! Just like any other philosophy/idea, it
is neither good nor evil. Is it wrong for any Service provider to
expect the most money possible for their services? No, because the
very core of a Free Market System keeps the extremes in check. Gas
prices are an excellent example of that. Not too long ago, Gas
Producers tried boosting gas prices up past an amount that people
were willing to pay. Consumers said, “Fudge that shift” and
basically stopped driving. The Producers were forced to drop prices
back to a level that consumers would pay (Still to high, but that is
just my opinion) or not sell their products. In a FMS, greed is most
often countered with reality.
Greed not Altruism
is what drives the world. Companies produce a product/service as
inexpensively as possible, then turn around and sell said
product/service for as much as possible. Anyone not okay with that
needs to step back into what I jokingly call reality. Now is it
wrong for Acme Hogskinners Inc., LLC to make an inferior, dangerous
Handy Dandy Auto-Hogskinner & Bottle Opener and then sell it to
the public for Eleventy Billion Dollars knowing damned well that it
will malfunction and skin the dogs too? Yes, absolutely. However,
as long as Acme makes the HDAHBO as safe a product as possible, I
have no problem with them charging as much as the market will bear.
(Oh and the Bear Skinning Attachment for the HDAHBO is due out in the
Spring) If Hog and Bear hunters don't like their prices, they will
go to HOGCO instead and pay their lower prices.
| Lessee I left my watch around here somewhere. |
People always rag
on Capitalism and Greed. They blame these two concepts for all the
ills of the world. These ostriches (Yes I know Ostriches don't
actually stick their heads in the sand) ignore the fact that they
wouldn't have all of the amazing things in their lives without the
ideas they preach against. Can we use a little more humanity in our
lives? Yes. Could we all benefit from people caring more about
their fellow man? Prolly. Is it fair to expect those who can
produce to give up part of their goodies to benefit those who don't
produce? Prolly not.
“So many people
today cry, 'I deserve better! I deserve what others have!' but are
not willing to make the efforts to earn what they wish. I posit that
this idea of 'entitlement' is an anathema to the concept of growth.
When people become unwilling to actually work towards the things that
they wish and expect others to provide for them, Stagnation is the
only possible outcome.”
End of
Rant
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