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A class above the corruption
Washington Times ^ | July 11, 2002 | Larry Kudlow

Posted on 07/11/2002 3:51:27 PM PDT by Lady In Blue

Edited on 07/12/2004 3:55:22 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

In front of a New York audience on Tuesday, President Bush unveiled a revised plan to counter corporate wrongdoing and accounting fraud, saying, "There can be no capitalism without conscience, no wealth without character." Adam Smith, the father of free-market economics, couldn't have said it better.


(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: aclassact
FYI and discussion.
1 posted on 07/11/2002 3:51:27 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: Lady In Blue
"There can be no capitalism without conscience, no wealth without character." Adam Smith, the father of free-market economics, couldn't have said it better.

Such BS, and the blind sheeple who slavishly bought mutual funds as a patriotic duty get left once again, with the dirty end of the stick.

I say greed is good, and like a man aroused, (family version) money has no conscience.

2 posted on 07/11/2002 4:00:07 PM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: Lady In Blue
"There can be no capitalism without conscience, no wealth without character."

Hasn't he ever met Ted Kennedy?

3 posted on 07/11/2002 4:04:46 PM PDT by D.P.Roberts
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To: TightSqueeze
I say greed is good, and like a man aroused, (family version) money has no conscience

That is a materialistic load of bullsh@@. Creating wealth is good, greed implies taking what was not earned. A man who loses his sense of conscience because of a woody is not a man.

4 posted on 07/11/2002 4:10:28 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Dead Dog
…greed implies taking what was not earned.

I believe your speaking of guilt, not greed. BTW what is so important earning anything, people do in fact reap what was not sowed, happens all the time. Sorry you didn’t like my metaphor, if you are a women I would understand.

5 posted on 07/11/2002 4:19:39 PM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: TightSqueeze
Nothing wrong with greed, but a consipracy to defraud is illegal.
6 posted on 07/11/2002 4:49:09 PM PDT by steve50
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To: steve50
...but a consipracy to defraud is illegal.

Get over it, everything is illegal, soon we will all be criminals. Once you recognize the fact that you are an outlaw most of the guilt will go away.

7 posted on 07/11/2002 4:59:05 PM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: TightSqueeze
I admire your attitude Im from the Dogbert/Mr Burns school of conservative thought myself.
8 posted on 07/11/2002 5:04:14 PM PDT by weikel
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To: TightSqueeze
I'm a man who knows better than to let his best friend Dick do the thinking.

I don't know who the moron is who coined the phrase "Greed is Good", I'm sure a Freeper knows, but he/she must have been a left wing, coke sucking, hedonistic ingrate.

What's wrong with taking what you haven't earned? Probably because someone else earned or produced it. It is generally theft. And as far as I'm concerned, justice should be weigh 250 grains and be delivered at 2900 fps.

There are two types of people in this world, those who produce wealth, and those who take. The "Greed is Good" BS is attempt to legitimize non-productive incompetents in their quest for high priced nookie. It entwines material lust and gluttony with profit motive and entrepreneurial ambition. And as far as losers who surrender their ethics to a chuby, they never had it in the first place. (from personal experience, Hey I was an amoral 17 yearold once)

With that said, I'm only taking exception to a cultural catch phrase you quoted, not accusing you or being a pissy moralist.

What you did do, though, is illustrate the materialistic foundation of liberalism.

9 posted on 07/11/2002 5:05:20 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Dead Dog
There are two types of people in this world, those who produce wealth, and those who take.

I didn’t realize that you worked on Maggie’s farm, too bad, tough luck, maybe life is hard because you are just not sharp enough to compete.

In any case, Grandpa taught me the best revenge is to live well, I have since revised his sage knowledge to include; and be able to produce a tight grouping. Luck can change, but incompetence unfortunately is life long challenge.

BTW the line is from a film;

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms – greed for money, for life, for knowledge - has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed - you mark my words - will save Teldar Paper Company and that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA." Gordon Gekko - Wall Street

10 posted on 07/11/2002 5:42:27 PM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: weikel
I admire your attitude Im from the Dogbert/Mr Burns school of conservative thought myself.

I believe this is the right time and place for the pragmatists, screw the moralists, their train has left the the station, there bag in hand. Everyone has to believe in something, I believe I will not only survive but flourish in the upcoming years, regardless what the moralist and statists propose.

11 posted on 07/11/2002 5:57:55 PM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: TightSqueeze
I will do well too. Socialism worries me more about how it will hurt the country I will personally do well. Im smart, fairly well connected, my girlfriend is rich, I know another girl who likes me who is also rich LOL( and funny thing is I never had great luck with women before it seems the rich ones like me). I have some morals but Im not a Falwell type moralist.
12 posted on 07/11/2002 7:09:31 PM PDT by weikel
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To: Dead Dog
"Greed is good" was coined by Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street. Doing good for people is fine but its hard when your piss poor. Getting rid of Socialism when your piss poor is hard too. Don't you know revolutions are always lead and orchestrated by the leisure class.
13 posted on 07/11/2002 7:13:01 PM PDT by weikel
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To: TightSqueeze
Get over it, everything is illegal, soon we will all be criminals. Once you recognize the fact that you are an outlaw most of the guilt will go away.

Man, their is right and wrong, legal has nothing to do with it. Guilt? Guilt is a biproduct of comprimised eithics. It only happens when you know you are wrong, to hell with what's legal.

14 posted on 07/12/2002 7:04:04 AM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: TightSqueeze
I didn’t realize that you worked on Maggie’s farm, too bad, tough luck, maybe life is hard because you are just not sharp enough to compete.

Maggie's Farm? I assume that would refer to some sort of communalism. If so, you've lost me. You've taken an argument over the descrete meaning of the word Greed and turned it personal. Your defensive, I don't even care why.

In any case, Grandpa taught me the best revenge is to live well, I have since revised his sage knowledge to include; and be able to produce a tight grouping.

Words to live by, but what does revenge have to do with anything on this thread.

Luck can change, but incompetence unfortunately is life long challenge. Probably ment as a dig, if so, grow up man.

BTW the line is from a film;

Like I said, coke sucking, hedonistic ingrates. Who, I would add, have no respect for capitalism or freemarkets. These are the same losers who profess that Capitalism is uncaring, as if socialism is.

"Greed, for lack of a better word, ...."

This was my original point. The word greed does not fit the meaning being assaigned to it. What he described is profit motive, desire for wealth, knowledge, growth. That ain't greed, greed is a self destructive, and counter productive lust for things. The lefties in Hollywierd who wrote the line have no concept in the different meanings. Like good leftist, they're concept of the world is material, and if someone has something it was taken from someone else..nothing is earned, it's all about luck. And that is what I took exception to in your original post. It ain't nothing personal.

15 posted on 07/12/2002 7:49:52 AM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: weikel
Doing good for people is fine but its hard when your piss poor. Getting rid of Socialism when your piss poor is hard too. Don't you know revolutions are always lead and orchestrated by the leisure class.

Now see, you and Tightsqueeze both took my rant as an attack on wealth, or some sort of egalitarian tripe. Not at all, I never meant to imply there was any virtue in being poor. My point is competent people get ahead by hard work, skill, and providing value in the free market. And that this profit motive and drive should not be tarnished with the word greed.

Profit motive has nothing to do with doing right for people, not at all, it is self interest and even selfishness. In the end it does good for people, but that isn't our problem.

The term Greed is Good is a materialist answered for profit motive. In a materialist sense, the only way to do good for others is liberalism. Materialism is wrong, profit motive and desire for improvement are not greed.

Like Goodwater wrote in his "Conscience of a Conservative" libs only acknowelge the material side of mankind.

His comment about aroused men having no conscience is just a Likus 101 excuse for weakness.

16 posted on 07/12/2002 8:08:40 AM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Dead Dog
…it's all about luck. And that is what I took exception to in your original post.

Having played poker most of my life, I know your type and have seen guys like you come and go. Before the cards are dealt you’re full of piss and vinegar with a bankroll burning a hole in your pocket. A few hours later your attempting to draw to an inside straight and asking if you can bet the bill of sale on your car.

Inevitably you loss then claim the game is rigged and you have been cheated. What you call greed is merely skill, and you use guilt to attempt to regain what you lost. If anyone is guilty of greed it is the one who believes luck is equivalent to skill.

17 posted on 07/12/2002 8:19:13 AM PDT by TightSqueeze
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To: TightSqueeze
I think were arguing the same point, more or less. What you are calling greed, as in the Greed is Good statement, I'm calling profit motive..and saying not only is it good, but right.

What I call greed, is the CEO and Corporate board who are afraid to compete so they cut investment, sell off production capacity, and order stock buy backs. Thus, artificially inflating stock prices so they can cash in their options. In the end, they walk away from a ruined corporation with hundreds of millions in their pocket, and 40 of 50 thousand formerly wealth producing employees on the dole. Winning by losing. This is not capitalism, it is chickensh!ts quitting before the invisible hand B-slaps them for incompetence.

To play off your poker example, that movie Rounders (Great film IMO). Mike Dermont profits from skill and patients through open competition. That isn't greed, it's work. Worm, although skilled, is driven by greed..always looking for an angle, always in a scam, and always chasing a quick buck. That kind of Greed isn't good.

It's Warren Buffet vs. Donald Trump. More money is generated in the pursuit of excellence than is made in the pursuit of money.

Your very thin skinned about this. But I will say, after three posts stating my point, you still don't get it. The instructions are written on the heel, and you still can't pour p!ss out of the boot.

18 posted on 07/12/2002 9:24:23 AM PDT by Dead Dog
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