Here is a quote from a letter I recently received from my friends at American Friends Service Committee (AFSC.org)

Who wins when our country goes to war?  Defense contractors! Who profits from the highest imprisonment rate in the world! For-profit prison corporations! Who benefits by cutting agencies charged with mine safety and the protection of workers rights? Mining companies! Each year a handful of corporations pour millions and millions of dollars into lobbyists and campaign contributions. Why? To push for legislation and procurements that increase their profits. Who benefits? Certainly not the average taxpayer! When the quest for bigger earnings leads to corporate meddling in state and federal budgets and policies, 99% of the American people lose.

Each one of the above examples could fill entire blogs for weeks. But the point of this post is that we must all be aware that this situation exists. The root of capitalism is profit. That drive 99% of what business does and the bigger the profit the better. There is an insatiable greed built into a capitalistic system. That is just the way it is.  Capitalism unfettered would quickly devolve into a survival of the fittest world. It is the responsibility of our government to add compassion and justice to the capitalism mix.

The combination of capitalism and governmental regulation is what makes the U.S. the most successful economy in the world. One without the other would prove disastrous. We must not let a privileged few dominate this symbiotic relationship. When defense contractors push us to war or when we put people in prison mainly for a profit motive no one wins.  A country driven totally by a profit motive cannot exist for long without some corresponding restraints.  That combination is the magic that has held us together but I fear that it seems to be coming unraveled lately. Lets not let that happen…