Posted by Magdalene on July 19, 2002, 5:18 am I'm an economist in the United States, and I was lead to your site from some discussion on the Catholic Telecommunications Board. I fear you have misread Mr. Bush on this matter. He's not saying that all wealth is a sign of morality. He is, on the contrary, saying that wealth that is gained through immoral means is not really wealth. He is also saying that capitalism cannot survive a wonton lack of ethics. One can share the concerns of critics who question Mr. Bush's sincerity on the matter, since he himself has close ties to the business world. But he certainly isn't making the argument you attribute to him here. I don't know if this present crisis in corporate America will provide the much-needed opportunity to separate out the good of capitalism from the bad. I, for one, hope that it might. Mr. Bush's remarks are a first move in that direction. In our country we say that only Nixon could have gone to China (let me know if you need a clarification on the underlying logic -- I'm never quite sure what American cultural references are understood in Australia). By a similar logic, a call for corporate responsibility will be much more effectively made from a President who has close ties to corporate America. Unfortunately, I fear that the rampant cynicism in our age might preclude Mr. Bush from having the same effect that Mr. Nixon did (with respect to opening relations with China). Since this is a shift in conscience that is urgent, it seems unfortunate to dismiss the person who has the best opportunity (at present) to effect that shift as a "turkey". And of course, the spirit of Christian charity would suggest that such language is not particularly useful in any case. Cheers, Maggie --Previous Message-- Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46959-2002Jul9.html
Hi Father Bates,
: Where does this turkey get off? George Bush
: has just pronounced solemnly in a speech
: this week that "there is no
: capitalism without conscience and no
: wealth without character".
: The poor guy is still working under the
: illusion that bedevils the whole US psyche
: - namely the claim that wealth is a sign
: of God's good favour and conversely
: poverty a sign of God's displeasure.
: How many more of these Helen
: Steiner-Rice-style inanities will we have
: to endure? More to the point, what a
: dangerous world the assumptions underling
: this nonsense create.
:
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