When I was a young child I learned about greed when my father read to me a fairytale about a fisherman who caught a magic fish. Most youngsters have heard the story of how the fish offered to give the man whatever he wanted if only he would agree to throw the fish back into the water. At first the fisherman, who was quite poor, only desired a better home with enough food to keep him and his wife from starving. Upon returning from his fishing trip he found his wife beaming in front of a nice little house where a pot of stew was cooking on the stove. When he told his wife about what had happened she was quite excited and happy but over time she grew dissatisfied with her “just enough” life and demanded that her husband catch the magic fish again and insist on a bigger place with better furnishings and more varieties of food in the pantry. 

True to his word the fisherman tried and tried to recapture the magic fish and one day it happened again. He and the fish made a new deal that involved improving the fisherman’s abode and lifestyle. When he went home he was amazed at how large his new living quarters were and how many wonderful accoutrements it held. His wife was excited as well and for a time the two of them revelled in their good fortune but again and again she would ask for more money and more power and each time the magic fish would fulfill her wishes. Finally she asked for too much and when the fisherman went back home he was greeted by a hungry wife standing in front of the old hovel. 

We have had many moments in history when greedy folks did not seem able to get enough. Often, but not always, they pushed too far and ended up in ashes. I witnessed such a thing in my hometown of Houston with the company called Enron. At one time it was considered to be the most innovative and exceptional business in the country. What most of those viewing the company did not know is that it housed a toxic culture that hid a house of cards that was bound to fail.

The employees of Enron were some of the best and brightest individuals in the country. From the start they were pitted with each other in a drive to make more and more money. They even got to decide who in their group was not producing enough and needed to be fired. Those at the highest levels were willing to do anything to keep bringing in more and more cash including cooking the accounting books to appear to be in better shape than the business was. They took enormous risks and recorded future profits on their bottom line before the money had actually materialized. With dirty tricks, a total lack of integrity, and a willingness to stab customers and each other in the back lots of phony money was being made on Wall Street while in truth little was actually coming in. 

The crash and total destruction of Enron took only twenty four days leaving employees, customers, investors and the people who had trusted and touted them in ashes. Arthur Anderson, the oldest accounting firm in the country collapsed. Ordinary workers lost their life savings and their retirement accounts. Those who had created the mess had managed to cash in their stock before the fall, leaving with millions of dollars but their reputations were tarnished and many of them ended up in jail. One committed suicide and the man who had founded the company had a heart attack and died before he went to trial. The city of Houston suffered in ways that will never be forgotten. Even athletic stadiums had to be renamed. 

Of course it was greed that created the Enron monster but greed has never gone away in spite of incidents such as the fall of a huge company that should have been a warning. Later our nation would undergo a nationwide scandal with the housing market that toppled banks and left the real estate market in shambles. It was as though nobody had learned a thing.

In a way what is emanating from the White House these days has a familiar feel. We have wealthy people fawning over President Trump as though he is the second coming. They bring him gold plated gifts and pledges of working with him all for the promise that he will not raise their taxes amd will approve their business deals. To keep the funds coming into the treasury the president has decided to raise money with tariffs that are jolting the American people in horrific ways. Small businesses are reeling. Prices are rising. At the same time the president has increased his personal bottom line many times over. Greed has taken over once again and my concern is that history has demonstrated over and over again that it is a poison that sooner or later destroys. The so called businessman named Trump is already causing chaos in the economy and ultimately it will hurt the common citizen much more than the billionaires. This new iteration of greediness seems doomed from the outset. 

I don’t know why we ordinary people get duped over and over again. I don’t know why we fall for dangerous ideas when economists and learned people can see the storm coming. We simply do not listen because the charlatans make us believe that we too will get rich from their schemes. i tend to follow the old saw that the buyer must beware. Right now my instincts tell me that we should all be concerned.