The Root Of All Evil

If a billionaire saves a hundred million or so on his taxes by the use of tax shelters, it's unfair. If you leave your car by an expired parking meter while you run inside a store for a minute to get a newspaper, and find a ticket on the windshield when you return, that isn't fair. The difference is that he hasn't broken the law but you have. And that's not fair either.ⁱ

Or is it?

We are ready to attribute all sorts of crimes and evils to those who are better off than we, but our eagerness to do so may not be justified. From early childhood we're taught that the love of money is the root of all evil. For some this is a prelude to a life of evil. For most, however, this is considered a warning not to treasure money – that we must forswear such a preoccupation. But the original claim is not true. And even those who believe it,ⁱⁱ ignore it. That's the way it is with most warnings. They have little effect.

The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil. Really? All? The two most serious evils are murder and rape. And of the murders, serial killing is the most reprehensible. Perhaps love is sometimes the reason for rape, but it is not the love of money.ⁱⁱⁱ Freud could tell you that – but you don't need Freud. And while the motives for murder may include financial gain, there are numerous other causes that have nothing to do with money. Among them (the list is far from all-inclusive) are jealousy, hatred, vengeance, lust for power, and envy. And the all-inclusive “psychological factors.” For serial killers the reason^iv is equally, or perhaps more complex. “There are many other motivations [besides sex] for serial murders including anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking.”^v

I don't mean to minimize the power of money to govern our activities and to inspire evil activity, but we are all guilty to one degree or another. Human nature is unchangeable. All people share the same attitudes, whether we're rich or poor, and we all have the same failings, desires, and fantasies. We're ready to take credit for something praiseworthy that we didn't do and to shift the responsibility for our error. We resent the success of others in getting what we want for ourselves. We don't want to have to keep up with the Jonses. We want them to try (unsuccessfully) to keep up with us. If we view ourselves as members of the ninety-nine percent whose goal is to achieve what the one percent have,^vi who can blame us?^vii

There are some perfectly legal ways to get a bigger slice of the pie. In union there is strength. So if we join a union that threatens a rich industrialist^viii with a work stoppage^ix unless he increases salaries, pensions and other benefits, it's perfectly all right. In fact it's admirable. And it's all right to park next to the broken parking meter or go through a broken turnstile. After all, you didn't break them. Another thing – you certainly don't want to waste time and gas driving back to the supermarket because you got too much change. It was their error, not yours. And you can save on state taxes if you buy on the internet, or if you go out of state to make a major purchase.^x

Making money otherwise, however, isn't so easy. Perhaps we lack the creativity, connections, or monetary backing of those we envy, but we can try to make up for it with luck. The government is likely to promote such thinking by sponsoring get-rich-quick lotteries, but for most people this method is not likely to be rewarding.^xi It's easier to cut corners. If a friend, who works in a local store, tells you that the item you're about to buy will be on sale tomorrow, chances are good you'll put off your purchase.^xii After all, no one gets hurt. The store owner is going to put it on sale anyway and someone will buy it at the lower price. It might as well be you. But it's as much insider trading as that of a stockbroker who is being prosecuted by the Attorney General.

Perhaps you “forget” to report all your income^xiii when making out your tax forms. Or maybe you were “creative” in their completion. Perhaps you didn't present exactly right the facts regarding the accident you just reported to your insurance company. Maybe you weren't completely in the right. Perhaps, also, some of the scratches and dents were there before the accident. But you live in a “no-fault” state and they have deep pockets. And you've paid them for years. It's payback time.

And if all else fails, there's always bankruptcy. If you can't pay your American Excess bills, some lawyer or business will have a plan to get you out of money trouble, or at least make you think he is doing so. The trick is to work things out so that you can keep everything you have but not be required to pay for it. And then you'll need to get a new start so you can do the same thing all over again. Who loses but the companies that have too much money to begin with?

When condemning money, and its holders, as evil, though, we shouldn't overlook some of its positives. The one who wants to make a fortune with a new company will probably create jobs and hire workers. Many of our charities get a significant part of their income from wealthy donors who benefit from the tax deductions they get. And there are drugs which may make money for their manufacturers because they actually help others. The love of money will sometimes result in good as well as evil.

But the bottom line is that we're too quick to blame others for having what we want for ourselves. And we resent the fact that some have succeeded where we've failed. After all, all we want to do is walk a mile in their Pradas.

Next episode: “The Elephant And Insurance” – Massive coverage.

i     Some definitions are in order: “Fair”: If I benefit from it. “Unfair”: If someone else benefits from it. (Or benefits more than I do.)

ii     At least most of them.

iii    The argument may be made, moreover, that the love of money isn't evil at all. “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” are cited as unalienable [sic] rights in the Declaration of Independence, where “the pursuit of Happiness” is a generalization of “property” – including money – which was George Mason's terminology in his draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. He was citing the philosophy of John Locke. The final version of the Declaration spoke of “the means of acquiring and possessing property.” However much we may strive for it ourselves, that's not something we admire in others.

iv     Actually reason has nothing to do with it.

v     Serial Murder – Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators – FBI, 2005

vi     More realistically, we want to bring them down to our level. Actually, we'd like them in jail with their wealth divided among the rest of us. Especially me.

vii    Ideally we'll get some of their money. It's not socialism to correct the deficiencies of capitalism. They got the money by soaking us anyway.

viii    Or the government.

ix     The possibility of the absence of government services is often all that is necessary to bring politicians into line, although bad publicity is also a threat. And since union votes will be important in the next election, the promise of union support is a powerful tool. If an industrialist offers money to help get the same votes, however, he is evil.

x     There may be a requirement that you report and pay taxes on those purchase, but that's far too complicated.

xi    Of course that doesn't mean people won't try. I heard on the radio today (March 30^th) that the Mega Millions jackpot for tonight's drawing will be over half a billion dollars. I doubt that any of the “Occupy Wall Street” crowd or other members of the ninety-nine percent will buy tickets, because if they win they'll become part of the despised one percent. But if that's the case, if ninety-nine percent of the population don't participate, how do the prizes get so big. I guess that they'll swallow their pride and accept the designation for enough money. I know that I would. Of course I'd never buy a ticket.

xii     Or if you overhear something. Eavesdropping isn't your fault. Someone else is talking too loud. And you'd be a fool not to take advantage of what you hear. The person revealing the information is to blame.

xiii    Especially that in cash. And you probably wouldn't hesitate to pay someone else in cash – especially if he tells you that he won't have to charge you tax that way.