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All things else being equal, if I have a choice between having more money or less, I’ll take more every time.

And, as a former director for several non-profit organizations, I can also say that I always wanted to raise more in contributions, not less.  So I certainly don’t fault private corporations for wanting to have higher, not lower, profits. If I worked for a private company, I’d want to do the same thing.  The problem is, all things aren’t equal.

And the most serious inequality is that many large corporations are making money by harming the rest of us – our health, our environment, and our ability to provide a safety net where all people can have a minimum quality of life.

Instead of money being a means toward the end of a meaningful contribution to society, the system is structured to make profit the end itself, with everything else subordinate to that end.

For examples, look no further than the tobacco companies lying about the health effects of their products, BP deep-sixing the ecology and economy of the Gulf, and the banks destroying pension programs, mortgage holders and the entire economy by their reckless gambling. These industries, and many more, pay millions of dollars for lobbyists and campaign contributions to write the laws, regulations and tax policies that allow them to make the inequality even worse.