Hey Rudy; ========== Is money the most important, maybe that's the question. Money is only one of our resources and it takes balance to keep the priorities in place. It's common and easy to hear from those with money but what about those that can show how life can happen without the greed and hoarding just to accumulate more? ========== The people I (personally) know that have money are very generous. They give to charity. They provide for their family. And, they save for retirement. The only people I know that are greedy and have a habit of hoarding are the people that don't think money is important so they only look after themselves. They're the "what's yours is ours and what's mine is mine" people. I know lots of those, too. I don't actually know anyone that has money and hoardes money just to accumulate more out of greed. I've heard of them... but don't personally know anyone like that. : ) Linda

Hi Linda, I am inclined to agree with Rudy here. I've met plenty of people who are greedy and have a habit of hoarding money, who only look after themselves, but far from thinking that money is unimportant, they think that having money and having more and more is one of the most important things in the world. They seem to value everything in terms of money and what it can buy. I love to earn money for what I have done,it's a great feeling to be able to support a family and know that they are financially protected (and I have no problem with the idea of winning the lottery either!) but there are other things in my life that I value as well. May I could rephrase your quotation "The addiction to money, and the worship of money is the root of a great deal of evil" Saludos Jenny

Hello Linda, Money versus Ayn Rand Demystified: What a sly person R.J. Elliot is in linking 'money' with 'Ayn Rand'. Money of course, is a just medium of exchange... it is material, a thing -i.e. has no mind and thus no freedom to choose between good or evil. "Money is the root of all evil" is a figure of speech which I interpret to mean that 'avarice (extreme greed)' can cause people to do evil things! For example, if your neighbour pays a hitman $10,000 to murder his/her spouse so they can collect on the $500,000 life insurance policy... Is it the money that is evil or the surviving spouse's action that is evil? Now, it is with "Ayn Rand's philosophy" that many, including myself take issue with. She is the favorite philosopher of North America’s mergers and acquistions billionaires, advocates of Libertarianism, and laissez-faire economists. She is often mis-quoted when they are seeking less government regulation in an area of the economy that they seek to dominate. But, these same corporations also employ high-priced lobbyists in Washington seeking government subsidies in other areas of the economy where they face stiff competition from foreign companies. I highly recommend that you read any one of her books before you adopt her as the protector of free enterprise and the freedom we enjoy to make money legitemitely? Even many republicans/conservatives consider Ayn Rand's writings to be too extreme, fascist-leaning. Others consider her very naive in the realm of economics... lacking a real understanding about how real people and the real marketplace actually interact. Here are some quotes from just one of her books. In "Atlas Shrugged", the hero of her novel, Nat Taggart, "murdered a state legislator who attempted to revoke an unfair charter granted to his company... her justification... 'anybody who tries to impose regulations to protect ordinary workers is a louse'... in other places she refers to the wealthy in society as... 'really alive', while ordinary people are described as 'savages', 'inanimate objects'... 'who cares if the wealthy take risks with these creatures'?" - [Reference: The Independent - 26/12/2005.] Warm regards, Norman Ross P.S. A brief history might perhaps shed some light on her extremist views. She was born into a family of wealthy Russian merchants and experienced having everything they owned along with their dignity stripped away during the Bolshevik (Communist) Revolution and the police state she lived in during her early years. She fled as a young woman to the United States, where she made it her life work to outline a philosophy that is now called in academia ‘Objectivism’. In my very simplistic attempt to sum up her philosophy in one sentence -- it depicts everything in the private sector as good and everything in the public sector as evil.

Hi Linda, ============ "What thinketh you?" ============ I thinketh that if one were to explaineth that money hath no importance to thee to those who operateth the following then they would laugheth in thy face... gas stations banks government instrumentalities hospitals grocers supermarkets schools Hmm. I could go on and on and on. Money IS important. However, collecting it over and above all else is fraught with peril. For instance, robbing a bank is not a good idea, nor is operating scams. The receipt of money for the rendering of good service is the cornerstone of our economic system. Anything else is an imbalance where many will be disadvantaged by the avarice of a select few. Money itself is neither good nor bad. It is merely an instrument of exchange. It is what people do with it when they have it that determines good or bad. That is what I thinketh. Gary PS: All thith lithping maketh me thirthty. Thay that three timeth fatht.

Hi Jenny ========== I've met plenty of people who are greedy and have a habit of hoarding money, who only look after themselves, but far from thinking that money is unimportant, they think that having money and having more and more is one of the most important things in the world. ========== Are these people that are truly wealthy? Or are they the people that would like us to "think" they are wealthy? See, I have known people that act the way you describe. But, every time I have met someone with the "greedy" mindset I've discovered that if I poke around a little, I will discover that they are a walking pack of lies. Usually, their life is a facade. They are pretending to have money when they are up to their eyeballs in debts and they could lose it all in a heartbeat. Hence, they have a scarcity mindset that leads to greed. I have never known anyone that was truly wealthy that acted out scarcity mentality, so I ask this very sincerely. : ) Linda