Money? The root of all evil?

[KevinC]

I think the subject line oversimplifies this.  Money is an object, its not an action.  Hard to modify the behavior of an object.  Trade however is a verb, its an action that can be modified.  Trade has been at the foundation of our civilization since the first 2 tribed met each other and decided trading with each other would be better than killing each other.

Today we have the concept of "Free Enterprise", which basically means "Make as much money as the government bodies will let you".  If its legal, or you think you can get away with it if it isn't, its fair game.  Corporate profits, which rule the guidance provided by boards, is goal #1.  Human rights don't play in beyond those nasty government rules, public perspection, and whatever a corporation needs to sacrifice to ensure profitability. 

I wouldn't say every decission in the corporate boardroom is made with quarterly profits in mind, but I'd hazard to guess most of them are.  I'd also hazzard to guess few 10 year plans get much more than lip service.

This approach to life is reflected in common sayings like "Each man for themselves" and "People will do what benefits them the most".

I have no clue how we are going to change this, but change this we must.  Nothing wrong with profit, but it needs to be equitably balanced with societal impact and LONG TERM impact on the planet.

I think a good beginning would be teaching more practical math in schools and practical science.  Think about it:  How many of us use Algebra 2 in our daily lives, much less Calculus (when was the last time you factored a polynomial, much less solved a double integral???).  Geometry and Trig - well, you do if your an engineer, but why force Sine**2 + Co-Sine**2 = 1 down everyone's throats.  Teaching concepts like slopes (rate of change) and the like are a different subject.  People should innately understand compounding and what an exponetial curve means - but all of that could be taught in one semester.  Obviously, in todays society, understand data is crucial, so some basic statistics would be good - but anything past Standard Deviations is probably a waste.  Kids should also understand that a 9.8% tax bill on a $9.99 purchase is NOT $1.50.  They don't need to know it to the penny, but should understand its going to be a bit under $1.  e.g.  Practical math.

Once kids understand that putting money away in a 2% CD in an economy with a 3% inflation rate is NOT cool, perhaps they will grow up and change the system.  I'm pretty sure the current generation is beyond hope for that.