Greed vs. Doing the Right Thing

If crime didn't pay, there wouldn't be so much of it.

It's not just the criminals who profit from their crimes. Those who tacitly abet the criminals often benefit from the crimes committed as well.

Case in point: Employers who hire illegal aliens benefit by avoiding having to pay higher wages and contributing to Social Security. They benefit financially in many ways that are not enjoyed by employers who abide the laws governing their businesses.

Mitchell Schnurman, in today's Star-Telegram, laments the economic downside of the decision by the City of Farmers Branch to support U.S. immigrations laws by prohibiting the housing and employment, within the city's limits, of "criminal aliens." Note the sneer quotes used by Schnurman in his commentary in the paper's Business section.

According to Schnurman, the city's economic development goals should outweigh its responsibility to uphold the law ... unless I'm completely misreading his words ... and I'm not. In fact, Mr. Schnurman comes across as a Gordon Gekko type of capitalist whose only concern is bigger and bigger profits.

In the movie Wall Street, Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, spouted this famous line:

"The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works."

Gekko may be right about greed in some respects, but when it comes to a choice between greed and doing what's right, I think most of us would at least resist selling out our values for a few pieces of silver.