Introduction
Among this country’s greatest strengths has been its economic structure and diversity. As citizens and business professionals, we owe a lot of this to the Constitutional system of government. With a balance of power between the states and the Federal government, this country is ripe for economic development. Wall Street is one of our country’s icons, and affluent business tycoons such as Donald Trump, J. Willard Marriott, Sam Walton, and Warren Buffett receive celebrity status. This economic strength has carried us through war and peace. In fact, images of Rosie the Riveter represent how we secured the home front during World War (National Park Service). More recently, it was economic strategy (and this country’s outright economic dominance) that led to the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War. (Garrity, 2002). Individual prosperity is a fundamental principle of our economic system, and is as important as collective wealth. One need not belong to an elite class or family (although it does help if you are related to millionaires), nor does one have to obtain special permission from the government. Another element of the economic system is the way it rewards success. If you seek it, you can find it; all you need is to find a way to build a better widget, or a better way to build what everyone else has been making. At least in theory, the system is designed in such a way as to reward ingenuity, work ethic, and perseverance.
Unfortunately, not everything about this capitalist system is as simple as everyone earning money. Indeed, a study of capitalism merely provides a way of explaining how money moves from consumers to producers. Further study of economics, financial management, and other money-related topics implies cooperation among those within the system. For example, just because Robert has something John wants does not