Comments on: We have Lost our Moral Compass http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/ Generation 2 Generation: Let's Talk Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:09:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=Communication is Inspiration hourly 1 By: Melinda Wiman http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/comment-page-1/#comment-2172 Melinda Wiman Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:00:12 +0000 http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/#comment-2172 I have to ask - How do you feel about Obama today? I have to ask – How do you feel about Obama today?

]]> By: Alek http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/comment-page-1/#comment-1871 Alek Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:15:13 +0000 http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/#comment-1871 Hi. Good site. Hi. Good site.

]]> By: David Braun http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/comment-page-1/#comment-1861 David Braun Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:30:18 +0000 http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/#comment-1861 It is hard to square a market based economy with a moral compass. If the idea is to make the most profit for the owners( really the managers)and no independent referee has the power to control behavior and by implication the fairness of the means employed to achieve that profit, then leaving it to business to act in accordance with a moral code that lessens profits is doomed to failure. Very few business men worry about doing the right thing for society except as an advertisement for their product. And even if they did the competition would require them to change their behavior. The independent referee has to be the government not the church. And therein lies the problem. Our elected officials are heavily influenced by big business with their ability to lobby for their interests and conribute to election campaigns. We do not have universal health care in the richest society in the world because the drug companies do not want us to have this care. We have the largest military budget in the world, a far larger committment than we need, because our military contractors unfairly influence the congressional leadership which sets and approves that budget. Since the only influences on Congress are the monies they need to get reelected or a hyped up external threat or the fear of the penal system, the answer is to limit the money that is used to elect and influence our government and to make and execute laws that will influence behavior and use severe penalties for those whose violation impacts large groups of unsuspecting people. Why do we buy goods from countries that use child labor or prison labor. Just to get a lower price- at the expense of our own labor workforce. Why do we allow highly placed government officials to ignore congressional subpoenas? What sort of message does this send to our people-that if you are beg enough the law does not apply to you. If we want a moral society it will be through the passing and enforcement of laws based on the morality we all want. Fear of punishment is a greater influence on behavior than all the sermons in the world. It is hard to square a market based economy with a moral compass. If the idea is to make the most profit for the owners( really the managers)and no independent referee has the power to control behavior and by implication the fairness of the means employed to achieve that profit, then leaving it to business to act in accordance with a moral code that lessens profits is doomed to failure. Very few business men worry about doing the right thing for society except as an advertisement for their product. And even if they did the competition would require them to change their behavior. The independent referee has to be the government not the church. And therein lies the problem. Our elected officials are heavily influenced by big business with their ability to lobby for their interests and conribute to election campaigns. We do not have universal health care in the richest society in the world because the drug companies do not want us to have this care. We have the largest military budget in the world, a far larger committment than we need, because our military contractors unfairly influence the congressional leadership which sets and approves that budget. Since the only influences on Congress are the monies they need to get reelected or a hyped up external threat or the fear of the penal system, the answer is to limit the money that is used to elect and influence our government and to make and execute laws that will influence behavior and use severe penalties for those whose violation impacts large groups of unsuspecting people. Why do we buy goods from countries that use child labor or prison labor. Just to get a lower price- at the expense of our own labor workforce. Why do we allow highly placed government officials to ignore congressional subpoenas? What sort of message does this send to our people-that if you are beg enough the law does not apply to you. If we want a moral society it will be through the passing and enforcement of laws based on the morality we all want. Fear of punishment is a greater influence on behavior than all the sermons in the world.

]]> By: Joel Silberman http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/comment-page-1/#comment-1860 Joel Silberman Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:35:43 +0000 http://communicationisinspiration.com/2008/12/24/we-have-lost-our-moral-compass/#comment-1860 Thank you for honoring me with a quote. Jack, as always, you are spot on. Business ethics must become watch words of the future rather than the oxymoron they have become under 40 years in the culture of deregulation. In Progressive Capitalism profit and common good can live on the same balance sheet however greed and dishonesty must no longer be tolerated. Your book points the way to a brighter future but now we must put it into practice every day. Thank you for honoring me with a quote. Jack, as always, you are spot on. Business ethics must become watch words of the future rather than the oxymoron they have become under 40 years in the culture of deregulation.

In Progressive Capitalism profit and common good can live on the same balance sheet however greed and dishonesty must no longer be tolerated. Your book points the way to a brighter future but now we must put it into practice every day.

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