I agree with everything else that you wrote Lois but I'm not sure about this one. The word greed carries a more malevolent connotation in my mind but according to your definition nearly every American ( even those we would define as poor) are greedy because most of us have more than we need for survival and more than others in places like the Sudan. A poor child in the south Bronx who has enough food, a roof over his head and a TV has more than he needs. I think that definition needs some tinkering.
But, we American's have an excuse... we have been brainwashed from earliest awareness to want stuff, the more stuff the better.
Then we grow up and learn that the American business plan is to earn as much as you can by any means that you can get away with... and not to worry about externalities, {or maintenance for that matter}
Then we discover that too much is never enough... particularly those that never took the time to learn about themselves or the world that surrounds them, because they'd been so busy burying themselves in stuff that they don't even know quite what to do with.
~ ~ ~
Then we discover that our stuff, and the attendant mortgages own us, rather than the other way around.
:cheese: