by Dave Johnson

Conservatives say greed is a good thing. But the lessons of history, religion, philosophy, psychology and even biology say it is not.

I am visiting England this week.  Today I’m in York, and I toured the York Minstrel which is a huge 13th-century cathedral. Down in the crypt they have on display a 12th-century tablet, or “relief,” called the Doomstone. This is a limestone carving from the even-older Norman cathedral that previously stood on the same site. The Doomstone depicts demons constantly stirring a boiling cauldron, while damned souls are pushed into it from above. Two of the damned souls carry bags of money, symbolizing greed.