And during that whole time, the US became more and more infatuated with the lives of the rich and famous than with the plight of the growing throngs of poor and needy.
Most Americans could tell you a lot about the personal lives and even the sex lives of rich people like Kanye West and Madonna -- Paris Hilton and Michael Jackson -- we became fascinated and obsessed with their mansions -- their demons -- and every aspect of their lavish lifestyles.
Just look at Donald Trump -- who announced he was running for president and saw a huge surge in the polls after saying that he's really rich and that's what the country needs.
In other words -- "Greed is Good" and our country needs greedy leaders.
And we've come to see unholy wealth as a sign of, essentially, God's blessing -- of "Good."
Even many of our country's religious leaders have cultivated followings on that idea -- turn on the TV and take a look at any megachurch's multi-millionaire pastor begging for donations to buy another private jet.
But there's one world leader who is speaking -- and acting -- out against the thinking that greed can lead to justice -- that greed is good.
Pope Francis.
This pope is reminding the world how to live simply through his words and his actions.
One of his first decisions as the head of the Catholic Church was to live in the Vatican guesthouse instead of the papal apartments.
And then there's the humble 1984 Renault that he received as a donation and drives around the Vatican.
And as the leader of the Catholic Church -- he's pushed his flock of Bishops to lead by example and live simply as well.
Just last year he removed the so called "bishop of bling" -- from his diocese after the bishop spent $43 million on his personal residence.
And yesterday the pope declined a lunch with Congress in order to feed and eat with the homeless in our nation's capital.
When this pope spoke to grassroots organizers in Bolivia earlier this summer he bluntly called the "unfettered pursuit of money" the "dung of the devil."
In other words -- greed is NOT good -- greed's the "dung of the devil."
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