On Capitalism and Greed

Ok, so it seems everyone is talking about Capitalism and Greed these days. Actually, i think it's just my sister and Greg Boyd, but that's almost everyone anyway.

Here's the problem. Capitalism is what makes all the economic world go 'round but at the same time it feeds on human greed. what to do? what to do?

I'm not sure of course what the right answer might be, but I was thinking, maybe we could keep the whole capitalist engine running if the stuff we were buying (that we don't need) was being bought to give to people who did need it. Of course human nature being what it is, the engine wouldn't run nearly so well if people were only buying what they needed and people are just not as motivated by philanthropy as by greed so consumer spending would still go down and everything would come to a screeching halt.

Maybe the answer is more in the state of our hearts and how much life we get from our stuff or from the act of getting stuff. Do we feel down and so we go and buy something to feel better? Do we ask ourselves anything beyond do I want it and can I fit it on my credit card?

Maybe the tendency toward greed that is the problem with capitalism is our 'cross to bear' the way other systems have their own problems. And we should at the very least not get all arrogant about what a great system we have and think everyone else should do it too.

This is one of the questions I've always had about "made in the USA" campaigns. If we only buy stuff made by americans, what happens to all the developing world workers who loose their jobs when the demand disappears for their products. They may be making less money than americans would make but if it's a good job in their country, why work against that?

It's all a big fat I DON'T KNOW