Reply #13: Yes, but...

[Speck Tater]

A person goes into business to make a profit. Very often, however, that person also goes into business doing something he or she loves to do, and most such business owners would be satisfied with a modest profit and a good standard of living. I know that I am in business for myself for the love of the owrk, and to provide a living wage for myself, and nothing more.

Enter the investor class. While they provide the start-up capital, they expect to be repaid for that "loan" in perpetuity. The pressure placed on the business owners, who have in fact sold their business to the investors, demands that the business not only profit, but that its profits continue to grow indefinately, often resulting in laying off workers and crippling the business long-term for the sake of THIS quarter's bottom line. See my little blog piece "The Dark Side of Capitalism for a sample scenario: http://speakoutusa.com/articles/art3.php