8.12.2026 – pursuit of money

pursuit of money
renders no longer worthy
of citizenship

Adapted from the book, The Bully Pulpit : Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: New York, 2013), where Ms. Kearns writes about the impact of Ida Tarbell’s profile of John D. Rockefeller serialized in nineteen articles that ran from November 1902 to 1904.

Ms. Kearns wrote:

As her narrative progresses, Tarbell’s indignation at Rockefeller seems to grow, and her language sometimes slips into the same metaphors for soulless mechanical power that cheapened White’s portrait of Boss Platt.

She describes his eyes “as expressionless as a wall,” notes the “downward” droop of “his mouth,” his “cruelest” and “most pathetic” feature, and the repellent puffiness of his cheeks.

More than a touch of personal vindictiveness colors her representation of Rockefeller as she describes how his pursuit of money renders him no longer “a human man” but rather “a machine — a money machine — stripped by his overwhelming passion of greed of every quality which makes a man worthy of citizenship.”

According to Wikipedia: Magazine historian Frank Luther Mott called it, “one of the greatest serials ever to appear in an American magazine.” It would contribute to the dissolution of Standard Oil as a monopoly and lead to the Clayton Antitrust Act. Tarbell concluded the series with a two-part character study of Rockefeller, perhaps the first CEO profile ever, though she never met or even talked to him. Rockefeller called Tarbell, “Miss Tarbarrel”.

We talk a lot about citizenship today.

We talk a lot about what qualifies a person for citizenship today.

We talk a lot about who qualifies as a citizenship today.

I put it to you readers that the pursuit of money renders anyone no longer “a human” but rather “a machine — a money machine — stripped by their overwhelming passion of greed of every quality which makes anyone worthy of citizenship.”

As an exercise, I asked AI, which is as numb to feelings as numb can get, what are qualities which makes anyone worthy of citizenship?

AI responded: put the emphasis on character and conduct rather than wealth, education, religion, or political affiliation.

AI then said, some of the strongest qualities are:

1. Respect for others – Recognizing that fellow citizens have the same basic rights and dignity, even when you disagree with them.
2. Respect for the rule of law – Accepting that laws apply to everyone, including those with whom you agree and those with whom you strongly disagree.
3. Personal responsibility – Taking responsibility for your own actions rather than constantly blaming others.
4. Honesty and integrity – Telling the truth, keeping commitments, and acting ethically when nobody is watching.
5. Civic responsibility – Voting, staying informed, serving on juries when called, paying taxes, and contributing to the functioning of society.
6. Tolerance – Understanding that a free society necessarily contains people with different beliefs, cultures, religions, lifestyles, and political opinions.
7. A willingness to contribute – Contributing to the community through work, service, volunteering, raising a family, creating businesses, teaching, helping neighbors, or other productive activity.
8. Respect for freedom – Valuing your own freedoms while recognizing that other citizens possess those same freedoms.
9. Courage – Being willing to stand up for what is right, including defending the rights of people with whom you disagree.
10. A sense of community – Understanding that citizenship isn’t simply “What does my country give me?” but also “What do I owe the people with whom I share this country?”
11. Willingness to learn – Being open to evidence and changing one’s mind when facts demonstrate that one is wrong.
12. Commitment to the country – Not necessarily blind patriotism, but a genuine desire for the country and its people to prosper.

Easy to dismiss as AI but lets go back to that sentence, stripped by their overwhelming passion of greed of every quality which makes anyone worthy of citizenship.

Now imagine some of the folks I have in mind and take these 12 points as a check list and review them one by one against these folks and answer yes or no for that person.

I get 12 for 12 in the no column.

Stripped by their overwhelming passion of greed of every quality which makes anyone worthy of citizenship.