Making Money isn't a Job; It's a Lifestyle

The Enron trial is underway in the U.S. as Ken Lay, the CEO of the company, is charged with various amounts of legal jumble that all mean the same thing: he ripped off stockholders and employees of millions of dollars. His defense made me laugh and cry at the same time. According to his lawyers, Lay couldn’t have purposefully stolen that money or dissuade the public because he is already rich, and rich people don’t steal. That’s right: rich people don’t steal. They don’t need to; they already have all the money they need.
To say that rich people don’t steal is like saying sex addicts don’t have sex, because they already had enough of it in their lifetime. If there is one thing that makes people crazy for money, it’s having too much already. In the general trend of things, people are greedy and are never satisfied. Why else do athletes getting paid 5 million a year complain about it? These athletes frame their argument in terms of respect: if they really are the best, they should be paid more than the rest. I agree with paying people their value, but isn’t there a point where that thinking gets stupid? Don’t we respect you enough when you get paid 5 million as opposed to 9 million?
I’d like to do a study of how many corporate heads have decided one day, "you know, I’ve made enough money, I’m just gonna stop." I don’t think I’ll find too many. They retire for other reasons, like health. The dollar sign keeps them coming back.