These law firms, they exert huge sway and I think often kind of corrosive sway in court,

but a lot more of it is actually taking place behind the scenes in Washington and in state capitals

and also just in normal small towns all over the country, more or less on a daily basis.

I'm Bethany McLean.

Did you ever have a moment of doubt about capitalism and whether greed's a good idea?

And I'm Luigi Zengalis.

We have socialism for the very rich, rugged individualism for the poor.

And this is Capital Isn't, a podcast about what is working in capitalism.

First of all, tell me, is there some society you know that doesn't run on greed?

And most importantly, what isn't?

We ought to do better by the people that get left behind.

I don't think we should have killed the capital system in the process.

Capitalism is based on the pursuit of self-interest.

One of the fundamental questions is how unrestrained this pursuit should be.

Milton Friedman famously said that the only responsibility affirms

is to, quote, make as much money as possible

while conforming to their basic rules of society,

both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.

Who decides what is legal?

Ultimately, it is the judicial system.

But in the day-to-day operation, businesses have to make many decisions.

If the speed limit is 55, is it okay to drive 60 or 65?

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