steve wrote:

> 
> Profit occurs when two parties exchange goods and services on
> mutually agreeable terms (without outside coercion or limiting
> influence) in which both parties consider themselves better off
> having obtained something they preferred in exchange for something
> less preferred. [Think paleo-trading without a government restricting
> or not allowing some terms or exchanges!  ;-)]


That's what I call a fair trade, not profit.


> 
> The only people that don't like profit are pirates, thieves, and 
> plundering governments.  There are two ways to increase property (or
>  money if you prefer), one is to create value that others willing
> trade for and the second is to steal, take, or plunder from someone
> else who has already created value.
>

Profit would be more like um, buy cheap (because it is [i]known[/i] to 
be unfit for human consumption) food, sterilize/change it somehow so 
consumption/use causes no obvious symptoms, then sell it to fools who 
suffer from the results of consuming it.
Examples are dairy and feedlot beef.
I think that this is called "value added", profitable for governments as 
well as "busyness".
Profit then might be called "beggar your neighbour".

The background to my point of view is an attempt to understand JC's 
remark: " Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" - I read that at 
the time He was holding a Roman coin. I can see the "added value" of 
piece of metal which has been cut and stamped in a mint as illusory, now 
we have worthless paper which is even more illusory.
Ref.:"The Creature from Jekyll Island".

William