Those same issues of conflicts of interest are acute in the United States today. Especially because the decision makers in the United States are frequently able to insulate themselves from consequences by living in gated compounds, by drinking bottled water and so on. And within the last couple of years, it's been obvious that the elite in the business world correctly perceive that they can advance their short-term interest by doing things that are good for them but bad for society as a whole, such as draining a few billion dollars out of Enron and other businesses. They are quite correct that these things are good for them in the short term, although bad for society in the long term.
Isu konflik kepentingan yang sama adalah masalah akut di Amerika Serikat sekarang. Terutama karena para pembuat keputusan di Amerika Serikat seringkali dapat memisahkan diri mereka dari konsekuensi dengan cara tinggal di rumah berpagar tinggi, minum air dalam kemasan dan sebagainya. Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, jelas sekali kaum elit di dunia bisnis memandang bahwa mereka dapat mengembangkan kepentingan jangka pendek mereka dengan melakukan hal-hal yang baik bagi mereka tapi buruk bagi masyarakat, seperti menyedot beberapa miliar dolar dari Enron dan bisnis lain. Mereka cukup benar bahwa hal-hal itu baik bagi mereka dalam jangka pendek, meskipun buruk bagi masyarakat dalam jangka panjang.