“Faustian Economics" by Wendell Berry

Berry says that we Americans are greedy and wasteful because we believe that everything we have or acquire, is limitless. We do not think about the consequences of overusing resources that are very quickly diminishing, instead- we think of ways to circumvent the problems instead of deal with them. Let us talk about the problem of fuel for our cars and homes, not only is gas almost all gone; but it also destroys the environment and the atmosphere. Instead of fixing the problem of overusing the resource, people come up with the idea of using corn to produce the fuel needed to start our cars. I believe that Americans think that they have so many resources and possibilities to use things to their advantage, that if there is not...there are other resources to take its place. So when corn is finally too expensive to grow and use, as that effects what some animals eat, to what we eat, then what will be used when corn can not be used anymore? We Americans with our smart intellects will think of something, they really are using their resources to the max if I may say so.
Berry also uses many other writers data to support his theory that we are greedy. He talks about Marlowe's "Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and the Declaration of Independence about how it says that humans are monstrous because it is innate; it is a trait needed to allow us to live in this dog-eat-dog world. Berry uses a lot of information he learned from other people to prove that Americans truly are wasteful and greedy. He uses data from writers, from an artistic standpoint, the Declaration of Independence, old folklore and from historical research. The point he is trying to make is backed by a lot of evidence from a broad spectrum of resources, not just from what he sees himself. The evidence validates what he says more than what he may have said on his own with no other data.