How do you do that? I guess you could be really clever. Or you could take some ethical shortcuts. I remember reading Milton Friedman, he says you are supposed to make the maximum profit for shareholders within the rules of the game. Now, I find ole Miltie utterly contemptible. However, that phrase “within the rules of the game” has always troubled me. What does that mean? Here is a situation in which the rules appear to be very flexible. What’s more – How vigorously can you fight or maintain the public interest with such “close” friends?

The Houston Chronicle suggests it might be like this –During two decades of full-time government service, Gov. Rick Perry has accumulated a net worth of about $1 million – perhaps through good investment timing.

However, almost everyone who steered Perry to his money-making deals has seen rewards from Texas government.

Six received key state government appointments or jobs. Two benefited from government actions that had the potential to enhance their real estate holdings. Another was poised to get a state grant for his business until the deal fell through.

The bottom line is, all of the real estate deals that made Perry money occurred because of an insider’s tip. The profits mostly go into a blind trust outside of public view or scrutiny.

“Every transaction I have been involved in has been at arms length, has been transparent and it has been reported on so many cotton-picking times that, if there was something there, it would have been reported on,” Perry said recently.

Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson said Perry’s real estate deals remind him of the story of Texas oilman Sid Richardson hiring future governor John Connally as a lawyer. Richardson told Connally his salary would not be big, but “I’ll put you in the way to make some money.”