Greed and "materialism" have their good points.

The root of these things are in the emotion of wanting. It's true that some will steal or cheat to get what they want; but most will work for it. Since cheating and stealing are ineffective most of the time, working for what you want is the only way to attain it. We tend to condemn motives that actually lead to results that are not only good for those who feel them, but for everyone else as well. Imagine a world with no greed, want or drive for comfortable and nice things. It would be a world where work would be pointless, meaningless, and non-existent. Greed and materialism lead to comfort, fun and the defeat of poverty. This is what American capitalism largely achieved.