The essence of commerce in a free society. The exercise of buying, selling, manufacturing or producing a product because of perceived or actual need. Those involved in Free Enterprise as well as those involved in Capitalism, share the same awareness of supply and demand to a point. Suppose in your town there suddenly developed a shortage of a much needed $5.00 product, and two men in town had identical inventory of that item. A virtuous man who practiced Free Enterprise would offer the product at what he estimated was a reasonable profit and so would offer that scarce product for $5.00. The yankee capitalist down the street would offer the same product for $20.00 for no other reason than that he could; both would sell out of the product. The difference between the two is virtue or lack of and intent. The virtuous man was able to offer the needed product to his town and make his normal operating profit in the transaction, thus exercising just stewardship over his business. The yankee Capitalist, down the street, saw an opportunity to take advantage of his fellow townspeople because his motivation was greed. Certainly when a product becomes scarce the price tends to rise, that is supply and demand at work, but which man would you feel safer trusting future business with?