I really wish I knew where people were getting this idea that protesting corporate greed and social inequality in this country equates to communism, or that our welfare and social programs are either “entitlements” or blatant socialism.

But I strongly suspect that a lot people have bought into the lies and misinformation of both the media and party establishments — in a bid to undermine our nation from within; while starving the masses in the process.

Capitalism hasn’t brought many of us into the laps of luxury. None of the minimum-wage jobs I ever worked elevated me to middle-class status or even (in Herman Cain’s words) made me rich by a stretch and a half.

But it has made a great number of us poor and dependent on the government for assistance.

Look around you. Look at the people you meet. Very few of us are living high on the hog these days. But it’s not because of our welfare and social programs — as some would attest to rigidly.

It’s because of our one-sided capitalist society — where all the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the few, which is also the reason why so many of us are struggling or living in poverty in the here and now.

And that’s not going to change anytime soon.

Schuyler Thorpe
Everett