If it works, why are so many poor?

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

Talk to us

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, Sept. 25

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Randall Tharp’s month recovery coins after battling a fentanyl addiction.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Editorial: Fentanyl crisis should force rethinking of approach

A continuum of care, that includes treatment in jails, is imperative, says a journalist and author.

Comment: Carrying Narcan requires having compassion for addicts

The stigma around fentanyl addiction remains a barrier to its availability to treat those overdosing.

Comment: If AI ‘writers’ were human, they would have been fired

A series of stories, written by AI, have embarrassed news sites and raised questions about their use.

Comment: Murdoch’s out; not his legacy of ‘alternative facts’

The Fox News creator’s formula for laundering right-wing narratives as news lives on without him at the helm.

Fact check: No, migrants aren’t getting $2,200 a month from U.S.

A viral tweet by Rep. Lauren Boebert is a zombie claim that started in 2006 in Canada.

Flowers bloom on the end of a dead tree on Spencer Island on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Restore salmon habitat but provide view of its work

Comments are sought on a plan to restore fish habitat to the island east of Everett with popular trails.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, Sept. 24

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2015, file photo, pumpjacks are seen operating in Bakersfield, Calif. On Friday, April 23, 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would halt all new fracking permits in the state by January 2024. He also ordered state regulators to plan for halting all oil extraction in the state by 2045. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Comment: If ‘peak oil’ is ahead why is oil industry doubling down?

Fossil fuel use could peak by 2030, but Big Oil may be putting profit ahead of prudent transition.

Most Read