Welcome to America. Here in America, we the people don’t care about people. We care about profits. The United States of America, by comparison to other highly developed nations, lacks substantial state-subsidized benefits for the population. We have half-baked support systems for the poor, which make it easy for a few to do nothing yet capitalize on the system, while many are not receiving enough to live reasonably while working hard and receiving minimum wage. Education comes at a premium, and many urban school districts are under funded. Post-secondary education is largely difficult to afford for many people. I know that I will be graduating college with almost $100,000 in student debt. However, and thankfully, we give billions to greedy corporations who must only ask for it. The idea behind these subsidies is that giving businesses incentives to succeed and maintain operations in the US will be beneficial to the people, because the money will come back around to them. But let’s return to reality. If I gave you $5,000, and said that you should probably give this money out to people who need it, but I wouldn’t compel you to do so, nor ensure that you actually did so, odds are, you will keep all or it. Or if you’re somewhat considerate, you will only keep part of it. The moral of this scenario is that it’s foolish to expect money given to greedy individuals to actually make its way back to those who need it. Our tax structure promotes the same idea. If we allow the wealthy to continue to have absurd amounts of lightly-taxed money, they’ll invest it in the economy, helping everyone, right? That actually sounds dystopic. If we find it so difficult to give to each other when in need, how do we have no qualms giving to those who have, quite literally, no need? The reason is that most people are simply unaware of what’s actually happening here. There are studies galore examining and scrutinizing aid to the poor and its exploitation, but few that analyze aid to corporations. And this can’t be a coincidence. Poor people don’t have resources to lobby against this, but big businesses do. In the movie, Identity Thief, the CEO of the company the main character works at explains his cutting himself a million dollar bonus check while cutting salaries for everyone else by using The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. He uses the logic that he is simply on top because he works hard, and that this is actually good, individualist behavior. In reality, he is what Rand describes as a second-hander. He leeches off of the people below him, exploiting them. This collectivist behavior is incredibly hypocritical. So ultimately, how is it that this concept of welfare for the rich is acceptable while welfare for the poor is undeserved? The unfair system always rewards those who play the game dirtier.
