We read at census.gov that in 2023, the official poverty rate in America was 11.1 percent, which “…represents 36.8 million people in poverty in 2023.” One would think that most people, and especially those in poverty, would be outraged that this the premier world power permits such. Look, it has to be said that America is considered to be the leader of the merits of capitalism, so representing the best economic system possible, of which, that capitalistic system believes wholeheartedly in the merit and value of trickle-down economics, thus being beneficial for the country as a whole. Yet, trickle-down economics seems to be a scam because lowering taxes provides even more benefits to the superrich and mega corporations, at the expense of the impoverished, who continue to suffer from a lack of all sorts, including the lack of opportunity.
Indeed, the more power that this nation places into corporate monopolistic hands or in the hands of certain corporate powers that basically collude with one another when it comes to the pricing and availability of products so being marketed and sold – adds insult to injury by the fact that these same corporate powers in conjunction with the government that works hand in glove with them, has effectively eviscerated labor unions, as well as not lifting a finger to increase the minimum wage to something even close to resembling a living wage, which means that those that are the most vulnerable, are going to continue to live in poverty, in this the richest nation in the world.
The question that needs to be raised is whether or not corporations and the government that regulates and taxes those corporations have an implicit obligation to see that the power in the hands of monopolistic corporations and those corporations that collude with one another is or is not in conformance with the public good. That is to say, to believe somehow that the only duty corporations have is to make as much profit as they can, for the benefit of upper management as well as those that are its stockholders, doesn’t seem to recognize the inconvenient truth that corporations are artificial constructs of the state, which thereby means that they also have an inherent obligation to benefit the state, or else they should be regulated more vigorously in a way and manner that the general public gets their fair share of the pie, as their due for such economic power being in the hands of those that prefer not to answer to the people, because their objective seems to be to exploit those same people, thereby contributing directly or indirectly to a higher poverty rate in America, then there needs to be.
Perhaps, though, nothing needs to be changed in America, for the poor will always be with us. Nevertheless, it has to be recognized that if America does indeed represent the best of the best concerning freedom, liberty, and opportunity, why is there such a persistent problem in regards to poverty and need in this nation? The answer seems to be pretty straightforward, which is that this nation isn’t really about being of, for, and by the people at all, but rather represents that its primary purpose is greed above all, which it embraces unreservedly and thereby lets the devil take the hindmost.