My mother told me to never lie with predators!

When I was a young boy, I learned that not all animals are soft and cuddly. Some killed and were dangerous . . . they were called predators.

As I got older, I began to realize that predators were not necessarily mean, it was just in their nature to kill in order to survive. That being the case, I vowed never to lie with predators because eventually they are destined to devour you.

Now, you may be asking, what’s the point? Predators are who they are. Not all predators are furry, some wear suits, ties, or gowns. You cannot take a lion home as a pet and hope to change it to a pussycat. Or as they say, “A leopard cannot change its spots.”

Capitalism is, by its very nature a predatory and hierarchal system where there are a select group of people at the top and the rest of us are nothing more than pawns at the bottom of the food chain. Those at the top are the decision makers, the policy makers, the highly paid. These are the people, the business leaders, who will not hesitate to destroy those who are vulnerable in order to maintain or increase their wealth and power.

The laborers are the ones who actually make the products or provide the services. Yet, under capitalism, labor has the least significance . . . it receives the lowest recognition and remuneration. If you get your hands dirty or break a sweat, you have little value in this system. The workers are seen as expendable and replaceable. It is capital that is honored, respected, and glorified.

After WW2, there was a tremendous growth in what became known as the middle class. Veterans were offered loans to purchase homes in newly established communities, the government offered them free college educations, good paying jobs were available in the growing manufacturing industries, etc. For many, the “American Dream” had become a reality and was now available.

So, we now had the upper elite class, the middle class, and the “lower” or poverty class.

It was the middle class that filled the middle management positions and acted as a buffer between the elites and the working class. The angers and frustrations of the workers were aimed at the middle management people who were accessible. This was also true outside the working situation where middle class communities and working class communities were often located side by side, while the elites had their gated communities that allowed them to distance themselves from those who labored in their factories or places of business.

The capitalist has only one primary mission and that is to derive as much profit for himself and his shareholders as possible, by any means necessary. To accomplish this, he must produce his product or provide his service at the lowest possible cost while marketing them at the highest price the market will bear. As the Mafia has been portrayed as saying before executing a competitor, “This is not personal, it’s business.”

Such an arrangement dictates that the relationship between the workers and the business leaders is by definition an antagonistic, adversarial, or conflictual one. The businessman will not hesitate to exploit the labor of the working men and women. It is of no concern to the capitalist that workers are not earning a living wage or that they cannot find affordable housing or that they cannot afford healthcare insurance. The businessman is not concerned with being fair or cooperating. He/she will seek any advantage to increase their wealth and the wealth of their investors.

Under capitalism, businesses are always looking to expand their influence and control. Therefore, there is a constant search for new markets and new resources. Hence, the development of the US imperialist agenda.

To implement this agenda, the US has created a monstrous military, one that is probably more powerful and more expensive than all other military programs throughout the world combined. The US is now equipped to march into any country it desires and overthrow governments that do not cooperate with the US agenda of dominating markets and establishing control and access to any country’s resources.

The US government works hand-in-glove with the capitalist class, using our tax dollars as well as our sons and daughters to overthrow any government that dares nationalize its resources and prevents US investors access.

To understand why the US is continuously at war, one must look at the predatory nature of capitalism. It does not stop at the borders but under “the new world order” expands into any country or area the US chooses. It is not personal, it’s business.

As a result of US international activities since the end of WW2, the US has been involved in the deaths of over 20 million people. This is the direct result of the capitalist/imperialist ideology, an ideology which does not benefit humankind but rather the few members of the elite class.

Despite the fact that capitalism works against the interests of the working class, it has received strong support from those who labor. Why? The ruling class, along with its lackeys in the media and government, has convinced the populace of this country that capitalism equates with freedom and democracy and those who work hard and follow the rules can someday be wealthy (The American Dream).

What tends to be ignored is the FACT that upward mobility in this country is minimal and among the worst in the Western world.

As for democracy and freedom, we only have to look at the hierarchical structure of our society, where the wealthy control the political, economic, and social aspects of our lives to realize we are far from living in a democracy. Voting every 2–4 years does not constitute democracy.

As for the question of freedom, exactly what freedoms are derived directly from capitalism?

The freedom to work full time and still continue to live in poverty.

The freedom to live with the anxiety that a member of your family may suddenly get ill and you and your family will go bankrupt trying to pay for healthcare.

The freedom to graduate from college and assume a debt of tens of thousands of dollars.

The freedom to vote every 2–4 years for one of two candidates that don’t give a damn about your needs and, instead, represent the interests of the rich and famous.

The freedom to watch millionaire congressional representatives pass legislation that cuts benefits to social programs for the people in need in order to provide large tax breaks for the very wealthy.

If we all know better than to lie with predators, why have we continuously accepted functioning under the umbrella of capitalism, the most deadly predator of all?

It is time to dismantle this deadly, life threatening system.

Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.