There is no "free market capitalism" in the USA or anywhere else in the world. What you have is a mix of regulated capitalism, and a social safety net. The social safety net is NOT, to "support mediocrity and government dependence" as conservatives like to opine, but as an acknowledgement that a capitalist economy is subject to periods of growth and retraction (recessions), and that during recessions, the weakest and lowest paid workers are the ones most harmed.
This is true of all first world countries, which mix capitalism and social responsibility, including the USA. The difference is that Republicans have skewed the tax code to benefit ONLY the top classes, at the expense of the middle class. A strong social safety net is a requirement of a capitalist economy, to protect the most vulnerable in a recession.
The bald fact is that we can't all be "chiefs". We need workers as well. And those workers need to be paid a living wage. The idea that the middle class has to provide income supports for workers at the most profitable companies in America is laughable. If McDonalds is making enough money from the sale of hamburgers to be one of the most profitable companies in America, and to pay their top executives more than $20 million dollars per year, then the kids making and selling those burger should be paid a living wage FIRST and foremost, and then distribute the rest to the top. Otherwise, the corporation exists to milk consumers and pay executive and shareholders more than they deserve.
Workers should be paid first, and owners last. That's the risk you take. When I ran my own business, if the business didn't make enough money to pay the workers, my suppliers and me, I was the one who didn't get paid. I was the one who took the risk.
