Oh man, that's a way bigger question. I suppose I can exempt my statement by saying "within the confines of the economic and political landscape, people are hi

Oh man, that's a way bigger question. I suppose I can exempt my statement by saying "within the confines of the economic and political landscape, people are hired and paid as a mutually beneficial exchange". That way we escape the larger question of whether the exchange is actually enough to sustain people. But yeah, there's a more interesting and unnerving point to be discussed there. My assumption is that you're talking about various indirect subsidies that keep people above water (even things like subsidizing roads at the expense of non-drivers so people can drive to work). I largely agree, but I'd be curious if you're talking about something deeper than that?