The fatal flaw in our economic system is that increased corporate wealth is predicated on an environment of sustained growth. If you can’t grow your business, it dies.

Of course, regardless of circumstances, growth cannot last forever so sooner or later the cows will come home to roost.

But when there’s less room for expansion, companies attempt to grow profits, by reducing costs which typically means layoffs, outsourcing, elimination of benefits and other employee perks, switching to cheaper supplies and other various methods of corner cutting or otherwise finding the cheapest way to get things done.

The company I worked at prior to my current job was a major corporation. Three years before I left we completed a merger with another corporation. After the merger, a good chunk of our pre-merger perks went bye bye, our insurance coverage became less comprehensive and we did endure two rounds of layoffs.

Of course the company executives made out like bandits after the merger closed so they gave no shits about it hurt us little guys.

When you have an economic model that, generally speaking, rewards extreme cost reduction above all else, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the endgame. And that endgame, while it might on some levels be good for consumers (cheaper stuff), ultimately hurts everyone, especially workers.