Do you know that our current systems and structures contain the seeds of our destruction?

This question has been debated for centuries now. However, in my view, the debate is long over. Capitalism has no conscience, and our laws and regulatory framework do little to alleviate the obvious harms caused by our economic system. Capitalism rewards greed, even malevolent conduct. Left unabated, it leads us to monopolies—wealth and power in the hands of a few while the vast majority of us suffer and even die for lack of resources. In the early twentieth century, antitrust laws were enacted to break up monopolies, restore competition to the marketplace, and thereby reduce consumer prices. However, since the 1980’s, these laws have been haphazardly enforced, at best. There has been a flood of mergers and acquisitions, resulting in behemoth corporations that make the earlier monopolies look like child’s play. 

And many of today’s mega corporations got there through deceitful and even fraudulent means—using our “justice system” to swamp small rivals, by making deals with other behemoths that garnered more power for both of them (to the detriment of you, me, our environment and the welfare of future generations), and by utilizing our natural resources in ways that are increasingly destructive to our survival, and the survival of all living things. Here are a few examples:

Billion-dollar companies can’t make big profits by offering naturally occurring products or remedies. Therefore, they take natural substances and manipulate them, often adding synthetic and even toxic ingredients to the final product, which can then be patented. The patent allows them to essentially become a monopoly for that product for a period of up to 25 years. This enables them to set whatever price they wish for these products. In order to maximize profits—the retail price to you and me is typically very high. You see this in the pharmaceutical industry, the agricultural and food industries, among others. Their primary motivation is money and ultimately power, driven by greed—not to benefit humanity. 

Many of these manipulated products are toxic to our bodies and our environment, which leads to the destruction of both. As an example, one multi-national corporation genetically modified our wheat supply, then advertised their genetically modified seeds to farmers as a means to increase their yields and make their crops more resistant to pests. Around the world, farmers bought these genetically modified seeds and their crop yields increased, keeping the cost of food production lower than it would have been using unmodified seeds.

Farmers soon realized that these modified seeds weren’t resistant to all pests and did nothing to prevent weeds from overtaking their crops, so this mega-corporation came up with a solution: pesticides and weed killers that were designed specifically for their genetically modified seeds. So, if these farmers tried to use pesticides or weed killers that were not created specifically for these modified seeds, they were often ineffective, or killed their crops along with the weeds. Farmers HAD to use the toxic chemicals from this mega corporation in order to achieve decent crop yields. As a result, the use of pesticides has increased by hundreds of millions of tons per year. 

In the meantime, millions of people began experiencing gut dysfunction, gluten sensitives, allergic reactions and other unwanted responses to this giant's for-profit strategy, while we have been witnessing a dramatic dying off of many creatures. The rate of cancer continues to increase, especially in young people. Our environment continues this downward spiral as this mega corporation rakes in billions in profits. There have been class-action suits successfully filed against this giant, but they just see it as a cost of doing business as they continue poisoning us and our environment.

Similarly, pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to research or promote naturally occurring remedies to address our health issues. The remedies they do offer us are often laden with toxic ingredients which, over time, are detrimental to our health and longevity. As we take trillions of these pills, toxic residue ends up in our water and soil, poisoning our environment and everything that depends on it for survival, including us—not to mention all of the toxic packaging that is generated. And, the more toxins in our environment, the harder it is to prove which toxin made us sick, leaving lots of wiggle room for these corporate interests to point the finger at something else as the cause of our illnesses and escape accountability altogether.

This is just the tip of a massive iceberg that will sink us if we don’t turn things around. It isn’t only our patent laws that facilitate and even promote destructive corporate behavior. Our business laws generally require that companies maximize profits for shareholders, often to the detriment of our health, public safety and our environment. We have outdated laws and regulations that have not kept pace with this greed-driven innovation, resulting in a cocktail of toxins in much of our drinking water. So we purchase trillions of gallons of water every year in plastic containers that further pollute our environment. And it’s not only our air, soil and drinking water that is becoming more toxic by the day, our oceans, indeed our bodies are now brimming with micro plastics and PFA's--also known as forever chemicals. Our oceans, which generate much of the food and oxygen we need to survive, and act as a stabilizer for our climate, are also becoming more acidic and polluted by the day. 

We might seek “justice” for the harms these mega conglomerates have caused. After having practiced law for more than 25 years, all I can say is “Good luck with that!” While we have a constitutional right to redress of grievances, that right has become illusory for millions of us who do not have the resources to pursue relief against these giants. With their hordes of attorneys, they can easily bury us in pleadings and discovery requests, and delay the process for years, sometimes decades. Under our current justice system, the cost of this constitutional right is out of reach for many of us.

Capitalism is a shrewd game of winners and losers, and the deck is increasingly stacked against most of us. With oligarchs using our system of justice as a sword to take out competitors, individuals who try to assert their rights, consumers and nonprofits who would try to hold them accountable, what are we to do?

While many of us recognize that our current systems and structures are not working for us, permitting the very oligarchs who’ve profited from these broken systems to take a wrecking ball to our government agencies is not the answer in my opinion. Following my recovery from chronic illness after our for-profit healthcare system drained my bank account but left me with no answers, I took a hard look in the mirror and decided I could no longer be a part of these broken systems. I decided to stand up and speak out—to be the change I wish to see in the world. This commitment is reflected in my decision to dissolve my law firm, in the mission of YesHope®, my eBook and other materials on this website. 

We urgently need systems that are responsive to the people of this country, most of whom value clean water, air and soil; systems that value those people performing roles that nurture healthy families, communities and nations, which are the glue that make our society stronger. Capitalism values one thing--more money, to the detriment of everything else. That, in my view, is a recipe for our destruction--and we're seeing the effects of this economic system nearly everywhere we look--not the least of which is the destruction of our democracy from the inside. Together we hold much more power than we've been led to believe. Will you join me? There has never been a better opportunity than right here and now to be the change we wish to see in the world. Yes, we are facing a multitude of crises, but together we can forge a better way—a way that brings compassion to our systems and structures, truth to the way we heal, and hope to future generations.