We in the working class seem to have an in-born list of professions in whom we can trust. Few of us would ever say, for example, "Dentists are a terrible drain on society," or, "How do you know when a podiatrist is lying? When his lips are moving!" On the other hand, as far as many people are concerned, there just aren't enough dirty words in the dictionary for us to describe the mistrust most of us feel towards lawyers and politicians.

These two professions have become anathema to the working-class American, which is fine – more than fine, in fact – but can these two groups possibly be responsible for all of society's ills? Isn't it just possible that there might be yet more people on whom we can heap a little bit of blame?

Of course there are. One group springs immediately to mind, in fact. They are the people who shape a large portion of our nation's domestic policy. They're the folks who advise our largest corporations. They are ... economists.

Why don't we harbor a deep mistrust of economists, considering how much power they have over our lives? To be fair, we don't love them either; the fact is that we hardly think about them at all. Their lack of notoriety allows them the freedom to plot and plan and scheme without over-sight. The only economist most people are likely to have ever heard of is Alan Greenspan (can you name the other seven Fed governors?)

Who cares about what economists do? Well, anyone with an adjustable rate mortgage, for one. But if you want to find the most sinister cabal of economists, you'll have to look beyond the corridors of Washington D.C. No, the greatest enemy of the working class lurks well out of the public eye, in private office buildings and boardrooms. We're talking about the corporate economist.

The corporate economist's duty is to guide his corporation's policy directives. They live in a perfect world of numbers and theories, ruled by logic, devoid of emotion, and focused on one clear, singular goal: to make as much money as possible, as efficiently as possible. The only person that the economist is concerned with is a mythical beast known as the "Rational Consumer". Unfortunately, the average person continually confounds their models by doing irrational things. To the economist, people and their silly decisions are unwelcome obstacles to an ordered (and more importantly, profitable) society.

Unlike his academic brethren however, the corporate economist is not concerned about things like average lower-class wages, except that they be as low as possible. No, his goal is to maximize the profitability of his company, regardless of the cost to everybody else.

Free markets are the corporate economist's religion. Deregulation and open markets are his shibboleths. He dreams of magic wands and words with which he could magically abolish environmental protections and benefit packages. How much do you make? Whatever the number, it's just not low enough for the corporate economist.

Deregulation is a particular delight to the corporate economist. Never mind the effect it has on others. Corporations, at the behest of their economic advisers, continue to push for more and more deregulation, claiming that it would be good for "The Economy". They don't usually mention is that many of these regulations exist to protect you from them. Without governmental regulation, all that's left are regular people standing toe-to-toe with powerful corporations. Who's more likely to win in such a contest?

It's a fact: unfettered capitalism hurts people. Here's another fact: economists don't care. Since they're generally very well paid, economists have the financial wherewithal to endure just about any unemployment crisis. High levels of poverty, loss of overtime benefits, and the growing number of uninsured children mean nothing to the hard-hearted economist, as long as the prices he pays for consumer goods are relatively low. Your suffering makes him stronger. Richer.

Clearly, something must be done. Some have said we should look forward to the end of capitalism. Others believe that economics, at least as it's practiced now, should be junked altogether. What should we do?

Well, at the very least, we should keep one bit of information at the very forefront of our minds, and let it guard our actions: Economists, and the companies they influence, never have your best interests at heart. Don't listen to them when they say that you're overpaid. Don't let them convince the government to cut your overtime benefits. Don't believe them when they say that losing your job is good for you.

You're going to have to fight to keep what you've got. Yes, they're big and powerful and rich, and you're not. No, it's not a fair fight. It's still worth fighting.

-B. C. Silvia
-9/1/2004