The bigger picture is that the upside to residing in this "greedy, self-serving, capitalistic" country is the fact that we sit on the largest economic goldmine in the world. The "rags to riches" scenario is very much possible in this country. 70 percent of American Millionaires don't graduate high school.
My family went from living double income and pulling in less than 30k a year to making around 95 to 100 a year, and there was no magical key to it. My pops got offered a stake in a franchise and he borrowed money to buy himself in. My aunt who barely graduated high school owns her own hotel, my grandmother invests in real estate, etc, etc. France and England have subsidized housing, college, etc., but they lack the economic impetus that drives our economy in the rate it moves.
Every country that is lauded by those who decry our government's lack of free social services and handouts is very economically mediocre. Yes, the bottom 5% might be a bit higher, but the trade-off is that the rest of the country is lower. The reality of countries with heavily or moderately socialized economies is less incentive for monetary and capital growth. Opportunity exists in our country that people literally die for...that people die floating on rafts from the "wonderfwul, wonderful land of Cuba" you so often speak of.
America's intrinsic nature is business incentives. America is America because of business incentives, not in spite of them. And if we lopped off the head of the American capitalistic machine, another America would spring up somewhere else in the world. We might as well keep it here.
The formula is simple. I don't give a fuck if you're Black, White, Puerto Rican, Crippled, Gay, and Schizophrenic. You follow a few steps, and you can survive in our society.
1. Graduate high school. If you dropped out, get your equivalency.
2. Go to a junior college for 3 years, or attempt to immediately enter a 4 year. Go to
www.fafsa.com , fill out a financial aid request, and get your financial aid.
3. Go to college. Do not drop out. Do not skip classes.
4. Graduate College.
5. Look through job listings and submit a resume. Groom yourself, speak professionally. Don't use your "block nigga" terminology, don't sound like Uncle Jethro, don't say "ummm", "hmm", "I dunno".
6. Get a job.
7. Work, and get paid.
8. Cash your check, with which you buy things, and thus, you are surviving.