Speak for yourself. While it might be harder these days, the people I've seen that followed Walter's plan above were all able to get good jobs and support their families, including people who, like the sibling says, are poor, had to take care of siblings, had overworked parents, and so on. Yes, systemic inequalities exist, but well, an individual can't do much by themselves if they use that as the yoke on which they exist, they are not going to solve their problems or their family's poverty within a few years via voting or protesting, more immediate solutions exist. One must not fall into the trap of learned helplessness, and at some point, one has to cast off the yoke of bondage and begin to solve one's problems.
I've run into a couple Afghans who I got to talk with (at different times). Both had escaped and arrived here with nothing but their skin when the US pulled out. Both had founded businesses and were thriving.
A third had arrived some years ago, and had become a deca-millionaire.
Isn't freedom great?
>Free markets have vaulted more people out of poverty, by far, than any other system yet devised. The historical record on that is pretty clear.
And unions are part of that free market. I don't know how much more free market one can get than people coming together to offer their labour in an organized fashion.