The Tug of War Over Your Paycheck
How The System Works: Every two weeks, money appears in your bank account from your job. Before you even see it, portions disappear to taxes, insurance, and retirement accounts. What remains represents your take-home pay, but this is where the real competition begins. Thousands of companies have built their entire business models around convincing you to part with these dollars. The economy functions as a massive circulation system. Workers earn money by providing labor or services, then spend that money on goods and services from businesses. Those businesses pay their workers, who then spend their earnings, continuing the cycle. This system works well when balanced, but problems emerge when one side gains too much advantage.