Absolutely. The "rags to riches" scenario is more of a fantasy than an actual dream Americans have much hope of achieving. The people who do are the exception rather than the rule. There's too much industry influence over government regulations helping to enforce the status quo. That influence is also deeply invested in making profit over all other considerations, which means cutting costs wherever possible. Labor was once considered an essential cost, but now it's treated as a fungible asset to be minimized by any means necessary.