Last Thursday I was struck by the reader submission titled “Consider Broader Impact” and felt compelled to respond.

In her piece, Ms. Malloy chastises Marquette students who participated in a Pro-Capitalism rally last semester. To the author, these students represent privileged elites who thoughtlessly and arrogantly throw their success in others’ faces. I could not help but feel queasy reading these judgmental words. I was completely shocked when the final sentence of the submission claimed that this rally served to create a “deeper fissure in [Milwaukee’s] social landscape.”

I could not help but get the impression that the mindset of the writer was truly more divisive than a simple rally celebrating the success of capitalism. This submission separated the world into two distinct social classes: elite Marquette students with wealthy families, and the people of Milwaukee, for whom a Marquette education is “unattainable” and “untouchable.”

I reject this narrow worldview. I attended the Pro-Capitalism rally and certainly do not consider myself to be part of an elite class. I did not attend a private high school in Virginia with five-figure annual tuition, and I am concerned that celebrating the most successful economic system the world has ever seen would be confused for throwing success in another person’s face.

The truth is, capitalism has provided for both Ms. Malloy, myself and our families. Capitalism could also provide for every single person in Milwaukee if our government leaders would allow it to. Instead of developing careers, many people in our city and country have been fooled into believing that welfare programs can lead them to prosperity. As a result, many of the less fortunate among us are trapped in a never-ending cycle of government-funded housing, food stamps and apathy.

Capitalism creates opportunity and raises living standards in ways that no other economic system can. For me, rallying around this fact does not demean anyone. It provides hope that we can choose any career we desire and achieve anything we put our minds to.

Craig Maechtle

Senior, College of Business Administration.