Grand Rapids Capitalist Class invites former UN Ambassador to say that Socialism creates poverty

Yesterday, the Econ Club of Grand Rapids held their annual dinner, which included the wealthiest people in West Michigan and members of the professional class.

The keynote speaker this year was Nikki Haley, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations. Haley, who served as US Ambassador to the UN for just 1 year (2017 – 2018), was noted for her willingness to use military force against North Korea, her staunch defense of the State of Israel and her role in the Trump Administration’s decision to end aid to countries that were critical of Israel and the US support of Israel. 

However, at the Econ Club dinner on Wednesday, Haley addressed the issue of Socialism, which makes complete sense when the event at DeVos Place was packed with those who embrace a Neo-liberal form of Capitalism.

In an MLive article, Haley was quoted as saying: 

“Capitalism is the greatest force for ending poverty and lifting up human beings in history. America’s dangerous flirtation with socialism is in colleges, in the media and in Congress. We have an obligation to remind everyone that if you care about global poverty, you should support capitalism.”

According to the MLive article, Haley also talked about US immigration policy and working in the Trump administration. However, her main talking point was to dismiss Socialism and praise Capitalism. Haley said that people need only to look at Venezuela to see how bad Socialism is for people.

Unfortunately, the MLive reporter did not question or verify the claims made by Haley, they simply acted as a stenographer for what the former US Ambassador to the UN had to say. This is not surprising for most journalists, who rarely challenge people in power, especially around the topic of Capitalism or Socialism. I wonder what the former Ambassador to the United Nations would have to say about the fact that Grand Rapids has the largest wealth gap in the State of Michigan or that 1 in 5 children in Michigan live in poverty?

None of this matters in the world of journalism and it certainly doesn’t matter to many in attendance at the Econ Club annual dinner, especially since they are part of a class of people who directly contribute to poverty because of their significant wealth and the poverty-level wages they pay through the businesses they run.

Since leaving her post as US Ambassador to the United Nations, Haley has become a board member for the giant corporation Boeing and she founded a far right think tank called, Stand for America.