Capitalism is the way to lift people out of poverty. Giving people “free” stuff paid for by current taxpayers and future generations, intentionally keeping people dependent on the government, is a way to enslave people to generational poverty.

My wife and I just went on a road trip that spanned several states. If people would like to see the American entrepreneurial spirit and how capitalism can lift people up, they should just visit a Buc-ee’s gas station and convenience store in the South. 

We went to two. A new one in Mississippi, and a six-year-old one in Alabama. They are massive. They have at least 30 gas pumps, and a huge parking lot for the crowd to go into the store. Both stores had countless staff on duty. There were managers, cashiers, cooks, bakers, maintenance workers, and there had to be stockers to keep the shelves full. There had to be at least fifty people working at each store.

The stores were near small towns in rural areas. The economic multiplier effect in these communities must be massive. The construction jobs also helped. Multiple suppliers that are kept busy. Truckers for the oil and other things are constantly flowing. The stores are open 24 hours, 365 days each year.

The bathrooms were huge and immaculate. My wife said there was a female attendant on duty in the women’s restroom. There was art on the walls leading up to the restrooms.

There were twelve cashiers on duty at each store. There were no self-serve checkouts. There were no kiosks to take orders like in McDonald’s, and people were not paying from their app on their smartphones like Sam’s is going to do. I love dealing with people. The workers were dressed alike. My guess is they won’t strike like at Starbucks.

There are signs up at each entrance showing what jobs are available and what they pay. The general manager at each store makes over $200,000. There are three other jobs that pay over $100,000. There are many jobs in the $30 to $40 per hour category. The lowest paid jobs are the cashiers and others who are making at least $18 per hour. There is a $2 hourly bonus for working night shifts. They have a 100% match for 401(k)s, three weeks’ vacation, and health insurance—including for part time workers.

Despite a huge staff with great wages, massive capital investment, and high overhead, prices were very reasonable. Gas was $2.48 in Mississippi whether we paid cash or charged. Fountain sodas were still below one dollar.

These are the wages in low-cost states. Notice the $18 minimum is almost two-and one-half times the federal minimum wage. The wage is higher because of capitalism and market forces, not because the government demanded to pay it.

After admiring these great stores, I did a little simple internet research on the Buc-ee’s chain. Here is what I found: 

The chain was started in Lake Jackson, Texas by Arch “Beaver” Aplin III. He started with one 3,000-foot store. Today there are 54 stores that range from 53,000 to 75,000 square feet. Each store has around 250 employees. (I can’t imagine the corporate staff needed to build and maintain this chain.)

The stores have between 80 and 120 gas pumps and the cost to build the stores has ranged from $38 million to $82 million.

Biden and his autopen were working as hard as he could to destroy the millions of indirect and direct jobs related to the oil, coal, and natural gas industry. They didn’t care how much costs went up, especially for the poor and middle classes. They were adding government jobs as fast as they could and flooding America with illegals, most of whom are now dependent on the government. Government spending skyrocketed. There was no concern about the debt or deficit.

Trump, on the other hand, is working very hard to keep energy and other prices low to help the poor and middle classes. He wants the private sector to expand and create as many opportunities as possible for everyone. He is trying to reduce the size of the bloated government and is being fought every step of the way by judges, journalists, and other Democrats.

The public is being flooded with reports about how despondent Americans are because of Trump, yet travel for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July is at record highs. Could it be because Trump’s policies have lowered energy prices?

We are told how unpopular Trump and his policies are, yet he is polling higher than Obama and Bush at this point in their second terms. 

We were told that the tariffs and closed borders would cause inflation to rise, yet that is not true. We were told in April that the tariffs would cause stocks to crash and cause a depression, but costs are record high. Basically, the public has been lied to for ten years to destroy Trump. Facts haven’t mattered for a long time.

Image generated by AI.