Several comments here are addressing the use of the word "capitalism." It's being used because this op-ed writer knows his audience.
Writing on the editorial pages of the Times, he knows he is reaching a primarily liberal audience. He is writing in the context of Democratic political campaigning against big corporations about the financial meltdown, growing income inequality, poor job growth coincident with record corporate profits, and tax shenigans like inversions.
In short, he's speaking to an audience that tends to be suspicious of businesses larger than the local grocer, and that has already been whippped up in that direction for several years now.
So: he frames his pet issue in those terms, in order to get the maximum response from the audience. (It's also why he name-drops several Republicans, despite the fact that these fees are charged in localities controlled by either party).
Seen objectively, the issue is not actually with capitalism, since one of the major examples of fees hitting the poor are municipal court fees--which don't go to private companies at all. They are directly assessed by the local government to pay government expenses. But they're still hurting the poor. NPR had a great story about it recently:
Writing on the editorial pages of the Times, he knows he is reaching a primarily liberal audience. He is writing in the context of Democratic political campaigning against big corporations about the financial meltdown, growing income inequality, poor job growth coincident with record corporate profits, and tax shenigans like inversions.
In short, he's speaking to an audience that tends to be suspicious of businesses larger than the local grocer, and that has already been whippped up in that direction for several years now.
So: he frames his pet issue in those terms, in order to get the maximum response from the audience. (It's also why he name-drops several Republicans, despite the fact that these fees are charged in localities controlled by either party).
Seen objectively, the issue is not actually with capitalism, since one of the major examples of fees hitting the poor are municipal court fees--which don't go to private companies at all. They are directly assessed by the local government to pay government expenses. But they're still hurting the poor. NPR had a great story about it recently:
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/19/312158516/increasing-court-fee...