JOHN CURLEY

‘No, it’s not capitalism’: Curley counters 67% of youth who blame the system

Nov 8, 2025, 6:20 AM

A recent report gauged the opinions of the younger generation of Americans on capitalism and revealed that they are not as favorable as they once were, with 67% of people under the age of 30 describing themselves as anti-capitalist.

John Curley, host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, set the record straight by concluding that it’s not capitalism the younger generation should be pointing their finger at, but rather the government as a whole.

“When people are complaining, ‘Oh, capitalism is why the house is too expensive,’ or ‘it’s capitalism that I have to pay these loans.’ No it’s not, it’s the government giving you all this stuff you all this stuff, you’re paying for it one way or another,” Curley said. “I don’t know how you finally get some young person to realize maybe the government is not going to make things cheaper. Can you think of one thing the government can do to bring the price down on anything? There is no history of it.”

The average amount of student loan debt in Washington is $36,709 per borrower, and could take close to 20 years to pay off, according to the Education Data Initiative. Additionally, the outstanding private student loan debt totaled $144.9 billion as of August.

“The government should not be in the business of financing ridiculous dreams that you’re going to graduate with some sort of degree and somehow you’re going to pay them back,” Curley said. “Capitalism didn’t lend you the loan; the government gave you the loan. The government put regulations on the houses, the jobs, and raised minimum wages, so you can’t get a job. The government does all of this work for what? For the special interest of the government, not for the individuals.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
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