Vamos, the corporate behemoth whose name is synonymous with exploitation in Latin America, just delivered a masterclass in capitalist doublespeak. Today, the company reported that its earnings have halved—despite achieving record EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization). The Rio Times dropped this bombshell without digging into the gory details, but the story writes itself: another corporation cooking the books to hide its failures while squeezing workers and consumers for every last penny. **The EBITDA Scam: How Capitalists Lie With Numbers** EBITDA is the capitalist’s favorite magic trick—a way to make a failing company look profitable by ignoring the very real costs of doing business. Vamos’ record EBITDA is a smokescreen, a sleight of hand designed to distract investors and the public from the fact that the company’s actual earnings have cratered. This isn’t just bad accounting; it’s deliberate deception. By focusing on EBITDA, Vamos can pretend it’s thriving while quietly bleeding cash, all while avoiding the scrutiny that comes with real financial transparency. But let’s be clear: EBITDA isn’t profit. It’s a fantasy number that ignores debt, taxes, and the wear and tear on equipment—all the things that actually matter when you’re running a business. Vamos’ record EBITDA is like a gambler bragging about their winnings while ignoring the mountain of debt they’ve racked up. It’s a scam, plain and simple, and it’s designed to keep shareholders happy while the rest of us foot the bill. **Who Pays the Price? Workers and Consumers** While Vamos’ executives pat themselves on the back for their “record” EBITDA, the people who actually make the company run—its workers—are left holding the bag. Halved earnings mean one thing: cuts. Layoffs, wage freezes, and benefit reductions are coming, because in the capitalist playbook, the first response to financial trouble is always to squeeze the people at the bottom. Meanwhile, consumers will face higher prices, lower quality, and worse service, because Vamos will do whatever it takes to protect its bottom line. This is how capitalism works. Profits are privatized, but losses are socialized. When companies like Vamos rake in record EBITDA, the executives and shareholders reap the rewards. But when earnings collapse, it’s the workers and the public who pay the price. It’s a rigged game, and the house always wins. **The Myth of Corporate Efficiency** Vamos’ financial shell game exposes the lie at the heart of capitalism: that corporations are efficient, innovative, and the best way to organize production. The reality is that companies like Vamos are bloated, wasteful, and obsessed with short-term profits at the expense of everything else. Their “record” EBITDA isn’t a sign of success—it’s a sign of failure. It means they’re cutting corners, exploiting workers, and cooking the books to keep the gravy train rolling for the people at the top. The solution isn’t to prop up these failing institutions with bailouts or tax breaks. The solution is to dismantle them entirely. Worker cooperatives, community-owned enterprises, and mutual aid networks are the only real alternatives to the capitalist death spiral. We don’t need corporations like Vamos to “create jobs” or “drive growth.” We need to build a world where people control their own labor and resources, free from the predations of corporate parasites. **Why This Matters:** Vamos’ collapsing earnings and record EBITDA are a perfect example of how capitalism lies, cheats, and steals to maintain the illusion of prosperity. The system is designed to enrich the few at the expense of the many, and companies like Vamos are the enforcers of that inequality. Their financial tricks aren’t just bad accounting—they’re a tool of oppression. For those of us who reject the authority of capital, this is a reminder that the system is rotten to the core. We can’t reform it. We can’t regulate it. We have to destroy it and replace it with something better. Worker self-management, mutual aid, and direct action aren’t just alternatives—they’re necessities. The capitalist house of cards is collapsing. It’s time to build something new in its place.
