In Missouri, the ballot proposals that people vote for are consistently overturned by the representatives that people vote for. Right now, it's the ballot proposal that people should get sick leave.

People are completely propagandized to vote against their own interests.

Ironically, the sentiment that people are scum and deserve nothing--or rather, that they are greedy, short-sighted idiots--is also held by the villains in charge. So I'd maybe rethink that sentiment if you want to change things for the better.

Well we're less greedy and less short-sighted than many people, so that proves it's possible. How do we help make a world where there are more empathetic, farsighted people? How do we build a system that incentivises acting in this way?

These are questions which have answers. There won't ever be one right answer for every situation, but there are worse and better answers.