Exactly, if the owners paid enough wages then people would make too much to qualify for the public assistance and would be happier and healthier. That's what controlling systems don't want, gotta keep the majority in scarcity mode so they keep making bad choices from stressed brain, can't use prefrontal cortex as much which critical thinking requires.

Edit: higher wages also increases the tax base to help pay for all the things we should have, like all the other rich countries have figured out how to do.