One of the most destructive myths of the modern left is the idea that much of life is beyond our own control. Salon.com furthers this myth with a new piece that says our place in society is pre-determined, and there’s nothing we can do to improve our lives and those of our children.

“In America, there is a strongly held conviction that with hard work, anyone can make it into the middle class,” Salon’s Sean McElwee writes. “Pew recently found that Americans are far more likely than people in other countries to believe that work determines success, as opposed to other factors beyond an individual’s control. … Such beliefs are just that: beliefs. While a majority of Americans might think that hard work determines success and that it should be relatively simple business to climb and remain out of poverty, the reality is that the United States has a relatively entrenched upper class, but precarious, ever-shifting lower and middle classes.”

The article continues with a number of graphs, and it makes a valid point — many Americans will, at some point in their lives, need the help of some form of government assistance.

“While many Americans might hate welfare, the data suggest they are fairly likely to fall into it at one point or another,” McElwee writes.

He’s correct. But there’s a fundamental flaw in the graphs and reasoning here. That “entrenched” upper class and those “precarious” middle and lower classes are very fluid — people move between them all the time. The article acknowledges the facts, without recognizing the implications. At least 11 percent of the general population will move into the “1 percent” at some time in their lives.

Take the simple example of a kid on his way to college. He’ll start as a solid member of the middle class, as gauged by household income. Then he’ll drop nearly off the scale as a college student — big debts and expenses, little or no income. Let’s say he prolongs his education with graduate school. Even if he scores a rare internship, his income will be minimal for at least six years.

Then he begins a career — let’s say in law. Those first jobs won’t pay much, and with some student loan payments due, he’s not going to be buying brand new cars and luxury homes yet.

But those days do come. Eventually, he’s making more money, based on a combination of education and experience and guts. Just as importantly, he’s accumulating experience and wealth. Those pay off.

So by the government’s measures, that person has gone from the middle class to the lower class, back to the middle, and eventually to the upper class.

There are simply too many real-life examples to list that refute Salon’s premise. Education does lift people out of poverty. Hard work does pay off.

McElwee’s article is a political position-paper masquerading as an economic study. It fails on both fronts. It’s arguing, obliquely, that we shouldn’t penalize the poor or “blame the victim.” And we shouldn’t.

We should, instead, ensure they have access to the ladder.