The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country's citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.
The report, entitled Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, used extensive policy data collected from between the years of 1981 and 2002 to empirically determine the state of the US political system.
After sifting through nearly 1,800 US policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile) and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the United States is dominated by its economic elite.
The peer-reviewed study, which will be taught at these universities in September, says:
"The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence."
Researchers concluded that US government policies rarely align with the the preferences of the majority of Americans, but do favour special interests and lobbying organisations:There's more at The Telegraph. And see my previous post on this subject.
"When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it."
For an extensive analysis, see the book "Pants on Fire: Cutting through the Biggest Lies of Twenty-first-Century American Plutocracy," by Paul Christopherson (one of my high school classmates) -
Pants on Fire explores the lies that govern America—why people go along with them and what it costs to do so. It reveals the plutocracy that benefits and examines what needs to be done to bring back a true democracy.
It's no secret: The wealthy demand—and get—what they want from the system at the expense of everyone else... These claims are driving the biggest economic crisis in modern history, and producing a society ready to explode with anger. Provocative and sometimes funny, Pants on Fire looks past the individual problems to the eventual, necessary solution.
That seems about right.
ReplyDeleteHasn't it always been such? When has it been the case that he who has the gold doesn't make the rules?
ReplyDeleteIt's a big club, and you aint in it.
ReplyDeletePowerful, yes- to the extreme; but1% ain't all that big...
DeleteAfter 200 years it's surprising that anyone still believes in the grand experiment. It should be crystal clear in hindsight that simply opening up entry into the political class doesn't change the nature of the political class.
ReplyDelete"Moreover, the selection of a king is by accident of his noble birth. His only characteristic qualification is his upbringing as a future king and preserver of the dynasty and its possessions. This does not assure that he will not be evil, of course; at the same time, however, it does not preclude that a king might actually be a harmless dilettante or even a decent person.
Unlike kings then, congressmen, presidents, and Supreme Court judges do not and cannot acquire their positions accidentally. Rather, they reach their position because of their proficiency as morally uninhibited demagogues. Moreover, even outside the orbit of government, within civil society, individuals will increasingly rise to the top of economic and financial success, not on account of their productive or entrepreneurial talents or even their superior defensive political talents, but rather because of their superior skills as unscrupulous political entrepreneurs and lobbyists. Thus, the Constitution virtually assures that exclusively dangerous men will rise to the pinnacle of government power..." Hans Hoppe
https://mises.org/daily/2874
Civilizations in the final stages of decay are dominated by elites out of touch with reality.
Delete- Chris Hedges
Here is an interesting explanation of types of government. It is interesting to note that communism and dictators are both considered left wing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/
I would weep for my country if I weren't so busy gnashing my teeth.
ReplyDeleteDon't cry everybody, thus it ever was; but it's getting better. Cribbing from a reddit entry: Consider in the days of our founding fathers that if you were of African descent you most likely were considered chattel, (or at best 3/5 human), (And the Irish were similarly subhuman); vaginaed Americans also weren't allowed to vote; and white men usually had to be property owners. Not mortgage owners, property owners. It's true that the propaganda mill convinces a lot of people to vote against their interest and for the wealthy. Temporarily embarrassed millionaires, myass.
ReplyDeleteExercise YOUR franchise, not the 10%'s
It took a study, at Princeton, to figure this out?
ReplyDeleteWhy else would they pay $35,000 for a plate of food? Or who else would donate $1,000,000 to an election campaign? Certainly not you or I.....
ReplyDelete