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I’ve posted this 2014 BBC article about the study before: Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy
It’s not exactly news to some of us.
And still anytime it’s brought up, often the Americans downvote it… There have been a few great studies that show the complete ineffectiveness of voting. It’s all about lobbying.
And when you finally get people to concede its about lobbying from elites, the definitions of elite is wildly skewed. People who make $100k/yr are not “the elites”. “The 1%” are not the elites. It’s about $700k/yr now to be a 1%er in the USA as of 2023 data. Even with 700k a year, you aren’t buying a $25m private jet, and a $300m yacht. You aren’t donating $3m at a time to Super PACs to get your pet project through.
$700k/yr is also just some tech dude coding for Netflix that lives in a 1500sqft house in California.
We humans are really really bad at numbers. A million sounds like so much. A billion sounds like so much more. But the concept of how much more is lost on most people. And now you have TRILLION dollar companies.
There are a few people and companies in the USA that control everything. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. And lots is purposefully designed to keep poorer and less powerful people fighting each other.
Specifically a plutocracy
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Sorry man, I’ve got work in the morning
Any attempt at revolution without critical mass will be seen as terrorism at best by most of the people. Its a numbers game and we’re not winning. First step would be a thorough rooting out of all elements of fascism, that is probably the largest coalition you can make, every strain of leftism and even some liberals hate fascism. From there pivot the anti fascist sentiment into pro revolutionary and you have yourself a chance.
Can we do it next week instead? I’m trying to get through all the Angry Birds levels.
That study is so old! It’s even worse now!
This is why lobbying is so important. Donate to EFF, ACLU, snd other NGOs thst affect change with staff including lawyers and lobbyists
CCL is another good one that gets a lot done on not a huge budget. Let’s just say the fossil fuel lobbyists are way better funded than us. (Donations here, though donating time arguably helps even more, and CCL will train you how to lobby Congress)
Thats because things like congress or a parliament are made, specifically to shield power from democracy, through the pretence of democracy. Its aristocratic rule. Although the same net result as the US, the UK is clearer showing how it works. We had a barrons revolution in 1215 and they’ve been in charge ever since. We just changed who the barrons are and what makes someone a barron.
Even the ancient greeks had that one figured out centuries ago.
The system is working exaxtly as intended.
Best democracy money can buy
It seems self-evident that political power resides in possessing leverage within the system. Society is not monolithic with everyone sharing identical aspirations. Given our economic framework, there are two distinct classes with competing interests - business owners strive to maximize profits and minimize expenses, while workers want to secure higher pay and benefits. These classes have inherently conflicting objectives. Meanwhile, private ownership creates a power imbalance where wealthy individuals who control businesses exert substantial influence over politics due to their ability to fund campaigns, lobbying efforts, and media coverage. As such, politicians are incentivized to cater to the interests of the capital-owning class for electoral success.
Furthermore, workers lack any tangible leverage in this system. The extent of our influence is limited to casting votes, but when all viable candidates are backed by wealthy interests, we’re left with a false choice. As Marx famously observed, “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” This reflects the harsh reality that workers face in an economic system where their voices often go unheard and interests are consistently overshadowed by those of capital owners.
Historically, workers have sought to establish leverage through collective action such as unionizing, engaging in strikes, protests, and other forms of direct action. However, today the rate of unionization is dismally low, and many existing unions struggle with issues like poor leadership and a lack of principled direction. This diminishes their capacity to effectively advocate for workers’ rights and negotiate fair wages and benefits in an environment where capital owners continue to hold significant political sway.
Indeed. I was shocked when I realised that more than 70" % of US citizens are in favor of gun control.
Cocaine Mitch has largely stepped aside and John Boehner literally hasn’t been speaker since 2015.
Shouldn’t this thumbnail show Mike Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuckles Schumer, or Nancy “totally valid investment strategies” Pelosi?