The evolving power of the United States government has been questioned since it was first created in the latter part of the 18th Century. However, a recent study that was conducted by individuals from Princeton University appears to confirm that the idea of the country being a democracy changed over a 21-year period into one that’s now an oligarchy. The definition of an oligarchy is a small group of people who run a government focused on those individuals’ self-interest and corrupt practices.
The Princeton study looked approximately 1,800 policy initiatives that were drafted from 1981-2002 and found that business interests had much more impact on those policies than the concerns of average Americans. During the first half of this period, Republicans were in the White House, with President Ronald Reagan accounting for a good portion of the drastic shift due to a focus on deregulating industries. Later on, George W. Bush continued to emphasize deregulation, with the belief being that the latter actions set the stage for the economic collapse that took place in 2008.
However, Democrats are not completely immune from this criticism, since President Bill Clinton helped revoke the Glass-Stegall Act. This law had effectively kept banks in check for decades, but once it was no longer in place, those banks began to make risky investments and strategize to exploit problem areas for monetary gain. The end result was that the economy as a whole suffered for years after that 2008 collapse. It’s estimated that just 20 people in the United States are worth as much as 160 million American citizens, with the charge from those citing this statistic being that the values of those 20 people carry more weight with power brokers.
Critics of that drastic contrast consider this to be an absolute mockery of democracy, which is supposed to represent equal representation for all citizens. Those critics point to the decline of the middle class over this period, primarily fueled by a willingness of companies to shift such jobs overseas in order to fully take advantage of the free market. The pay for those overseas workers is much less, which is good for a company’s bottom line, but has been devastating for people who lack the educational skills to move upward from such positions. The ability of those seeking further education has also been either blocked or undercut, according to those critics. Money that had previously gone to school interests instead went to lure companies via tax breaks and other incentives. That’s put the future of many potential students at risk, with the charge being that keeping such individuals from a more educated perspective will maintain the status quo. Other factors, such as failure to deal with issues like the surge in obesity or with gun-related concerns, tie in with the heated rhetoric that surrounds the problem of quality health care for all.
What that’s led to, according to such critics, is that businessman Donald Trump has been able to exploit such conditions by charging that he’s not a politician. The bitter irony for these critics is that Trump’s supposed populist message is seen by them as a crass way of garnering votes, since Trump is a billionaire who they believe cares little for the common man’s interests. One politician, Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont, is seen by these critics as the only hope in the 2016 presidential race, given his past support of their ideals. However, he remains a longshot to beat out former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.