Ever since I started this website in 2012, one of my primary objectives was to convince readers that the American system of government is nothing like what we are told in school and via the oligarch-owned mainstream media. That the country has become so captured and corrupted by sociopathic oligarchs, that a neo-feudal modern serfdom was emerging where the opportunities to enjoy rising standards of living for the vast majority of people was rapidly becoming a pipe dream.
I think many readers appreciated my warnings, but it wasn’t until an academic study from Princeton and Northwestern came out and factually proved it, that it become undeniable to many people. Here’s a brief excerpt from that post titled, New Report from Princeton and Northwestern Proves It: The U.S. is an Oligarchy:
Despite the seemingly strong empirical support in previous studies for theories of majoritarian democracy, our analyses suggest that majorities of the American public actually have little influence over the policies our government adopts. Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association, and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.
Ever since that study came out, I’ve noticed more and more people publicly admitting that the U.S. in nothing more than an oligarchy. Even former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said it last week.
Meanwhile, just today, I came across the latest shocking proof of how bought and paid for “our” political system really is. We find out from the New York Times, that only 400 families account for nearly half of all spending on the 2016 Presidential election so far. The Dark Ages almost look democratic by comparison.
From the NY Times:
Fewer than four hundred families are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign, a concentration of political donors that is unprecedented in the modern era.
The vast majority of the $388 million backing presidential candidates this year is being channeled to groups that can accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source. The speed with which such “super PACs” can raise money — sometimes bringing in tens of millions of dollars from a few businesses or individuals in a matter of days — has allowed them to build enormous campaign war chests in a fraction of the time that it would take the candidates, who are restricted in how much they can accept from a single donor.
A New York Times analysis of Federal Election Commission reports and Internal Revenue Service records shows that the fund-raising arms race has made most of the presidential hopefuls deeply dependent on a small pool of the richest Americans.
And that’s exactly how the oligarchs like it.
To peruse the top donors in presidential politics is to take a cross section of the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. At least 67 are billionaires or married to one, according to Forbes.
“In the donor world, it is primarily a love of economic freedom,” said Chart Westcott, a Dallas private equity investor who has contributed $200,000 to Unintimidated PAC, a group backing Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. “That’s the biggest drive for most donors — more prosperity for the country as a whole, as well as for themselves.”
“More prosperity for the country as a whole…”
Really? Where is this widespread prosperity, at the end of the rainbow in a leprechaun’s hat?
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a favorite of the Tea Party movement, has raised the most cash from the fewest donors. A collection of super PACs supporting Mr. Cruz raised $37 million, nearly all of it from three families. Robert Mercer, a deeply private hedge fund investor from New York, contributed $11 million, making him the top known political donor in the country so far this election cycle.
Ted Cruz knows how to say the right things, but he knows where his bread is buttered.
But millions of dollars also came from corporate entities with no clear link to a known individual or business: One million-dollar donor to the pro-Bush super PAC is Jasper Reserves, a limited liability corporation established two years ago in West Virginia, where records provided few clues about its owners.
Big donors are not only patrons of the candidates but also confidantes, with great access to the candidates — and, sometimes, business before them.
Mr. Braman has previously subsidized Mr. Rubio’s salary, and employed his wife. Mr. Fernandez, who became a billionaire after building several health care companies, emailed with Mr. Bush often when he was governor of Florida to ask about doing business with the state, Mr. Bush’s emails show.
The largest single donation to America Leads, a group supporting Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, came from a Boston investor seeking to build a $4 billion casino resort there. At least five donors to Mr. Walker’s super PAC are companies that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid from Wisconsin’s economic development agency, according to state records.
“Are they going to return people’s phone calls? Yeah, I’m sure they’re going to return people’s phone calls,” Mr. Keating said. “But I don’t think it’s going to drive policy.”
Apparently Mr. Keating never heard of a little family called “The Clintons.”
For more articles on the American Oligarchy, see:
Charting the American Oligarchy – How 0.01% of the Population Contributes 42% of All Campaign Cash
When Asked if the U.S. is a Capitalist Democracy or Oligarchy, Janet Yellen Can’t Answer…
New Report from Princeton and Northwestern Proves It: The U.S. is an Oligarchy
The Pitchforks are Coming…– A Dire Warning from a Member of the 0.01%
The 2014 Elections by the Numbers – Who are the 1% of 1% Driving American Politics?
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
Donate bitcoins: 35DBUbbAQHTqbDaAc5mAaN6BqwA2AxuE7G
Follow me on Twitter.
The public lost control of government when nations were united into the UN on 24 Oct 1945 and later European nations were united into the EU:
https://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/shock-horror-2/
“We” lost it long before that my friend: http://www.amendment-13.org
Take a look at this lawyers blog: http://www.thetruthaboutthelaw.com/its-time-to-tell-the-truth-the-14th-amend-was-not-ratified/
Take the time to read this, because we are living in a dream world if we think we, the people, decide ANYTHING! This is why congress doesn’t listen to their constituents … enough money and you can buy glowing newspaper/tv political ads even if they’re blatant lies! And the people will buy it!
Look up the Susan B Anthony list supreme court decision and couple that with Citizens United and it’s spelled out in black and white … MONEY RULES!!!
Our ruin was advanced with the destruction of free-market capitalism by the monopoly-imposing oligarchs. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of the 1890’s and the Clayton Act of the early part of the 20th century are followed only at their whim. Your reference to “The Pitchforks Are Coming…” makes some good points.
However, also missing as causes of our ruin are trade policies that are greatly enriching a few and destroying America. The word “protectionist” is not to be ashamed of when used in reference to our economic standing any more than it should be when relating to a reasonable military standing, but many who disagree are seeking their own wealth and power at the expense of the great nation that has blessed them.
Mike this is really important. i am HIGHLY ENCOURAGED BY YOUR POST.
i’m not trying to be my typical troll self. a while back you wrote a post about who ‘who’ doesn’t matter so much as the general overview of what the strategies are.
a post like this begins to scale back that attitude.
there are 400 familes you are talking about here. it’s not an abstract ‘oligarchy’ becuase it’s 400 families .
so now you can talk about WHO. and this is important BECAUSE they are not all 400 monsters. some are , some aren’t.
just like poor people, they are all individuals and humans.
just because they are all ultra high networth doesn’t give you the right to pass judgemetn. you must analyze their stories, their backgrounds, their IDENTITIES AND AFFILIATIONS AND THEIR ACTIONS.
this is SO IMPORTANT MICHEAL.
because when things go down the whole of social malaise, power vaccums are filled by those with power and those who desire power.
so it absolutely matters who and what.
I write this because hitler was not an accident. he had backers . he didn’t take over a mad insane society anymore than the united states and europe are now mad an insane. he was not a god man , he was a man with many talents and flaws like many of us but he was AFFILIATED AND TIED WITH OTHER PEOPLE who allowed him to become who ‘hitler’ was in a historical sense.
the systemic nature of social hierarchy you emphasize is definitely important. it always exists. but names and identities are important for actually knowing what is going on NOW in THIS TIME in OUR WORLD and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT PERHAPS. OR CHOOSING NOT TO DO ANYTHING.
thank you for this article.
now it would behoove you to report on scott walkers relatoinship to the walker bush family and the union bank.
There is nothing wrong with having lots of money and earning it. Many of them made many others rich also.
But they should never try to make anyone poorer and aye, that’s where the rub is.
Never have I ever criticized anyone for wealth alone.
yes, the 400 family oligarchy isn’t about ‘money’. money is just one of their tools.
it’s about power networks of insider families using government to establish a caste system to stabilize the power centers at every level of society to ensure the pyrmamid of human effort of compusion has no choice but to support their continued dominance .
this is very VERY much part of why history is continually and periodically marked by conquest. it is not that outside conquerors are godlike military men. it is that internal rot in a country with a caste system slowly but surely erodes the attitudes, loyalty, and sustainability of the individuals and human beings that are part of that society—particularly those not at the top.
as the top of the society continues to structure an ‘order’ the rot sets in providing opportunities for outsiders to spy upon , and sometimes even full scale invasion of a society.
this time it is different because of computers and robots which allow auotomated spying and automoated warfare by an empire. so cheap labor for a military, and expensive labor for spying (on one’s OWN people) are less and less necessary. you build robotic sattelite guided armies and you build a smartphone telecom panopticon system so that everyone must be part of the spy net to keep a job ( have a cell phone and computer) and it makes the caste system far more stable.
things of course aren’t that much differetn and the same social forces are at work , but technology makes is so that this game can be played much much longer perhaps. or perhaps———the opposite, the forces of change are even stronger!.
so hard to say i guess.
but mike is observing systemic caste dynamics of social hierarchy. it’s not about ‘money’ , it’s about power. and mike knows that………he’s not an occupy wall street divide and conquer class warfare bullshit artist……….
I believe the greatest influence by moneyed interests upon government occurs after the politicians and bureaucrats leave office or position. The high-paying jobs that includes entire families are legal and while in office knowing the huge rewards awaiting them leads to proper behavior as desired by the reward givers. The rewards are bestowed in many ways and all of the scam is legal.
I’d call it capitalism but oligarchy also works.
Please call it monopoly or crony capitalism, the oligarchs could lose unearned wealth and power when confronted by free market capitalism.
ORGANIZED CRIME? Of COURSE it is organizes crime and the RICO laws apply as do the laws against TREASON and carry the death penalty, SOOO WHEN WILL THE PUBLIC HANGINGS BEGIN?
How about old George and Chaney go first and show us all what brave leaders we have! LOL
Citizens United needs repealing but here is how difficult that will be…. http://lstrn.us/R6K4M2