Sunday, August 14, 2011

Democratic Republic or Plutocracy?

Is Democracy Dead?  Many people say that we are no longer a democracy or even a democratic republic.  They say instead that our democracy has been taken over by a plutocracy.  Just what is a plutocracy?  It has nothing to do with a planet or a Disney character, but it has everything to do with your freedom and welfare, and how you are represented by our government.  So, let's take a look as several definitions and discuss that matter.

Definitions of Plutocracy
.  Before proceeding further, it might be well to establish a few more definitions – in this case, for the word “plutocracy.” Here are a few definitions and their sources. (emphasis added)     

A More Descriptive Definition.  I apologize for showing so many almost identical definitions here. However, I wanted to make the point that there is no disagreement or variation in the definition of this term. The following definition is the one I like best, though, because it is the one that amplifies more fully than the other definitions just how this power is manifest:

“The term "plutocracy" is formally defined as government by the wealthy, and is also sometimes used to refer to a wealthy class that controls a government, often from behind the scenes. More generally, a plutocracy is any form of government in which the wealthy exercise the preponderance of political power, whether directly or indirectly.”
(source: http://www.progressiveliving.org/plutocracy_defined.htm

Bill Moyers Weighs In.  Having read (or at least skimmed) some of those definitions above, can there any question as to whether the United States is a plutocracy or a democracy?  If you still have any doubt, here is an additional quote from :Steven T. Jones in the May 6, 2010 issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian:
    
“The great public-interest journalist Bill Moyers, 75, ended his long-running Journal program on Friday with a warning: Plutocracy and democracy don’t mix. And these days, it appears that the former has all but destroyed the latter, turning American democracy into a cruel and deceptive farce.”   

People live with the illusion that we have a democratic system, but it’s only the outward form of one. In reality we live in a plutocracy, a government of the rich.”Allan Radel

Coming Next.

                                Major Threats to Our Democratic System  
                                The Great Economic Divide
                                How the Pursuit of Profits Kills Innovation and the Economy




                               

No comments:

Post a Comment