America is an oligarchy

by Lurker Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:04 pm

America is no longer a democracy — never mind the democratic republic envisioned by Founding Fathers.

Rather, it has taken a turn down elitist lane and become a country led by a small dominant class comprised of powerful members who exert total control over the general population — an oligarchy, said a new study jointly conducted by Princeton and Northwestern universities.

One finding in the study: The U.S. government now represents the rich and powerful, not the average citizen, United Press International reported.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/21/americas-oligarchy-not-democracy-or-republic-unive/

by Ben Reilly Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:20 am

It answers a lot of questions about the U.S.:

* Why does health care reform have to enrich health insurance corporations?

* Why do firearms manufacturers get their way despite over 80 percent of Americans wanting stricter gun laws?

* Why were Iraq's oil fields privatized?

* Why do private companies own and/or operate so many U.S. prisons?

* Why are there hundreds of thousands of private-sector contractors with top national security clearances?

by veya_victaous Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:33 am

And why is almost all US foreign policy about Advancing the interests of US corporations regardless of the democratic and legal process of the other nation?

this is pretty obvious and it is obvious that Murdock and Rinehart have paid Abbott and the Liberal party drones to try and make it the same here...
Disgusting
VIVA LA REVOLUTION.

by Lone Wolf Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:29 am

AND SO it goes, the re-emergence and regrowth of the olde "Robber Baron" conservative and greed-fuelled mindset of the 1980's == corporatisation, it's "Reaganomics/Thatcherisms" front men, and it's more recent "globalism" offshoot; slowly robbing us of our democratic rights and personal wealth and well-being...

BACK IN the 1980s and 1990s I would hear the odd disgruntled worker pushing for a "workers revolution" as their pay and conditions were slowly but surely whittled away, as those corporate directors and CEOs increased their own incomes ten-fold or more each decade..

IN THOSE days those few workers didn't really have the numbers or the motivation ~ but since then, we have seen human rights denied; personal wealth stolen away; threats to water, food and energy/fuel supplies; increasing homelessness and rising "housing unaffordability"; cuts to health, education and welfare to support tax-cuts for the top 5%; the "casualisation", exploitation and wage suppressions of the workforces.

ALL OF WHICH must inevitably be bringing that foreseeable revolution a little closer, step by agonising step..

by veya_victaous Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:38 am

by Original Quill Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:37 am

Lone Wolf wrote:

AND SO it goes, the re-emergence and regrowth of the olde "Robber Baron" conservative and greed-fuelled mindset of the 1980's == corporatisation, it's "Reaganomics/Thatcherisms" front men, and it's more recent "globalism" offshoot; slowly robbing us of our democratic rights and personal wealth and well-being...

BACK IN the 1980s and 1990s I would hear the odd disgruntled worker pushing for a "workers revolution" as their pay and conditions were slowly but surely whittled away, as those corporate directors and CEOs increased their own incomes ten-fold or more each decade..

IN THOSE days those few workers didn't really have the numbers or the motivation ~ but since then, we have seen human rights denied; personal wealth stolen away; threats to water, food and energy/fuel supplies; increasing homelessness and rising "housing unaffordability"; cuts to health, education and welfare to support tax-cuts for the top 5%; the "casualisation", exploitation and wage suppressions of the workforces.

ALL OF WHICH must inevitably be bringing that foreseeable revolution a little closer, step by agonising step..

Democracy, like pure competition and free thought, is a state of disequilibrium. Of course it keeps coming back.

by Ben Reilly Tue Dec 16, 2014 5:49 am

The more I look at history, the more I think this really started ramping up with the United States.

No, no, hear me out! So we started this whole ball rolling of giving more and more voting rights and political power to people who obviously are too poor and stupid to know what to do with it. Or maybe we didn't really *start* it, but we certainly got silly about it. Then it was like Revenge of the Sith. ('Sup eddie?)

by Original Quill Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:29 pm

The Tyranny of the Majority. Repressive Tolerance? A little Herbert Marcuse in that post. You'd make a good Berkeley radical.

by Lurker Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:22 pm

I love me some good Berkeley radicals any day. It keeps my blood flowing.

by veya_victaous Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:46 pm

VOTE 1 SKYNET
you know it is really a better idea Rolling Eyes

by Original Quill Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:19 am

Lurker wrote:I love me some good Berkeley radicals any day. It keeps my blood flowing.

I'm not knocking it, Lurker. I am a Berkeley graduate, and radical with flying colors. cheers

Even taught a bit in the political science department while there.

I first came to Berkeley in the heyday of radicalism (actually, I grew up in the City of Berkeley). I was there when MLK was murdered. I was there during all the strikes and street marches. I lived it all.

When I attended Berkeley, Herbert Marcuse still taught there. He was the father of 60's radicalism in the US, and the dissertation adviser of Angela Davis. His central thesis was built upon de Toqueville's theory of The Tyranny of the Majority (Democracy in America, 1835). Marcuse wrote One-Dimensional Man (Boston: Beacon Press, 1964), "Repressive Tolerance,' and A Critique of Pure Tolerance (Boston: Beacon Press, 1969).

Haha...Ben's post could be construed as right out of Marcuse's mouth. Hence, my quip.

by Lurker Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:26 am

That's cool. I didn't know that about you. I would like to have experienced those days like that.

by Original Quill Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:32 am

It was fun. Still is. Right now they are beside themselves over all the police shooting of black men.

I am too.

by Ben Reilly Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:34 am

Original Quill wrote:The Tyranny of the Majority. Repressive Tolerance? A little Herbert Marcuse in that post. You'd make a good Berkeley radical.

Thanks, I have to admit though, I hadn't heard of this. I'm very slowly making my way through Repressive Tolerance (I have the sinking feeling there are no action sequences or love scenes).

by Original Quill Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:08 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
Original Quill wrote:The Tyranny of the Majority. Repressive Tolerance? A little Herbert Marcuse in that post. You'd make a good Berkeley radical.

Thanks, I have to admit though, I hadn't heard of this. I'm very slowly making my way through Repressive Tolerance (I have the sinking feeling there are no action sequences or love scenes).

True...it takes a strange sort to read Marcuse with a America is an oligarchy 4152582110

.

by veya_victaous Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:36 am

Ben_Reilly wrote:It answers a lot of questions about the U.S.:

* Why does health care reform have to enrich health insurance corporations?

* Why do firearms manufacturers get their way despite over 80 percent of Americans wanting stricter gun laws?

* Why were Iraq's oil fields privatized?

* Why do private companies own and/or operate so many U.S. prisons?

* Why are there hundreds of thousands of private-sector contractors with top national security clearances?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/america-is-really-bloody-weird#.buA9loEOXe

21 Questions Australia Has For The US

WTF, America. Suspect

by veya_victaous Tue Mar 03, 2015 11:10 pm

veya_victaous wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:It answers a lot of questions about the U.S.:

* Why does health care reform have to enrich health insurance corporations?

* Why do firearms manufacturers get their way despite over 80 percent of Americans wanting stricter gun laws?

* Why were Iraq's oil fields privatized?

* Why do private companies own and/or operate so many U.S. prisons?

* Why are there hundreds of thousands of private-sector contractors with top national security clearances?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/america-is-really-bloody-weird#.buA9loEOXe

21 Questions Australia Has For The US

WTF, America.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/wtf-australia#.tgYPE2o89B

21 Questions America Has For Australia
What are you even doing, Australia?
How are you this bad at baseball? (And why do you call it cricket?)

by veya_victaous Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:49 am

veya_victaous wrote:
veya_victaous wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:It answers a lot of questions about the U.S.:

* Why does health care reform have to enrich health insurance corporations?

* Why do firearms manufacturers get their way despite over 80 percent of Americans wanting stricter gun laws?

* Why were Iraq's oil fields privatized?

* Why do private companies own and/or operate so many U.S. prisons?

* Why are there hundreds of thousands of private-sector contractors with top national security clearances?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/america-is-really-bloody-weird#.buA9loEOXe

21 Questions Australia Has For The US

WTF, America.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/wtf-australia#.tgYPE2o89B

21 Questions America Has For Australia
What are you even doing, Australia?
How are you this bad at baseball? (And why do you call it cricket?)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/questions-britain-has-for-the-us#.kmMox3k9ld

5. Does alcohol taste better if you drink it out of a gun?

confused

Ben

Surely you can answer this? drunken

by Original Quill Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:31 am

6. How much bagged wine do you people drink?!

by veya_victaous Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:48 am

Original Quill wrote:6. How much bagged wine do you people drink?!

fuck loads common name is 'goon'

And notice you still drink beer while playing 'goon of fortune'

Australia has a massive wine industry
even good wine is cheap

by Lone Wolf Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:05 am

SELL a bottle of wine in downtown Oz for $25...

EXPORT it to the USA and watch the wine merchants slap $195 labels on it..

America is an oligarchy 630750432

by veya_victaous Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:27 pm

http://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/we-need-to-know#.oq8koK9AgY

Round it out America questions for Britain

In fact, why are most of your food names sexual?

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