Corporatocracy In The United States

The United States is no longer the democracy it stands for. Democracy stands for a government controlled by the majority of the population. The United States is no longer controlled by the majority. America is controlled by the powerful corporations and rich elite. The combination of an uninformed, disinterested public, a flawed election process, and an economy controlled by 1% of the population have all led to the formation of the American Oligarchy.

Big business not only monopolized the economy, but also caused unprecedented corruption in the political system. Joseph Keppler’s “The Bosses of the Senate” political cartoon in Puck depicts the massive corruption in the political system as he claims that the Senate no longer served the people, but the industrial tycoons (document 4). The American people responded to this by forming political and economic organizations in an attempt to curb the control of the large

Due to the need for campaign funds by both the Democratic and Republican party, representatives and party leaders are easily influenced by the alluring presence of money presented by the wealthy. Consequently, in terms of economic position, laws and policies tend to favor the privileged rather than the overall majority. For instance, beginning in the 1970s, corporate America started to invest more money and focus into politics. A large amount of corporate spending is on lobbying. In contrast, most Americans don’t have an organization to lobby for them. This being so, because the wealthy have more lobbying clout, the government tends to pay closer attention to the concerns of the very privileged.

Several political changes occurred due to the influential writings of Ray Stannard Baker and other muckrakers. Progressivism took a suitable combination of political, social, and technological political factors, working in vast ways. The muckraking magazines are a newly created national press and stimulated the progressive movement. Nowadays, television has become a major reason why elections have become prohibitively expensive and "soft money" a major problem. “Although the charge of "corporatism" in the progressive era overstates the influence of business on progressive legislation, national corporations during the progressive era accepted some controls in the interest of stability (the meat packers and the Meat Inspection Act, for example,

It is unsensible to believe that even the upper crest of the US financially can keep up with a corporation. Therefore receiving donations from corporations is the candidate's main goal, while ignoring the many small donors that truly represent America’s views. While there is no solid proof of corporations influencing candidates decisions thee have been sketchy moment in which corporations money influencing candidates decisions have been suspected. In 2000 when Bush was running for president an energy company based in Houston, Enron donated a substantial amount of money to Bush. They donated 2.5 million making them the highest donating energy company and the 36th highest corporate donator. After Bush was elected he passed 6 bills extremely beneficial for Enron that multiplied their revenue by nearly three times. In all Corporations donating limitless to candidates forces a candidate to pass bills beneficial for their donors and not the majority of people. This needs to stop or the purity of America’s political system goes down the

“Is America a Democracy?” This first question was posed by Professor Jennings at the start of his discussion on American corporations. The simple answer is no, we are a republic, a system where the people have control of the government by electing representative officials. Some people, including Professor Jennings, argue that incorporated businesses are now “running the show” instead of citizens. In the 2011 Gallup poll “Do the following have too much power?” sixty-seven percent of people said that corporations do while seventy-one percent agree that lobbyists have too much power. Professor Jennings then presented data on how corporations lobbying members of congress spent 2.6 billion in a year while the federal budget for congress is 2 billion. Business lobbying also outspends labor by thirty-four to one.

The Government of the United States of America is an oligarchy. Regardless of what children learn, from kindergarten to graduation, the belief instilled in people that they live under a democracy is an idealistic, and unrealistic view of current political affairs. Before delving into why the United States operates as a government dominated by the economic elite rather than a democracy though, agreeing on a definition for the latter is imperative. Following the classical teachings of Aristotle’s utopian view of democracy, in which each citizen has as much weight in the policy-making that governs as any other and still maintains the rights to live as a free individual, it is not controversial to suggest that America has never been a

In the 1700s when the United States had detached itself from British rule it was then seen as a plutocracy. The U.S established as a democracy; a government of the people and by the people. However, this establishment was in favor of the rich, educated, and powerful and anyone who was categorized or known as elites and it has remained in favor of these people ever since. Yes we can say we have witnessed variations and seen a semi-democratic rise in the past two centuries, but we have remained a plutocracy hidden behind the word that people use to cover its true identity, democracy. Those like the framers, the public opinion role, interest groups, and money all portray our hidden plutocracy.

In my opinion Progressive Reformers were motivated by the working class, political corruption, and monopolies. Progressivism in its early stages allied with the working class to oppose big business and their poor working conditions. In the late 1890’s working conditions for the average working American were appalling. The average person worked long hours for very little pay and this caused the need for multiple family members to be employed. Progressives sought reform in the form of unions that would fight for the working rights of the working class. Companies responded to unionizing by seeking out politicians and putting them on their payroll to stop unions. During the Gilded Age, political corruption was common practice of big business.

Today, our nation 's democracy is unarguably only alive on a small scale. Much of America 's population, does not uphold a civic role that consistently supplements a successful democracy. Corruption of democracy stems directly from Americans not being able to actively take responsibility for their own society or their own futures. As a result of individuals lacking responsibility in various ways, flaws in our society continue to define everything we are as part of America. Everyone in the country can uphold simple civic responsibilities, without deviating from daily routine. By misunderstanding patriotism, not participating in the government, causing tension between ideologies, and ignoring the significance of community, we are not

Since the middle ages, corporatism has taken a leading role in countries by involving different organizations into a group of people to develop cooperative associations on the basis of shared interests. In Europe, corporatism was the main objective of people in a country. For example, Lewis Mumford note that the basic society "was based on classes and ranks" and there was no guaranteeing demand through security and no power that did not recognize the legal obligations of a corporate profile (Mumford). Once democracy began to spread and become definite in the United States, the Americans began to experiment with new ideas and values. In America, corporatism began to evolve into a new system where the knowing of freedom and justice was

Corporations now dominate puppet governments from behind the scenes and restrict the flow of wealth while siphoning away resources from poorer countries.

There are many ways states are governed and many different systems of governments. The United States of America uses a democratic system of government; a system where the common person holds power through the ability to vote and participate in politics. Although this holds true for a majority of the operations carried out within the state, some may say the United States has shares particular characteristics of a dictatorship; a system of government where politics are controlled by a small subset of individuals, rather than the power being held by the people in a democratic system.

Corporate welfare, crony capitalism, and pork-barrel politics drive companies to restructure business models to satisfy Washington and abandon consumers. Investment means hiring more lobbyists.

The US Federal government has important motivations to establish and operate government corporations. Firstly, some agencies want to develop new sources of revenue to restrict increasing public expenditures and provide flexibility to these agencies in the Federal budget. Furthermore, it is easier for government corporations to be exempted from general management laws compared to traditional agencies. Finally, the government may also want to support private sector practices and entrepreneurship opportunities in the Federal administration.