Hyperpluralism In California

An elite is considered as the few in any organization or society who have power. (pg. 1)

California is known for being a very liberal “blue” state. California is almost guaranteed to vote democratically in a presidential election and much of the country considers themselves democratic. The areas that are more conservative in California are also very adamant in their beliefs. The two major political parties in California are extremely polarized and have extremely high partisanship. The parties themselves however are extremely weak. The idea that parties can have high levels of partisanship but be weak is extremely confusing. It has much to do with the way California’s politics have been established and the level of direct democracy in the state.

upper class consisted of wealthy and well educated minor aristocrats they could vote and they held high public office

The congressional behaviors of Representative Maxine Waters, a Democratic representative for the 43rd district of California, and that of Democratic Representative Darren Soto are both inspired by the goal of reelection. This common goal of reelection coined by David Mayhew is achieved differently by each representative depending on the demographics, political leaning, and incumbency of the district. When comparing the legislative behavior of Darren Soto, the representative of Florida’s newly drawn 9th congressional district, and that of Representative Maxine Waters from California’s 43rd Congressional district, this holding becomes evident. This paper will argue that while both Rep. Waters, and Rep. Soto are inspired by the common goal of

In Washington, the president is required to sign or reject the bills passed by congress. They are not allowed to approve the parts that they like and veto the parts that they dislike because they need to focus more on ways to improve the government. Since the line item- veto power allows the governor to reduce or eliminate the specific spending item and not increase the bill, California legislature members are not allowed to force the governor’s hand by including an item that he rejects a larger bill which was supported by many candidates. Third, the apportionment and district size have a significant impact on fully developing the national growth based on the circumstances of the U.S. Congress and the California Legislature. Both houses of the California legislature, the Senate and the Assembly, are

Direct Democracy in California started in the early part of the 20th century. Many citizens of the state of California were unhappy with their state's government. They believed that the government was representing special interest more than they were the will of the people. Railroad owners, such as those of the Southern Pacific Railroad had elected and public officials in their pockets. The officials were making laws that benefited railroads instead of making laws that benefited the citizens of California. In 1911, Californians changed the constitution so that they could make laws directly. This is how Californians created Initiatives and Referendums (Miller, P. 132-133).

Many different theorists had found their own concepts, testing, propositions, and findings to figure out the relationship between crime and neighborhoods. Some could not figure out the correlation between

The purpose of the textbook, Who Rules America? by G. William Domhoff, is to explain his theory of Class Domination. My essay emphasises the relation of social class to power, the existence of a Corporate community, the relationship of the Corporate community to the upper class, and various methods used by the Corporate community to dominate the U.S Political System. Furthermore, my essay will discuss the potential limits to corporate power in America.

The mega rich and the rest of us, which could be further defined as the mega poor or “proletariat” and the wanna be mega rich (can’t say I blame them) or middle class.

The article,“Direct Democracy, for Billionaires” is about the a political system that they implemented in California. After being in fear that many of their elected politicians are corrupted California tried to stop it. They created their own type of direct democracy. In their system they created, the people of California submit ballots and signed petitions instead

A theory is an explanation of why or how things are related to each other (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Additionally, a theory is defined as a plausible or scientifically acceptable principle, or a body of principles, offered to explain phenomena (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2017). Furthermore, crime theories examine and attempt to identify relationships among humans, criminal behavior, and specific factors such as biological factors, psychological factors, sociological factors, and economic factors (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Since we have defined a theory, let us further discuss how theories are created beginning with the components of a theory.

The first element of government that halts progress in America is the hyperpluralist theory, an extension of the pluralist theory. Edwards, Lineberry and Wattenberg state that “According to pluralist theory, because of open access to various institutions of government and public officials, organized groups can compete with one another for control over policy and no one group or set of groups dominates” (16). Basically, the pluralist theory states that for every group, there exists another group with opposing views or goals and they help serve each other through compromise. The hyperpluralist theory, on the other hand, argues that these different groups can counteract each other, diminishing any progress that the other group achieved. Without power over the others, a group cannot push its agenda without the opposing group pushing its own agenda to set that group back. A positive aspect of this theory is that it prevents one group from dominating; however, it discourages any changes from happening in government. Edwards, Lineberry, and Wattenberg

The government in the United States supposedly revolves around American ideals such as equality and diversity; however, this is simply not the case as perpetuated by class inequalities. The meaning of democracy has been skewed in the United States to represent something entirely different than it did in 1776. Today, American democracy behaves more like an aristocracy, where the upper class exercises power within the government and state, influencing discourse and therefore the laws and resources in our country, which are purportedly “for the people”. Democracy is presumed to provide everyone with equal political power, but the government in today’s America, although seemingly following this ideal model, does not. Instead, the elite upper class has a monopoly over the political influence and are the sole benefactors from public policies due to their influence over the policy making process. The upper class has an overall benefit from class inequality, as it greatly impacts American ‘democracy’ through the significant power gained through money and status, leadership roles that impact government, and the influence in the policymaking process that creates upper class advantages.

First keep in mind that the highest social class was the Aristocrats who were the king, then the church, and the government. Upper class were rich landowners, then middle, poor, then dirt poor who were basically alcoholics and prostitutes.

As I ponder on my thoughts about what wealth, status, and power means in our society, I think about the six social classes that typically define us as individuals: Upper Class, New Money, Middle Class, Working Class, Working Poor, and Poverty Level. Personally, I would not place myself in any of the six social stratifications listed above. However, I do not determine which class I fall under, society does. Overall, society determines our wealth, status, and power based on the wealth, status, and power we were brought into.