Tag: Oligarchy

Will US Become An Oligarchy?

I recently read an interesting article on the The Conversation site……before I go into that let me define oligarchy for those that are fuzzy on just what it is…..

The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact — a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy landowners, royalty or powerful military figures. If you say that you can’t fight the oligarchy, you mean the leaders of such a place. Sometimes the word refers to the few powerful people in charge of a large company or system. A financial oligarchy might try to block reform.

Keep that definition in the back of your mind…….

Now for the article I referred to in the beginning…..

In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy”.

The comment suggests that, under Donald Trump’s second term as president, it will be billionaires rather than the people who shape public policy.

There is certainly some evidence Biden’s ominous caution should be taken seriously. The world’s richest man and the owner of X, Elon Musk, has been a vocal supporter of the Republican candidate. Other billionaire tech moguls to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago mansion after his 2024 election victory include Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.

There is nothing unusual about business leaders wanting the ear of an incoming president. What has concerned Biden and others is that so many of Trump’s influential backers also own media platforms and have the ability to sway public opinion.

Should these new tech titans be thought of as oligarchs?

https://theconversation.com/what-is-an-oligarchy-and-is-the-united-states-poised-to-become-one-247566

So will the US become an oligarchy?

It cannot become something it has always been.

From the very onset of this country it has been the ‘oligarchs’ that formed and run and continues to run this nation.

No?

Think about the definition.

… a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy landowners, royalty or powerful military figures.

If you have any history still rattling around your brain then you will see this is true for the ‘leaders’ of this country were the very people that the definition tells us.

What do these oligarchs want?

Bernie answers that probing question.

We we are living in an extremely dangerous time. Future generations will look back at this moment – what we do right now – and remember whether we had the courage to defend our democracy against the growing threats of oligarchy and authoritarianism. They will remember whether we stood with President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg who in 1863, looking out at a battlefield where thousands died in the struggle against slavery and stated that; “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Do we stand with Lincoln’s vision of America or do we allow this country to move to a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires?

But it’s not just oligarchy that we should be concerned about, and the reality that the three richest people in America now own more wealth than the bottom half of our society – 170 million people. It’s not just that the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider, and that we have more income and wealth inequality today than we’ve ever had.

It is also that we are looking at a rapid movement, under President Trump, toward authoritarianism. More and more power resting in fewer and fewer hands.

Right now, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is attempting to dismantle major agencies of the federal government which are designed to protect the needs of working families and the disadvantaged. These agencies were created by the U.S. Congress and it is Congress’ responsibility to maintain them, reform them or end them. It is not Mr. Musk’s responsibility. What Mr. Musk is doing is patently illegal and unconstitutional – and must be stopped.

Two weeks ago, President Trump attempted to suspend all federal grants and loans – an outrageous and clearly unconstitutional act. As I hope every 6th grader in America knows, under the Constitution and our form of government the president can recommend legislation, he can support legislation, he can veto legislation, but he does not have the power to unilaterally terminate funding passed by Congress. It is Congress, the House and the Senate, who control the purse strings.

But it’s not just Congress that’s under attack. It’s our judiciary.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/02/12/what-the-oligarchs-really-want/

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Nihilism,Narcissism….

Today is a full day of medical stuff and Since I am having such a terrible time dealing with the effects of my treatments I will be posting a lot of other people’s stuff….I hope no one minds.

This is a re-post of a very good and detailed post that says a lot….hopefully someone is listening besides me….

Narcissism, Nihilism, and the Destruction of America or Why We’re so Fucked

Time for us Americans to start taking a close look at what we have done to this country.

I hope everyone has a good day.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Damn Oligarchs!

Almost daily we here about all those Russian ‘oligarchs’….those rich individuals that have all the power in a government…..to include Putin…..those corrupt individuals that thrive on corruption.

But first what the Hell is an oligarchy?

The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact — a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy landowners, royalty or powerful military figures. If you say that you can’t fight the oligarchy, you mean the leaders of such a place. Sometimes the word refers to the few powerful people in charge of a large company or system. A financial oligarchy might try to block reform.

With that definition then Russia is a prime example.

Something to think about……

What about our gang of oligarchs?

Yes Irene we have a pack of oligarchs.

Ever hear of Bezos or Zuckerberg or Musk and the rest of the influence peddlers in our beloved country.

“American democracy is a sham, no matter how much it’s pumped by the oligarchs who run the country (and who control the nation’s “news” media),” he writes. “The US, in other words, is basically similar to Russia or most other dubious ‘electoral’ ‘democratic’ countries. We weren’t formerly, but we clearly are now.”

“Functioning democracy means that there’s a correlation between the will of the people and the policies that affect them,” the American-Swiss historian pointed out, saying that whereas “you let the politicians do whatever they want to do” in the United States.

The system, he explained, “may call itself democratic, but in essence, it’s an oligarchy,” in which political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society.

The opinion echoed what former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in 2015 that the United States is “an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.” A study from Princeton University and Northwestern University in 2014 also concluded that the U.S. government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful.

The rich have unlimited amount of political influence through their cash fed into ‘campaigns’ as donations.

Stop pretending that the US is anything but an oligarchy…..maybe we should replace the stars on our flag with the true controllers of the nation…..

(Image from American Conservative)

And you think you are in control of this country….it is to laugh…..you are told you are in control and you believe the BS…..and that makes us some of the biggest suckers on the planet.

Make no mistake….this country is controlled by oligarchs….from government to news to food supply…..we can point and condemn Russia all we like…but as the old saying goes..’when you point remember there are fingers pointing back’.

The Russian oligarchs are no worse than ours.

Turn The Page!

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“lego ergo scribo”

Open The Country Up!

Caution be damned!

Damn the virus…full speed ahead……

Donald needs the country up and running…his political life depends on it.

But is this the best way to get votes? 

Most Americans do not agree with the Rabid Orange Man……

In the past couple weeks, many states have announced plans to gradually lift the stay-at-home orders put in place to stem the tide of the coronavirus. However, polls show that most Americans believe it is too soon to reopen.

In their latest poll (conducted May 3-5), The Economist/YouGov found that only 11 percent of adults believed it was safe to end social distancing and reopen businesses right now. Six percent said it would be safe in about two weeks, and another 19 percent said it would be in a month or so. A plurality (29 percent) thought it would take several months, and 15 percent even said a year or longer. A Morning Consult survey taken April 29-30 found that just 20 percent of registered voters thought the economy should reopen in April (i.e., immediately) or May, 37 percent said June or July, 16 percent said August or September, and 12 percent said October or later. And a May 5 poll from Global Strategy Group and GBAO for left-leaning firm Navigator Research found that 60 percent of Americans opposed reopening the country in the next few weeks, versus 36 percent who supported it. Finally, a May 2-5 poll by Civiqs for Daily Kos asked respondents flat out whether they supported having a stay-at-home order in place in their state: Sixty-five percent said yes, and 29 percent said no.

Most Americans Think It’s Too Soon To Return To What Life Was Like Pre-Pandemic

Slowly but slowly the president and the oligarchs are forcing the country to re-open no matter how dangerous it could become…..and in doing so has decided that some deaths are necessary for them to keep their profits flowing….

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Trump administration has embraced an approach to the pandemic that will—and that it knows will—result in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in the coming weeks and months.

On Sunday night, Trump nonchalantly stated that he now expects 100,000 people to die from COVID-19 in the United States, up from his previous estimates of approximately 60,000.

Referring to death numbers like he was negotiating a real estate deal, Trump stated, “I used to say 65 thousand, and now I’m saying 80 or 90. And it goes up and it goes up rapidly. But it’s still going to be, no matter how you look at it, at the very lower end of the plane.” He added separately, “And look, we’re going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100 thousand people.”

That is, an additional 40,000 people, by Trump’s own count, will die—40,000 people with children, spouses, families and loved ones, who would not have died if appropriate measures were taken to contain the virus.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/05/pers-m05.html

Donald the Orange has decided that some of us are worth sacrificing as long as the corporations retain their profitability…..

Amidst the expanding coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the Trump administration is implementing a reckless and socially criminal “open up the economy” policy that will result in hundreds of thousands of deaths that could, with correct policies, be prevented.

Trump, in an interview with ABC News aired on Tuesday night, exuded indifference to the consequences of the policies his administration is carrying out. “There’ll be more death,” Trump said, “the virus will pass, with or without a vaccine. And I think we’re doing very well on the vaccines but, with or without a vaccine, it’s going to pass, and we’re going to be back to normal.”

On Monday, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a close advisor to Trump, bluntly told CNN that it was necessary for the American people to “sacrifice” their lives by going back to work. “The American people have gone through significant death before [in World War I and II] … and we’ve survived it. We sacrificed those lives.” The “sacrifice,” he added, was necessary to “stand up for the American way of life.”

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/06/pers-m06.html

Donald would like nothing better than some of us crap out…..

Friday, May 1 marked a new stage in the social crime being perpetrated against the American people, as President Trump allowed federal guidelines recommending “sheltering in place” during the coronavirus pandemic to expire. Dozens of state governments, with Washington’s blessing, have lifted lockdown orders, allowing stores, restaurants and even movie theaters to reopen, and ordering workers to go back to their jobs on pain of having their unemployment benefits cut off.

The loosening of restrictions is being justified with claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is waning and people can now begin to work, shop, dine out, travel and go to church as they once did, without undue risk. But that is not actually the expectation of the Trump administration. On the contrary, press inquiries have found that the federal government expects an enormous spike in the death toll and is making preparations accordingly.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/02/pers-m02.html

You notice the people that will be sacrificed are the poor…….and if that does nit work then I am sure that Congress will find it in their hearts to float another stim package that will aid no one but the rich.

Don’t worry…..even if Donald loses in November 2021 will be little difference….the poor will pay the ultimate rice for this pandemic.

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“lego ergo scribo”

Those Damn Oligarchs!

We are living in the Age of the Oligarch…..and now with this virus rampaging it is more obvious than in more normal times…..

But first let’s define an oligarch…….

An oligarchy is a power structure that allows a few businesses, families, or individuals to rule. Those few ruling members have enough power to create policies that benefit them to the exclusion of the rest of society.

They maintain their power through their relationships with each other. The term “oligarchy” comes from the Greek word oligarkhia, and it means “few governing.”

The “iron law of oligarchy” states that any organization or society will eventually become an oligarchy. That’s because the people who learn how to succeed in the organization gain a competitive advantage. The larger and more complicated the organization becomes, the more advantages the elite gain.

Oligarchs only associate with others who share those same traits. They become an organized minority, while average citizens remain an unorganized majority. The oligarchs groom protégés who share their values and goals. It becomes more difficult for the average person to break into the group of elites. The following pros and cons summarize some of the benefits and issues:

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-an-oligarchy-pros-cons-examples-3305591

Now that we have that out of the way……the one subject that seems to be off limits these days in the Age of the Oligarch is class…..

The oligarchs are happy to talk about race. They are happy to talk about sexual identity and gender. They are happy to talk about patriotism. They are happy to talk about religion. They are happy to talk about immigration. They are happy to talk about abortion. They are happy to talk about gun control. They are happy to talk about cultural degeneracy or cultural freedom. They are not happy to talk about class. Race, gender, religion, abortion, immigration, gun control, culture and patriotism are issues used to divide the public, to turn neighbor against neighbor, to fuel virulent hatreds and antagonisms. The culture wars give the oligarchs, both Democrats and Republicans, the cover to continue the pillage. There are few substantial differences between the two ruling political parties in the United States. This is why oligarchs like Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg can switch effortlessly from one party to the other. Once oligarchs seize power, Aristotle wrote, a society must either accept tyranny or choose revolution.

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/2575244/posts/2625640591

The oligarchy is here……we can deny it all we like but just a quick look at who will profit from the Covid-19 should explain it all for you……

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Oligarchs Rule!

More good news for the nation (sarcasm)…….

We hear a lot about oligarchy these days…..the oligarchs ruling Russia….even they control everything here in the good old US of A.

There is some disturbing news out there…..things are NOT getting any better for us mere mortals…..the oligarchs will control 70% of the wealth very very soon…..

America’s rich just won’t quit getting richer, according to a new study released in mid-June by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm. The study, which seeks to analyze the global wealth management industry, as well as the evolution of private wealth, uncovered some startling statistics that suggest that global financial inequality will grow significantly by the year 2021.

The firm found that the already massive gap between the world’s wealthy elite – the approximately 18 million households that hold at least more than $1 million in assets – and everyone else is continuing to widen at a remarkable rate. The estimated 70 million people who make up these households were found to control 45 percent of the world’s $166.5 trillion in wealth. And in just four more years, it is estimated that they will control more than half of the world’s wealth, despite representing less than 1 percent of the world’s current population.

Source: America’s Oligarchs Will Control 70% Of National Wealth By 2021

So if you buy into the slogan America First then you are being duped…..it should be….Greed First, People Last.

And it is only getting worse with each election…..soon we will be a country of slaves and masters…..thank GOD I am old!

Long Live The Oligarchy

Whenever I write about the failing of our democratic principles there will always be someone who, without an argument, wants to remind me that we are a republic not a democracy.

Yes we are a republic so then maybe we ALL should stop using the term “democracy” all together…..and stop saying we are promoting “democracy” around the world….apparently we are not.

I have had many conversations here on IST about the possibility that we are not a democracy but rather an oligarchy….

Huh?

Oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía, from óligon, “few,” and arkho, “rule” ) is a form of government in which political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society. The term was used by Aristotle to refer to despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for often corrupt or selfish purposes. In most classic oligarchies, governing elites were recruited exclusively from a hereditary ruling caste, whose members tended to exercise power in the interests of their own class.

Oligarchies have sometimes been synonymous with aristocracies, which were ruled by members of a noble class, or with plutocracies, ruled by the wealthy members of a community. However, neither wealth nor noble birth are necessary conditions for belonging to the privileged group which rules an oligarchy. Historically, there have been organized oligarchies, and unofficial oligarchies in which a group of “advisers” dictated the policies of an official ruler. In practice, almost all governments, whatever their form, are run by a small minority of members of society, and it is necessary to further examine the ways in which these individuals acquire and retain power in order to correctly understand whether a system of government is a oligarchy.

A couple of years ago this supposition was covered by the New Yorker…..

From the Dept. of Academics Confirming Something You Already Suspected comes a new study concluding that rich people and organizations representing business interests have a powerful grip on U.S. government policy. After examining differences in public opinion across income groups on a wide variety of issues, the political scientists Martin Gilens, of Princeton, and Benjamin Page, of Northwestern, found that the preferences of rich people had a much bigger impact on subsequent policy decisions than the views of middle-income and poor Americans. Indeed, the opinions of lower-income groups, and the interest groups that represent them, appear to have little or no independent impact on policy.

Source: Is America an Oligarchy? – The New Yorker

Now a new study as confirmed our greatest fear…..IT is official!

The U.S. government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern universities has concluded.

The report, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens” (PDF)

After sifting through nearly 1,800 U.S. policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile), and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the U.S. is dominated by its economic elite.

Source: Major Study Finds The US Is An Oligarchy – Business Insider

You can sleep well tonight in knowing that our country is now in the hands of the oligarchy.

Bowing to America’s Oligarchs

Ever noticed that the media has no problem calling out “oligarchs” in other countries but for some reason seem to remain silent on the ones here in the US….as if we do not have them…..after all we are a republican democracy….

The people in this country know we have these parasites but our media is working tirelessly to convince us that we are immune to such diseases.

Apparently, other countries, but not the U.S., have oligarchs. Billionaire and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker came and went to the National Press Club with hardly a tough question on Monday.

I’d submitted several questions, but first a word on the choreography of the event: Virtually every “news maker” event I recall seeing at the Press Club had the speaker at the head table which is on a stage a few feet up, speaking at a podium. This event, it was just her and the moderator, Press Club President Thomas Burr on two cushy chairs on the stage, with the “head table” below them. Whether this was to elevate the two of them, save her the trouble of having prepared remarks, or perhaps a new thing, an attempt to cast the billionaire in a more casual light — inspired by Davos-type events — I don’t know. But it was weird. [See video and PDF.]

Source: Bowing to America’s Oligarchs – Consortiumnews

America cannot move forward until a solution to this problem is created…..

American Oligarchy

It is time to look at the election that is approaching……we now have 4 candidates…..2 from each party………. time has run for me to ignore the side show……

We Americans will argue all day about the benefits of the democracy under which we live……the problem with that is we live under an oligarchy…..we stopped being democratic years ago……

Let the heard scratching has begun……what the Hell is an oligarchy?  An oligarchy is a form of government in which most of the political power effectively rests with a small segment of society, typically the people who have the most wealth, military strength, ruthlessness or political influence. The word “oligarchy” from the Greek words olígos, which means “few,” and archo, which means “to rule”. Some political theorists have argued that all societies are inevitably oligarchies, regardless of their supposed political system.

Societies also might become oligarchies by default, as an outgrowth of the shifting alliances of warring tribal chieftains, although any form of government might transform into an oligarchy at some point in its evolution. The most likely mechanism for this transformation is a gradual accumulation of otherwise unchecked economic power. Oligarchies also might evolve into more classically authoritarian forms of government, sometimes as the result of one family gaining ascendancy over the others. Many of the European monarchies established during the late Middle Ages began in this way.

Now that you have a grasp of what an oligarchy is……check out the article on that same subject…….

Read on my friends, read on!

 

American Oligarchy.