Princeton Concludes What Kind of Government America Really Has, and It's Not a Democracy. The news: A new scientific study from Princeton researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page has finally put some science behind the recently popular argument that the United States isn't a democracy any more. And they've found that in fact, America is basically an oligarchy. An oligarchy is a system where power is effectively wielded by a small number of individuals defined by their status called oligarchs. Members of the oligarchy are the rich, the well connected and the politically powerful, as well as particularly well placed individuals in institutions like banking and finance or the military.
For their study, Gilens and Page compiled data from roughly 1,800 different policy initiatives in the years between 1981 and 2002. It's beyond alarming. This problem has been steadily escalating for four decades. Piketty and Saez also calculated that as of September 2013 the top 1% of earners had captured 95% of all income gains since the Great Recession ended. What kind of oligarchy? Transcript: Ron Paul’s farewell address to Congress. In many ways, according to conventional wisdom, my off-and-on career in Congress, from 1976 to 2012, accomplished very little. No named legislation, no named federal buildings or highways—thank goodness. In spite of my efforts, the government has grown exponentially, taxes remain excessive, and the prolific increase of incomprehensible regulations continues.
Wars are constant and pursued without Congressional declaration, deficits rise to the sky, poverty is rampant and dependency on the federal government is now worse than any time in our history. All this with minimal concerns for the deficits and unfunded liabilities that common sense tells us cannot go on much longer. A grand, but never mentioned, bipartisan agreement allows for the well-kept secret that keeps the spending going. The major stumbling block to real change in Washington is the total resistance to admitting that the country is broke. Freedom, private property, and enforceable voluntary contracts, generate wealth. U.S. Constitution. More Than Elections. By Eric Bjornlund A lawyer and development professional with two decades of international experience, Eric Bjornlund co-founded and heads Democracy International Inc., which designs, implements, and evaluates democracy and governance programs.
He specializes in elections, political processes, civil society, and analytical methods. He is the author of Beyond Free and Fair: Monitoring Elections and Building Democracy (2004). In a healthy democracy, elections are the starting point for a stable government that protects minority rights, ensures free speech, respects the rule of law, and promotes a strong civil society. Democratic elections are widely recognized as a foundation of legitimate government. Smooth political transitions after elections are essential. In a true democracy, the rule of law, democratic political institutions, and independent civil society organizations help ensure respect for electoral outcomes. The Rule of Law Political Institutions Civil Society.