Is the United States of America truly a democracy or an Oligarchy? Oligarchy is a small group of people having control of a country, organization or institution. As citizens of the United States, we assume that we are living under the impression of a democracy. Americans enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association. However, these assumptions become clouded thoughts when we start to think about how our political leaders have been leading this country based on the decision that they made. With the result form the 2014 election and midterm, recently we have been seeing more politics in the news and article, headline such as; “2015: The End of The Republican Party” or how the congress is overrun by the Republican. However, the goal for having two parties; a democratic and a republican, is for both parties to work together to keep America a democracy.
Through the lens as a citizen, we have less say on what should be implemented into our society as comparison to someone who has the luxury to have their thoughts applied through the value of money.
Oligarchy
Are we run by a group of Oligarchy or the people of the country? Cheryl K. Chumley once said in a Washington Post,
When questions start to form and concerns are raised, studies are being conducted on American Politics. In the study, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups and Average Citizens,” researchers compared 1,800 different U.S. policies that were put in place by politicians between 1981 and 2002 to the type of policies preferred by the average and wealthy American, or special interest groups.
America may still be living under a democracy, but with the recent election decision that has been made, and how the country is starting to run, America has the potential to become an Oligarchy. Some Americans think that the system is working because of the need to feel that America is a democracy. According to a Princeton study, an argument is made that democracy no longer exist. "Ordinary citizens," they write, "might often be observed to 'win' (that is, to get their preferred policy outcomes) even if they had no independent effect whatsoever on policy making, if elites (with whom they often agree) actually prevail."
One example that shows that our country has a potential of becoming an oligarchy is the Keystone XL pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta, Canada to refineries in Illinois and Texas, oil tank farms, and oil pipeline distribution center in Cushing, Oklahoma. The Keystone XL pipeline is a big project that will harm the environment, but also the inhabitants within it. There will be residents living around the pipeline which is bad for their health with the toxic air. The question becomes, who are the people passing this proposal? They are politicians with big money.
Big oil cooperation are spending money on campaigns that are run by these politicians to pass the Keystone XL pipeline. It no longer becomes about the people, but about their fame and wealth. Politicians like Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, his 2010 financial disclosure form--the most recent available, filed on May 15, 2011--that he owned Transcanada stock worth between $115,002 and $300,000. Other politicians like Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., reported owning between $15,001 and $51,000 in TransCanada stock in his 2010 financial disclosure Transcanada is own by big shareholder by congress.
Through this, politician get to spend money on the company Transcanada to create advertising to persuade people to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. However, people who opposed the Keystone pipeline do not have the money to spend on advertising to educate people on the cons.
The people who are being affected by these changes and decisions are the citizens of the United States, but more so on the lower and middle classes; they are the ones that need to worry if they can pay their bills on time this month, if they need to pick up another job, or if they will they lose their job. The upper class, are less affected by these decision because they do not need to worry if enough is enough.
America have the potential to become an Oligarchy, but it can be prevented with better decisions.
