· Timocracy (dominated by a drive for military honor)
· Oligarchy (wealth is the sign of merit)
· Democracy (a state which is ruled by the people as a whole
· Tyranny (the ruler has absolute power)
Disregarding tyranny, which obviously is not the answer, which of the other three would you say is the most accurate description of America’s current state?
Timocracy? One might argue the current President Bush was initially trying to display the strength and might of the American military in Iraq but any argument of him dominated by a drive for military honor would probably be difficult to substantiate.
Democracy? More and more a government that Abraham Lincoln describes as “of the people, by the people, for the people” is hard to believe in. With PAC’s, Electoral votes, sound bites and suspect vote counts, do you fully believe your voice is being heard?
That leaves an oligarchy.
Arthur S. Miller said:
"Those who formally rule take their signals and commands, not from theFor some interesting reading, go to OligarchyUSA.com whose mission statement includes:
electorate as a body, but from a small group.. this group will be called the establishment. It exists, even though that existence is starkly denied; it is one of the secrets of the American social
order."
“To the extent that we, the people, are removed from control over our lands,
marketplaces, central banks, and media we are no longer empowered. In
practice, those few who do control the land, central bank, media and "free
market" are the real rulers of our corrupt and declining "democracy."
It goes on to state:
“To restore a semblance of effective democracy and true freedom Americans, and
people around the world, need to re-educate themselves as to the true nature
of their political and economic systems. Toward this end, OligarchyUSA.com
is dedicated to providing old and new information, books, links, reform ideas and debates not easily found or accessed today in establishment media.”
In case you question or are uncomfortable looking at such websites (as I was), you might prefer to look at an article of February 28, 2006, where:
“New York Times columnist Paul Krugman takes issue with a statement by new Fed chief Ben Bernanke to the effect that rising financial inequality stems from
insufficient educational opportunities. It's not all college graduates who are
making more money, Krugman says, it's a small segment of society — an oligarchy:
"...we're seeing the rise of a narrow oligarchy: income and wealth are becoming
increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small, privileged elite."
(See: Graduates Versus Oligarchs)
The Columbia Encyclopedia defines oligarchy as:
[Gr.,=rule by the few], rule by a few members of a community or group. WhenWhat are you thinking right now?
referring to governments, the classical definition of oligarchy, as given for
example by Aristotle, is of government by a few, usually the rich, for their own
advantage. It is compared with both aristocracy, which is defined as government by a few chosen for their virtue and ruling for the general good, and various forms of democracy, or rule by the people. In practice, however, almost all governments, whatever their form, are run by a small minority of members. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2001-05 Columbia University Press.)
► This is some anti-American hogwash
► A paranoid old geezer-ette
► Maybe I should give this information some consideration
► Too deep for a summer class
► My turn to be the blog-talker is coming!
