The Importance Of Oligarchy In The United States

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I had never thought about this topic up until reading the article posted on mic.com. It is interesting to me that Princeton took this idea and expanded it into a whole study, and that Princeton looked at all aspects of the United States government and people to come to a conclusion. I had never heard of the term “oligarchy” before, but the definition of it being a government where a small group of people has power, made sense after reading the article. The conclusion that the United States has turned into an oligarchy can be supported by multiple things. The article states that the people in charge and the people that have any influence in America include government officials and the upper class people or groups with money and power. The United …show more content…
First, there is the example of electing the president. Anyone 18 and over can vote for the president, but these votes only go towards the popular vote. The actual election occurs through electoral votes. The candidate that gets the most electoral votes becomes president, and the people in charge of electoral votes are delegates that are a part of the government. This supports oligarchy because only certain people are in charge of choosing our leader, not every person like a democracy is said to be like. Also, the US has a capitalistic economy. A capitalistic economy benefits the wealthy the most, and helps people with money get even more powerful than before. These wealthy groups and people getting more and more power continues to support an oligarchy as they separate themselves into a higher upper class. I think American citizens should not be alarmed that the United States is starting to become an oligarchy, even though the founders intended for the US to be a democracy. The article states that “America has been sliding steadily into oligarchy for decades, mirrored in both the substantive effect on policy and in the distribution of wealth throughout the