Well it was fun while it lasted, you know, that whole democracy thing. After yesterdays ruling from SCOTUS in Citizen United vs. FEC, we can kiss the rights of everyday Americans good-bye.
Oligarchy
- A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.
- Those who make up an oligarchic government.
- A state rule by such a government
An oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) (oligocracy) is a form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society distinguished by royal, wealth, intellectual, family, military, or religious hegemony. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" (ὀλίγος olígos) and "rule" (ἀρχή arkhē). Such states are often controlled by politically powerful dogs whose children are heavily conditioned and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy.
Yesterdays ruling by SCOTUS removes the last pretense of representative democracy in the USA. By giving corporations the ability to spend any amount on behalf of a candidate for office, politicians will now be bought wholesale.
Oligarchies have been tyrannical throughout history, being completely reliant on public servitude to exist. Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group. Some city-states from ancient Greece were oligarchies. The combination of the words plutocracy and oligarchy make the word plutarchy.
Congress can pass any bill it wants, but if our corporate masters don't like it, they can buy the politicians who will fix it. If you thought the money thrown at congress by the health care industry this past year was excessive, just wait. The floodgates have been opened.
Alan Grayson (FL-8) introduced five new bills in congress to attempt to rein in corporate spending on elections. Such common sense items as requiring a corporation to get it's shareholders permission first, or requiring immediate disclosure of contributions. Go to Savedemocracy.net and sign Grayson's petition in support of the bills. After, please call your Representative and Senators urging them to get on board as well.
If we don't make a stand now, in five years we will be talking about the Senator from Exxon, or the Representative from Halliburton.