We've been an oligarchy since the Reagan years.
this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2025
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No, we will never be an oligarchy. A plutocracy, yes, but I think money is the deciding factor here.
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Astronaut Pistol Astronaut.
Can someone explain this comment? I can ask dumb questions here right?
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it's very close to turning into one.
It's not quite there, but trump is definitely not one to shy away from it, so it mostly depends on who he appoints and interacts with. And how corrupt he will be.
LoL! Just because the Richest Man on Earth bought Our Presidency and anytime you kill a Rich Person it's considered an Act of Terrorism DOESNT make us an OLIGARCHY!
There are political cartoons from over a century ago where they're talking about how much of an oligarchy it is. Look at this one: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/The_Bosses_of_the_Senate_by_Joseph_Keppler.jpg/1920px-The_Bosses_of_the_Senate_by_Joseph_Keppler.jpg
The people saying "always has been" have really short memories or've forgotten about the Roosevelt administrations.
There is a decent argument to be made that the USA is a de-facto oligarchy. However, it's a de-jure liberal democracy and Constitutional Republic for the time being.
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Americans foundation was built as an oligarchy.
It always was
I guess Teddy Roosevelt and FDR never existed.
We didn't have a democracy then either. How many parties were at the debates? And how much wealth did the candidates have compared to the rest of the US?
Yep, all oligarchs.
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I sorta disagree in the context of having a middle class. We did and still do have our oligarchs, we had our Gilded Age which I would definitely call an oligarchy that lasted into the early 1900s with the Rail, Steel, and Oil barons to name a few. But the middle class exploded in the post-war years, unions became powerful, corporations and the rich were brought somewhat to heel with consumer and worker protections, along with high taxes that kept the rich from taking an even bigger chunk of the pie. Yeah, the rich still did rich people stuff, but they tended to do it more on the DL.
Now? We’re literally at the point where people are so absurdly rich they can have private space programs, dump hundreds of thousands into political campaigns, crush unions, invite themselves into the government, and have fuck you money. Literally, Musk telling people to fuck themselves.
So IMO yeah, the US is an full-on oligarchy again after a brief semi-respite in the middle to later parts of the 20th century, and it’s a shameless and open one.
Spot on! Especially the "shameless" bit. Yeah, the rich were rich, but Jesus, it was distasteful and immoral to flaunt it.
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if money = power then liberal (democracy) = oligarchy
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Oh, HELL yes.
Always has been. They're simply not hiding it any more.
It has been an oligarchy for a long time. This has been studied and proven.
proven
Please explain. I don't disagree with the conclusion, but this supporting statement doesn't ring true to me.
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There was a study from Princeton showing that no major policy has aligned with public opinion since the civil rights era.
There is no measurable way that our government has reflected the will of the majority in over 50 years.
Someone also did the other side where they tied policy- and law-making to benefiting the ultra rich. I do not recall source so I can’t provide that, but I did read the paper at one time a few years ago. It was legit.
citizens united is where I would draw the line and no I don't think we are an oligarchy but a plutocracy. Honestly Im not even sure if that is the right word because the money itself has the effect and the various wealthy people spending it. I don't think they even really understand what they are doing. So its more like being ruled by money rather than the wealthy per se and honestly the ones calling the shots are the financial entities so corporations. Part of it may just be their relative power and active global decision making bend. News articles talk about musk possibly being the first trillionaire but mean while corps have based a trillion as early as 2008 and now many multi trillion dollar companies are around and the top add up to tens of trillions. So corptocracy. We had enough of that to begin with but now its out of control. Someone recently posted the international agreement that allows corps to sue countries and that finished up in the 90's so it not only started before but is also not just a us thing.
A plutocracy is a type of oligarchy
Yeah. I prefer to say plutocracy though, because its clear that the power is obtained by money specifically
A while ago
The rich were behind the mutiny in the first place, so, always has been
I'll take merchants over nobles, but that doesn't mean they both don't deserve a guillotine.
But the nobles were the good guys, don't you see? It was all in the name, "noble". How could bad guys possibly be so noble?
Looks like you are a few years behind events.
200?
I would say corporatocracy. Ever since Citizens United, corporations have been making more and more policy and political decisions, placing in power who they believe will advance their agendas of unlimited and never ending profit.
Corporations are fiction of law.
Owners are a few very wealthy individuals who abuse this fiction and the state against the pedon class.
It is a class war and always has been.
in war, both sides are aware they're fighting. they're both willing to fight. they're both armed.
Well then we got a generational genocide of the indigenous working populations
The owners would rather bring in immigrants than create a country where people feel comfortable having families
I say this in nearly complete seriousness:
Always has been
🌎🧑🚀🔫🧑🚀
the US is run by billionaires and corporations.
you can live in peace as long as you don't inconvenience them too much, and keep paying them
Stop dancing to their tune and you quickly discover how much freedom you really got
The only solution is to quit being ~~boomer~~ poor lol
Edit: Interesting auto correct