The deliberations of the Constitutional
Convention of 1787 were held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious
citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended
in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer
was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin
Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you
can keep it.”
America is an oligarchy, not a democracy or
republic, university study finds
By Cheryl Chumley, The Washington
Times
April 21, 2014--America is no longer
a democracy—never mind the democratic republic envisioned by
Founding Fathers.
Rather, it has taken a turn down elitist lane and become a
country led by a small dominant class comprised of powerful members
who exert total control over the general population—an oligarchy,
according to a new study jointly conducted by Princeton and
Northwestern universities.
One finding in the study: The U.S. government now represents the
rich and powerful, not the average citizen, United Press
International reported.
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.
Researchers then concluded that U.S. policies are formed more by
special interest groups than by politicians properly representing
the will of the general people, including the lower-income class.
“The central point that emerges from our research is that
economic elites and organized groups representing business
interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government
policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have
little or no independent influence,” the study found.
The study also found: “When a majority of citizens disagrees
with economic elites and/or with organized interests, they
generally lose.”
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