In theory, a democracy should have a popularly elected ruling class that acts in, and considers of primary importance, the interests of the broadest sample of its citizenry. The concentration of wealth and the influence that the lobbyists have on the political decision making process, however, has turned this democracy into an utter sham. Instead we have a ruling class that acts mainly in the interests of a financial elite class of bankers, businessmen and industry leaders, which, despite having never been elected themselves, determine the political agenda for everyone.
And they use their immense wealth to promote through the mass media this agenda that they claim to be in the best interests of the country, when in fact it only serves to maintain their hegemony over it and, therefore, the subjugated majority. Sometimes they are even so successful in this that many people even vote for their political allies convinced they are actually acting in their best interests, when in fact they are in reality selling themselves out to the plutocrats.
Things have gotten so rigged on this plutocracy's behalf, that elections are held on the most inconvenient work days to discourage a high turnout and, to further make things impossible and to dissuade a young and progressive class of voters from participating in the democracy, up to three ID's are required to prove one's eligibility. It's no wonder that only 40% of the eligible electorate actually votes and where a minority of either religious bigots or thoroughly convinced ideologues, who vote in block, obtains a disproportionate influence over the outcome and always in favor of the conservative establishment.
The last presidential election was an exception, however, this was due to the exceptional disaster we had when the neo-cons were in power for two terms.
And therefore? And therefore I'm waiting to see a democracy that lives up to its name, though perhaps because society has always preferred hanging onto its illusions, rather than seeing how things really are, such a state of the State is a bit too far beyond the collective's grasp.
Though what is certain about what we have been assisting to over the past several decades, is the concentration of power and influence over the priorities of those elected into an ever shrinking minority, which makes today's democracy a rather infirm patient. And that the only cure to this potentially lethal malady, is a heavy dose of majority action. But this requires education and, above all, indignation and enthusiasm to participate in the democratic process. Yet with all the lethargy and resignation we encounter among the civilian masses, for whom hanging onto their materialism is usually the only thing that concerns them, arriving at such a state of excitement is a labor that's just too fatiguing. This is just fine, though, with the plutocracy and precisely what they had banked on when they spent part of the profits.
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