Not that this is startling news, but...

[orogenicman]

Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy


www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

"A proposed policy change with low support among economically elite Americans (one-out-of-five in favour) is adopted only about 18% of the time," they write, "while a proposed change with high support (four-out-of-five in favour) is adopted about 45% of the time."

On the other hand:

When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it.

They conclude:

Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organisations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America's claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.

 

[Moonglow]

Yep, I've been bitching about this for 40 years...

 

[Kosh]

And the OP quotes from the BCC which is a country with a monarchy.

 

[KNB]

And the OP quotes from the BCC which is a country with a monarchy.

Considering that the Queen no longer holds any real political power, nor is she even the richest person in England, that is not a point to try to make.

 

[BlindBoo]

To keep the reigns of power in the hand of the elite, the founders created a Republic, not a Democracy. We have been trending towards more democracy at times, but the pendulum swings both ways. Now money equals political speech. If you don't have money your opinions don't mean squat and are relegated the the nets message-boards.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Yep, I've been bitching about this for 40 years...

Wow, not bad considering that your 13......

 

[Moonglow]

And the OP quotes from the BCC which is a country with a monarchy.

The monarchs are but figureheads. It's parliament and the Prime Minister that operate the nation..

 

[Moonglow]

Yep, I've been bitching about this for 40 years...

Wow, not bad considering that your 13......

and 1/2.....

 

[The2ndAmendment]

And the OP quotes from the BCC which is a country with a monarchy.

Considering that the Queen no longer holds any real political power, nor is she even the richest person in England, that is not a point to try to make.

It's been revealed by the Guardian that the Queen has been using her veto power aggressively for the past four decades.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...over-new-laws-Whitehall-documents-reveal.html

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/14/secret-papers-royals-veto-bills