A startling new political science study concludes that corporate interests and mega wealthy individuals control U.S. policy to such a degree that "the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy."
The startling study, titled "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens," is slated to appear in an upcoming issue of Perspectives on Politicsand was authored by Princeton University Professor Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Professor Benjamin Page. An early draft can be found here.
Noted American University Historian Allan J. Lichtman, who highlighted the piece in a Tuesday article published in The Hill, calls Gilens and Page's research "shattering" and says their scholarship "should be a loud wake-up call to the vast majority of Americans who are bypassed by their government."
The statistical research looked at public attitudes on nearly 1,800 policy issues and determined that government almost always ignores the opinions of average citizens and adopts the policy preferences of monied business interests when shaping the contours of U.S. laws.
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
4 comments:
Ahhhh. Nothing like having the official stamp of academia to validate what you've been saying for years.
Right there in black and white for your unbelieving eyes and brain.
You'll still ignore it though, and continue to believe that "your guy" is going to do anything other than enrich himself and his cronies at the expense of the very people he CLAIMS to represent.
Keep cheering, you dummies.
lmclain
Part of the problem as I see it, is that no one any longer views public office as a civic duty. The people that do see it as a civic duty are are quickly run over by political machinery. There are good people out there that want change and are committed to doing what is right. But how do you compete with the Sarbanes, Mikulskis, Bushes, Clintons, Cheneys of the world?
Its difficult to say the least. The federal government is not where people should be focusing their attention. Those fools are long gone by that point. If people want to enact change they need to start looking at the local level which can be effected. Councilmen, Mayors and all local bureaucrats are a more likely avenue for effective change that you can see.
Focus on what is immediately around you. Trying to connect with politicians at a federal level is a joke.
After reading this I am more convinced then ever that the American people would be much better served w/o a Congress. Any new bill should be subjected to referendum even if we are at the polls two or three times a week. This is what it's going to take if our government is going to truly be "..of the people and by the people.." We just cannot put our faith in someone to vote for us any longer, because they won't. They've proven it time and again.
14:07...good points. And very close to what I've been saying. MONEY has corrupted our republic so thoroughly that the ones who have it are keeping anyone else out of the game.
And the media jumps on the slightest scandal to smear all candidates that don't follow their obviously liberal slant. Many good men and women will not expose themselves and their families to that grinding, debilitating and humiliating process.
As Tip O'Neill famously said, "All politics are local".
But it IS, unfortunately, the national political leaders who are doing the damage. THEY passed the Patriot Act, The NDAA, allowed the NSA to thumb their noses at our laws, and subvert the integrity of our system.
I personally believe (and I'm not alone by any means) that the corruption is SO entrenched that no one man or woman can fix it.
Thomas Jefferson PREDICTED the very situation we face. And he was, and still is, one the smartest and most foresighted men our country has ever seen.
He told us what we would need to do.
The wheels are turning at an ever increasing pace. All I can recommend is be ready. Voting ain't working any longer.
Post a Comment