Do you believe that the USA is an oligarchy

[Admiral Loinpresser]

maintained in that status by the two major political parties?

And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.

Senator Dick Durbin, c. April 29, 2009

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/dick-durbin-banks-frankly_n_193010.html

[banned from Kos]

1. No, We are a Constitutional democracy.

Its our fault we vote stupid. Michele Bachman is proof and Minnesota is supposed to be a better educated state.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

3. What do you think about Justice Brandeis's quote?

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."

Louis D. Brandeis (Supreme Court Judge)

[banned from Kos]

8. I'd never heard it before. But

I don't agree because we have both now. The 99% just don't know how to vote in their best interest.

Peoples families are often in the same demographics and have big arguments on party affiliation.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

10. I guess we'll have to disagree about Brandeis.

In my experience, it is generally true that anyone with enough money to greatly outspend his opponent can win political office.

[banned from Kos]

12. Well, Meg Whitman, Linda McMahon, and Carly Fiorina are all very wealthy

reasonably decent women and they all lost big in a GOP year (2010).

There is hope!

[Admiral Loinpresser]

13. Certainly there are years like 2010 and 1994,

when incumbency is less significant. But the larger political trend is toward greater entrenched power for the 1%.

[jwirr]

4. The only people who voted for her are the people in her own district.

However, I cannot claim my district did any better - we have craavack.

[xchrom]

5. If we ever were... We certainly are not now. Nt

[Angry Dragon]

7. What state do you live in??

[banned from Kos]

9. Georgia --- lol... I have two terrible Senators and a far-right Congresman

named Tom Price. Atlanta has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country outside of the Southwest.

[Angry Dragon]

15. See, there are enough assine republicans to stink up this whole country

No state is immune

I guess the people of Minnesota are so proud of our Michele that we just wish to share her with the rest of the country

[trackfan]

2. According to Syme, virtually all governments are oligarchies. n/t

[FarCenter]

6. The two stable forms of government are monarchy and oligarchy

Democracy is a transitional form generally found either in small homogeneous communities, or large communities with low populations and large resources.

Once population and resources are in balance, democracy evolves towards oligarchy and a complex heirarchical structure.

In case of severe disruption such as plague, war, revolution, a "strong man" usually takes over in alliance with the lower classes and social mobility increases. Over time, the center gives up power to the oligarchy.

Thus, most societies in the long run oscillated between a strong king and powerful barons. Charlemagne was a strong king. Under his weaker sucessors, the barons became more powerful.

[saras]

11. Do you have evidence from elsewhere than the shithole that was Europe for the last 2K years?

Does this theory hold up in Asia? Africa? The Middle East? South America?

We already know that Europe has some deeply systemic problems with power, but there's no reason to assume without evidence that they are universal or necessary.

[FarCenter]

14. Look at the dynastic sucesssions in China, Japan, Egypt, etc.

Generally the new dynasty starts with the concentration of power in the dynastic founder, following a military victory over internal or external foes. However, the problem of sucession typically allows power to flow outward to great landowners, military official, bureaucrats, etc. who form power bases of their own. When this diffusion of power becomes inheritable, the monarch becomes progressively weaker.

In Latin America, the "man on horseback" who brings military order to a country is a well known phenomenon. However, as time passes, power goes out to the latifunda, cardinals, generals, etc.

[Locrian]

16. voting

Big deal, we get to vote for corporate robot "A" or corporate robot "B".