April 13, 2021

An underlying problem

 Huffington Post, 2015 - A 2014 Princeton University study comparing 1,779 policy outcomes to more than 20 years of public opinion data found that “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” When you compare what the public wants to what the government actually does, it turns out that our opinions have essentially no impact.

But, there’s a catch. The same study did manage to find one portion of American society that’s doing quite well in the representation department: economic elites and business interests. In the last 5 years, the 200 most politically active companies in the US spent $5.8 billion influencing our government with lobbying and campaign contributions. Those same companies got $4.4 trillion in taxpayer support — earning a return of 750 times their investment. If you can afford to buy access, times have never been better.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the face of what seems so hopelessly in favor of elites and corporate interests, it is little wonder average citizens feel neglected and disenfranchised.

Semper Paratus