theories_of_gov
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Dec 6, 2023
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FAD – Theories of Government Assignment
1.
Which of the theories do you feel is the most accurate and why?
At a national scale in the U.S, although power was intended to be
for the people, by the
people
, I think that we have an Elite Democracy. First of all, the power lies in three places:
the Executive Branch, where the president and his/her cabinet lead, the Legislative Branch,
where senators and representatives create laws, and the judicial branch, where Supreme
Court justices hold power. The Judicial Branch is elitist because no common citizens have a
say in who is on the Supreme Court. The executive branch can also be argued to be elitist
because the president appoints the Cabinet, not the people. Lastly, although hard to prove
elitist, the members of Congress act upon their own ideas and views. Even though a certain
population may have voted for a representative, that population cannot control the actions
of that representative, even if those actions are unfavorable. Lastly, since there is a
significant wealth inequality in the US (compared to its NATO allies), the richest people in
the US catalyze corruption at all three levels of government. The lack of citizen intervention
in the US Government in all three branches proves that the US can be classified as an Elitist
Democracy.
2.
Give an example from the news supporting your argument in part "1".
An article by the Washington Post shows elitism in action. The author describes how the
connection to places is a very critical part for understanding Democracy to a place (Fontana,
2021). They first describe how most adults live very close (18 miles) from their mothers
(Fontana, 2021). Then, the author explains that the most successful people (on average), live
further away from their parents and that they gain connection to multiple places allowing
for more influence (Fontana, 2021). Fontana then shows that because of their ties to several
places, elitists are able to gain more influence and thus gaining more money. Because elitists
have more money, they are able to fund campaigns for people that they support much more
easily than others (Fontana, 2021). This shows how politicians received most of their
influence from other elitists with money, and received less from common citizens, leading to
them being underrepresented in this “representative” democracy (Fontana, 2021)
3.
Which theory do you feel is the most improbable and why?
The pluralist theory seems most improbable because non-governmental organizations in the
US simply do not function without influence from elitists, making them influenced by
politicians. Most of the funding in NGOs and activist groups comes from elitists and
politicians, further supporting the elitist theory.
Works Cited
Fontana, D. (2021, August 2). America's Hidden Crisis of Power and Place.
Washington Post
Magazine
.
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