The current administration serves the rich and wealthy, actively abetting in fueling the already-present oligarchical systems that run our country.
Continuously, the wealthy elites have forced their agenda to pervade this country, including now – we just call it lobbying. These lobbyists and so-called generous donors are actively shredding the social net, including valuable programs like Social Security, for anyone not part of their exclusive club. Unfortunately for Americans, this is just part of a present pattern in the country’s history.
When the Constitution was signed, only land-owning white men could vote in this fledgling republic. This meant that only a small percent of Americans could vote, those being the rich and the wealthy. Poor whites gained suffrage during the 1820s and 30s, while Black men did not gain the right to vote until 1870. Women were only granted nationwide suffrage in 1920.
No American citizen could directly vote for a senator until the 17th Amendment. Still, even these now directly elected officials do not vote for the populists, they vote for those that stuff their pockets: the rich. Often through the form of lobbying, these elites and their corporations rarely, if ever, vote in the interest of the general public. Their priority is enriching themselves.
These generous donors are our very own oligarchs. According to the Pew Research Center, 58% of Americans favor stricter gun laws. Despite that, only 14 Republicans joined Democrats in 2022 to vote in favor of the first gun control act in almost 30 years. That year, the National Rifle Association spent $2.6 million on lobbying, almost entirely to Republican Congressmen.
Now, Republicans are trying to gut programs like Social Security, a motion that could be widely unpopular with Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of Americans believe that Social Security benefits should not be reduced in any way. However, that is not the only government service Republicans are eager to cleave, they also intend to cut Medicaid, the National Park Services, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Institute of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and many, many more.
Last year, the Republican candidates received $291 million from Elon Musk, $197 million from Timothy Mellon and much more from dozens of rich donors. Some of these donors would later attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Comparatively, the top democratic donor from the 2024 election was Michael Bloomberg, who donated $60 million to Democratic candidates. Republicans won the 2024 election, taking the House, Senate and White House.
But it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if what constituents want isn’t what they get. It doesn’t matter if our elderly cannot afford healthcare anymore, if our young are not educated or if Americans won’t know what the next day’s weather will be.
At least we can rest easy knowing our oligarchs can pursue life, liberty and happiness.
