On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 6:43 AM, William Conger <[email protected]>wrote:
> The divide between the elite and the 'common-man' has been central to > American > life from the earliest days of the Republic. What troubled the founding > fathers > was the potential of a mob-rule democracy and the urgent need they saw for > some > checks against that. Remember that Washington had to refuse the proposal > that > he be named king. However, except for the stain of slavery and a common > disregard for American Natives, there was more similarity among Americans > than > differences, both with respect to owning property and general literacy. > The > close similarity of conditions for most Americans -- and the absence of a > genuine aristocracy -- helped to create a popular belief that direct > democracy > is fine. But regional differences, rooted in the cultures of the separate > colonies, exposed strong contrasts when perceived on a national scale and > so it > was felt necessary to convince the common man that a direct type of > democracy > was more dangerous than a representative type. > > In the early days of American Independence, almost any free man could own > property, something unheard of in Europe, and that gave him a sense of of > independence and privilege --and equality -- that still forms the solid > core of > American exceptionalist mythology (The American Dream) even though America > is > becoming more and more a land of sharp distinction between haves and > have-nots. > Thus there was a time in America, up to the recent past perhaps, when the > so-called 'ruling class' was an 'everyman' class, open to any as a > meritocracy, > and consisting of the majority of citizens. Some early leaders feared that > the > common man -- however ennobled by property and literacy -- would never > have the > selfless virtue to subordinate self-interest to the greater good for all. > The > history of American political and social life has been one of proving > again and > again the wisdom of the common man, usually edging ahead of the fears of an > elite paternalism. Until now. > > The big difference between today and, say, the early 19C in America with > respect > to opportunity and 'equality of condition' (outside of slavery and utter > subjugation of Natives) is that now a genuine elite is forming, made up of > those > who own most of the property (wealth) who deprive others of any real > chance to > succeed by merit and rise from any social position. The rich today are not > simply millionaires who can go broke through profligacy but, as we know, > billionaires, who cannot possibly spend all of their money on > self-indulgence. > To spend a billion dollars in a 75 year lifetime would require a daily > depletion of at least 75,000 dollars, seven days a week, even at no > interest. > Miss one day and the next spend !50,000 just to keep pace. (Do the math. My > guess is not far off). The new excess wealth being accumulated by a few > will > last for generations, perhaps even increasing, and that will certainly > lead to a > genuine aristocracy, a genuine ruling class with inherited privileges and > weapons to enforce any fancy and subjugate the mass of people everywhere. > That's the super rich solution to world problems. The new Middle Ages is > upon > us. > > It is a reality today that the super rich can do as they please, ignoring > any > national or international law if they choose, for their own benefit or > self-proclaimed wisdom. They can make anything happen. I've seen it in > the art > world, a small part of the world, to be sure, but the whims of the super > rich > can make or break any institution, any career, any history.....and they > relish > that power by pretending to be helpful folks. > > An Ezra Pound, for all his hubris, was a pipqueak in today's terms. There > are > no influential intellectuals anymore, whatever their views. There is big > money, > very big money, and it creates the reality we all live by. > wc > Sounds like a plutocracy to me. With regard to rich subjugating "the mass of people everywhere": - The bulk of mankind have indeed, in all countries in their turn, been made the prey of ambition. (Mercy Otis Warren) Concerning the forming of an aristocracy, the following said by Thomas Jefferson may be of interest:: http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/end-democracyquotation
