In her recent book, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, Jane Mayer pens a scathing critique of the multibillionaires who have been attempting to use their obscene amounts of wealth to buy the elections from the American people. The novel details the ascent of the Koch brothers, Charles and David, and their network of followers from oil tycoons in the 1970s to the massive political donors of modern day. Mayer argues that the brothers’ upbringing in Kansas by their authoritarian father, Fred, and demure mother, Mary, created in them a deep hatred of authority and a vision of the world built on economic freedom and pure market capitalism. Ironically, the brothers, especially Charles, rule over …show more content…
She lays out the myriad of ways in which the brothers have transformed the United States into an oligarchy since 2010’s Citizens United Supreme Court ruling. Mayer also details the impact that the Koch network has had on social programs – such as influencing state governors and legislators to not accept the expansion of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act – causing millions of the poorest Americans to go without health insurance. This kind of blatant disregard for the most vulnerable in our society speaks ill of the Koch brothers’ network. Their concern for the well-being of this country’s poorest is truly admirable, which will surely endear them to whatever entity waits for them beyond this life after they are gone. Mayer also implicates the Koch brothers and their allies as being one of the causes of the 2013 national government shutdown, which prevented millions of Americans from using government-run services, like the Head Start Program, which provides food and medical funding for low-income children. The Koch network, clearly, has Americans best interests at heart. These wealthy brothers have no idea what it is like to be an average American, and their ideas only advance their own
Nicholas Kristof’s “3 Peerless Republicans for President: Trump, Carson and Fiorina”, deems the leading candidates from the Grand Old Party unfit for presidency, and the public’s fixation with them a temporary affair. Multiple previous controversies being detailed, and the use notably bleak statistics help undermine the contenders while urging voters to look elsewhere. Kristof utilizes harsh diction with a simple, yet critical tone to denounce the trio, and further his own
Pathos dominates the article when Ehrenreich allows her nephews mother in law, grandchildren, and daughter to move into her house. The situation focuses on pathos because in Ehrenreich’s personal story she includes that “Peg, was, like several million other Americans, about to lose her home to foreclosure” (338). She is effective in her writing by appealing to the readers’ emotions through visual concepts and personal experiences. When I read the article, I felt emotional because the working poor are not fortunate to know if they will have a house or food the next day. I agree with Ehrenreich in which the poor are as important as the wealthy group who get more recognition.
In The Truth About the 1980’s Economy, Michael Schaller explains that “ put simply, the rich got richer and everyone else tread water.” In other words, Schaller suggests that the 1980’s age of Reaganomics wasn’t as renowned as some modern conservatives may suggest, and that under Reagan’s presidency majority of America did not financially benefit. Although Reagan was skilled in having corporate America succeed, the average American citizen did not gain the same prosperity. In Friday Night Lights, the small town of Odessa is a truly American town based in Texas that was widely traditional in values, and conservative in politics. Through Schaller’s perspective, the town is quite paradoxical because although they support and vote for conservative
Economics is concentrated around the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth in a certain country. Within America alone, economics is a widely debated topic as well as a substantial matter in political debate. Trickle down economics gained popularity in the United States in the 1980s during the Reagan Administration, it is essentially an economic principle that advocates reducing tax on the wealthy as a means to encourage business investment in the short term. In Chaos or Community, author, Holly Sklar explores the wealth and poverty rates, not only in America, but also globally. Although it is notable that this article is not as formal as most, it still holds a considerable amount of factual information as well as providing the interested audience with cartoons and quantitative tables.
In 2016 presidential campaigns, George Soros reemerged to be the top funder of the politics
By revealing the Achilles heels of American democracy, international pressures can bring about the end of inequality. Importantly,
The saying that history repeats itself has been proven to be true time and time again. History seems to be doomed to repeat itself as if lessons were never learned from past mistakes. The Gilded Age is a unique period in American history that is undoubtedly repeating itself in the modern day. Corruption, unprecedented immigration, and the massing of wealth by the top 1% of the population are just a few of the things that characterize this period of American history. The same issues that plagued America over 100 years ago are re-emerging in todays’ society leading scholars to say that America has arrived in “The Second Gilded Age”.
“In every well-governed state, wealth is a sacred thing; in democracies, it is the only sacred thing” (France). In modern society, success is often defined by the number of digits in one’s bank account, but how much is one willing to sacrifice for fame and fortune? E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime examines issues surrounding the pursuit of wealth. Tateh is symbolic of the immigrant and representative of his desires, struggles, and achievements during the early 20th century. Tateh may claim to be a socialist, but due to his thoughts and actions, he displays evidence of capitalist ideologies.
Andrew Carnegie was a “robber baron” as shown in the way he acted towards the people who helped him reach the top and the terrible working environment that he subjected his workers to. He did various things in an attempt at overshadowing the awful things he did and positively alter his public image. His mentor, Thomas Scott, taught him the skills he would use to become the undisputed king of steel. Costs were the most important aspect of any business and reducing those required cutting wages, demanding 13 hour days and utilizing spies as a way to thwart possible strikes. Many years after Carnegie had gone out on his own, Scott met with him thinking that the years they spent together and all he had taught him would unquestionably result in help in his time of trouble.
William Domhoff’s investigation into America’s ruling class is an eye-opening and poignant reading experience, even for individuals enlightened on the intricacies of the US social class system. His book, Who Rules America, explains the fundamental failures in America’s governing bodies to provide adequate resources for class mobility and shared power amongst classes. He identifies history, corporate and social hierarchies, money-driven politics, a two-party system, and a policy-making process orchestrated by American elites as several causes leading to an ultimate effect of class-domination theory pervading American society. In articulating his thesis and supporting assertions, Domhoff appeals rhetorically toward an audience with prior knowledge
In a Charles Koch interview he stated, “I 'm more interested in the understanding, the education, the cultural aspects...that 's what 's going to drive what kind of country we 're going to have and whether we can really change the trajectory of the country”. (Fisher, 2015,
Democratic Perspectives What do you think about democracy? Authors Sara Holbrook and Reginald Rose of “Democracy” and 12 Angry Men, both share their own opinion on this topic. This essay will be comparing and contrasting their two opinions based on evidence from their texts. Rose and Holbrook both express their opinion on democracy and how it affects their lives in different ways.
Even though it would seem the plutocracy would not be present in our own small, insignificant little county- we’re just one little Atlanta suburb! Why would the wealthy elite possibly want to rob us of our tax dollars?- it is alive and well. On August 13th , just over two weeks ago, Dekalb County Commissioner Stan Watson was found guilty of ethical lapses. The board found that he voted to give a county contract to APD Solutions, a local property development company, on two
There are a countless number of distinct writers, including myself, William Zinsser, and even Ronnie Scott. In Zinsser’s story, “The Transaction,” he describes the obvious components in how he and Dr. Brock stand nowhere near similar. Zinsser depicts the different writing styles between he and Brock with an intense comparison. For instance, Brock is a surgeon who only began writing as a career in a later stage of his life. Zinsser began writing in his early years and, in his point of view, encompasses a greater knowledge of writing, at least in context.
The short story, “The Rich Brother” accounts the journey of two brothers with great different personalities. After Donald, the younger naive religious brother, is kicked out of a communal farm, Pete, the older wealthier brother, goes to pick him up. Pete feels that Donald is too carefree, and that he always has to help him out of his mistakes. The tensions between these siblings are evident--they both feel that they need to prove themselves to each other; they need to provide evidence of their “prosperity” (Wolff 324). Pete more than Donald tends to always try to impress others, such as buying expressive items.