Do We Have An Elite Government Essay free essay sample

, Research Paper Do we truly have a democracy? Well, society is excessively big to hold direct democracy. Even representative democracy is difficult to accomplish on such a big graduated table. Look at the elector turnout in the United States. It is lower than of all time. If ordinary citizens aren # 8217 ; t doing policy who is? One reply is the Elite Theory. The Elite Theory is a theory that states that the elite of society controls public policy. If the Elite Theory were right it would dwell of two parts. The first portion would be an uninterested populace. With the low elector turnout in the polls, some people would reason that the American people aren # 8217 ; T interested. The 2nd portion would be an Elite category that made about all of the determinations. Some bookmans argue that the rich of today would be that elect category. # 8220 ; The power elite is composed of work forces whose places enable them to exceed the ordinary environments of ordinary work forces and adult females ; they are in places to do determinations holding major effects. Whether they do or make non do such determinations is less of import that the fact that they do occupy such polar places: their failure to move, their failure to do determinations, is itself an act that is frequently of greater effects than the determinations they do do # 8221 ; ( Wright, p. 4 ) . The Elite have to hold a manner to derive entree to the political system. This can be done through the occupations of high standing that these people occupy. Their power can be used to act upon the common adult male by manner of his occupation. This is besides done by run parts. There are no bounds on the sum of money you can give to a political party. # 8220 ; Business and authorities have become more closely and explicitly connected ; neither can now be seen clearly as a distinguishable universe. Under American conditions the growing of executive authorities does non intend simply the # 8216 ; expansion of authorities # 8217 ; has some sort of independent bureaucratism ; it means the dominance of the corporation work forces into political distinction # 8221 ; ( Gerth, p.30 ) . If they give these big sums of money certainly they expect something in return. This gives the Elite much more purchase than the common adult male. All the common adult male has is one ballot and that isn # 8217 ; t even a direct ballot. The elite have the ability to donate their money. This can be 1000000s of dollars. This gives them much more entree to the political system. The determination of conditions to lose one indirect ballot versus a million dollars speaks for itself. If the # 8220 ; Establishment # 8221 ; ( Dahl, p.86 ) does be who governs us? Robert A Dahl added a 3rd reply to this inquiry. He examined several public issues and found out who made the major determinations on these issues. He examined the metropolis of New Haven. He indicated that the elect didn # 8217 ; t do the determinations. He said that some persons and groups were really influential in doing determinations on a certain type of statute law. The metropolis was dominated by many sets of leaders # 8220 ; It was in short a pluralist system. # 8221 ; ( Dahl, p.86 ) Some bookmans have criticized Dahl # 8217 ; s attack. They have said that you can # 8217 ; t ever place peopl vitamin E of power by analyzing cardinal determinations. The people of existent power don’t ever allow the determinations reach the populace. The pluralist portion of American democracy is widely recognized. Pluralism is when many groups have entree to public functionaries. These groups fight back and Forth utilizing their political entree to influence policy. The theory of Pluralism supposes people are really active in groups and their multiple involvements overlap and conflict. For illustration, person who is for building of new schools on the PTA, may be for lower revenue enhancements in the vicinity association. This is a valid theory but most groups are severely represented or left out wholly. It has been argued that Pluralism consists of viing Elites, so that even pluralism falls short of democracy. Scholars who think that America is ruled by the few are critical of elect power. They argue that the political system should be opened up to give more entree to the American people. Other bookmans claim that merely elite are dedicated to democratic rules, and that the multitudes of electors don # 8217 ; t truly care about freedom. This position diminishes the importance of the elector. This smashes the position of representative democracy. The establishing male parents may hold intended it to be like this. They were really afraid of public sentiment and they were all elect. Is it truly credible that the elite and involvement groups command our society? # 8220 ; Although elites exist in about every field of human activity, many bookmans reject the construct that a individual economic and societal elite wields ultimate political power. # 8221 ; ( Cummings, 189 ) . To an extent the inquiry over whether America is an elite or pluralist democracy may present it in footings that are excessively inflexible. As with about everything there is a mix. There are involvement groups and the elite in authorities and there are besides common people. The Elite do exercising power in and out of democracy, but in the terminal the determination still belongs to the people of the United States. In the election of the caput of the school board to the President of the United States the people still vote. In decision I think the authorities of the United States is a mix of elite, involvement groups and common people who made it. I don # 8217 ; t believe the elect theory best explains our authorities because of the mix of people. Even if the elite as a bulk controls the power, they are still traveling to look out for what # 8217 ; s best for our state. Think of our options to our signifier of authorities now. We could go communist were everyone has the same say in authorities. I bet the American people would love that. As of right now the authorities works reasonably good. It is the best authorities in the universe. If it isn # 8217 ; t broke don # 8217 ; t repair it. Even if the working adult male doesn # 8217 ; Ts have every bit much control over policy as the elite does, it may be better this manner. The working adult male doesn # 8217 ; t have the clip to sit down and chew over public policy. He is to occupy seeking to feed his household. A individual who is an elite has the clip to sit down and believe about public policy. This will take to better determinations and people will be better off in the terminal.