The United States is the world's premier democracy, so how does it stand up? Nowhere other than in democracy can you find such legal devotion to the ideals of equality and opportunity, but as it is pointed out in The Politics of Power, that legality does not guarantee your equality or opportunity (Katznelson, Kesselman, and Draper 6). The shadow of capitalism, long a partner of democracy here in America, looms long and dark, and, when poorly regulated, its ability to stifle opportunity are undeniable. Large disparities between classes exist; the richest 20 percent of the nation makes 12 times as much as the poorest 20 percent, and while it is possible to consider that money is not the key to happiness, the upper tiers of society live longer, healthier lives, as well (3).
Another unmistakable factor in contemporary American politics is the omnipresence of money. Money means everything in the politician's game nowadays, and it takes the citizen out of the picture. Once that happens, what does democracy even mean anymore? As Katznelson, Kesselman, and Draper put it, politics has become a spectator sport (12).
Thomas Hobbes once warned that democracy creates a situation where political apathy runs rampant through the masses, which then undermines the sense that politicians have for the common good; the result being that many politicians then become demagogues, manipulating the people and creating detriments for the state. That was a theoretical problem posed in the 16th century, but the problem is very much real today--particularly in that not only is there political apathy, but political ignorance, as well. In America, almost anyone over the age of 18 can vote, and it is largely true that the people do not know what is good for the nation, especially when political discourse is embroiled in bipartisan wars.
At what level of the American institution of government is reform necessary?
What can be done to make our system more conducive to progress?
