Is the United States a de facto plutocracy?

[HighStakesPro]

The Bush family is extremely wealthy.

[pvn]

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America's government is distorted by:

- The influence of private business, which I daresay is linked to America's obsession with privatization of government supplied services, which passes far too much money and power off to private interests.

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If these services were *really* privatized, there would be no influence in government. Most of what you see advertised as privatization in the US is actually just a conversion from government providing something directly to government paying a politically-selected vendor to provide something.

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- The existence of privileged private schools, where the rich are given privileged access and connections. This would not happen in a system of public colleges with merit based criteria.

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Yes. Interference with people's freedom of association sounds like a wonderful idea. Also, if you lobotimize everyone, there won't be any elite to rule over you.