The following list describes the various power groups of people, both living and deceased that exert their influence on contemporary life in America. The story of the American phenomena begins thousands of years ago when the ancient storytellers and philosophers began forming human civilizations.
The Ancient Storytellers and Innovators - These original philosophers and innovators (Greek, Roman, Jewish and Christian) formed the basis of western civilization’s philosophies and technologies. They were all the imaginative people who contributed their ideas (political, religious, technical, etc.) down through the ages. Later, the renaissance philosophers and scientists, European and American, contributed their ideas and stories.
Our Founding Forefathers - These people (farmers, lawyers, merchants, etc.), using the ideas of the ancient ones (right down to the most basic tools such as language, the phonetic alphabet and Arabic numerals) created the fundamental principles, philosophies and primary laws of our nation. Using these ideas and tools they hammered out and authored the documents that would guide our nation into the future. These documents, our Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. are the guiding force of our country and even for other countries. Even though these philosopher statesmen are long gone, they are still the main power group that inspires, influences and guides our nation down its path into the unknown.
The Contemporary Government Leaders - These are the citizens who are elected to serve and carry on the policies and programs started by our forefathers (federal, state and local). Their job is to; maintain and add to, the tremendous wealth of our public infrastructure, and provide strong military, police and fire protection. They must also endevour to maintain a positive moral, political, economic and intellectual climate for the country's citizens.
Their job is also to educate our children, create laws and regulations to guide and protect our; citizens, businesses, and environment. Encourage research, such as space exploration, etc., that will carry us into the future. they must also be fiscally responsible so that our future generations will not have bear the burden of our present generation’s excesses.
The Scientists - These are the imaginative people from around the world who, by using scientific reasoning delved into the secrets of nature and discovered its natural laws and relationships. They opened the way for the inventors, entrepreneurs and the rest of the capitalists to take advantage of their discoveries. They are the cornerstone of the wealth building process.
The Capitalists - Our country encourages capitalism. They are the farmers (the original capitalists, without them our civilization would collapse), entrepreneurs, manufacturers, retailers, service businesses, inventors, investment bankers, commercial bankers, creative innovators, artists, investors, venture capitalists, etc., who help create, trade and sell, their products and services. These dynamic power people, who together with the help of their workers and skilled craftsmen, create the wealth of our nation.
Supreme Court - (The politically appointed high priests of our country). These lawyer/judges interpret the laws of our country. Their decisions whether good or bad become the law of the land. They have made some bad mistakes in the past that has caused tremendous turmoil for the country. Their terms should be limited, no citizen of this country should have this power for life, its too much like being a king or dictator.
Federal Reserve Bankers - Their job is to set a stable economic course that will encourage our businesses to grow and prosper. These banker/economists try to prevent the boom and bust business cycles by regulating short term interest rates and the money supply. If the nation's economic engine becomes overheated they have the power to slow things down a bit even if they have to cause a recession by setting high short term interest rates and bank reserves.
Government Bond Owners - This group, both foreign and domestic, has gained tremendous power since our government started spending our future generation’s earnings in the early thirties (deficit spending in peace time). As our national debt grows these bondowners demand an ever larger slice of our country’s wealth. Increasing amounts of money that could be spent for the benefit of our citizens now must be paid to this group. This is putting constant pressure on our government to cut services or raise taxes.
President - Manager of the country, head of the armed forces, appoints department heads, signs bills into law or vetos them. As the country’s chief storyteller, he or she sets the temperment, goals and policy of the country.
Congressional Committee Leaders- These are the “power” congressmen who wield great influence and determine what bills that will come up for vote.
Lawyers - They influence and draw up the bills that come before Congress. Prosecute and defend the accused lawbreakers. Write most contracts for businesses and other people. They are a major beneficiary of the lawsuits they win in civil lawsuits, right now they are collecting billions of dollars from winning lawsuits against large corporations. They love this country's tort system since they benefit greatly from the tremendous awards the juries give out. Its not their money so who cares!
Most lawyers are not interested in justice at all, they are more interested in "winning their case". They act as lobbyists for whom ever hires them. As judges they preside over our courts and render decisions. They are extremely close, powerful group of citizens! Beware to other citizens when they enter their domain.
The Storytellers - They are the major influence on the contemporary thinking of the country. Their stories determine the mood and morals of the nation. They develop and slant their stories any way they wish. Under our system of government they have great freedom to express their stories.
They are the news journalists, advertisers, writers, philosophers, clergy, politicians, authors, composers, and moviemakers. (They are also our family, friends, peers and coworkers.) Motion pictures, radio/television, telecommunications and video recording are the powerful new storytelling media of the twentieth century. Recently we have added computers/software and the Internet. It has been a revolutionary century for the storytellers!
Multinational & Military/Industrial Corporations, (domestic and foreign). They are a powerful part of the capitalist's group. Their power extends far beyond our shores. Through their lobbyists and PACs, they are a major influence on our lawmakers.
Political Parties - There are two dominant parties in America, the Republicans; mostly conservatives who want less government and taxes, and the Democrats; liberals who want to distribute the conservatives’ wealth. They want the government to be able to intrude into every facet of our lives. Under the Democrats, the power of the government and its entitlements have grown tremendously in this century. At present, the Democractic party's power lies in a coalition of feminists, African/Americans and labor union members. It becomes scary when either party gets control of both Congress and the Presidency at the same time.
The Power factions - They are everywhere; lobbying, storytelling, bribing, trying to be a dominant force. These factions come in all sizes and all flavors. Some of the more visible power factions are the; liberals, conservative, feminists, blacks, businesses, the military/industrial, unions, anti abortionists, veterans, NRA, religious, etc.. With the advent of women's and blacks’ suffrage, the white conservative male voting block has lost some of its power. This has resulted in major change in the political and economic course of our country. We are now wallowing in a sea of well meaning social programs and tremendous national debt. Recently the entrepreneurial capitalists have been creating tremendous new wealth which has enabled the government to begin paying off some of this debt. If this continues a new age of prosperity will result for everyone.
The American Family - This fundamental group has been under siege in the last half of this century, largely by the feminists urging women to leave their traditional role as the hub of the family, to get a job and leave their children in the care of others and the Hollywood storyteller’s message for young women to be more sexually active without a commitment in case a pregnancy occurs. These messages have sent the divorce rate and children born without the benefit of a parental commitment soaring. (There are now, nor never have been, any illegitimate children born on this planet, only irresponsible parents).
The Feminists - Women have made major moves up the power ladder since they won the right to vote. As part of the liberal coalition they helped create a new more compassionate but costly society in America. Their voting power has changed the course of our country forevever. They were the last major group to win the right to vote. Women are now an intregral part of the working and capitalist class.
The Environmentalists- These are the watchdogs of “Spaceship Earth” Although a fairly new group they are becoming more and more important as the population of mankind gobbles up an ever increasing area of the planet.
European Americans - For hundreds of years the Europeans came to this country to escape the slavery of serfdom and religious persecution. In Scotland they were evicted from their homes and land so the noblemen landowners could raise sheep. From England to escape intolerable economic and religious conditions. From Germany, Italy, Poland and the rest of Europe they came for the same reasons. The Irish came to escape starvation in Ireland.
The Jews came to escape thousands of years of slavery, persecution and discrimination. They all came to build a better life for themselves and their families. There was no welfare and they didn't ask for any special privileges nor were any of these groups welcomed by the people who were already here. Each group suffered much prejudice and discrimination when they came over. Some of the first settlers in Virginia and Massachusetts were massacred by the local natives who did not want them encroaching on their territory.
This mayhem continued for the whole time our country was being settled). Each group, as they came over, started with nothing and had to work and fight hard to feed their families and build this country into the power it is today. These people are the backbone of our country.
When they are united in a common cause they are a power to be reckoned with. (The Japanese found this out the hard way when they attacked Pearl Harbor to start World War II.) Most of the time however, their power is directed every which way and so, is mostly canceled out (unless they are a part of a special group).
Civil Service Workers and Bureaucrats - These are the people who run the everyday operations of the government and provide us with all the essential government services which are paid for by taxing the capitalist's wealth generating capabilities. They are the firemen, policemen, teachers, sanitation workers, administers and clerks, federal judges, etc..
They have moved up the economic ladder in the last thirty years through collective bargaining and now receive excellent salaries and benefits. The bureaucrats' numbers and power have increased immensely in this century especially since advent of income tax, social security, medicare, etc. The bureaucrats can now delve into every aspect of our lives.
Artists and Athletes - These are the musicians, painters, composers, storytellers, actors, dancers, sport athletes, etc.. They are a vital part of the arts and entertainment power structure that we take pleasure in listening to and watching. Their creative and athletic abilities add great enjoyment to our lives. Some of them are extremely well paid.
Labor Unions - In the private sector they try to negotiate their workers a fair share of the wealth that the capitalists create. They lost some of their power when the cost of labor became too high and manufacturers began moving their operations to other countries. NAFTA and GATT aggravated the situation. In the public sector the unions have done very well through lobbying and negotiating since their entities do not have to show a profit and they simply raise taxes.
Health Care System - They provide excellent health care expertise for our citizens and have a powerful lobby to promote their interests. Now a days they are pushing the technological envelope to the extreme, performing miracles with their drugs, machines and procedures.
The Armed Forces - These people are the greatest human killing force on the planet. Their job is to dominate our country's enemies. Fortunately for our country, they are honorable, loyal citizens and politically neutral. Males - (young, mature) These are the young men who are drafted into the armed forces whenever the country needs someone to fight and die for it. They have no power to resist when they are called upon but have always done an extremely commendable job when their services were needed. In peacetime these professionals lead fairly normal lives.
The Religious - (ministers, priests, rabbis, etc.) These storytellers try to promote their particular doctrines and guide their followers spiritually and morally. Its a hard job in these times with so many immoral storytellers spinning their tales. They are not as powerful in this country as in some other countries although some religious factions have powerful voting blocks coming on the scene.
Academia - (teachers and college professors and their students) Most teachers and professors have respected, good paying, cushy jobs to teach the next generation, do research and travel. Some of the teachers in the grammar and high schools however, have thankless jobs trying to teach pupils who do not want to be in school. It wasn't too far back in time when these kids would have been working in factories and coal mines or out in the hot sun picking cotton twelve hours a day. Maybe if they were put in their predecessor's shoes for a couple of months they would appreciate their opportunities a lot more.
African/Americans - Through the determined efforts of; the newly created Republican Party, President Lincoln, the voters who opposed slavery and the terrible bloody ordeals suffered, in the Civil War, by the Union troops, the slaves were liberated and became citizens (a giant step up the power structure ladder).
From the time of the Declaration of Independence, up until the battle of Antietam, the proslave faction was the dominant power in our country and (even though they were largely responsible for creating it) made a mockery of our ideals.
The outcome of the battle of Antietam gave President Lincoln the confidence to declare the Emancipation Proclamation. (Until this battle was fought, it was doubtful which way the war would go). It was another decisive step in our revolution which had begun in 1776. Our country was on the verge of finally becoming a true reality. worldwide, slavery was finally on the wane, it had been a human institution ever since the creation of mankind.
In the past forty years the blacks have fought their way to their rightful place on the power structure ladder via litigation, boycotting, rioting, education and voting. Their continous whining has made them a power to be reckoned with. They now have their own holiday named after Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as many roads and parks all over the country. They have convinced most of the liberal judges to give them special privleges for all the suffering they have done in the past. They feel they suffered the most discrimination and hardships of any group of people in the history of mankind, that white people are the source of all their woes and that they cannot succeed on their own without special government help and privileges.
The truth is, many groups of people throughout history have suffered as much or more discrimination and hardships for a much longer period of time then did our black citizens.
The next step up the power ladder for these people will be; to accept responsibility for their actions, to build up their credibility and integrity in the eyes of their fellow citizens and establish safe prosperous neighborhoods that anyone will feel welcome and safe to visit.
They have come a long way since since they were rescued from slavery by the Union soldiers, some of whom were exslaves themselves. They have exactly the same potential as everyone else. It is up to them to strive to reach this potential and it is up to their storytellers to inspire and encourage them along the way.
The Hispanic and Asian Immigrants - These are the latest major population groups to join our power structure ladder. They are mostly diligent hard working people coming to America to carve out a better life for themselves just as the European immigrants did. They should add greatly to our country's wealth and culture.
The Native Americans - These people were living the good life in this land until they were invaded by the Europeans. (Some of their tribes enjoyed a democratic form of governing long before the we adopted it.) Their braves fiercely tried to resist the encroachment of the newcomers but were totally out numbered and out fought. If they would have had a Ghenis Khan to organize and lead them, the outcome of this struggle may have been totally different. (The Mongols used to have the Europeans shaking in their boots). Presently they are either assimilated into the general population or living on their reservations. They have their own power struggles on these reservations.
Our Posterity - This group does not have much power now, they are nearly at the bottom of the power structure. They cannot vote, and depend totally on the good will and foresight of the present generation to look out for their welfare. They will eventually inherit all the assets and debt of the present generations, as they take over our country. To protect our future generations, maybe we should have a Presidential cabinet member dedicated to protecting the welfare of these future citizens. After all, they our are children, grand-children, great grandchildren, etc., etc.!!
Minimum Pay Workers - These are the ubiquitous, indispensable people who serve and make life worth living for all of us. Their life is a constant economic struggle.
Welfare Recipients - Women who are subsidized by the government to have babies, people who make a career out of not working and people who need a temporary helping hand from society.
The Underworld - The murky world of organized crime, drug dealers, bad law enforcement officers and corrupt politicians, etc. They depend on violence, threats and bribes to keep their enterprises going.
Convicted Felons - Murderers, robbers, rapists, con men, etc. who are jailed at tremendous taxpayer expense or sent back to the streets to continue their crime career. Their life is a total drag on themselves and society.
- The Bottom of the Power Structure.
Donald L. Hamilton, author of "The Mind of Mankind" (novan.info)
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"Human Imagination" Mankind's Incredible Power!
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