Officially the United States is a Federal Republic, “a form of government made up of a federal state with a constitution and self-governing subunits” (“Federal Republic”). Although American politics have changed throughout the ages, the government we have today is nothing like the one the founding fathers had created. As new laws were created, and amendments made and removed from the constitution, the United States at present cannot be constrained into only one classification of government. I propose that the form of government operative in the United States is Corporatocracy. By definition “Corporatocracy is a form of government where a corporation is controlling all of society. This could also be a group of corporations, multiple companies or government entities with private components control the direction of a country” (Miranda Christy).
However, some would say the United States is not a Corporatocracy. Some might say that the United States is a Meritocracy. A Meritocracy is according to Merriam-Webster, “a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement.” Thus, if the United States is not a Corporatocracy and is instead a Meritocracy, then people with achievements would influence government. Now, yes it seems at first that representatives and presidents are voted in based on their achievements and abilities. Nevertheless, closer examination will reveal that this is simply not that clear-cut. While certain politicians can be voted in by their qualifications, elections don’t entice that. People at the end of the day are emotional, and most political campaigns exploit that. The most popular recent example is the campaign of Donald Trump. Many of trumps ads and speeches didn’t focus on how qualified he was; they focused on how there is something wrong with America and that we need to be great again. So, when it comes to that aspect of Meritocracy, the United States fails. Also, many people who run for public office are businessmen. There is the aforementioned Donald Trump, but there was also the Republican nominee for president in 2012, Mitt Romney. Then there are other examples like the former Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Robert Jordan) They all have no real qualifications when it comes to creating legislation or directing policy on nuanced topics like immigration. Additionally, Trump and Schwarzenegger are famous personalities (Robert Jordan). Being well known for TV and action movies also helped in getting them elected, not any qualifications the candidates had for the office they were running for. Though, for the case towards the United States being a Meritocracy, there are other politicians who do have qualifications, for example the previous president Barack Obama. He graduated from Harvard law school, which is a good mark to have on your resume ("Barack Obama"). Especially, when your job includes drafting legislation. My final point against the United States being a Meritocracy is that, ignoring the other factors, in the end it doesn’t matter. There are circumstances in which people are elected by their merit. However, when money is involved, as I will argue in the next paragraph, the interests of the public take second billing to the interests of the corporations. So, it would be more accurate to say the United States has characteristics of a Meritocracy, but I have evidence that Corporatocracy is ever more prevalent in United States political system.
Now, for why the U.S is a Corporatocracy. This is mostly because of lobbying, which according to the business dictionary, is “The act of attempting to influence business and government leaders to create legislation or conduct an activity that will help a particular organization. People who do lobbying are called lobbyists” (“How Corporations Turned into Political Beasts”). Business lobbying took off in the 70’s when government regulation and a declining economy convinced many companies to start hiring lobbyists in mass. Through the use of lobbying, corporations have begun to see the government not so much as a rival as they once did, but as a potential ally and profit machine. Consequently, this has led to some very concerning developments. For instance, the fight against the creation of a consumer protection agency in the 70’s, which would’ve protected American consumers from poor business practices (“How Corporations Turned into Political Beasts”). Moreover, the Defense industry also engages in lobbying with companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, lobbying heavily for contracts. The contracts these companies compete for has cost the U.S billions of dollars. Dollars that could be better spent elsewhere, like on our crumbling infrastructure. Also, it’s not just the defense sector, as the NRA is a special interest group that lobbies extensively against gun control, even though most Americans support such legislation, and especially when children are becoming victims of gun violence with many of the school shootings that have happened over the years. Another prime example of lobbying’s influence happened in 2011, when Wisconsin voters voiced their opposition to legislation that would limit union’s bargaining rights thereby limiting the unions ability to protect workers (Bruce Levine). From these examples, I have shown that the size of Corporate influence in the United States government is enormous.
In conclusion, even though most people say the United States is a Federal Republic, this is not the case. Ordinarily, to be a democracy you must listen to the opinions of all or most citizens, but because of corporate influence, the will and well-being of the people have constantly been pushed aside in the name of profit. I have shown through argumentation that the United States, while still retaining democratic elements, mostly has characteristics of a Corporatocracy. With the use of lobbying, these corporations can make sure that the priorities and wishes of the people take a backseat. In the end though, even if you think otherwise, the United States shows the characteristics of a Corporatocracy. Because of that, the will of the people isn’t worth as much as it once was as corporate influence has grown in this country. That is why the United States can be considered a Corporatocracy.
Works Cited
“Barack Obama” WhiteHouse.gov, Federal government of the United States, https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/barack-obama/. Accessed 21 April 2018.
Christy, Miranda. “Corporatocracy.” Miranda’s Webfolio, Google sites, https://sites.google.com/view/mirandachristy/corporatocracy. Accessed 14 Apr. 2018.
“Federal Republic.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/federal-republic. Accessed 14 Apr. 2018.
“How Corporations Turned into Political Beasts” Business Insider, 25 Apr. 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-corporations-turned-into-political-beasts-2015-4. Accessed 14 Apr. 2018
Jordan, Robert. “Entrepreneurs Turned Politicians.” Forbes, Forbes, 7 Nov. 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertjordan/2012/11/07/entrepreneurs-turned-politicians/#7a1efffe6ab7. Accessed 21 Apr. 2018.
Levine, Bruce. “The Myth of U.S. Democracy and The Reality of U.S. Corporatocracy.” Huffington Post, Oath Inc., 25 May. 2011, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-e-levine/the-myth-of-us-democracy-corporatocracy_b_836573.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2018.
“Lobbying.” Business Dictionary, Web Finance, Inc, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/lobbying.html. Accessed 14 April 2018.
“Meritocracy” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritocracy. Accessed 21 Apr. 2018.