Pluralism vs. Elitism - 1417 Words

Pluralism vs. Elitism The term lobbying conjures up visions of a cigar-chomping interest group representative, his arm around the shoulder of an important senator or representative, advising him how he ought to vote on some obscure provision of the Tax Code and slipping an envelope, fat with currency, into his jacket pocket. Or it conjures up images of favors given: paid vacations to exotic locations, honorarium payments for brief speeches at association meetings, and other exchanges verging on bribery. These images both reveal and confuse. These things surely happened in the past, some continue to happen today, and some will surely happen in the future? (Greenberg Page 192). But what these images don’t help us understand are the†¦show more content†¦Some say the number is 15-25 thousand, others say 150,000- 250,000, but whatever the number, a small number of people, because of their positions (their jobs), have a tremendous impact on government and society. This circuit breaker that Green mentions is of course the political body that leans toward the wishes of business and not the people. With closer inspection though, we can see that this same political body is comprised more and more of the business people themselves. We all already know the intimate relationship between business and government at the highest levels of government, but have not considered the impact of people at the local levels. More and more wealthy people are entering the ranks of government and in so doing, it is argued, are losing sight of the priorities of the average citizen. Representatives that create policy no longer represent the average citizen but the wealthy class or better said the class that does not need government services. Fairness in access to the public used to be guaranteed through legislation such as the Equal Time Provision of the 1934 Communications act. This act required that except for news programs, stations that granted (or sold) air time to any one candidate for public office had to grant (or sell) other candidates equal time? (Greenberg Page 175). With today’s revenue hovering at approximately 1 billion dollars for political commercials, as in the 2000 elections, it isShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Of Elitism Vs. Pluralism1237 Words   |  5 PagesThe question of â€Å"who get’s what, and how† is the guiding concern presented in the general argument of elitism vs. pluralism this week. The authors of the three key texts seem to each take a varying approach to answering this question, with some offering more extreme answers than others. On the most elitist extreme, Mills in The Power Elite (1956) provides a strong argument that the decisions made in politics are the direct result of the actions of a highly selective group of individuals who doRead MoreThe Theories Of Power Within A State Essay2041 Words   |  9 PagesEmphasised are the various theories of power within a state. Originating from his book Power: A Radical View by political theorist, Steven Lukes, who highlighted the existence of three dimensions of power; Pluralism, Elitism, and Marxism. Elitism focuses on how power is concentrated, Pluralism focuses on how power is distributed while Marxism focuses on class conflict and economic power (Barry, 2016). The purpose of this essay is to establish the variations between these dimensions but also identifyRead MoreThe Infant Mortality Is A Huge Issue Stopping Us From Moving Forward2500 Words   |  10 Pagesjust tend to stick with what they already know. 22. 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