Trump's Travel Ban Idea

The travel ban is one of the many ideas Trump has to share.  Trump wants to shut down terrorist groups' use of the internet for indoctrination and recruitment.  He states, "The internet is their main recruitment tool."  His goal is to interdict these networks, how they use information, and how they physically move because the strengths of terrorist organizations, according to Trump, are that they are able to communicate, travel, move people away, transport money, weapons, drugs and illicit goods internationally.

People are rioting against the travel ban because they find it racist against the Muslims(-racism).

Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner, Ronald Vitiello, said, "We are in the process of action planning about each of the opportunities that the United States government has to interview and/or vet potential inbound travelers."  That could include "looking at things like social media, looking at things like smartphones, those kinds of windows, if you will, into people's backgrounds and their activity," he said.  Next month, the President's executive order will suspend travel from 6 Muslim-majority countries for 90 days until additional information is taken to make sure an individual seeking entrance is not a public-safety threat.

DQ:

1. Do you believe internet is terrorist organizations' main recruitment tool?  Why or why not?
2. Is it the right move to suspend travel from 6 Muslim-majority countries?  Why or why not?
3. Do you have any other ideas of how Trump could go about this issue?  Explain.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/17/politics/hr-mcmaster-new-travel-ban/index.html

Possible End of the Iran Nuclear Deal Agreement

Trump claims the "Iran deal is not fair to this country."  The Iran deal is actually called the Iran nuclear deal framework which is a preliminary framework agreement made in 2015.  In October, trump is going to decide whether to certify that Iran is complying with the agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)), but if he does not then Congress will have 60 days to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal.  It is the most likely Trump will say Iran is not complying to the agreement because he claims it is the worst deal ever he has ever seen.  Not only that, but he argues Iran has "violated so many different elements" of the deal.  

Trump and Rouhani giving their serious speeches

In response, Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian President, threatens "America will pay a 'high cost' if United States President Donald Trump makes good on his threats to scrap the Iran nuclear deal." In fact, Rouhani states, it "will yield no results for the United States but at the same time it will generally decrease and cut away and chip away at international trust placed in the United States of America." Trumps counterclaim is to "keep in mind please that if the United States wishes to withdraw from the JCPOA, why would the North Koreans waste their time in order to sit around the table of dialogue with the United States, because they would think perhaps after years of talks and potential agreement of the next United States administration could step over or pull out of the agreement."

Discussion Questions:

1.  Do you think Trump should certify Iran is complying with the agreement or not?  Why?

 Do you believe Rouhani right about the aftermath if Trump pulls the US out of the agreement, or is Trump right about the other countries not making dramatic actions about this?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/middleeast/iran-deal-rouhani-amanpour-interview/index.html

Pluralism

The United States of America has a pluralist government.  Pluralism is a theory that states that politics are a competition amongst groups, and that our country is in the control of," a variety of persons".  One example of pluralism is the Black Lives Matter Movement.  Black Lives Matter was created after Trayvon Martin was murdered in 2012.  Trayvon's murderer George Zimmerman was later acquitted of all charges.  Another reason why Black Lives Matter was created is to stop police brutality and racism.  However, the group has been criticized for protesting and damaging property.  One man went as far as killing multiple cops in Dallas, Texas before being killed himself.  Because of all of the protests, property damage, and violence many people have been labeling Black Lives Matter as a terrorist group.  Since the formation in 2012, Black Lives Matter has seen very little progress as cops have still been killing unarmed black men.  Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Tamir Rice are just a few victims of police brutality.  Another example of pluralism is Antifa.  Antifa(short for Anti-Fascists) is a group of people whose beliefs lean towards the far left.  They believe Donald Trump is a fascist and he will turn America into a fascist country.  Often times, when Antifa protests there is a lot of violence and property damage.  Earlier this year in Charlottesville, Antifa clashed with white supremacists which caused Heather Heyer her life.  Similar to Black Lives Matter, many people have labeled Antifa as a terrorist group.  Even with all of the violence and protests, there has been no progress in getting Donald Trump out of office.  Thus, Black Lives Matter and Antifa are just a few of the many groups that makes our country pluralist.

Pluralism in America

Representation of the diversity in  power

              After reading about all 4 social power theories; Pluralism, Marxism, Elitism, and Bureaucratic Elitism, I believe Pluralism represents the United States the best. When a country is in a state of pluralism, power is greatly divided with many positions, and even if you do not occupy a position, you are included and you're opinion matters. However, because power is so divided, decision-making is slow, and several heated debates are intertwined into this process.



In other words, pluralism supports "...that all, or almost all, relevant interests have a chance to affect the outcome of decisions. Not only are the elites divided, they are responsive to their followers' interests, and thus they provide representation to almost all citizens affect by a policy" (Class reading). There are many events that relate to pluralism today in the United States. For example, Trump's travel ban. It took months to create the final decision. The Supreme Court had to take in their own opinions, the concerns of the people, and of course, President Trump. Even after a compromise was made, the Justice Department wanted it abolished!  
                               
Overall, Pluralism can sometimes be a tough theory to follow but the United States accomplishes it, and the system succeeds everyday. Please watch the beginning of this video explaining Pluralism; only watch until 3:10:

Study.com Video
                                                                            Thank You :)

Sources: Class reading and http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/supreme-court-to-take-up-trumps-travel-ban-let-parts-of-it-take-effect-239956

More Information: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/11/pluralism-and-democracy/306321/

Why I think Pluralism runs the US

There are 4 different types of democracy in the U.S. and they are Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. The reason why I think the U.S. is run by Pluralism is because of how the government is run, like we have the Judical branch, Legislative branch, and the Executive branch and they all work together to run the government properly because if we didn't have them we wouldn't have a proper government and everything would be crazy. Another example is Chinatown in NY and how that group works together to keep their traditions going and to keep their background around. These are just a few examples of how Pluralism works in the United States. 

Pluralism: The American Democracy

There are three main types of democracy in our world today. They consist of Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. These types of democracy all have different ideas on how a democracy should be run, but which one perfectly describes America's democracy? The definition of our democracy is a government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. Pluralism is a form of government where power and resources are divided among elites. People always will have a say in their opinions/interests and groups will work together to get that power. This form of democracy perfectly describes how America's government works  since they both are based on the people running the government.
 The different groups within the democracy have their own beliefs and ideas, but in the end, come together to make one complete system that everyone can work with. This is the same idea of Republicans and Democratics in America. Each side has their own views of certain topics, but they always work towards on common agreement that will work for our country.

Pluralistic Government: How it Relates to us More Than the Other Forms.

(video link)

This photo explains how the United States 

uses pluralism in our government when it comes to 

jobs and out in the work force. 

Links for Further Information

• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/amgovernment/chapter/who-governs-elitism-pluralism-and-tradeoffs/
  
  
  
  

Bureaucratic Pluralism

In America, there can be good reason to believe that any of the four theories can describe the power in democracy. I believe that our democracy has a componatipn of both Pluralism as as well as Bureaucratic Elitism.

In our system of democracy, our three branches of government church and balance each other and keep the country changing at a slow and safe pace. This is clear usage of the Bureaucratic Elitism as these elected officials are given all the political and some of the social power in the government.

On the other hand, due to the fact these people are elected into office, others must be involved in order to get their politician into Congress. At this point this is where the money of the wealthy in the business world as well as the social influence shows the power that even those not voting on legislation could have power in deciding how the country is run. This Pluralism allows the power to be spread throughout all the most powerful groups in the country as politicians make the legislative dicisions.

The only reason I did not just label this a pure Pluralism is due to the fact that the polical dominance that the politicians have over the legislative process outweighs that power of the social and economic power that the rest of the people have.

Marxism is the power of government

Camryn Conroy

America is mostly the form of Marxism government. Marxism is when the economy controls that the political system.

 As an example, the stock market controls the people's money and their stocks. The market can decide if you loose money or gain it. Marxism is " money equals power". The people with more money controls the government and therefore have the most power.
The weak have no influential position in the world if they have no financial status.

Another example is Trump, he used his money from his businesses to help push his campaign farther, and win his position as president

Which theory best suits our democracy?

There are four options to answer this question and none of them are wrong. One of the options, on the other hand, fits better than the rest. Pluralism is when the power  of democracy does not belong to one specific group, but to many. This is by far the best theory for our democracy because of the diversity in race, gender, and religions right now in the United States. Here are some reasons why with more detail.

The US is a melting pot of many different kinds of people. As of July 2016, even though white Americans are the racial majority, African Americans hold the biggest minority percentage of 13.3 of the population with Latino following with the largest ethnic minority of 17.8% of the population.  Having this huge variety of people, our democracy is better off with pluralism to make sure all the people feel included and not discriminised against.

Gender equality is one of the bigger problems in this generation. There are 74.6 million women in the working force right now but more than 39% work in a place where women make up less than three-quarters or the work force. Not only is it harder for women to get a job because of the glass-ceiling, but when they do get a job, they are paid only 80% of what men are paid. This is not far especially since women can do everything a men can do. In this situation, pluralism would fit best for our democracy to be equal among all people.

This is only a few reasons as to why pluralism is the best theory but there are many more.

The Inner Working of American Politics

       There has been recent discussion on the political system of America. It has taken us several hundred years to be at the current state of modern government that we are at today. Stepping back and taking a look at who holds power in our democracy is essential in being able to understand how the country is run. However, it is not an easy or simple task to put a single label onto the entirety of what our democracy is. Every government, including ours, is complex in its own way. Going off of this, I believe that the current state of politics in America is a mix of Pluralism and Elitism. 

        Pluralism, first of all is a natural give in when it comes to our country. America is made up of a culturally, racially and religiously diverse group of people. Due to the immense amount of this diversity, compromises are a true must for a peaceful coexistence between these groups. 

In our society, everyone's opinion and point of view are taken into consideration before a final decision is made. In this way, citizens have an overall indirect influence on certain matters. There are several different large groups that hold major influence over the US. (Different religious community's, LGBT community, etc). Also, the voting system is another example of how the people hold power. People complain about the president or several other politicians within the government, but the harsh reality of the situation is that we essentially put them in office (excluding the president's cabinet). We are the driving force of the government. 

Finally, a very recent issue is the confederate statue debate in New Orleans. Considering the vast majority of different/ diverse groups of people, the statues were ultimately taken down back in May 2017. The Mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, gathered the different opinions and perspectives of the citizens within the situation and ultimately decided that the best choice was to take down the statues which sparked up major controversy and debate. 

       Elitism is also a driving force in our political system. It's leaders include corporate leaders, top military officials and a handful of politicians. The leaders exclusively serve the interests of the top elites. Trump's Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is a man of many connections and ex chairman/ CEO of ExxonMobil Corp. However, he is no politician nor does he have any experience in government. He is an example of how corporate leaders play a large hand in who has power in the US Democracy. A more recent and jaw dropping event that relates to this theory is a man named Joe Arpaio. Joe Arpaio was the former Sherriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. He is known for racial profiling, lack of care/ empathy towards the health or well being of prison inmates and was on trial for criminal contempt. His reputation for being the harshest Sherriff was well known and when he was finally going to be punished for his crimes, Trump pardoned Joe from his punishment. Keep in mind that Arpaio represented Trump in the Republican Convention back in the 2016 election. Arpaio helped Trump, and now Trump has returned the favor.  

        Essentially, the main point of this post that our democracy is complex and cannot simply be described by one singular theory.

Some articles and a video on the Joe Arpaio situation:

Trump paronds Arpaio

-  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/politics/joe-arpaio-trump-pardon-sheriff-arizona.html?mcubz=3

Arpaio convicted of criminal contempt

-   http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/31/us/arpaio-found-guilty/index.html

Trump makes a mess for Arizona GOP with Arpaio pardon

-   http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/26/politics/trump-arizona-arpaio-jeff-flake/index.html

John Oliver: Last Week Tonight

-   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZNZY-gd3K0 

New Orleans Statue Articles:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/us/new-orleans-confederate-monuments/index.html

http://www.npr.org/2017/05/20/529232823/with-lee-statues-removal-another-battle-of-new-orleans-comes-to-a-close

Theories on America

         America, as a democracy, should be pluralist. Many say that as a country, we abide by the theories of pluralism. We have a voting system and some representation from minority groups, so it makes sense, to an extent. Wilson states "that single group, even if it had many political resources, could dominate most, or even much, of the political process." So, although the United States has representation from other groups, the government is mostly made up of white men, who are likely to have similar stances.
          If America is not a pluralist nation, then what are we? If we think about who in the country has power, then most of the people who come to mind are wealthy. Take President Donald Trump for example. He has no political experience, but he has money, and popularity sprouted from the amount of money he has, which landed him the position he is in today. This closely ties into the theory of Marxism. Marxists believe that "government, whatever its outward form, is merely a reflection of underlying economic forces" and that "whichever class dominates the economy also controls the government." The United States of America is a Marxist nation, also proven by the fact that we are strongly capitalist, mainly interested in the needs of the upper and middle class. For example, food and education are much more difficult for the lower class to access, making living a joyful and productive life a challenge. As Wilson said, "the government 'is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie.'"
         The U.S. does not strictly apply to any of the given theories, and can be identified as any of the above. However, the current political situation can be strongly backed by theories of Marxism, as the upper and middle classes are still benefiting off of the lower class's limited wealth, and the majority of government consists of white men.

Pluralism Theory=American Democracy

The best theory to describe American democracy is Pluralism; a complex and divided type of government theory that is responsive to their followers' interests and provide representation to almost all.  In Pluralism, "all decisions are made on a majoritarian basis" (Wilson's Theories of Governance: Four Theories of Elite Influence, 39).  This resembles the USA by our voting system.  For example, we take votes through the states from the people then the representatives of the states and, from there, count up which candidate got the most votes-the one with the most votes wins the election.  Not only that, but Pluralists "believe that political resources are sufficiently divided among such different kinds of elites" (Wilson's Theories of Governance: Four Theories of Elite Influence, 39).  In our government we, also, have different kinds of elites such as business people, politicians, union leaders, journalists, professors, environmentalists, lawyers, etc.  

This political cartoon shows how social movements and the community are involved greatly in Pluralism vs. Elitism.  This image was chosen to prove the similarities between American democracy and the theory Pluralism.  American democracy does make decisions based off the people (community) which the people have social movements that gets the media's attention (which is what the people want because it gives them power to be able to make change and popularity).  Also, the New Orleans confederate monuments removal is a perfect example of just that.  It became an issue when the statues were declared a nuisance since "many see the monuments as an offensive celebration of Confederacy and the system of slavery it sought to preserve" while the rest "say they represent an important part of the state's identity and culture" (With Lee Statue's Removal, Another Battle of New Orleans Comes To A Close).  Obviously, American democracy must relate best with the Pluralism theory.

http://www.npr.org/2017/05/20/529232823/with-lee-statues-removal-another-battle-of-new-orleans-comes-to-a-close

Americas Marxism Democracy

I believe that Marxism best describes how America's democracy works. Marxism is described as a government that's dominated by capitalists. Our businesses and companies are controlled by the riches individuals, which means everything we have is a monopoly. With this system it makes it difficult for small businesses to profit, but in turn it supplies many jobs for large companies. America is in many ways a Marxist democracy because the top 1% holds the majority of the money and the elite have much more say in elections due to the amount of money they're able to contribute to the candidate/cause they want. “Under capitalism, the proletariat, the working class or “the people,” own only their capacity to work; they have the ability only to sell their own labor.” This is comparable to the lower class of our democracy, because since they cannot give money to favorable candidates they cannot make a change in the governmental process.

How we live in a Pluralist Democracy

          For those of you who don't already know, pluralism is basically when many groups have access to power and can affect the government. There can be a supreme power such as a president, but in a pluralist democracy, that one supreme power does not have complete control over the society. I believe the United States is one example of a pluralist democracy. 

          The United States Government is mainly made up of the Supreme Court, Congress, and President. The Supreme Court and Congress are two groups of people that have power in the U.S. Government. Even though the president has most of the power in America, Congress can override some of the president's decisions whenever they feel necessary. Another group that has power in the United States is its citizens. We are quite populous and control whether someone is elected into our government or not. Essentially everyone has access to power in the United States Government, which is what makes us a Pluralist Democracy. 

          Recently, Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas, greatly impacting its oil industry. Harvey caused the company Exxon Mobil to shut down its major refinery in Texas, which since has led to a great increase in gas prices across the United States. Companies like Exxon Mobil have a lot of power in our country. They decide how much we pay for gas and how much gas is available to buy and use. Oil companies are just one example of the many businesses that control our society and make us a pluralist democracy. 

Here is a chart showing where the oil industry is in relation to Hurricane Harvey

For further information on Hurricane Harvey affecting the oil industry:

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/28/hurricane-harvey-affect-texas-oil-industry-242103

          

          

Which Theory Best Describes American Democracy? The Answer is Pluralism.

The theory that best describes American democracy is Pluralism.  Pluralism is a theory of government that really goes with having a diverse country and having the power distributed among the different groups that coexist.  In a Pluralism type democracy, the diverse groups work together to compromise on decisions.  This is why this theory is closest to the American democracy.

First off, in a Pluralism style democracy,  the system is designed among the diverse groups to make it so no one group gets too much power.  This is similar to the checks and balances in the US that are designed so the branches are as equal as possible without one overpowering the others.  Also, going back to diversity, The United States is becoming tagged as a very diverse country and is known as the melting pot because of the many religions and cultures.  In America all are given the right to practice anything they desire which happens in a Pluralism democracy.  All groups can voice their opinion from all different point of views.  An example of this is the issue of whether the Confederate statues should come down in southern states.  While white supremacists want to keep the statues up, those of the Black Lives Matter group want to take the statues down immediately.  This is a prime example of two groups voicing two different opinions for governors and higher ups to make a decision based on the separate arguments.

Pluralism is not an identical match to the democracy the United States beholds, but it is the closest out of the other theories.

Sources
-http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-pluralism.html

Our Democracy Today Is Best Defined As Marxism 

By Rose Bannon-Woods

        When asked what type of government we live in today, most people would simply answer, a democracy. However there is much more to it then just- democracy. Four theories of democracy exist; Marxism, Elitism, Weber, and Pluralism. To briefly describe each; Marxism is the theory that money equals power, Elitism is the theory that the government and major corporations hold the power, Weber states that unelected officials have power, and finally Pluralism is the theory that groups of people work together to bargain and get policies. Although it can be argued that all of these theories of democracy describe our country's current form of government, I believe Marxism is the most arguable. The idea that money equals power is very prominent in our society. For example, it may be true that almost anyone can run for political office, but in order to run a campaign you need a significant amount of money. You could be the smartest and most suited person in the country to be President, but if you don't have the necessary funds to run, you'll never get anywhere. This is only one situation in which people with money end up with the power. Like the theory states, if you control America's economic system, then you control the political system as well. This goes back to our main point- money equals power. Another example of Marxism in our government is the fact that wealthier people generally get away with more. To elaborate, if you have money you are able to meet bond when arrested, afford expensive attorneys, and more. So, people with money are able to have more power in the way that they get more leeway. Also, when families have a significant amount of money, they receive better educations and are likely to get higher paying jobs, therefore giving them even more power and influence. Less fortunate people in average or lower classes do not receive the same opportunities that wealthy people do. This is one of the main reasons that money equals power in the United States.

  

                         

Our Government,

Following the reading and identification of multiple political theories, Elitism has proven to describe the United States government very accurately. Elitism is a type of government where money is equal to power and wealthy investors and influences reign. Wilson's theories directly state that "The most important policies are set by a loose coalition of three groups- corporate leaders, top military officials, and a handful of key political leaders"(38). All three groups have rather massive amounts of money and have used it to their advantage in the government.

Elitism was fairly recently shown in Hillary Clinton's campaign. Those that she had considered a "basket of deplorables". Hillary used her status and wealth to put herself above others"Clinton's arrogance was on full display with the revelation of her speeches" and had she won that election, her wealth and promises of money would have most certainly landed her there (Sheer, "Revenge of the Deplorables"). This is also similar to Trump's who actually ended up wining the election. Trump found power with his wealth. Being a former businessman he was capable of not only boasting about his wealth, but using it to gain support from large businesses and corporations. His money turned out to be a gateway to the president's office: One of the most powerful governmental positions to be in.

Pluralism in the American Democracy

Theories of Power in a Democracy

There are different theories when it comes to thinking about government. There are four theories, Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. The theory of power that best describes American democracy is pluralism. Pluralism is a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization. This describes the American democracy the most because everyone in the country legally has equal rights no matter where they're from, what their gender, ethnicity, race, religion, or sexuality. Pluralism also reflects the American democracy because everyone work towards equality, acceptance, and power. "Political resources, such as money, prestige expertise, organizational position, and access to the mass media, are so widely scattered in our society and in the hands of such a variety of persons that no single elite has anything like a monopoly on them. Furthermore, there are so many governmental institutions in which power may be exercised-city, state, and federal governments and, within these, the offices of mayors, managers, legislators, governors, presidents, judges, bureaucrats-that no single group, even if it had many political resources, could dominate most, or even much of the political process," (Wilson's Theories of Governance). This is a part of the pluralism theory, and it basically explains how groups of people have power in a government and they will be fair even if one group is more dominant than the other. It's a fair spread of power and it explains how certain people in the theory of pluralism would do certain things in a government, and most of the people listed were people that are actually part of the American democracy.

Basically in conclusion of what you just read, pluralism is what best describes the American democracy because of the equality and division of power that is explained in the theory of pluralism. The equality and division of power in pluralism is similar to the equality and division of power in the American democracy.

Further Information:

https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/19/the-challenge-of-pluralism/

What Theory of Power Correctly Identifies the United States Democracy?

After reading and identifying the different theories of power in a democracy it is evident that the correct theory to describe our US democracy would be Elitism. The definition of elitism is the practice of or belief in rule by an elite or the consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group(Dictionary.com). However, a much simpler definition is stated in Wilson's theories; "The most important policies are set by a loose coalition of three groups- corporate leaders, top military officials, and a handful of key political leaders"(38).

To stay in order of the theory, there are many generals that are a crucial part of Trump's cabinet. The most popular being General John Kelly, the Chief of Staff. With this job he controls the entire white house and makes sure everything goes smoothly. There are also many more generals who have power and run the military. Next in the order would be corporate leaders. The biggest example of this would be of course our President Donald Trump. Before the presidency, this man was a multi-billionaire and an exquisite businessman. This also holds true for Rex Tillerson. Rex is the CEO of Exxon Mobil and also a multimillionaire like Trump. It is said that he was only put into Trump's cabinet because of his riches. This goes along with the idea of elitism because Tillerson is only in the cabinet because of his money he earned. Finally, there are a handful of key political leaders still involved with the government like John McCain. And ones that have left impressions on our democracy that won't be changed like Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy. These are just a few of the political leaders that have made impacts or are making impacts on our democracy. Our government also shows elitism in the way that Trump makes decisions. He does not always use Congress, but more his businessmen he knows and can talk with.

Our Country's Democracy

            Today in the United States, our government is ran as a democracy. A democracy is ran by the people, and in political science, there are many theories to democracy, such as Marxism where money equals power, Elitism where the government and military have the total power, Bureaucratic Elitism where bureaucrats are in control, and Pluralism, where the power of a democracy does not belong to one group, but dispersed to many.

            Out of all these theories, Pluralism best describes our country's democracy. There are so many groups that have many views that are diverse, and none of these groups have all the power in a democracy to trump over other groups. There are no elites and monopolies in a Pluralism democracy, because there are too many groups that have equal power. These groups will bargain and compromise just to get what they want.

BLM Protest

            Why is our country's democracy best described as pluralist? Groups in our country such as Black Lives Matter have so much power in the democracy because they have many followers. Black Lives Matter is a social activist group that brings attention to topics such as racism, police brutality against African-Americans. Using the followers that this group has gained, they can potentially cause changes to the laws and rights of our country regarding African-Americans by protesting in the streets until they get what they want.

            The LGBT community is yet another example of many of the groups in America. The LGBT community is consisted of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Due to how big the LGBT community is and how it has so many followers, it is able to change rights in the United States.

            Our country is also consisted of many races, the majority being white, but there are also many African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in our population. These different races have different views on all sorts of things, such as the Presidential Election.

            The tragic event in Charlottesville is yet another prime example that our country's democracy is Pluralism. This event caused anti-racism groups and white supremacists fought with each other for what they wanted, which is a part of the theory of Pluralism. Some people are siding with the white supremacists, some people are siding with the anti-racism groups. This is why neither group can trump each other and gain more power than the other.

          Due to many social activist groups and the diversity in views and races in our country, not one group can stand on top of all the others. This is exactly why our country's democracy is, in theory, Pluralism.

          

Pluralism Describes our Government

Out of the 4 main theories, Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic, and Pluralism, our government today is described as a pluralistic democracy. Pluralism is a theory that involves different political groups and their opinions on how the government should work. It is centered on the idea of how power is distributed. Checks and balances is a great example of pluralism in our government. It distributes power among the three branches, and keeps it under control. Each branch has a certain amount of power to an extent. For example, if Trump wants to implement a certain idea or ban, it has to go through the people and Congress. This past summer, Trump declared  the ban on transgender people entering the military. This went through the people, most against both bans. Now he may be the president, but he has limited powers. The people have the true power. They have indirect influence on what goes in society. They vote for the people in the government. We elect the people who we want to represent us in government.

Republicans and Democrats are the two main political parties in the US system of government. These groups have opposing views on many topics. They all have their own opinions and values. Both parties have the power to elect people that they want to represent them.

This shows the opinions from each party on a certain topic. 

Democracy is not a monarchy or dictatorship. Pluralism describes our government because it is a multi-power system and it allows people to have the power to share their opinions and agree/disagree with the government. There is no such thing as all powerful with this theory.

For better understanding of pluralism and how it fits with our government:

Pluralism and Democracy

Pluralism (political theory)

Elitism Today

Elitism 

There is much controversy on who holds power in our government today. There are four main theories, these include Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. Of these four pluralism   elitism best describe our government. Most people believe that we have a pluralist government where the people have some power and can exert their influence on the government, however it more resembles the elitist theory in which the power is held by top leaders in society. Many people want or hoped for a pluralist government, but what actually happened is powerful leaders began to take this power.

Elitism, which was created by C. Wright Mills, is a theory in which, "The most important policies are set by a loose coalition of three groups-corporate leaders, top military officers, and a handful of key political leaders."(Wilsons Theory of Governance,38). Mills believes that the power is shared among top leaders that are at the head of society. In each society is an organization at the top full of these types of people that oversee the law and make decisions that are in the best interest of "elite" people. These people are usually wealthy, and have a higher education than most Americans, which is unfair to those who can not afford it. In his book, The Power Elite, he states that people of this class attend prestigious schools to get their education. In fact, many of our Presidents have attended Ivy league colleges to get their education. Elected Presidents are wealthy and have wealthy business friends that can help the win the election. This shows that a lot of the time only wealthy or people who have a status in the government have power.

Recently, Sheriff Joe Arpaio was convicted of Criminal contempt, but was pardoned by President Donald Trump. After the pardon was carried out, Trump stated that he was a great sheriff and has served our country well. A crime is a crime and the only reason that he was pardoned was because he was a long time supporter of President Trump and agreed with all his decisions. If this was any other ordinary sheriff, then Trump would not have granted him the pardon, but because he is a Trump supporter he would be considered an elite in many peoples eyes.

The Elitism best describes who holds power in our government, because as much as people would like to believe we have a pluralist government it resembles an elitist government more.

Theory of Power

America currently wants to be an ideal democracy that can best be described by pluralism, however, our current power is to corrupt to be considered pluralism. Our current power is bestly described as  bureaucratic elitism. The theory of bureaucratic elitism was developed by Max Weber and is the belief that the government, institution, and nongovernmental business are dominated and or controlled by large bureaucracies. The government agencies that are created are then largely controlled by the large bureaucracies group who operate on a daily bias. Their decisions are made to benefit them first not the people they represent.

I believe this is the type of the current power and one example of this is  uneven wealth  distribution  between the nation. According to the New York Times, the richest 1% of the wealthiest  part of the country currently owns more wealth than the bottom 90% of the country. This involves almost all of the country. Also, The bottom 90% of the country holds 73% of the country’s debt. This means the poorest of our country holds almost ¾ of our country’s debt. Since, the ¾ of the country pays more than the rch they are all in debt for the most part.

Much of the current President, Donald Trump’s cabinet was not even elected by the people but they also used to work for large bureaucratic groups. For example Rex W. Tillerson, secretary of State, was the former CEO of Exxon Mobile. At one point of time Rex Tillerson was head of a large bureaucratic group and now has an important role in government. Has CEO he controlled the gas prices for  many Americans. He has no government or political experience, but he was still nominated for the job. However, it brings to question whether or not he was nominated for the job due to his close relationship with Donald Trump himself Ben Carson a former neurosurgeon who also ran for the 2016 presidential election was chosen by Donald Trump to now be  the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. However, during the primaries Donald Trump made several comments about Ben Casrson and why he should not be working in government or as president. Donald Trump made a comment about his experience being,”I think Ben just doesn’t have the experience. It’s not his thing, you know you’re born with it. It’s just his thing. He doesn’t have the temperament for it.” This quote raises a question between what Donald truly means by “being born with it” since he is no stranger to racial comments. Also questions why Donald Trump would offer Ben Carson the job in the beginning since he believe that he has no experience. As well as this line of working not being fitting for Ben Carson. Another cabinet member that was not elected by the people and has no political background being Steve Mnuchin the Secretary of Treasury. Steve Mnuchin also has no experience in setting macroeconomic policy. However, he did become close with Donald Trump when he was in charge of Donald Trump’s fundraising during his presidential campaign. Again this cabinet member has no political experience, yet was chosen by Donald Trump and is a close friend of his. However, Donald Trump has the power to nominate and but his friends in government. He even nominated the very controversial  Betsy Devos, a billionaire republican donor, as the Secretary of Education.  She has spent most of her adult life working to destroy public education. By 2021 only a projected 9% of all students will be in private schools while 91% of all students will be in public schools. Besty’s work to destroy 91% of children’s futures that will be in public school systems. Much of the population, especially  the lower socio economic class, can not afford to send their children of private schools and public schools are the best chance for those children to receive an education. Besty Devos comes from the rich affluent community and her decision to give private schools more attention and destroy public schools only helps the rich community by allowing them to send their children to better private schools. She is a firm believer that the more money you have the better schools you should have. However, this is unfair to the rest of the country that is not rich and or inherited money from their family. But, she is just looking out for the wealthy and herself not the people of the U.S. Many of Donald Trump’s cabinet are wealthy, and or business owners that are making decisions to help themselves first and then the people of the United States. These are just some of the many reasons and ways that America is a bureaucratic elitism power.  

Sources Used:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/politics/donald-trump-administration.html?mcubz=3

http://time.com/4590239/donald-trump-ben-carson-insults/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/01/19/donald-trump-has-assembled-the-worst-cabinet-in-american-history/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-jennings/proportion-of-us-students_b_2950948.html

More Information:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/02/19/trump-turning-back-elitist-globalist-tide/98044486/ (video)