Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy. Image copyright. Thinkstock. Image caption. This man does not like to be disturbed while he's running the US. A review of the best commentary on and around the world.. Many of us think we’re special because “this is America.” We think we’re immune to the same forces that started the Arab Spring—or the French and Russian. The US Inflation Calculator measures the buying power of the dollar over time. Just enter any two dates between 19, an amount, and click 'Calculate'. In a new survey conducted in September 2014, the Pew Research Center finds that Facebook remains by far the most popular social media site. While its growth has. Shocking and insightful videos detailing the neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, ultra-nationalist movement in Ukraine. The videos examine the ongoing US support of. How Diversity Makes Us Smarter. Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent and harder-working. ![]() Today's must- read. The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite. So concludes a recent study by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I Page. This is not news, you say. Perhaps, but the two professors have conducted exhaustive research to try to present data- driven support for this conclusion. ![]() Here's how they explain it: Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass- based interest groups have little or no independent influence. In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has little power. The two professors came to this conclusion after reviewing answers to 1,7. They broke the responses down by income level, and then determined how often certain income levels and organised interest groups saw their policy preferences enacted."A proposed policy change with low support among economically elite Americans (one- out- of- five in favour) is adopted only about 1. On the other hand: When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organised interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it. They conclude: Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organisations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America's claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened. Eric Zuess, writing in Counterpunch, isn't surprised by the survey's results."American democracy is a sham, no matter how much it's pumped by the oligarchs who run the country (and who control the nation's "news" media)," he writes. The US, in other words, is basically similar to Russia or most other dubious 'electoral' 'democratic' countries. ![]() We weren't formerly, but we clearly are now."This is the "Duh Report", says Death and Taxes magazine's Robyn Pennacchia. Maybe, she writes, Americans should just accept their fate."Perhaps we ought to suck it up, admit we have a classist society and do like England where we have a House of Lords and a House of Commoners," she writes, "instead of pretending as though we all have some kind of equal opportunity here."South Korea. ![]() ![]() Ferry tragedy was a manmade disaster - The death toll from the sinking of the Sewol off the south- eastern tip of South Korea could have been greatly reduced if the passengers had been properly instructed in safety procedures and the crew hadn't been among the first to abandon the ship, write the editors of South Korea's Joongang Daily. The South Korean government also shares blame, they write. It failed to grasp the seriousness of the accident from the start and didn't know how many were rescued or missing."The government, they continue, should conduct a thorough investigation and prepare a report on how to upgrade the nation's "safety systems and procedures". Argentina. Cristina Kirchner's sham populism - The government of Cristina Kirchner touts a populism that "redistributes wealth to benefit the poor", writes Luis Alberto Romero in Agentina's Clarin (translated by World. Crunch). In reality, he says, "the outcome has been greater wealth concentrations and more social polarisation, helped by subsidy policies". The Kirchner regime, he argues, has been "built on two foundations: concentration of power and accumulation of wealth". Algeria. Presidential vote endorses status quo - It seems clear that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will win a fourth term in this week's election despite looking "more dead than alive", writes University of Houston Prof Robert Zaretsky in the Los Angeles Times. Mr Bouteflika "is entrenched, propped up by generals and an uneasy status quo", he says. The question is," he writes, "how long will the government manage to impose scripted elections on a population ready for the risks and rewards of an unscripted future?"Ukraine. Nato football v Russian chess - The Ukrainian crisis has taken Nato planners by surprise, writes Prof David Murphy of National University of Ireland, Maynooth, in the Irish Times. This, he says, is because of "fundamental cultural, strategic and political differences" between Russia and the West."Nato operates at a huge disadvantage as it needs consensus and co- operation within its member states in order to act," he writes. President Vladimir Putin and his political and military staffs do not face such limitations and have the freedom to act quickly."Russia has formulated a plan and is executing it, he concludes. It is up to the members of Nato to work together to stop it. BBC Monitoring's quotes of the day. Ukrainian media respond to high- level meetings between officials from the US, EU, Ukraine and Russia in Geneva aimed resolving the crisis in Ukraine."There is an illusory hope for the conference in Geneva. Ukraine will be presented there as a pie which will be divided. Everything .. shows the signs of a grand plot, where big geopolitical players resolved their issues at Ukraine's expense. It will be like that this time around too." - Editorial in Glavkom. Today's meeting will show if the West can counter [Vladimir] Putin's plans to impose his 'world order'." - Editorial in Den. International talks will hardly improve the situation in Ukraine until people inside the country start talking. So the only thing the Geneva meeting could influence is to facilitate the beginning of talks inside the country between representatives of the east and the central authorities. If the meeting provides this impetus it will be a positive result." - Volodymyr Fesenko in Komsomolskaya Pravda v Ukraine. Have you found an interesting opinion piece about global issues that we missed? Share it with us via email at echochambers (at) bbc. 41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed: US drone strikes – the facts on the ground.U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Contraceptives Mandate for Some Corporations Justices Rule in Favor of Hobby Lobby. Millennials in Adulthood. Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends. The Millennial generation is forging a distinctive path into adulthood. Want to be an Us Insider? Sign up for exclusive news about your favorite celebrities and more. Already a member? Click here. Login With Facebook! The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite. So concludes a recent study by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I. Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1. The cost of living in the United States increased in March for the first time in four months, according to a government report released on Thursday, April 1. At the same time, underlying inflation rose less than forecast after rising more than expected in February. Consumers spent less at grocery and clothing stores but more for healthcare, transportation and shelter. In addition and for the first time since November, drivers paid more to fill up their tanks. Continue reading US Inflation Climbs in March, Annual Inflation Rate Eases Again→.
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