Domhoff Wealth Income And Power Summary

This information presented in Wealth, Income and Power by G. William Domhoff was striking and offensive, but it was not surprising. It was very much like reading a study or watching a report about the harmful effects of sugar or caffeine or high fat diets. It is something we hear all the time, but think it may be to hard to do something about it. The reason it is not surprising is probably due to the fact that the Occupy movement and the attention paid to the 1% during that Presidential election of 2012. The group itself flooded social media with these staggering numbers. The Domhoff article just does a very good job breaking down the data to show what some Americans already have a hunch about. Americans time and time again have what Johnston …show more content…
Americans often think that if they are not successful it is their own fault, and that they did not work hard enough. Part of the American creed is just to take your lumps, don’t make excuses, just deal with the circumstances. Government is often times not seen as a vehicle that can help someone, that is not their role. This idea though, is not part of the American creed, it is something often times put out by conservative candidates and machines that do a good job of making Americans feel guilty for the circumstance the have to deal with. In the John Stewart segments we see, then Republican Presidential Candidate making statements about the 47% of American citizens who receive assistance from the federal government or end up paying no income tax because of how much they make and the deductions they are allowed to claim on their taxes. Romney in the secret film says that the 47% of the people need to take “personal responsibility’ for their lives. This is the idea that appears to work on many people who don’t even find themselves in the top 20% of wealth and …show more content…
Their wealth allows them access to the government that the average person does not have. They use this access to pass legislation that benefits them, their wealth or income or political or social ideology. Our textbook shows that even the people that represent us often times part of this 1% with the Senate being called the Millionaires club. This wealth not only gives them influence on the government but also in controlling corporations. In recent news from the campaign we here Bernie Sanders say “Congress doesn’t regulate Wall Street, Wallstrete regulates Congress”. More proof showing the power and influence has on a government of the people by the