i am with Nordi on this.
plutocracy.
many here have made some good points but let me add a few that have not been mentioned.
let me do this by asking a question first?
how?
how was this even able to occur?
the answer is simple as it is insidious and subtle.
propaganda or as the federal government quaintly calls it "council of public relations".
this entity purposely chose this name due to goebbels giving "propaganda" a bad name.
considering that america has over 2000 media outlets which are only owned by 5 people/corporations,
is it any wonder that the average american population is unsure,ill-informed and kept squabbling in a divisive polemic?
they own the largest megaphone on the planet and use it like a bludgeon to keep people arguing over trivialities while the house burns down.they keep people fearful and suspicious of their neighbor.they have people convinced they are powerless and impotent to stop what is transpiring.
instilling apathy or fear. both work for those who seek to empower themselves and keep you quaking with dread in the corner,or so apathetic you do nothing.either end justifies their means.

well...ok.they have a pretty powerful propaganda machine.
how is it able to work so effectively besides the obvious?
indoctrination.
basically..in short.the public school system.
i have already shown my ire and indignation towards this abomination on another thread.
but suffice to say it is the public school systems very own curriculum that prepares young minds to tacitly accept the authority of the state.
NCLB teaches very little but specific information while disregarding the VITAL importance of teaching critical thinking skills.so students may test well but never learned the tools to not only question authority but have the ability to formulate the question in the first place.
go to school.
get good grades (a meaningless,arbitrary measuring system).
go to college or trade school.
get a job.
marry and have children.
then be a good consumer and buy buy buy:
a house,a car every three years,a big screen TV and more superficial crap in order to impress your neighbors how "successful" you are.
you are taught from a very young age that your worth is based on beauty and how big your bank account is.
your worth to american society can be measured by your ability to be a good consumer.
fail at that and america has the largest private prison system just waiting for to fill their cells.
either way... you are disposable.

one last thing.
what if the corporate propaganda machine does not work on you?
what if you were a pretty clever monkey and were able to slip through the indoctrination of public schools.
oh..they have an institution for that and it is BRILLIANT!
religion.
dont want to play by the rules set up for you to be a good consumer slave?
well they have a special place for those who do not obey god.
so..you are not afraid of the government?
you saw through the indoctrination of the public school system?
you think you are so clever but god has a place for those who do not obey.
oh no...not in this lifetime.
but the one AFTER,when you die.
so you dont want to obey the rules.
ok.
but just know that after you die god will judge you and send you to a place to burn and suffer.
for eternity.
it is brilliant in its simplicity.
and it all comes down to the same thing,every single time.
FEAR.
the most influential and divisive emotion ever is FEAR.
they got you as a child,as an adult and even after you die.
WORK-OBEY-CONSUME

once you recognize these tactics it is not very hard to walk away from them and ignore them.
but first to have to recognize the puppet strings in order to do that.

"people should not be afraid of their governments.governments should be afraid of the people" V