Who Runs the Show?

Elite or Not to Elite

Do the “Elite” have the political power and control the political process and make the decisions? Where do I sign up?????

Do you go with the class theory – those who rule with perks and those who are ruled? Each group is cohesive, stick together with shared values, with common background and interact frequently. Some say there is no class but those with money and those who do not have it. The middle class is eroding and have-nots are escalating in numbers. How do I sign up with those who rule with the perks??????

The Iron Law of Oligarchy (Micheals) theorizes that elites control all the organizations because they pley the game best. Only a few make the rules. It is self-selecting and self-perpetuating. Attributes are skills, dedication, time, interest and resources, therefore, they gain leadership through natural selection.  Now where are those resources…???

We vote the elite in and then complain that the rulers are too removed and insensitive. Elites reflect the dominant culture. There are different types of culture: military, clerical, economic cultures.

Government Structures

Laws and good government are dependent on effectively functioning governance. 

A unitary system tends to appear remote from the people, insensitively authoritarian. It works best in small countries with few divisions along ethnic or religious lines, a homogenous society. France and the U.K. have used this system but they are not as homogenous as they once were.  This proves to be a challenge.

The Federal system applies to states and provinces, constituent units.  which are theoretically equal because they get delegated  power from the Constitution. Power is divided with diverse people, religions, cultures, a plural society.  A sense of independence and local identity are preserved. Economic pragmatics draw the groups together as in the 1860s railway, July 1, 1867, U.S. Revolution.

Canada is both centralized with national and international concerns (federal) and decentralized to deal with highways, municipal governments etc. (provincial). Canada began centralized and is becoming increasingly decentralized. The opposite is the case for the USA, Brazil, India, Nigeria, etc.

Municipal government is not entrenched in the Constitution and exist on provincial legislation, a concession from United Empire Loyalists seeking a more direct form of representative democracy after their experience with democracy in the United States.

Problems occur when national concerns become local and local concerns become national. Federal government is written constitution to delegate power and responsibilities. It is  an expensive  and static form of government with overlapping and duplucation.

Federation has been blamed for perpetuating divisions that are not relevant anymore.  Wee need a pool of people to make it work from all significant groups. People have to feel comfortable in a federalism, need to feel responsible to people’s needs.