In effect it's an oligarchy posing as a democracy. When Rome devolved from a republic into an empire, it retained the veneer of democracy for over 250 years. Ye

In effect it's an oligarchy posing as a democracy. When Rome devolved from a republic into an empire, it retained the veneer of democracy for over 250 years. Yet in no meaningful way was it one. The principate. A long time ago all of those Greek families should have been destroyed for having pillaged their own country. They don't care about the country. They care about their family. Fine. Let them care for their families without a country, and the country would be better off without them. And by far it's not the only country that has done this, is doing this, or will do it again. It's actually quite ordinary. Romanticizing feudalism, and classism: everyone has their proper place, and responsibilities and privilege. Family name and bloodlines are a real thing, and some people are better than others. It's an indisputable fact. And better people have more money, to buy more and better things including better personal security, education, health care, clean water, justice. Those things aren't rights everyone gets. Equality is an obscenity. It is a wealthy person's right to afford better lawyers with which to buy justice as a product. And for royalty to have no need for lawyers at all because they are the law. They're closer to god after all. And who dares challenge god's will? Besides, it makes it easier to keep a boot on everyone else's forehead when they can't afford a lawyer. Justice is a product. And security and violence are a product too, which is the purchase of private police and mercenary forces, and even goon squads to intimidate anyone who disagrees with the proper way of things. The mandate from heaven, the concept that kings and queens were the manifestation of god, or at the least had an imputation of godliness to them, is foundational for feudalism and monarchies. Of course countries will have oligarchies when just enough people haven't rejected these old organizational ideas, and let a few people step on everyone else. So it's actually not so fucked up. It's part of the natural inclination of mankind for a very very long time to worship a god, and by extension any man who convincingly speaks on behalf of that god, and his immediate family, and then his friends, as he corruptly lowers the ladder of power to a select few. Democracy is trouble because it relies on all too many people giving a crap about their own aspiration, having imagination and ambition, and trust that the rules apply to everyone. Which they tend not to. Damaging trust in equal application of law, and competent institutions creates an environment in which corruption and oligarchies flourish. The U.S. isn't immune. There's a significant minority who believe in prosperity theology, pushed by pastors as ostensibly Christian even though it's directly contradicted by the book of Job. The idea is the closer to god you are, the more you'll be rewarded with wealth. And thus wealth indicates a person has been rewarded and thus is closer to god so you should mimic their behaviors - hero worship. And it's also idolatry but you wouldn't ever hear that suggested as a bad thing, of course you should worship your pastor and make a proper donation, then god will reward you five fold (or whatever). A more common variation on this is celebrity worship. Of course they should have all this money to pay accountants and tax lawyers who can help them pay lower tax rates. Because paying fair taxes is not actually fair. What's the point of being wealthy if you can't buy a lower tax rate as a product? Higher rates are for the peons who can't afford an accountant! Put the money into the coffer, and god will reward you with more. You'll see. It's the same. It's all the same.