Democracy? Plutocracy!

Democracy, the rule of the people, has become an empty word. Plutocracy, the rule of the rich, describes better the predominant system. What is to be done?

Liberty, equality, fraternity... where?

Wealth, safety, progress... for whom?

In theory, elections and markets are free. In practice, financial elites dominate both games by managing the destiny of immense concentrations of money. Without being popular or productive, plutocrats rule top-down politics while controlling top-down capital on a global scale.

What can you do?
Use your political power in your communities, where the rule of the people can still prevail.

Apply economic transparency to your activities. Require it from anybody requesting your vote, or governing in your name.

Identify the plutocrats that you are supporting with your capital. Don't work for them. Don't buy from them. Don't borrow their money. Don't entrust your resources to them.

Instead, support bottom-up organizations: volunteers, cooperatives, and other businesses run by producers directly. Become part of them.

If your efforts on transparency and boycott are hampered, identify the problems and support projects working on solutions.

Indebted politicians
Democratic states are governed by political elites that owe their status to financial elites. Plutocrats invest in politicians needing their support for winning elections and keeping their seats. The rulers of public administrations pay back with influence, profitable business and favorable regulations.

This corruption is endemic to any system based on top-down organizations competing to govern. If we delegate the power to a few elected, plutocrats will target them. Barriers to transparency and participation will follow, together with the use of media, judges, and police. This is the portrait of democracy today.

The evolution of capitalism
Capitalism wanted to appear benevolent, natural, and eternal. However, in its current incarnation as a global plutocracy it is cruel, unsustainable, and it will crash. Even if it keeps distracting many people from the wars, oppression and poverty it causes, it cannot trick the balance and limitations of nature.

This minority driving global corporations, banks, and private lobbies have become immensely powerful by mastering elements of capitalism like concentration of capital, speculation, globalization, and political influence. Producing money with money, the overlords of the financial economy have taken over the productive economy that characterized traditional capitalism. Money is the plutocrats' clothes.

The traditional system to enable production and commerce has evolved into a financial cloud that devours everything and extracts income from anywhere. Individual responsibility has been diluted, obfuscated, and exempted by law. While some people get immensely richer they are never accountable of losses. Their mistakes and maneuvers are paid by the society at large thanks to a political framework that they have sponsored.