le that the rights of people with property have to be privileged. It is true that the framework defended the rights of people, but rights were distributed, even more so, to people who owned property. The framers of the constitution were hardly democratic. They represented their own, personal, privileged, economic interests. Our founding fathers had a direct interest to establish a government that would protect their holdings and investments. The guiding light of the constitution, that still exists today, is class interest. Privileged powers are protected by, and set a side for, the power elite. In the United States, affluence and power is attained by wealth and social status. Unavoidably, this power is passed onto the common citizen. The power elite is composed of men whose positions enable them to transcend the ordinary environments of ordinary men and women; they are in positions to make decisions having major consequences. Whether they do or do not make such decisions is less important than the fact that they do occupy such pivotal positions; their failure to act, their failure to make decisions, is itself an act that is often of greater consequence than the decisions they do make. (Mills, 1956: p.73) Corporations exercise their power to protect their own interests. In doing so, they effect the economical, social, and political make-up of society. This power is unique, and is reserved for only a few.The United States is admired for its ideals of equality and opportunity. One can view our system as a multitude of groups and associations that organize openly and freely, to compete with each other for the advancement of such purposes as their members may wish.(Miliband, 1969:p58) Yet, in reality, the United States is a far cry from being democratic. The problem is that groups do not compete on a level playing field. Large corporations enjoy a massive superiority compared to smaller businesses, small interest groups, grass...
