In the modern United States, democracy is our god. To say otherwise is heresy. We lecture the rest of the world about its importance. We even bomb other countries to force them into the system. Our politicians pontificate about how it is “under threat” because elections don’t go their way. However, democracy does not change anything for the average American.

First, we have to define what democracy is. Some say it is a direct-majority government. Others say it is the parliamentary system of the Europeans. However, in our our American reality, it is whenever our preferred parties win elections and do things we don’t like.

For example, what do events like the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, truly show us? Barring any opinion on any of the participants themselves, it shows that people are desperate and serves as a telltale sign that the Capitol is not seen as the temple of democracy we were promised. It is seen as a den of thieves – a place where Christ himself would flip the tables. And they are not wrong to believe so. It is obvious to the average American that the people no longer govern ourselves.

There is clear evidence that big business governs the U.S. There are two facets to this fake system: manufactured consent and the purchasing of candidates.

True democracy depends on a public that is capable of informing itself before it votes on leaders. If you can gain control over the information channels that shape public opinion, however, you can shape elections. This is exactly how corporations push policies most beneficial to them, favoring methods like paying the media.

Consider Keith Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal – three distinct media outlets all under the umbrella of one leader. The practices of big business does not just sell products, it manufactures consent. However, this is not the only thing big business does in order to consolidate their power.

Elites would be leaving money on the table if they didn’t find a way to cement their preferred policies into effect. You would obviously find a way to pay off the people that make the important decisions. This is what campaign finance has become; instead of regular people funding the politicians they want while holding them accountable for their actions, corporations and elite individuals do this at levels that normal people can’t compete with.

The strongest example of this would be massive individual donor support for pro-Israel candidates – the Adelson family for the Republicans and Thomas Fahr Steyer for the Democrats. A plurality, if not a majority, of the country denounces the actions of the Israeli government. In the past two years, a majority of Americans have not supported sending Israel any more funding. Despite this, our politicians will continue to stand with Israel in its abhorrent actions and not move an inch with the sentiments of the people that they are supposed to represent.

This leads many to question whether voting is even worth it if nothing ever substantially changes. If the point of voting is to get a new version of the country and to replace the policies of the previous administration, how is it that we have supported the Israeli government since the Kennedy administration without fail? Why do we continually fall into unnecessary wars? How come core economic problems like housing or healthcare are never fully fleshed out by our politicians?

It is because politicians and their buyers do not care. Elites are the power center in America, not the people.