Essay on Nader Book and Parenti’s Branches of Government Chapters
Ralph Nader is considered a highly influential American, one who has managed to save the lives of numerous citizens due to his actions targeted at the protection of consumer rights. He has been involved in the creation of such agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. However, his achievements are not limited to the elements already mentioned. In his book, Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think, the author has revealed the way power is currently distributed in the country and how it can be returned to representatives of the general public.
Nader’s work is based on the fact that the United States has both “a plutocracy of maximums and a democracy of minimums.”1 The author reveals that a mere few can play a leading role in politics if they manage to amass enough profits and exercise of power over others. Depending on the major element of this power, professionals distinguish oligarchy (the rule of the few) and plutocracy (money determines a leader). Taking into consideration the fact that the United States is a democratic country, such forms of power are unjust. Those who rule obtain their exalted position because of their money, and they are expected to determine the lowest levels of income, security, accommodation, and health care for others. At the same time, they are gathering additional wealth and power, providing them the opportunity to avoid any punishment from the justice system. As a result, the majority of citizens are reduced to living according to those minimums defined by the privileged few who have the opportunity to access all maximums.
Unfortunately, money is power in the United States, as almost everything can be sold and purchased. The economy and business spheres are often corrupt, which does not align with an authentic democracy. Ordinary people have poor access to commercial-free zones. Even though they are able to elect government officials, call on their human rights, and stand for equality and justice, exceptions are often observed. For example, limitations can affect the opportunity to vote, or the claim may be made that people are equal even in the face of the existence of deprived populations. In addition, corporations and private owners influence access to as well as the quality of water and air. Finally, children—the future of the United States—are programmed from their earliest ages to yield to corporate marketing and advertising.
Nader believes that the current situation does not provide the population with the opportunity to live the normal life that they deserve. Thus, he encourages his readers to break away from the power that controls them and prevents improvement. The author maintains that a progressive change should be implemented as soon as possible to improve the situation. In particular, he thinks that, as a starting point, the public’s expectations must be altered. This recommendation can be explained by the fact that most of the political reforms that have brought a change in the United States were urged by small groups of ordinary people who became dissatisfied with the conditions of their environment and started fighting for their rights to enhance the situation.
Within this framework, the abolition of slavery, the development of women’s rights, and even regulations associated with climate change can be discussed. Nader thinks that democracy still has a chance to be decently established in the United States, but it requires at least 1% of the population to confront the current power and expose deprivation.2 He states that with the help of movements, people can attain the required changes. Activists should volunteer to create advocacy offices and cooperate with their congressional representatives to organize meetings focused on citizens’ education on the issues. In all, Nader believes that these actions will provide the United States with an opportunity to establish a clear democracy and benefit its population.
Similar ideas are represented by Parenti, a former educator in the fields of political and social science who has published more than 20 books; his works often appear in newspapers and scholarly journals. Parenti’s writings are often used in classes in colleges and universities to improve students’ knowledge in the abovementioned fields. In his book, Democracy for the Few, the author discusses various issues associated with the way the American governmental system operates.
In chapter 15, for example, he focuses on Congress: its characteristics and influences. Parenti states that US democracy is negatively affected by the oligopoly that presupposes the existence of a limited number of organizations operating in the market and providing a particular product. The author believes that corporations profit off of representatives of the general population instead of benefiting them, emphasizing that the whole US government works in a similar way.
The Congress of the United States consists of two houses; in particular, it is divided into “the House of Representatives, whose 435 seats are distributed among the states according to population, and the Senate, which two seats per state regardless of the population.”3 Thus, it is clear to see that the seats in Congress are not proportionally divided, which presupposes that the needs and rights of the citizens of some states have less value than those of others. Parenti supports this claim, drawing attention to the fact that the nine most populous states have only 18 representatives in the Senate although they boast half the US population. Thus, he agrees with Nader’s views on plutocracy in the United States, stating that the members of Congress are not diverse enough to reflect the needs of all citizens, which means that the power is held by the few who support whatever initiatives may benefit them.
Parenti wants his readers to realize that the general public is made to follow even the policies that are made by lawmakers having no personal experience in the sphere they want to moderate.4 Thus, he urges the population to use lobbying to develop those public policies that correspond to the needs of the citizens. However, the power of lobbyists turns out to be limited in the modern world because they must compete with business people who have the means to make a congressional committee member accept their position. Furthermore, the democratic process in Congress can be corrupted as its members make money on the programs they support. In addition, they can travel at the governmental expense and provide relatives with high-paid occupations.
Parenti and Nader urge the population to take power into their own hands and work to influence the government. They believe that democracy can be reborn so that corruption and legislative manipulation can be overcome. The authors encourage the general public to take a step forward instead of sitting back and waiting for something to change. Even though the authors reveal that currently, money implies a power that can shape politics, the opportunity to overcome plutocracy, and it should not be missed.
Bibliography
Nader, Ralph. Breaking through Power: It’s Easier than We Think. San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2016.
Parenti, Michael. Democracy for the Few. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2010.
Footnotes
- Ralph Nader, Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier than We Think (San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2016), 20.
- Nader, Breaking through Power, 49.
- Michael Parenti, Democracy for the Few, 9th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2010), 197.
- Parenti, Democracy for the Few, 200.