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Wealth & Poverty Review Putting the People First

A new
study out of Princeton and Northwestern
that’s been getting a fair amount of attention shows what many Americans already know or sense–that there’s too much money in politics. Citizen interests are being outweighed by the cozy relationship between government on one side and big business and the super-rich on the other. Gilens and Page write: 

The central point that emerges from our research is that
economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on
U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.

Political Scientist Charles Murray recently commented on
this symbiotic relationship, noting that capitalism is in bed with the government. He says that the class warfare rhetoric that is so often wielded in today’s politics has resonated with the American people because, well, it’s not wrong:

The American people look at the way people make zillions of
bucks because they can get the regulations they want to, because they get the government to support their technology. They see that going on, plus the crony capitalism. And the number of these capitalists are enthusiastically in favor of real competition is depressingly small.

A fair economy requires allowing competition, not special interests, to drive
markets. We need more capitalism–not less. We’ve seen our current president salute the efforts of Occupy Wall Street while pocketing more Wall Street dollars than any other politician in the last 20 years. We’ve seen special insider deals and favoritism perpetuated by those who also speak against unfairness and inequality. What we need are leaders who will create an even playing field instead of rigging the game.

Scott Powell offers advice on how to correct our current
course, looking toward the coming November elections. Read his 3 key areas where the GOP can put the interests of the people first by supporting common sense economics.