As the United States approaches the 2000 presidential race, in which more money will be spent than ever, the fact must be faced that America has become a plutocracy.
Money rules government.
The transformation is probably irreversible. The new system's invulnerability to reform is structural, the result of a series of political decisions and court rulings on the regulation and financing of political campaigns that have placed the cost of election beyond the means of all but a handful of private individuals. The enormous cost of elections follows from the fact that U.S. political campaigns are almost completely conducted by means of television and radio advertising. This system is unique among the world's major democracies. This has turned the country's elections into a regular and immense source of income for broadcasting and advertising companies.