Who Has the Power?

Democracy and the Western push for others to conform to democratic governments has greatly influenced the world. For the most part, I agree with Mills's power elite theory on democracy. While the people in power in becoming more diverse in ethnicity and sex, I still believe the majority of the people in power are WASP-type men. However, I do not think that WASP-type men should be the only people in power. I think our society could greatly benefit from having women and people of different races become powerful political and social leaders. I also thinks Mills's idea that there are "three spheres" in which people move up the hierarchical ladder ring true today. For example many large business, especially those involved with military aspects, and their leaders often either run for office or make large contributions to a person that could really influence how likely they would win the election. Often politicians, such as previous presidents, often go into business with companies that were involved in their campaign/s or helped when they served their term. Since these companies have so much influence and are so influenced by political figures, military personnel may see it as beneficial if they also became close with both spheres. Thus, the process continues to repeat itself.

I also agree with most of Mills's idea about the three levels of power in the US. I do think the "power elite occupy the highest level" and interest groups are beneath the power elite. However, unlike Mills, I do think the mass population can have an effect on policy decisions. The system of checks and balances established many years ago ensures that the population can vote to repeal a law or impeach a leader. They are also the ones who vote to elect a politician to office or choose to support a company by buying their products. I think the mass population can have a large effect on how society functions and how the government and power elite operate. However, I think all aspects of society, including businesses, government officials, and citizens, influence the world we live in, in a variety of ways.