America is a Flawed Democracy. By 2016 we had set records in reduced opportunity, and our level of poverty, especially child poverty, placed us in the category with Poland, Mongolia, Italy, India, Argentina and Colombia. When nations falter badly, one must look first at its rulers.
America’s REAL RULERS cannot be understood as our elected and appointed officials. Our RULING POWER ELITE own, control and manipulate the governments at the national, state and local levels. Political Policy-making, Plutocracy, Profit and Greed constitute their driving force. They have the power to get laws passed that they prefer about 50% of the time, an awesome percentage; and stop any legislation that threatens their profits nearly 100% of the time.
The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That has made the U.S. Less Secure. (TIME, September 14, 2020)
Who are the people running and ruining our country? Are the people we select to lead us possessors of the highest level of intellect, wisdom and morality, who work for the benefit of all the people?
Too many of the aspiring leaders the American people have selected are daring liars and effective deceivers. These are classic politicians, as opposed to Public Servants, who curry favor with the citizens, indulge them, have an awareness of their wishes, and are skillful in promising to gratify them, so they are esteemed as great statespersons.
DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE RULING POWER ELITE: Nearly twice the average age of Americans; predominantly Republican; 80-90%% male; nearly all are white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants; virtually all are college graduates, 50% have advanced degrees; and are wealthy — the top 10% of Americans possess 70% of the nation’s wealth, $86 Trillion.
We do not have the diversity of membership in our leadership cadres that is representative of the country and most conducive for bringing about the full thriving of Democracy. Thus, the principal causes for America’s deplorable condition are the policy decisions that have created and sustained inequities and corrupted the democratic process.
“In the past, the overwhelming majority of the leaders came from working people — children of farmers, shopkeepers, and factory workers—and could still remember those worlds after they left them. Not so today. (Charles Murray)
The most glaring leadership disparity is in Male-Female representation. Through 1977, women made up less than 20% of Congress. And although women today make up a higher percentage America’s adult population, by more than 13 million over men, women constitute only 25% of the Senate and 28% of Congress, most of whom are Democrats.
I am certain that a national governmental leadership cadre that more closely resembled the American population would reduce the gaps between the responsibilities of government and current reality.
Steve Harvey is WRONG! You must THINK like a WOMAN and ACT like a WOMAN! Men’s thinking and acting are what got the country in its current state of chaos, disunity, and on the road to Fascism.
If women achieve equal status with men, e.g., personal rights, political equality, and religious freedom, women’s impact on national advancement would immediately become superior (From Socrates). I add, and noticeable. This achievement is not up to men; it is in hand of women, who already outstrip men, significantly, in the pipeline to leadership – Education.
Women’s Leadership Qualities*:
Women leaders are more persuasive than their male counterparts.
When feeling the sting of rejection, women leaders learn from adversity and carry on with an “I’ll show you” attitude.
Women leaders demonstrate an inclusive, team-building leadership style of problem solving and decision making.
Women leaders are more likely to ignore rules and take risks.
Women are more empathetic and flexible, as well as stronger in interpersonal skills.
Nevertheless, over the centuries, women have tended to deprecate and underestimate their abilities, even though their performances do not differ in quality from men’s performances. What holds too many women back is their choice not to try.
Patience and endurance were not inherent virtues in women; they were forced on them by heteropatriarchy. Perhaps someday things will change and women will renounce all debilitating falsities. They will rise up and say: We will not be patient. We will endure no more. Then America and the world soon improve. (Inspired by Mary Roberts Rinehart)
*Sources:
1. “Women Are Better Leaders Than Men,” Study Of 3,000 Managers Concludes.
The study, led by Professor Øyvind L. Martinsen, head of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at the BI Norwegian Business School, assessed the personality and characteristics of nearly 3,000 managers.
2. “Are Women Natural Leaders, and Men…the Opposite?” Caliper, a Princeton, New Jersey-based management consulting firm, and Aurora, a London-based organization
3. “Are Women Natural Leaders, and Men…the Opposite?” Knowledge@Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, 8 November 2000.
4. Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership, Esther Wachs, Harper Collins, 08/21/2001
