OPINION — If Will Rogers were here today, he might have something to say:
Well, I’ve been watching this country for a spell now, and I’ll tell you something that may not sit easy: we’ve still got all the trimmings of democracy, but the stew tastes more and more like it was cooked up by a handful of folks who own the kitchen. The rest of us get to sniff the broth and hope they ladle out a little our way.
Now, some high‑minded scholars call it “oligarchy,” others say “plutocracy,” and a few dress it up as “elite capture.” But out here on the front porch, we don’t need fancy labels. If the same small crowd keeps deciding what’s on the menu, and the rest of us keep getting whatever scraps fall off the table, well, that’s all the definition we need.
