The elite live in a different country than the rest of Americans. It is not possible to understand the System and its actions without understanding this fact. The elite see its own ascendancy as just, and cannot understand the anger below. Yet the rules for success used by the elite are often very different from the rules observed by ordinary people. This leads the elite to believe that those below 'cannot be told' the real reason for decisions that are made. The question becomes what should the people be told, not what the facts are. The perplexity of the voter who tries first one party and then the other, winding up always with the same elite, shows how democracy has given way to rule by the System's managers. Shared knowledge leads to shared assumptions, which are even more crucial than knowledge in making it possible for the elite managers to work together without 'conspiracy.' These invisible shared assumptions are the real Constitution, the real fundamental law, which guides the System.
Charles A. Reich, Opposing the System
I somehow doubt I share much in common with Mr. Reich from a socio-political standpoint, but our viewpoints certainly coincide on this position.
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