This episode explores both the majesty of our democracy and its failures. No matter the issue that motivates you as a voter and citizen, there is an artificial barrier that exists between our desire for change and ability to manifest it. The whims of an increasingly wealthy donor class ensures that each of the major parties play their respective roles in maintaining the status quo. Well intentioned political figures inevitably cave to the pressures of the donor class and unrelenting requirements of campaign funding. The founders of the nation crushed monarchical tyranny with the innovation of temporary rule. Modern oligarchs have found a way to negate this innovation and install a permanent ruling class of elites.

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Resources

The New York Review: Hannah Arendt: From an Interview

Hoover Institution: Make Ticker Tape Parades Great Again: A Conversation with Peter Thiel

Ludwig von Bertalanffy: General System Theory; Foundations, Development, Applications

Reuters: Chile's lithium nationalization shines light on emerging tech

NPR: Can Brazil's Lula save the Amazon?

Book Love

John Stuart Mill: On Liberty

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract

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