In five pages this opinion paper expresses a personal judgment as to whether or not pluralism or elitism best describes wealth and power in the United States, with references made to James Madison’s concept of checks and balances. Three sources are listed in the bibliography.
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believed this could be achieved through a complex structure of "governmental checks and balances... [and] counterbalancing ambition with ambition" (Banning, 1995, p. 4). According to Madison, checks and balances
were necessary as a security precaution (Banning, 1995). He believed, correctly, that rulers can become easily corrupted by the allure of wealth and power, and therefore needed external checks
and balances in place to keep the general good from being sacrificed to serve their own personal ambitions (Banning, 1995). The early concerns Madison expressed led to the competing
theories of elitism and pluralism, or whether economic and political power would remain concentrated among certain ruling factions or equitably shared among the citizens of the republic. A
lifelong liberal, this writers political activities reflect a concern for minority representation. Involved in local democratic politics voter recruitment, this included not only registration but also ensuring that transportation
would be provided to primaries and polls for those citizens without the financial means to do so or who suffered from an age- or physical disability preventing them to do
so unassisted. In addition, this writer participated in town meetings that encouraged dialogue with politicians at all levels and lobbied to have these meetings dispersed throughout the area so
that both rural and urban citizens could engage in political discussions that would address their particular problems and concerns. Obviously, pluralism is the preferred political theory to advance a
liberal perspective because it encourages active participation and representation. Unlike elitism, which is little more than an exclusive political club of individuals with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels, and
ethnicity, pluralism advocates a multicultural approach designed to reflect and protect the diversity that has historically existed in the United States. This writers political activities have focused on civic