"It's Official: In America, Affluence Equals Influence"
American democracy is an illusion.
The people do not govern.
Politicians respond almost exclusively to the desires of special interests and the wealthiest citizens.
Do you think those statements are: a) Messages scrawled on placards carried by poorly-groomed protesters who have been camped out across from the White House since 2004?
Or b) Conclusions by two mainstream political scientists from a study that will soon be published in a prominent academic journal?
Sadly, the answer is b.
Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University have done a unique study of which groups get what they want from the American government. Their paper, which can be read in its entirely here, which will be published in the fall issue of Perspectives in Politics.
If there is a modicum of good news, it’s that average Americans sometimes get what they want — but only because their views often coincide with what rich people want."
IT WAS A FAIR ARTICLE, BUT MADE LIGHT OF THE WHOLE ISSUE AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF..."DAMAGE CONTROL"....THEY'RE TREATING THE WHOLE THING LIGHTLY SO THE PUBLIC WILL SWALLOW IT EASIER ONCE THE STUDY COMES OUT AND FOREIGN MEDIA PICK IT UP.
THE TRUTH IS NOT SO "LIGHT".
IT'S A BIT DARKER.
QUITE A BIT DARKER.
[NOTE: SEE THE LIST OF "OLD MONEY FAMILIES IN AMERICA BELOW AT "$$$"]
WHO RUNS AMERICA?
MANY SAY THERE ARE FOUR 'NETWORKS' OF POWER IN THE U.S. THAT COME TOGETHER WHEN NECESSARY TO DEFEAT ANY/ALL WHO WOULD USURP THEIR AUTHORITY.
~ THE IDEOLOGICAL NETWORK
~ THE ECONOMIC NETWORK
~ THE MILITARY NETWORK
~ THE POLITICAL NETWORK
TAKEN TOGETHER, SUCH THEORISTS STATE, THESE ARE THE FOUR NETWORKS OF THE TRUE RULING ELITE IN AMERICA, AND HAVE BEEN FOR ALMOST 200 YEARS.
THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS WHY THIS THEORY DOESN'T HOLD UP, BESIDES THE FACT THAT ONLY ONE OF THOSE NETWORKS HAS BEEN SECURELY IN PLACE, STABLE, ROCK-SOLID FOR 200 YEARS..
1~ THE IDEOLOGICAL NETWORK IS SAID TO BE BASED ON 'ORGANIZATIONS', WHETHER OF A RELIGIOUS, SOCIAL, OR EVEN 'EDUCATIONAL' NATURE.
THIS WOULD ALSO INCLUDE ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS NETWORK BEING OF MUCH CONSEQUENCE IS THAT THE STRUCTURE AND LEADERSHIP SO OFTEN CHANGE.
SOME ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE SEEN AS ESSENTIAL 50 YEARS AGO OR EVEN 20 YEARS AGO ARE GONE TODAY, THEIR POPULARITY DECLINED TO THE POINT WHERE THEY JUST VANISHED FROM THE SCENE.
AS TIMES CHANGE, ORGANIZATIONS HAVE CHANGED.
THEY ARE JUST NOT STABLE.
EVEN CHRISTIANITY HAS BECOME SO MALIGNED AND HAS COME UNDER SO MUCH MEDIA AND POLITICAL ATTACK THAT ITS OWN STATISTICS SHOW A DECLINE IN "CHURCH MEMBERSHIP".
ANY STATE WHICH ALLOWS CREATIONISM TO BE POSITED ALONGSIDE DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION IN THE CLASSROOMS OF ITS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HAS BEEN THREATENED WITH DE-FUNDING BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
DITTO FOR PRAYER IN SCHOOLS...IT'S A NO-NO, ALTHOUGH MOST SCHOOLS HAVE BENT OVER BACKWARD TO PROVIDE PLACES OF PRAYER FOR ITS MUSLIM STUDENTS.
MICHAEL MANN WROTE IN 1986 THAT SUCH AN IDEOLOGICAL NETWORK
".. generates "sacred" authority and intensifies social cohesion."
HE POINTED TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS A PRIME EXAMPLE.
[ SEE Mann, M. (1986). The sources of social power: A history of power from the beginning to A.D. 1760 (Vol. 1). New York: Cambridge University Press.]
WELL, NO, NOT ANYMORE, NOT HERE IN AMERICA.
AMERICA NEVER WAS, NOR WILL BE, LIKE, SAY, IRAN...RULED BY ITS TOP RELIGIOUS ICON.
SO, NO, NO, ORGANIZATIONS, OR IDEOLOGICAL NETWORKS CAN'T BE TRUE SOURCES OF RULING POWER IN AMERICA.
2~ WHAT ABOUT THE MILITARY NETWORK?
THIS FAILS RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE SO FEW OF THE WEALTHIEST HAVE BEEN IN THE MILITARY, NOR ARE THEIR CHILDREN FOUND MUCH IN MILITARY RANKS.
BESIDES THAT, THE MILITARY IN AMERICA WAS NOT A TRUE FORCE UNTIL THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
AMERICA'S 'MILITARY MIGHT' WAS NOT ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED BEFORE THAT.
TODAY, IT DEPENDS ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO SURVIVE, AND THOUGH GIVEN BILLIONS ANNUALLY TO CONTINUE, IT IS STILL DEPENDENT ON THAT FUNDING.
IT IS SPREAD THINLY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, MORE ABROAD THAN ON HOME SOIL, AND ITS LEADERSHIP ALSO CHANGES FREQUENTLY.
SOME PERHAPS SURPRISING STATS FOR YOU...THE MILITARY ISN'T CONTROLLED BY THE MILITARY:
"As for the many wars in which the United States has been involved since 1949, they were decided upon by elected officials and by corporate leaders appointed to important positions in the state and defense departments, not by military leaders itching for a fight. The 2003 invasion of Iraq is a perfect example. It was the product of assertive nationalists like Vice President Richard Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, both former corporate CEOs, and the neoconservative ideologues they brought with them to government from right-wing think tanks. Most, if not all, of these pro-war civilians had carefully avoided military service in Vietnam after their graduation from college. President George W. Bush found refuge in the Texas Air National Guard, from which he took an extended leave of absence ."
(Schweizer & Schweizer, 2004, pp. 191-195).
COULD THERE BE A 'MILITARY COUP' TO SEIZE POWER IN AMERICA?
HAS THERE BEEN ONE SINCE AMERICA'S FOUNDING?
NO.
WE MUST DELETE THE MILITARY NETWORK AS A LASTING, STABLE 'NETWORK OF POWER'.
WITHOUT THE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX THAT SUPPORTS ITS EVERY MOVE, IT WOULD BE QUITE HOLLOW.
3~ THEN THE POLITICAL NETWORK MUST BE THE REAL 'POWER BEHIND THE THRONE'.
AGAIN, NO.
ALTHOUGH THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM WAS CREATED TO KEEP RIVALS ( A 3RD PARTY OR EVEN ANARCHISTS) FROM GETTING THE UPPER HAND OVER THE DOMINANT FORCES THAT RULE AMERICA, POLITICS IN AMERICA IS WISHY-WASHY AT BEST.
WHOEVER HAS THE BIGGEST CAMPAIGN CHEST ALMOST ALWAYS WINS, BUT THAT IS DEPENDENT ON CONTRIBUTORS, MANY OF WHOM FUND BOTH PARTIES SIMULTANEOUSLY.
THE FICKLE FUNDERS CHANGE THEIR MINDS FAIRLY OFTEN, PROBABLY JUST TO KEEP THE POLITICIANS GUESSING AND COMPLIANT, SO ALTHOUGH POLITICIANS ARE BOUGHT EACH ELECTION CYCLE, PUT IN OFFICE BY FUNDING, THEY ARE AT THE BECK AND CALL OF THEIR 'MASTERS', AND WHEN THE MASTERS CRACK THEIR WHIPS, POLITICIANS MERELY HEAR AND OBEY.
THEIR ALLEGIANCE IS TO THOSE WHO FUND THEM.
SCRATCH POLITICIANS AS A STABLE, 'TOP DOG' SOURCE OF REAL POWER, THOUGH IT OFTEN SEEMS THEY HAVE SOME.
WHAT NETWORK DOES THAT LEAVE?
ACTUALLY, IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO JUST ONE THING:
"WHO PHYSICALLY OWNS AMERICA?"
WHO OWNS THE CORPORATIONS WHICH HIRE THE WORKERS?
WHO OWNS THE LAND ON WHICH THOSE CORPORATIONS ARE BUILT?
WHO OWNS THE MORTGAGE COMPANIES, BANKS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT FUND THOSE WHO BUY LAND, BUILD CORPORATIONS, HIRE WORKERS?
WHO OWNS THE MEDIA THAT SUPPOSEDLY REPORTS THE NEWS (OR KEEPS THEM FROM DOING SO)?
WHO COULD USE THE MEDIA FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES, SAY, TO GROOM AMERICANS TO ACCEPT GLOBALIZATION AND THE "WE ARE ALL ONE GLOBAL FAMILY" IDEA WHICH UNDERMINES, DESTROYS NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENT THOUGHT?
WHO CAN SWAY PUBLIC OPINION FOR OR AGAINST ANYTHING IT PLEASES?
HOW SIMPLE IS IT TO USE THE AMERICAN MEDIA FOR SUCH "RE-EDUCATIONAL" PURPOSE?
WHO FUNDS OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND BY DOING SO IS ABLE TO DICTATE TERMS FOR THEIR CONTINUATION, THEIR CURRICULA?
WHICH MAJOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING DEPEND MOST ON PRIVATE FUNDING?
WHO BUYS POLITICIANS AND SENDS LOBBYISTS TO DICTATE POLICY ON CAPITOL HILL?
WHO CAN DELIVER A THUMBS-UP OR DOWN TO THE BILLS CONGRESS COMES UP WITH BY SENDING ITS MINIONS SCURRYING DOOR-TO-DOOR TO EACH "ELECTED OFFICIAL" TO PRESSURE THOSE SEATED IN CONGRESS?
THE VERY SAME ONES WHO HAVE BEEN AT THE HELM SINCE BEFORE THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.
THE SAME ONES WHO HELPED FUND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
THE SAME GROUP THAT HAS BEEN LIKE THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR, THE SOLID FOUNDATION AMERICA HAS ALWAYS TURNED TO PROVIDE WHAT IT NEEDS TO MAINTAIN ITS STATUS AS A "GLOBAL PRESENCE" THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
WHO MADE AMERICA A 'SUPER NATION'?
WHY, 'SUPERMEN' WITH SUPER WEALTH, THAT'S WHO!
WHAT IS THE REAL AMERICAN "POWER STRUCTURE"?
AS OF 2011, THOSE WHO CONTROL ABOUT 2,500 CORPORATIONS, AROUND 80 'FOUNDATIONS', APPROXIMATELY 30 "THINK TANKS", ALMOST 50 PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES THAT RECEIVE HUGE ENDOWMENTS FROM THESE WEALTHY BENEFACTORS, AND CLOSE TO 20 WHITE HOUSE ADVISORY COMMITTEES WHO CALL THE SHOTS OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE.
AND WHO IS BEHIND ALL THAT?
JUST OVER 9,000 INDIVIDUALS IN A NATION OF 319 MILLION CITIZENS.
AMERICA PROVED TO BE FAR MORE FERTILE GROUND FOR THE ULTRA-WEALTHY THAN EUROPE.
IN EUROPE, WORKERS' ORGANIZATIONS (UNIONS, ETC) TOOK HOLD AND THE CAPITALISTS, FOR A TIME, HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT, BARGAIN WITH WORKERS TO DO THE JOBS THEY NEEDED DONE.
NOT SO HERE.
WE MUST RECALL THAT THERE WERE THRIVING, LARGE CORPORATIONS HERE BEFORE WE HAD ANYTHING THAT RESEMBLED A STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
FROM THE BEGINNING, UNIONS OR ANY SEMBLANCE OF UNIONS' WERE LABELED COMMUNISTIC, SOCIALISTIC, FASCIST, WHATEVER IT TOOK TO GET THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO LOATHE THEM.
IN ALL HONESTY, MEN LIKE JIMMY HOFFA DIDN'T HELP THE IMAGE, DID THEY?
UNIONS WERE VIEWED ALMOST AS BADLY AS THE MAFIA!
THE TWO WERE LINKED TOGETHER AND THAT ENDED THAT.
UNIONS, ANY LEVERAGE WORKERS MIGHT HOPE FOR AGAINST THEIR BOSSES IN WAGE NEGOTIATIONS OR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS OF ANY TYPE, FADED AND IS FADING STILL.
WAGES, IN GENERAL, HAVE NOT KEPT PACE WITH COST OF LIVING.
WORKERS THEMSELVES WERE EVER SO GRADUALLY AND SUBTLY MALIGNED UNTIL NOW WE HAVE MORE OR LESS THE OLD FEUDAL SYSTEM EUROPE HAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
"YOU'D BETTER NOT ANGER THE 'GENTRY' OR YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF IN THE BREAD LINE...AND NO BREAD!"
WHEN WORKERS SEEM TO BE REBELLIOUS, DEMANDING BETTER WAGES OR WORKING CONDITIONS, BENEFITS FOR INCREASING PROFITS SO MUCH, AMERICAN CORPORATIONS SIMPLY MOVE OVERSEAS, WITH TAXPAYER FUNDED SUBSIDIES THAT HELP THEM MAKE THE MOVE, AND ENORMOUS TAX BREAKS AND LOOPHOLES THAT MAKE SENDING JOBS OVERSEAS VERY, VERY LUCRATIVE.
PROFITS SOAR!
"SCREW THE AMERICAN WORKERS! HELLO, CHINA, INDIA, MEXICO!"
NAFTA AND OTHER "FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS" WERE CUSTOM-MADE FOR THE OVERLORDS.
SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS THE THREAT TO MOVE A COMPANY OVERSEAS TO MAKE WORKERS AGREE TO LONGER HOURS FOR THE SAME MONEY...OR LESS MONEY.
SOMETHING FEW, VERY FEW AMERICANS HAVE RECOGNIZED IS THE BENEFIT TO CORPORATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE AGRICULTURAL ONES, OF THOSE "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS".
THOUGH LAWS ARE IN PLACE TO PUNISH COMPANIES THAT HIRE ILLEGALS, THE LAWS ARE RARELY ENFORCED, NOR ARE THEY IMPROVED UPON BY OUR BOUGHT-OUT CONGRESS.
WHEN STATE LAWS CRACKED DOWN ON THE LARGE MEGA-FARMS ALONG THE MEXICAN BORDER AND VIRTUALLY HALTED THE HIRING OF ILLEGALS, THOSE WHO OWN THOSE FARMS THREW SUCH A FIT THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENTS DID AN ABOUT-FACE QUICKLY.
SURE, SURE, ANYTHING OUR JOB-GIVERS WANT!
PLACATE, CAJOLE, BOW, SCRAPE.
WHO BENEFITS GREATLY FROM ILLEGAL, LOW-WAGE WORKERS?
CORPORATE AMERICA.
LOWER WAGES, WORKERS TOO SCARED OF DEPORTATION TO COMPLAIN ABOUT UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS, WHO DON'T DEMAND BENEFITS, WHO WON'T REPORT ANY VIOLATIONS A COMPANY WANTS TO MAKE...
WHAT COMPANY WOULDN'T LOVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?
CLEAR THE BORDER GUARDS!
CORPORATE AMERICA WANTS CHEAP LABOR AND PLENTY OF IT!
KA-CHING, KA-CHING!
IF COMPANIES NEVER HIRED ILLEGALS, THERE WOULD BE DAMNED FEW COMING HERE LOOKING FOR JOBS.
KNOWING THAT, WHO SHOULD WE BLAME FOR ANY UPTICK IN ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS?
THINK!
WHO PROFITS MORE...ILLEGAL WORKERS OR COMPANIES WHO HIRE THEM?
OH, BY THE WAY, MEXICANS MAKE UP BARELY HALF OF ALL CROSSING ILLEGALLY INTO THE U.S. NOW, AND THEIR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN STEADILY DECLINING SINCE 2007!
[SEE THIS REPORT., ONE OF MANY]
AFTER NAFTA, SO MANY AMERICAN COMPANIES MOVED TO MEXICO THAT THEIR ECONOMY IMPROVED!
ILLEGALS ARE NOW ONLY ABOUT 5% OF AMERICA'S WORKFORCE.
ANOTHER WAY THOSE WHO RUN AMERICA FOUND TO KEEP THEIR POWER WAS TO DUMB-DOWN AMERICANS.
DUMB FOLKS DON'T QUESTION, DON'T ROCK THE BOAT, DON'T FIGURE THINGS OUT AND SO DON'T DEMAND CHANGE.
WE OFTEN HEAR THAT COLLEGE GRADUATES CAN'T EVEN BALANCE A CHECKBOOK, THAT "LITTLE JOHNNY CAN'T READ" WHEN HE GRADUATES HIGH SCHOOL.
ASK THE MAN ON THE STREET WHERE WALLIS AND FUTUNA IS AND HE'LL GIVE YOU A GOAT-EYED STARE.
HELL, HE WON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE STATE CAPITAL OF IDAHO IS!
ASK THE MAN ON THE STREET WHAT HIS STANCE IS ON SOME SOCIAL ISSUE AND HE'LL LIKELY QUOTE YOU HIS POLITICAL PARTY'S STANCE, BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ELABORATE ON WHY HE, PERSONALLY, FEELS THAT WAY ON THE ISSUE.
ASK TEN PEOPLE TO RECITE THE PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND PERHAPS ONE, ON A GOOD DAY, WILL BE ABLE TO.
ASK WHAT THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT ARE AND HOW EACH FUNCTIONS AND YOU'LL PROBABLY BE MET WITH SILENCE.
SAY ALMOST ANY PHRASE IN ALMOST ANY FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND ASK 'JOHN Q. PUBLIC WHAT IT MEANS AND MOST TIMES YOU WILL GET, "THIS IS AMERICA! SPEAK ENGLISH!"
HE WON'T HAVE A CLUE!
DUMBED-DOWN.
DUMBED-DOWN AND COMPLACENT.
"APATHY ARE US."
WHICH REMINDS ME HOW FEW PEOPLE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PARTICIPLE AND A PRONOUN.
DUMB PEOPLE MAKE GOOD SHEEP.
A FLOCK IS EASIER TO CONTROL THAN A NATION FULL OF WELL-EDUCATED INDEPENDENT THINKERS.
MAKE COLLEGE INCREASINGLY MORE EXPENSIVE, KEEP AMERICA DUMB.
AND KEEP COLLEGE CURRICULA SUB-PAR TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
WE DON'T WANT AMERICANS GOING TO COLLEGE AND GETTING ANY "WISE IDEAS".
AMERICA IS IN THE VICE-GRIPS OF A VERY SMALL GROUP OF WEALTHY, POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS.
THEY CREATE THE ILLUSION OF A DEMOCRACY RULED "BY THE PEOPLE".
AMERICA IS RULED BY WEALTH...MORE WEALTH THAN YOU MAY IMAGINE.
Super-Rich Hold Up To $32 Trillion In Offshore Havens: Report
$32 TRILLION!HALF OF THAT WOULD PAY OFF OUR ENTIRE NATIONAL DEBT!
"The study estimating the extent of global private financial wealth held in offshore accounts - EXCLUDING non-financial assets such as real estate, gold, yachts and racehorses - puts the sum at between $21 and $32 trillion."
IT'S A LIE THAT "WEALTH TRICKLES DOWN".
WEALTH STAYS PUT.
THE ULTRA-WEALTHY SEE TO THAT!
WHO RUNS AMERICA?
WHO RULES HERE?
WHO CARES, RIGHT?
LEARN...OR PERISH.
"$$$" OLD MONEY FAMILIES IN AMERICA:
[NOTE: I DID NOT COMPOSE THIS LIST, NOR DO I SEE THESE FAMILIES IN THE SAME LIGHT THE AUTHOR OBVIOUSLY DOES, BUT AS A LIST, IT'S A START, NOTHING MORE.]
~ THE ASTOR FAMILY
The family traces its roots to Germany and England, and is related to other prominent families like the Livingstons, the Roosevelts, the Dudleys, the Winthrops, and the Bayards. Their earliest known ancestors worked as butchers in Germany, before the family moved to England to become flute makers. They then moved to Baltimore where they continued with their flute business, before becoming merchants of furs, pianos and real estate. Eventually, they moved to New York.
~ THE DUPONT FAMILY (or "dU PONT")
The Du Ponts trace their lineage to France, where the founder of the family that moved to the United States originally lived. He was a watchmaker from Paris and he was a Hugeunot, a French Protestant who believed in the teachings of John Calvin.
The matriarch boasted noble blood as she belonged to a minor royal family. The family moved to the United States in 1800 where they established the Eleuthere Irenee, a company that manufactured gunpowder.
This was eventually renamed as the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
The family amassed massive wealth by selling gunpowder during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. By World War I, the family had a stronghold of the entire supply of gunpowder used by the United States.
The family is related to the Astor family, the Rockefeller family, the Roosevelt family and the Vanderbilt family.
They have played a role in some important events in American history, including the Louisiana Purchase.
~ THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY
"RICHEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD"
"RICHEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD"
The Rothschild family is credited for establishing finance houses throughout Europe. It was considered the richest family in the world for much of 1800’s.
It originated from Frankfurt in the old Holy Roman Empire and the family members have Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity.
The family became so powerful that five lines of its Austrian branch were given heredity titles by Emperor Francis II of the Habsburg Empire in 1816.
The Rothschilds also had a British branch that was bequeathed with the titles of Baron and Baronet by Queen Victoria.
Today, the Rothschilds may not be as prominent as they were before, though they do still have interests in a variety of industries, including finance, mining, wine, energy, and farming.
Family descendants can still be found in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, Monaco, and Luxembourg.
~ THE VANDERBILT FAMILY
The Vanderbilt family traces its roots to the van Salees, one of the first to inhabit New Amsterdam back in the 17th century. The van Salees are also the ancestors of the Whitneys, and of prominent personalities like Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and Humphrey Bogart.
The family started amassing wealth when Cornelius Vanderbilt established his shipping and railroad businesses that soon transformed into an empire.
They owned the Michigan Central Railroad, which led to the establishment of the town of Vanderbilt in the state.
The family also built the Grand Central Terminal in New York, which is why there is a Vanderbilt Avenue right in midtown Manhattan.
Vanderbilt also donated a million dollars that became the foundation money of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
He also donated a steamer boat named after him to the Union during the Civil War. As a result, the government awarded him a gold medal that soon became the symbol of the family’s titular head.
The family was also known for its 10 magnificent mansions along Fifth Avenue. Unfortunately, by the middle of the 20th century, the family experienced a major downfall that led to the collapse of their business empire.
Around this time, the last of those great mansions were demolished.
Around this time, the last of those great mansions were demolished.
The Vanderbilts can still be found in New York.
They are related to the Goldberg and Windmiller families, both of which are considered as two of the richest clans in Long Island.
~ THE ROCKEFELLER FAMILYThey are related to the Goldberg and Windmiller families, both of which are considered as two of the richest clans in Long Island.
(Not originally considered "old money", but they became accepted as such in the early 1900s.)
The family got rich in the latter part of the 1800’s to the early part of the 1900’s when their oil business boomed mainly through their company called Standard Oil.
The company was known for its ruthless practices of both horizontal and vertical integration drilling .
The company was known for its ruthless practices of both horizontal and vertical integration drilling .
Eventually, the courts ruled that the company was an illegal monopoly, so one of the family’s legacies is the Anti-Trust Act that was enacted by Congress that resulted in the breakup of Standard Oil.
Among the resulting oil firms formed were Exxon, Mobil and Chevron, all of which trace roots to Rockefeller.
The family was also known for the Chase Manhattan Bank, which is now part of JP Morgan Chase.
They were also heavily involved with landmarks such as the Rockefeller Center, the old World Trade Center, the Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Center, Empire State Plaza, and The Embarcadero Complex in San Francisco.
WHILE NOT ALWAYS LISTED AS "OLD MONEY", NO LIST OF AMERICA'S MOST WEALTHY AND INFLUENTIAL FAMILIES WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING:
~ THE CARNEGIES, ANDREW CARNEGIE
~ THE CARNEGIES, ANDREW CARNEGIE
ORIGINALLY FROM SCOTLAND IN 1848.
HOLDINGS IN RAILROADS, BUT REMEMBERED FOR HIS STEEL MILLS.
ONE OF THOSE BLAMED FOR THE JOHNSTOWN FLOODS.
~ THE J.P. MORGAN FAMILY
JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN, BORN IN CONNECTICUT, ESTABLISHED A BANKING AND FINANCIAL DYNASTY AND WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAN IN AMERICA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY.
HE WAS A RUTHLESS BUSINESSMAN, FEARED BY MANY, RESPECTED BY SOME.
DURING THE "PANIC OF 1907", J.P. MORGAN SINGLEHANDEDLY BAILED OUT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
IT WAS BECAUSE OF MORGAN'S AND OTHER "ROBBER BARONS" TACTICS TO FORM MONOPOLIES THAT THE GLASS-STEAGALL ACT WAS PASSED.
EVERYONE KNOWS THE INFLUENCE OF RUPERT MURDOCH, WARREN BUFFET, BILL GATES, GEORGE SOROS, THE WALTON FAMILY THAT STARTED THE WALMART CHAIN, THE KOCH BROTHERS, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, TED TURNER, THE MYSTERIOUSLY INFLUENTIAL BUSH FAMILY...
[HAVING STUDIED THE HISTORY OF THE BUSH FAMILY FOR OVER 14 YEARS NOW, AND STILL UNCOVERING ...WELL, NEVERMIND...BUT SOME DAY I WILL PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER FOR A VERY LENGTHY BLOG.]
FORBES LIKES TO CREATE A LIST OF 400 RICHEST IN AMERICA , BILLIONAIRES MOSTLY, SO HAVE A LOOK AT THAT SITE IF YOU DON'T MIND "SLUMMING" IN THE FINANCIAL RAG SHEETS.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CAN DIG INTO EACH OF THESE FAMILIES' HISTORY, SEE THE CONNECTIONS, AND SEE A LOT OF THINGS THE MEDIA DOESN'T BROADCAST ABOUT EACH "AMERICAN DYNASTY".
AT THIS POINT IN TIME, IT'S SIMPLY TOO LATE TO UNDO THE DAMAGE DONE TO AMERICA BY THE GOODLY "PHILANTHROPISTS" AMONG THE "OLD MONEY" FAMILIES AND FEW IN AMERICA GIVE A DAMN TO KNOW WHAT THOSE DAMAGES WERE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO US TODAY.
I AM CONTENT TO LET THE AMERICAN SHEEP BELIEVE WHATEVER THE HELL THEY PLEASE.
IGNORANCE IS A CHOICE.
KNOWLEDGE, VIA PURE TRUTH, IS THE CURE.
TRUTH IS ENEMY TO MOST THESE DAYS.
SO BE IT.
PEOPLE GENERALLY GET WHAT THEY ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR.
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