Many would agree that in an ideal government, the governed have a means to effect decisions made by the government that will affect their lives. Upon a cursory glance of the United States constitution, one might come to the conclusion that the founding fathers had this objective in mind when they were creating our government. Unfortunately however, one only needs to delve a bit further into America’s history to understand; whether intentionally or by accident, the scales of government are tipped in the favor the wealthy.
Evidence of  disparity in the access to political power can be seen in the early voting rights of America. According to the bill of rights, “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.(U.S. Const. amend. X.) Because the constitution did not specify who had the right to vote, this power was left to the states. Throughout the 18th century, only land owning american citizens had the right to vote in elections. In fact, it wasn’t until the 20th century when women, former slaves and indians were able to vote in elections. (Expansion of Rights and Liberties ~ The Right of Suffrage, n.d.) While such restrictions were eventually lifted, we still see attempts by the powerful elites to impede the voting rights of the poor. As of the date of this writing, 36 states require voters to present some manner of identification in order to vote. Such laws present a significant barrier to citizens who cannot obtain the most common form of Identification, a driver’s license.(Voter ID reqs, n.d.) Groups most affected by such voter identification laws appear to be senior citizens and the poor. (Oppose Voter ID Legislation - Fact Sheet, n.d.)
While explaining the traits of an oligarchy, Robert Dahl argues, “When one individual was much better off than another in one resource, such as wealth, he was usually better off in almost every other resource.-social standing, legitimacy, control over religious and educational institutions, knowledge, office.”(Dahl, 2011) This quote seems to reflect the jarring reality present in this country today.  C. Wright Mills also touches upon the subject of political elites controlling the government, citing the historical precedent such as the bombing of japan during WWII. Mills argues that because the electorate isn’t included in the process of these decisions, we are clearly being ruled over by an elite class.
From the birth of this country, until the present, we see representatives of our government making decisions that seem to be completely divorced from the will of the people. This phenomena is so strong that it seems to have inspired apathy in the electorate, which then makes it harder to oust these rogue representatives from power. Furthermore, it appears that only those who have access to significant amounts of money have the time and capital necessary to participate in the process.