there are people in the US whose names we are aware of, but no attention is paid to the power they wield . . . find it quite mind-boggling. there are private individuals (not named Bill Gates) who could upset Microsoft as easily as a toy boat if they wanted . . . obviously they won't, b/c the result would be catastrophic for everyone . . . but there is that much power concentrated in individual hands in our country.
I think the concept of wealthy, secret societies running the world is interesting, but utterly preposterous.
Remember a few years ago when Microsoft tried to throw around virtually non-existent political clout during various anti-trust hearings around the world?
The power that the politically active wealthy wield is not contingent so much on their bank account balances as it is their ability to institute the shared philosophy of large segments of the population.
In terms of influence, the difference between a billionaire and a trillionaire would be negligible.
Just look at China and Russia. Sure, corporations can influence policies, but at the end of the day, big business is playing the government's game.
The truth of the matter is that the power the politically active wield doesn't have much to do with a simple