'Money, Not Wealth, Drives the Power Game'

The richest people in the world have more than a trillion dollars each, but that money is not just for them. They can give $100, 000 a year to every home in Colorado for four years and still have plenty left. The top one percent own more than 31 % of all U. S. wealth, and that gap keeps growing. This imbalance fuels a split in politics. Some scholars predicted it decades ago, and the trend continues. The richest are not against capitalism; they keep businesses that help society. But many of them pay very little tax compared to the rest of us. Power shows up in four ways. First, billionaires buy media outlets. Musk owns Twitter; Bezos owns The Washington Post; the Ellisons own CBS News and are buying CNN. These owners can tell their papers who to support or fire reporters. Second, they fund think tanks. The Koch brothers and the Heritage Foundation back groups that shape policy. One project, Project 2025, looks like a plan for a second Trump term.Third, they influence the Supreme Court. Justices can be swayed by donors. Neil Gorsuch, for example, has ties to a major businessman who helped his career. Fourth, the Citizens United ruling lets billions of dollars flow into elections as “dark money. ” Spending grew from $144 million in 2010 to almost $2 billion in 2024. These forces help the richest win tax cuts and weaken rules that protect workers, the environment, and safety. Lobbyists claim a dollar can bring back $100 in favorable laws. Politicians often deny direct deals, but the evidence is strong. Trump met oil executives in 2024 and asked for a $1 billion contribution for relaxed rules. He then acted to stop offshore wind farms and signed a bill that gave oil companies $40 billion in tax breaks over ten years. A question remains about Trump’s war with Iran and the rise in oil prices. Did those moves benefit the oil industry?