Wealth and Power in the United States

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Dear Student,
Hello. The solution below is an example essay by which the problem you presented can be tackled. I am quite unsure whether you are just to chose a theory and expound on it or to include all of the aforementioned theories in the discussion. I am sure however that what is required of you is to exercise self-reflection and opinion using your own experiences in relation to the theories presented. Hence, while the essay focuses on elitism, it includes pluralism and state autonomy as well. If you want to expand on the solution provided, you can use the listed references. Additionally, you can also use the ideas I have presented in a previous solution I have written for you on a similar topic because they are related. This solution is based on my own studies and previous written papers of the topic. Good luck to you and thank you for using Brainmass.

Sincerely,
OTA 105878/Xenia Jones
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Personal Participation & Observation

When I was in grade school and in high school, I found myself active in the student council. Homeroom classes always voted 'officers' wherein students are given positions of responsibility to teach them leadership skills. Classmates always nominated me for positions of President or class secretary until I eventually ended up as Student Council Senator in High school. My interest was always to protect the interest of the student body according to the expected standards of my 'peers' (fellow students) and the standards expected of us by our school through the values and expected ethics and behaviour as depicted in the school policies. This active participation led me to join political awareness organizations in-school and outside school within the community geared towards civic and social concerns. I volunteered at feeding shelters, providing language tutorials for immigrant-families and spent time as a youth volunteer in the community church and several care facilities for retirees. This then led me to become active and observant of local, state and national politics for my experience as a youth leader has opened my eyes to the greater responsibility and challenge of leading a city, a state and a nation. I am well aware of politics and its social dynamics - the circles, factions and power struggle. Even in our school this was always so. There would a faction or two whose collective votes dominate the decision chosen for a particular action and since our system follows the majority, despite objections, it is always difficult to include a compromise to reflect the concerns of the minority. It is due to this that I believe that the American society follows an elitist system. In the high school where I was a student council senator, our resources (budget, equipment, student hours and skills, etc.) are always up for grabs for whatever concern and ...