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| List of Illustrations | |
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| Foreword | |
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| Preface | |
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| Where Are You in the Class System? | |
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| Class Chart | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Brief Definitions | |
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| The Impact on the Rest of Us of Having a Ruling Class | |
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| The Impact of the U.S. Ruling Class on the Rest of the World | |
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| A Short History of the U.S. Ruling Class | |
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| What is a Ruling Class? | |
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| A Ruling Class Is Not… | |
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| What Does the Economic Structure of the U.S. Look Like? | |
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| Who Makes Up the Ruling Class? | |
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| The Managerial Class | |
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| The Bottom of the Wealth Pyramid | |
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| The Power Elite | |
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| The Financial Elite | |
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| The U.S. Power Elite Is a Primary Component of the International Power Elite | |
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| Why Does Wealth Matter? | |
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| Income or Wealth? | |
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| Who Owns the United States? | |
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| Where Does Wealth Come From? | |
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| Speculative Wealth | |
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| Other Kinds of Wealth | |
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| Wealth and People of Color | |
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| Women and Wealth | |
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| How Do They Rule? The Constitution, Corporations, and the Courts | |
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| The Constitution | |
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| Corporations | |
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| The Courts | |
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| How Does the Power Elite Communicate? | |
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| Interlocking Directorships | |
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| Policy Formation Groups | |
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| Foundations | |
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| Think Tanks | |
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| Elite Universities | |
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| Elite Publications | |
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| How Do They Stay in Power? | |
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| Experts and Professionals | |
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| Lobbyists | |
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| (De)Regulation | |
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| Buying an Office | |
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| Giving at the (Corporate) Office | |
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| What Does This Money Buy? | |
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| Two-party System | |
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| Voting | |
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| How Do Members of the Ruling Class Increase Their Wealth? | |
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| Corporate Welfare | |
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| Military Incursions | |
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| International Debt | |
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| Arms and Armaments | |
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| Defense Spending | |
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| Privatization | |
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| Oil | |
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| Drugs and Drug Wars | |
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| Oil, Drugs, and Arms | |
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| "Free" Trade and "Free" Markets | |
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| Domestic Debt | |
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| Federal Reserve Bank | |
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| Corporate Crime | |
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| Preserving Their Wealth | |
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| Capital Gains Taxes | |
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| Tax-exempt Bonds | |
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| The Federal Debt | |
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| Home Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction | |
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| Tax Shelters | |
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| Charitable Deductions | |
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| Social Security | |
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| Passing on Their Wealth | |
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| Estate Tax Reductions | |
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| Gift Tax Exclusion | |
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| Inheritance | |
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| Trusts | |
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| Education | |
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| Children | |
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| Marriage | |
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| Integrating New Members into the Ruling Class | |
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| Protecting Themselves and Their Families Financially | |
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| Offshore Financial Havens | |
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| Bailouts | |
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| Insurance | |
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| Protecting Their Power | |
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| Dealing with Resistance in the U.S. | |
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| Dealing with Resistance in Other Countries | |
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| How Do Members of the Ruling Class Feel About Being Rich? | |
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| Are Members of the Ruling Class Good or Bad, Happy or Sad? | |
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| Why Don't We See Them? | |
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| Living Privately | |
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| Education of Children | |
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| Social Clubs | |
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| The Ruling Class and the Buffer Zone | |
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| Taking Care of People | |
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| Keeping Hope Alive | |
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| Controlling People | |
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| Managing the Buffer Zone | |
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| Philanthropy | |
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| Why We Don't Focus Attention on the Ruling Class: The Role of the Mass Media | |
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| Media Ownership | |
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| Media Bias | |
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| Media Tactics | |
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| Spin Control | |
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| Distractions | |
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| Wars Overseas | |
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| Fear | |
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| The Cycle of Interpersonal Violence | |
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| Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia | |
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| Anti-Jewish Fears | |
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| Lack of Time | |
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| Spectator Sports | |
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| Pornography and Prostitution | |
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| Shopping | |
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| Scandal, Corruption, and Drama in the Courtroom | |
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| Alcohol and Other Drugs | |
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| TV and Movies | |
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| Video Games and Computers | |
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| New Technological Gadgets | |
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| Legalized Gambling | |
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| The Myth of Equal Opportunity | |
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| Starting At the Top | |
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| Politicians | |
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| Businessmen | |
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| Who Decides? Who Benefits? Who Pays?: Public Policy Issues | |
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| "Big" Government, Deregulation, and Privatization | |
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| State's Rights | |
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| Which Side Are You on? | |
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| Tax Cuts | |
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| Estate Taxes | |
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| Regulation | |
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| Privatization | |
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| Health Care | |
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| Education | |
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| Labor | |
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| The Environment | |
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| International Solidarity and War | |
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| Immigration | |
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| Assessing Public Policy Issues and Political Candidates | |
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| Getting Information | |
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| Questions to Assess Public Policy Issues | |
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| Questions to Ask Political Candidates | |
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| Beyond Survival-Getting Together | |
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| Resistance | |
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| Afterword | |
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| Workshop/Study Guide | |
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| Resources | |
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| Endnotes | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Bibliography | |
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| Videography | |
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| Magazines | |
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| Organizations and Websites | |
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| Index | |
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| From the Author | |