All States are Oligarchies

A study of the US political structure concluded back in 2014 that the US, far from being a republic and a bastion of freedom, is in fact an oligarchy. The average citizen has no real say in political matters, while the super rich have access directly into legislative bodies. When new laws are proposed, corporate interests are always considered; that of the average guy in the street, not so much.

This finding caused quite a stir, and the subject is still debated. However, it shouldn't be a surprise at all. The state is a parasitic entity in society, and is of obvious concern to any family with any ambition to better itself. Additionally, the state is an artificial construct, invented by man, while the family is a construct of nature, aka God. The family is therefore a far stronger political entity than the state. Families can band together to take control of the state. If they have assets to protect and material ambitions for themselves it would be folly to do otherwise.

No central coordination of the oligarchy is required because the families are united in their concern. They will therefore act in apparent coordination when the state apparatus for some reason becomes unhinged, as happened in Norway after World War 2. My great-grandfather didn't coordinate his moves with other wealthy heads of families. He did what made sense to him personally, and so did all the other heads of families that form the oligarchy that is the Norwegian state.

This process is natural and inevitable. It's therefore safe to say that all states are in fact oligarchies. States may at times become unhinged, and an established oligarchy can be ousted, or even rounded up and executed, as happened in Russia after the communist revolution of 1917. But a new oligarchy will immediately take its place. Every member of the new state is a member of some family, and every one of them has a natural, God given, loyalty to their family rather than the state. They will therefore seek to obtain power and wealth for themselves through their new connections.

Russia's current oligarchy is a legacy from 1917. Looking closer at it, I'm sure we'll find members that have roots going farther back in history. This is certainly the case in Norway, where the current oligarchy is dominated by families that have had privileged positions within the state apparatus going back centuries. My family can demonstrate 500 years of close ties with the state. I'm sure my family isn't unique, neither in Norway nor anywhere else.

The state will always be under the control of certain families, and it cannot really be any other way given the natural order of things. However, the state will never reveal this truth to anyone. It will instead seek to hide it, and the stronger the oligarchy behind it becomes, the more it will seek to demonize the family as an institution. This is because the state's power derives from people who give it higher loyalty than their own families. The more people relinquish their family ties in favour of the state, the more power and resources are given to the oligarchs.

The perfect arrangement, as far as the oligarchs are concerned, is a state that convinces everybody that their highest loyalty is to the state while at the same time hiding the fact that behind the façade of the state lives a large number of families in affluence and with no other loyalty than to themselves.

However, if people stopped giving the state any loyalty at all, and started acting in the exact same way as the oligarchs themselves, the state would be directly impacted, and the oligarchy would lose its power. It's therefore important for the state to constantly invent reasons for people to feel politically engaged. Everything has to be seen in the context of the state, and everyone must be given the impression that debates and votes matter. As long as people spend their energy debating, arguing, demonstrating and voting, the state remains intact, regardless of which solution is voted upon.

On the other hand, if we focus on our families and our friends, and we avoided the state as much as possible, we can create real changes for ourselves and our loved ones. The more we break away from the state, the less power is given to the oligarchs, and the more is retained for ourselves.

The social contract