hly polarized, with one of our two major political parties dysfunctional with internal conflicts and public confidence in government and the Supreme Court in decline. The electorate has become increasingly diverse, with a white supremacy movement inciting further division and hate crimes across the country while some on the right still believe Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

The democratic process has been damaged over many years by the growing power of corporate money in the election process. Supreme Court rulings have allowed unfettered amounts of political donations to politicians under the guise of 'free speech' so campaign money from billionaires now plays a major role in who gets elected. Trends over the last 40 plus years include rising income and wealth inequities, decline of the middle class, and growth of social media with spread of disinformation.

This book offers a unique perspective on how oligarchy (power invested in a few or a dominant class) has enveloped our government and country; how oligarchs defend their power as it grows; how wealth influences elections in their favor; and how citizens, in addition to voting in the 2024 elections, can support steps to strengthen our democracy so that we can hold together as one country for the common good.