Theory of our Government

I agree and disagree with C. Wright Mills theory on how the government works. First, I think he's a bit over dramatic and is calling for action on something that is not alarming to the extent he believes, but he does make very valid points. Mills states America is ruled by 3 power elites, composing of corporate, political and military leaders. He then provides examples to show how these elites influence life for the ordinary man. Religion, family and education are greatly impacted by the "big three" because, as Mills states, "religious institutions provide chaplains to the armed forces where they are used as means of increasing the effectiveness of its morale to kill. Schools select and train men for their jobs in corporations and their specialized task in the armed forces. The extended family has... long been broken up by the industrial revolutions now the son and the father are removed from the family, by compulsion if need be, whenever the army of the state sends out the call" (73 Mills). Ordinary people don't realize how much their lives are not only influenced, but controlled, by power elites. These corporations are so strong that half of the US budget goes to defense. Moreover, I completely agree with Kayla's example of Bill Gates. Our education system is based off of his idea, solely because he has money and connections to politics. This also goes along with another one of Mills' ideas that "the economy...has become dominated by two or three hundred giant corporations...which together hold the keys to economic decisions" (73 Mills). Bill Gates should have nothing to do with education reform, but through the connections of the power elites and his money, he is making the policy in our nation. Essentially, these three corporations are inescapable and all interconnected.
Like I said before, I think Mills is overstating the situation, and his theory is off, due to his extreme views. He states Americans describe their elites as "all that we are not" and this is insulting and makes everyday people seem inferior (71 Mills). Mills should have emphasized the impact money has on the government more. He includes corporate power as one of the elites, but ultimately anyone in the 1%, regardless of association with a corporation, politics or military, holds extraordinary influence in decision and policy making. Once again, I agree with Kayla that our government aligns more with the hyperpluralist theory, in which small groups control policy and prevent the government from truly doing their job.