Mr. M asks: "What do "thinking" people believe about the "Elite?" Do they or do they not exist? And if so, who are they?"

I think there is an "Elite," and there are many ways to define who they are. My opinion is that the elite are the approx. 3% of the population who control most of the wealth in the U.S. Some call them the powers that be. Others call them the ruling class. Through their wealth they pretty much control the major media and influnce public opinion. I think we saw a clear example of that during the build up to the U.S. invasion or Iraq. With very few exceptions at that time the main stream media was a solid wall of pro war propaganda. Opposing voices were either ignored, marganilazed, or slandered. (see Bill Moyers show called "Buying the War) Recall that before the war began there were some of the largest political demonstrations in U.S. history despite the constant media pounding of the drums of war 24/7.

I wish I knew what we could do to neutralize the power of the elite. I think part of the answer is to use tools like the internet to communicate with others and organize around specific issues. Recent history has shown us that people power is still very effective. Just three years ago millions of people marched, walked off their jobs and joined in huge rallies for immigrant rights. The rallies resulted in Congress taking a very repressive bill off the table and taking the inititave away from xenophobes like Lou Dobbs.

I think most policy in the U.S. is influnced by the golden rule: Those who have the gold make the rules.