OK it's official… we really are "ruled" by millionaires. And even if our representatives are elected by "the people," it just so happens that this country works much less like a democracy and much more like an oligarchy! We are ruled by the few, the elite, and we willingly go along. It's a freely elected oligarchy.
And here's what voting really means (this is not cynical or jaded, just realistic - I vote, even if I think it's often pointless) - our choices are usually between a very rich, very conservative, right-wing ideologue backed by other rich people and big corporations VS. a very rich, somewhat less conservative person, a supposed "moderate," backed by other rich people and big corporations.
The right winger is rich and basically doesn't give damn for anyone but other rich folk, (they despise the poor), and the moderate sort of gives a damn, or at least pretends to, and maybe once in awhile tosses a crumb to the huddling, seething, masses. There's your choice! That's Democracy, baby!
The rules of the game of society are made by those millionaires, and surprise, surprise those rules seem to always favor the millionaires over the vast majority of the people. We all act like it's some kind of divine right of the rich. Maybe it's a hangover from the time of Kings? And if we are punished or ignored, well, we are just the poor schlubs… maybe those rich people will be kind to us, or maybe somehow, some way (the lottery?), we will one day join the club too?
And yes, well, we hope to be like those rich ones. And we toil away. And hope they will look kindly on our days of toil. But of course, they can't really be bothered, they are too busy being rich!