I often look at Jeff Bezos when trying to understand how American oligarchy functions for a few reasons. Firstly, currently occupying the number one slot on Forbes' billionaires list, he is the top dog. He figured out how to play the plutocracy game quickly, and how to play it better than anyone else. Second, our civilization is currently headed on a clear trajectory deeper and deeper into Orwellian tech dystopia if we don't turn things around or drive humanity into extinction first. The new money tech plutocrats own the foundation of that dark future, and we should all keep a very, very close eye on them on general principles as well as to get a read on where things are headed. Lastly and most importantly, as a new money plutocrat Bezos has had to build his empire with high visibility in the information age. The old money plutocrats built their kingdoms in much darker times, with some families setting the foundations of their rule hundreds of years ago when there was very little in the way of newspaper coverage, and certainly no alternative media scrutinizing power. Bezos' wheelings and dealings are above ground to a much greater extent, because he's had to do everything in the public eye. With that in mind, here are six things we can learn about how US plutocracy operates by looking at Jeff Bezos.

1. The rich rule America because of a system wherein money translates directly into political power.

