“The wealthy, not only by private fraud but also by common laws, do every day pluck and snatch away from the people some part of their daily living. Therefore, when I consider and weigh in my mind these commonwealths which nowadays do flourish, I perceive nothing but a certain conspiracy of rich men in procuring their own commodities under the name and authority of the commonwealth. They invent and devise all means and crafts, first how to keep safely without fear of losing that which they have unjustly gathered together, and next how to hire and abuse the work and labor of the people for as little money and effort as possible.”

That government was controlled by the wealthy was obvious even in the 16th century. Thomas More was beheaded by Henry 8th.

I am sure that when Thomas More wrote his words on "The wealthy," he new nothing of the deplorable conditions, that are evident today, resulting from Gas and Oil development in this country and around the world. Mr. More new nothing, back then, of the deplorable actions of the gas and oil industry; which now seeks to risk upsetting of the delicate balance of our weather and climate patterns by recklessly deciding to dig for Tar Sand Oil under the Aboreal Forest that rings the earth above the Arctic circle. The Arboreal Forest and the Amazon Rain forest are two of the driving forces for our weather on this planet and that produce our Oxygen. But Mr. More's words were and are prophetic in their scope. They describes, perfectly, the conditions that are driving the rape and pillage of the earth to foster our addictions to fossil fuels. Mr. More described all of the things that are now the result of the greed and avaris of rich Oil and Gas industry corporate executives.

Below is a modern rendition of this text: The wealthy, both through fraud and deceit (including the paying off of lobbyists and politicians to write laws that unfairly favor their own interests), consistently cheat the masses of their livelihood. The rich maintain an ongoing conspiracy to have their thievery sanctioned in the law, not merely as legally acceptable and non-criminal but as virtuous and as in the best interest of the general public. The priority of the rich is to expend as little effort (i.e., money) as possible so as to keep all of their ill-gotten gains through legal or other means as they seek ever more creative ways to defraud the people of their labor by paying them as little as possible for their labor and by charging them as much as possible for goods and services.

Few among we the people know who the real wealthy even are. The wealthiest families are the banking clans that control the issuance of money itself. From that power springs all the other powers. Benita and Louis, I suggest you strike at the root and not get tangled in the branches. And for the record, the climate change advocates are indeed the uber-rich whose solution is the taxing of industry. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant -- it is absolutely integral for life on the planet. Stop drinking the Kool Aid and learn how it really works. Thomas More is bang on -- the mistake is confusing the productive and industrious for 'the wealthy' -- the real wealthiest merely enslave the rest of us to work for them -- they are the same folks who advocate higher taxes on 'the rich' who are but mere pawns in their own game. The real holders of power own every dollar in your bank account -- it is THEIR money, you are but holding a perpetual debt to them. 100 stars!

Benita, your obvious socialist ignorance is showing - read Archer's post. As in Thomas Mores' day, government is not much more than the elites' puppets. In the western Unionized Socialists of Amerika (USA) there is enough oil to be traditionally tapped as to supply the entire country for hundreds of years with the benefit of being a major exporter. By Mr Obamunist Goodwrench the assassin not allowing for the simple drilling, he is killing the economy, and making the country weaker and more vulnerable, all while distorting any real option out of oil dependency. For example, the super high mileage / clean running engines that are made here but only allowed to be sold overseas.

O to brake the chains that bind the individual sovereigns opportunity. Deregulation, lowering direct taxes, property taxes, corp taxes, downsizing of government boards, bureaus, commissions, abolishing at least half. Removing of two-thirds of regulations, restrictions, and inhibitions. As also securing our borders from invasion. It is working very well, 2016 was a monumental election, Adults are taking charge to attend to American citizens and vets needs, through opportunity and prosperity. America First policy where the cutting edge resides. 
MAGA to KAG WWG1WGA