Meanwhile, not since the end of World War II has money played such an important role in politics, trumping the power of ideas. In the United States, for example, the sound of billions of dollars flowing into election-campaign coffers is drowning out the voices of individual voters.
与此同时，自二战结束以来，金钱从未如现在那样具有如此重要的政治作用，胜过了思想的力量。比如，在美国，选战金库动辄数十亿美元，这让个人选民的声音根本无从听说。在法治精神较弱的地区，犯罪网络和腐败取代了民主程序。简言之，追求集体好处看上去如此不合时宜。