One way the wealthy get access

Title: Bring On The Cash!
Source: Time
Date: February 16, 2004

From the article:

So how does the Bush team raise all that money, and where does it come from? First, there are the well-heeled big donors who give $2,000 apiece. The Bush-Cheney campaign wrangles them through its Rangers — fund raisers who are required amass at least $200,000 (that is, they round up 100 people who will give $2,000 each). The system is so well-organized that each fund raiser is assigned a number, and that number is put on donors' checks. If the fund raisers make their quotas, they get benefits like a visit to Bush at his ranch.

In this way, the wealthy -- and only the wealthy -- gain direct access to the President. This sort of thing happens in the House and Senate as well. Because of this sort of direct access, the entire political structure of the country aligns with the wealthy and serves their needs, at the expense of everyone else. The concentration of wealth accelerates.