Who's really runnin' thangs?

First statement. GOD is sovereign! There is no doubt in my mind that He is the creator of everything, however, the "principalities and powers" that run rampant in this earthly realm...who are "they"? I honestly don't think it's the President. There are far wealthier and more powerful "players" in this cat-N-mouse, governmental game and I think "they" have been runnin' this game for centuries. No, I'm not a "conspiracy theorist". I think this government that is supposed to be run "by the people, for the people" is really being manipulated by "Illuminati-like" people.

I really do think there are a bunch of white men, over the centuries, that have manipulated everything from the stock market to gas prices to the overall economy. I keep imagining it as their "Great Chess Game" and the American people are the "pawns". Come on people! How the heck does gas go from almost $5.00 to $1.50 in a months time!
I think our government is made up of both emotional reactions from something as trivial as hearsay and strategic alliances, so that the extreme wealthy can continue to gain more wealth.
About 11 years ago, I worked for a company that traded commodities. I can remember one instance of a farmer suggesting another farmer's corn had some kind of mold in it. Through the course of one day, I watched that rumor run straight to the Chicago Board of Trade and corn prices dropped severely. Companies actually stopped buying corn until someone could corroborate the "moldy corn" story, only to find out the next day, it was just a rumor. I can remember how shocked I was to hear of another farmer committing suicide over a similar rumor.
I blame the media. I place some journalist in the same category as the sleezy "paparazzi" who track down stars just to get the worst picture of them, only to sell it at the highest price they can get to a gossip rag. The media is such a sticky wicket. We endorse television stations and media conglomerates to communicate to us the happenings of the world, but because of the 5th amendment, we don't tell them "how" to serve it to us. Because most people want truth and the media knows we want truth, we assume that's what we're being fed. What we really get is an individual's personal "spin" on the truth, which often results in a flat out lie. Depending on what level of exposure the journalist has access to(from the town paper to CNN), the more we seem to readily believe it or at least want to believe it.
Unfortunately, because of the Internet, any "Joe Schmoe" can post a lie and the domino effect of that lie (all depending on the topic) could be disastrous. The word "Internet hoax" didn't exist 20 years ago. (I would give an example but I don't want the Secret Service knocking on my door). There are people who Google their own name, their company, their clients...just to see what is being said about them, to see if any real truth leaked out.
So, who's runnin' thangs? Guess. Much money, much power. Did you know there were "suddenly" 178 billionaires (globally) as of March of 2007? That's BILLIONAIRE people. Did you know Warren Buffets stock trades are so huge they're not traded on the open market for the public to see? (And I would imagine there are others as well.) And then there's "us". The people who can't purchase a measly 1.6% stake in a company for $240 million. We are...the CONSUMERS! We buy the latest, greatest cellphone..."they" buy the company. We buy the food with the cool new packaging..."they" trade the company for profit. Remember that song from the musical,"Cabaret"?

I guess the haves and the have-nots will always be. In a world like this, if you don't find contentment in God and what He provides you, you will be miserable. No wonder the bible says, "...Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)