The North Carolina State Senate proclaimed a budget this week and the drama resembled the way a caste system operates.

At the top you have a handful of “those who know what is best.” They breathe rarified air and do not like open meetings or open doors. About 10 in number, they are all Democrats, mostly white, mostly older males who make their own rules. One is not to question, just accept their edicts as truth.

On the next rung are the “sheep.” Numbering slightly more than 20 they are the rest of the Senate Democrats. One day, a sheep hopes, one of the elite group at the top will die, retire, or be defeated and they might rise in the caste. They scurry from committee to committee meeting and even introduce legislation that, if properly approved in advance, may be brought to the floor for a vote. The sheep could probably wander home except for when those who know what is best need them to say “aye.” Never question, never criticize, never oppose is their mantra.

At the bottom, the outcasts, are the “obviously unimportant,” a.k.a. Republicans. They are grist for the mill, the ones at the back of the chamber who mostly vote no. Even they are not sure what role they are supposed to play, but they continue to attend Senate sessions and grumble. Their great hope is that one day the voters will actually notice what is going on in their State Senate and send enough Republicans to Raleigh so they can outvote the top two castes. It has never happened before but should this unlikely event occur it is probable that they will turn into “those who know what is best.”

If you are wondering how our Senate strayed so far from representative government, there are three seminal events to note.

The first occurred when we changed our Constitution to allow gubernatorial succession. The Lieutenant Governor, the most powerful force in the Senate, could now remain in control for eight years. This changed the balance of power in the legislature so the House changed longstanding policies to allow the Speaker to serve more than one two-year term. When a Republican was elected Lieutenant Governor Democrats, who were the majority in the Senate quickly shifted power from the Lieutenant Governor to the Senate President Pro Tem who, because of the unlimited term of the House Speaker, was allowed to serve indefinitely.

When both the Speaker and Pro Tem became the chief fundraisers for their respective houses these powerful people now had large sums to donate to see their friends elected through unlimited “in kind” contributions to political parties.

Here’s how it works. Those who know what’s best dole out large sums of cash to elect friends to office. Those friends, when elected, keep those who know what’s best in power, and if they vote, like sheep, as the power wants them to, they get enough money to get re-elected.

This system will remain in place as long as we allow those who know what’s best to buy their flocks or members. Cut off the flow of money and you will break the rank and file dependence on those in power. Until then, the caste system will continue.