Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power

Noam Chomsky identifies a deliberate shift in the American economy that prioritizes the interests of financial institutions over the general population. He outlines ten specific principles that facilitate this concentration of wealth, including the redesign of the economy to favor speculation, the shifting of the tax burden onto labor, and the systematic dismantling of the social safety net. By analyzing the erosion of democratic participation, Chomsky describes how the weakening of labor unions and the deregulation of corporations allow a small elite to capture the political process and dictate national policy.

This book serves readers interested in political economy and the structural causes of income inequality. It provides a historical framework for understanding how legislative changes and neoliberal fiscal policies have curtailed social mobility and neutralized middle-class political influence. Readers gain a technical understanding of the relationship between corporate lobbying and lawmaking. The text provides a clear-eyed analysis of how institutional power functions, helping the reader identify the specific mechanisms used to redirect resources from public good to private gain.