One of the beginning chapters, titled “Is it Important Who Rules?” focuses on the perception of who should lead a country and Avramov cites Plato’s, The Republic, to discuss the image of an “honest politician” as a leader. The author does cite an issue with creating an “image of a ruler concerned with the good of society,” stating that “justice” is not an ethical category but a political concept. Avramov claims that in order to do the best for the maximum of our population we cannot concern ourselves with the images of “honest politicians” or “charismatic leaders.”

Chapter VIII titled “America Back to the Old World,” takes an honest approach at discussing President Trump. The author cites Trump’s lack of answering political questions as a result of his politics being based on “reality television.” The last chapter also discusses Trump’s leadership but with the pandemic, citing the government’s “downplay” of the virus but also the different approach that our country took when compared to most European and non-Western cultures. The author argues that those cultures believe in the phrase, “the economy can be recovered, human life cannot.” And as an American living through this pandemic, it has definitely felt like this country has worried more about preserving the economy instead of helping each other–not just our government but the public as well has failed at caring about the lives that this virus can destroy.

I would recommend The New American State to anybody that has a slight interest in our politics. I found my own worries voiced in this piece–specifically those regarding future leaders of this country and the current presidential election. The topic of either Trump or Biden winning the election raises an issue that a lot of younger votes have brought up, and that is the age of the presidential candidates. How do we move forward when the possible leaders are that much older?

Review by Jailyn: “A book that everyone should look into reading” left in Amazon.

If there is a country whose name, when uttered, is the equivalent of “capitalism,” it is the United States. Capitalism, with its many positives and few negatives, is a political and economic structure of freedom and the opportunity for people to create wealth under clear rules and without the guardianship or direct control of the state. Capitalism, however, is productive as an economic system and political environment only under the conditions of maximum competition and minimal government intervention. There are two very dangerous possible distortions of capitalism. The first is connected with state intervention, nationalization of the economy, and an increase in the scope of government. The second is connected with the restriction of competition, which leads to a mutation into a corporate-controlled economy.

In the third decade of the 21st century, American corporations are so powerful within the United States and around the world that they are permanently changing the economic infrastructure of capitalism. The corporatization of the American economy is creating economic disbalances and is leading to the weakening of the so-called middle class.