In these tough economic time, is the American dream still achievable? Many immigrant left families and close friend in their native land, just to come to America to achieve the American Dream. They have heard stories of people who came to America with nothing, and have achieved what seems impossible. We have seen and heard stories of people with humble beginning; they worked hard and achieved that dream. What is the American Dream? The American dream: if you are willing to work, and you work hard, you will be able to buy a car and own a house. As a matter of fact the sky is the limit on whatever you want to achieve. In present day America, the American dream is literally what it is, a dream, a mirage, and a pleasant imagination which seldom happened to hard working Americans. The American dream is under attack; some say it is slipping away, while for most it has already slipped.
A recent report from the CBO shows that in the last three decades the top 1% have seen their income rise over 275%, while that of the middle class rose only 40%. At this rate, it will be easier for a horse to pass through the eye of a needle that for an average American to attain that dream of owning their own home. If this situation is not class warfare, then we need to know what is. The present system is gamed to favor the very top and the well connected. No wonder most America cannot live within their budget, their pay has been stagnant. In America today, it takes two incomes just to get by; credit card is the order of the day. Most people carry at least two credit cards, and more and more people are stuck with just making minimum payment. People end up living from pay check to pay check, as time goes by they soon realize the American dream is indeed a dream. Most Americans hate their job. It is hard to walk away from a job; to be between jobs is a major risk. There are bills you cannot afford to miss. Investment in education use to be one of the gateways to achieving that dream; right now you can’t bet on that and say with confident that you will achieve that dream. The average debt for most college graduate is about $30,000 and you enter into a market that wants you to work more for less. What a way to start life.
We live in a country where elected officials do not represent the interest of the people who elected them; rather they are in the pocket of big business. Laws are made to favor those who made big contribution to their campaigns, while the electorates are practically on their own. One party thinks government have a role to play in the market, while the other thinks the government is actually the stumbling block. In the past, government has helped to equalize society by the use of the progressive tax. They have used element of socialism to give us elementary and high school education. Government invested money in the space program, which gave us the GPS you and I use. The interstate highway we drive on, the government provided that. The 911 services we use when in distress the government runs it. The government in the United States also gives financial aid to students who have financial challenges. There are times government works and there are times they have failed; the private sectors such: as Enron, Tyco, and Arthur Anderson are example of private sector that have failed. My point is that, it is not only the government that fails.
There is a popular saying “to whom much is giving, much is expected”. We all have a role to play in our government, because whether we believe it or not we “the people” are the government. As big money and chronic capitalism take over our democracy, that is a recipe for killing the American dream. Some will probably ask: “how does that kill the American dream?” All I ask is listen to the news of how the banks foreclose on people, how they nickel and dime ordinary folks on excessive bank fee. Insurance companies increase your premium when you make legitimate claims. Credit card companies jack up their interest rate with impunity. The system is really for the wealthy and the corrupt, some have the nerve to say if you are not rich blame yourself. This is no dream, this is a reality and it is a nightmare.
As humans we are supposed to lend a helping hand to a fellow being anyway we can. What happened to “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? It is sad to know that even religious people have remained quite in these situations of 1% against 99%. Getting rich by any means necessary is the order of the day; right now playing the lottery is not a bad idea. What is your story about the American dream? Share your story
