Political Science

It can be observed that for the past decade, thousands of immigrants have gone to seek greener pastures in America to pursue the dream that lies at the very heart of every individual living in the United States- the American dream. America is viewed by the world as the land of opportunities and possibilities and as such, the social stigma of this dream is linked to the very foundation of this countrys ideals and principles. In recent discussions, one controversial issue raised was whether or not this American dream is still alive and attainable. Holly Sklar of The Growing Gulf between the Rich and the Rest of Us argues that poverty levels are rising and that America is becoming a downward mobile society and without any change in course, this American dream will be history (Sklar 311). On the other hand, Bruce Bartlett of The Truth About Wages contends that poverty levels are down and that households with larger income are on the rise. He states that  despite the talk about the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor, the fact is that the percentage of households with low incomes has fallen and the  percentage of those with high incomes has risen (Bartlett 314). The Economist article, Inequality and the American Dream suggested that America is defined by the dream of economic opportunity and upward mobility. Therefore, the presentation of these different views are geared towards the notion of having a less obtainable American Dream.
    My person definition of American Dream is the idea of having a fuller and richer life through determination and hard work. However, this American dream is slipping away because financial strife and educational inequalities often prevent upward mobility. Based on my observation, the issue of whether or not there is inequality is not as important as addressing the solutions to the growing crisis of financial strife. If the root cause of the problems are solved, these alleged inequalities will disappear as well thereby reviving the peoples passion to chase the American dream.
     In his Thanksgiving speech, the President mentioned that the crisis of recession and joblessness has led many to believe that their chances in achieving prosperity is dwindling. The recession that the country is facing today is the worst one in the history of the United States. Many people are struggling hard to afford their health care insurance, house bills and education (Thompson). Every new story about an impending threat to the economy turns the American dream into dust. For instance, the crisis about poverty, health care and housing are but a few of the reasons why many people are troubled. Those families who are spending almost all of their finances for housing have nothing left to spend for food, health care and education. It is a devastating fact that more than 14 million children live in households where their families have less than 500 to spend for their necessary expenses. One of the questions that lingers in the minds of many is whether or not it is still possible to afford the American dream in the existing market economy (Wasik).  It is a sad fact that many people cannot do anything but watch this dream fade away as their mortgage crisis deepens.
    There are many reasons why people feel that the American dream are far from their reach and some of these factors can be attributable to the fact that many are experiencing rising conditions of poverty. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  the average worker is not in a better condition today as he was seven years ago. The median annual earnings for men fell to about 41, 386 in 2005 from 43, 158 in 2003 despite the steady growth of the economy. The passivity of the workers despite the stagnation of income mean many things. It is possible that their morale have been beaten down in the past years and as such, they are grateful enough for having a source of income. Due to the declining health coverage, many of these people cling to their current jobs because of fear of losing their health benefits (Bartlett).  This is the underlying fact that explains why many parents are not able to support their childrens education. There are thousands of American kids who are not able to go to school because of their familys lack of financial means and it is because of this reason the the educational inequalities in the country widens.
    Above all other countries, America defines itself by the dream of upward mobility and it is the dream that many of the immigrants want to fulfill. They have risked their jobs and families in their own lands in order to have a taste of a promising life in the United States. According to a single parent and an immigrant from Monterey Mexico, everyday is a struggle to earn enough money to take care of his three children. He starts work early every morning at a local fernery. He used to work full time but he said that the the economic downturn has made life difficult. He is working more or less thirty hours per week which is not a considerable salary to survive. Before, he used to work up to sixty hours. He does maintenance jobs for the fernery but today, the fern industry is still reeling from hurricanes in 2004 which wiped out 76 million dollars of fern and nursery crops. Marcelino Gil came to the United States in 1977 when he was just 19 years old in search of greener pastures. When he arrived, he was able to make good money but nowadays, it is impossible because the work is not enough for their familys daily subsistence so he is contemplating in returning to Mexico. He has worked in Pearson fernery for 20 years and is a legal United States resident but the Mexican immigrant said that he feels that his dream of a better life in America s slipping away. He said that this country welcomed him and he liked here because nothing awaits him in Mexico but if the economy continues like it is now, there is no chance to stand out (Moore).
    Some readers are challenging my view that the American dream is slipping way  because they seem to think that the country is doing its best to recover from the pool of problems that it is experiencing. After all, many readers believe that the American dream is about determination and hard work of an individual and regardless of what is happening in the society, the fate of everybody lies in their own hands. On the other hand, I strongly feel that every person must not waste their time chasing dreams such as this one. It is not my intention to ruin the hopes of those who firmly believe in the American dream. I just want to stress out the reality about the mounds of problems that is burdening the country now. This should interest everybody because my point is that all must concentrate on the larger issue of poverty, financial strife and inequality. I believe that in order to move forward, the obstacles in the pathway to success must be cleared out first.
    From the birth of America until today, the motivating factor for many people have always been their pursuit for the American dream. I believe that the real essence of this dream is being able to control ones destiny in order to have a better life and a better future. As the saying goes, success is but a journey and not the final destination and in the same way, the American dream can be compared to this belief but due to the devastating sequence of events that is happening in the country, many cannot be blamed for wanting to wake up from it.