USA News

Is The Dream Dead?

7:33 pm EST November 30th, 2009 | News | 53 Comments

white picket fence

I’ve been troubled for the last couple weeks at some things I’ve heard, particularly from my friends on the left. Is the American dream dead? In fact did it ever exist in the first place?

First some background on where I come from. I was raised by a single mother in what I characterize as “lower middle class”. I lived in the suburbs, we weren’t well-off by any measure and in school I sometimes qualified for the reduced lunch program. But looking back at my childhood experiences I didn’t miss out. I went to Disney World multiple times (I’m due a trip right now, heh), and always had my mother taking me here and there expanding my horizons intellectually (she busted her butt to do these things, and sacrificed more for herself than she’ll probably ever let me know). I say that to give you a foundation for where I’m coming from on this issue. My background is grounded in reality. My mother is religious, I’m not. I was taught to work hard, keep my nose to the grindstone, and to do what I can to reap the rewards. Sometimes I followed those guidelines, and often I didn’t (like dropping out of college). I wasn’t raised to believe that anything gets handed to you. I had life much easier than my mom did, and that was all her doing.

So, whither the American dream. In times like we live in now, it may seem like the dream is way out of touch. But some even seem to believe that in the so-called boom era, the dream was a mirage.

I think this is crazy.

For all the problems we’ve got, especially in America we have opportunities many others couldn’t even dream of. It’s far from perfect, but the standard of living for even someone considered “poor” is far ahead of so much of the world. There are clear obstacles to upward mobility that shouldn’t be there. Our system puts too many obstacles on middle class and poor people that the rich and ultra rich have no concept of. That said, you can still make it here.

We have a giant middle class in America, we have free schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and we have an entrepeneurial culture that can produce wealth and upward mobility.

I want to reiterate: I know it’s not all flowers and roses. There are obstacles all around – some of them structural, others cultural, and others class-based. But. Americans, with the right combination of work and focus, can get ahead. I personally know of people who haven’t had the built-in advantages of knowing our culture or language, who took the opportunity afforded to Americans and got ahead – with the current generation eons ahead of the previous. If people can get ahead in America without knowing English as a first language, it should be a path that can be followed by a native-born American.

Why doesn’t it happen for everyone? Success in America often comes from genetics, no doubt. Some people win the genetic lottery and inherit their wealth or the opportunity for success. It happens. It happens everywhere. We have a relatively large millionaire/billionaire class, while other countries have royalty. There’s also the element of luck. I don’t like to pretend that if someone doesn’t get ahead that it means that you’re not thinking positive enough or working hard enough. Some people just don’t get the breaks you need, and it isn’t their fault.

But that is not a reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We’ve got the opportunity here in America for people to rise up from nothing to something. In the last 20 years we’ve had two kids from broken homes rise up to the same presidency as the wealthiest kids with silver spoons in their mouths. In metaphorical garages across the country, kids with cheap computers have the potential to upend the apple cart of existing industries with hundreds of years under their belts.

HP Garage

We have to make it easier for people to succeed. We have to tear down the existing, calcified barriers that insist on keeping the uber-wealthy wealthy without giving others a shot.

But the dream isn’t dead. You can make it in America.

Topic: Economy, Liberals, USA

Farewell, Summer

6:42 pm EST September 5th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

When it comes to summer, I am a hater. Sure, there are clear benefits to the summertime and I enjoy the beach, but that’s not worth the price of heat and being uncomfortable constantly. Fall is here, football is mere days away, and brand new things are on the horizon. So let us pack up summer, kick it in the rear and banish it until next year.

Say goodbye summer.

Topic: USA

Not Acceptable Behavior For America

9:00 pm EST July 24th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 113 Comments

I’ve seen this sentiment in several places and its pretty troubling to me.

Dave Winer:

When a cop gives you an order, you do what he says.

Jay Caruso:

In dealing with law enforcement, I remember being told one thing in particular about it when I was younger is and that was: “Don’t mouth off to the cops.”

Wow, really people? Come on. I’m going to violate Godwin here, but this isn’t a fascist state we live in. I love cops, I think they’re great and 99.999999% of the time I side with them (there’s a reason I tend to idolize Superman and not characters like Batman or the X-Men). But a police officer is worthy of respect but he isn’t your boss.

They aren’t in a different class of society where they tell us the citizens what to do when we aren’t violating the laws. The idea that we just say “yes sir” to a cop no matter what is antithetical to the very idea of America. I’m not pretending as if things aren’t different in a real life situation, but the goal here should be to change the behavior on behalf of the police officers, not bend ourselves to their will.

Topic: USA

Sigh

11:53 am EST July 24th, 2009 | News | 91 Comments

Conservative columnist/blogger Don Surber

I also know that there have been incidents of false reports of racism by police officers — the Tawana Brawley case, for one.

And you know what? Every time a case comes up involving racism and police, we hear about Tawana freaking Brawley from 22 years ago. Yes, she lied. Yes, Al Sharpton is a fool. But every single time, it’s always “remember Tawana Brawley”. That one screwjob of a case is simply not the get out of jail free card for racism that conservatives so often think it is.

Also, the stories about the officer in this case being involved in racial profiling supervision or that he performed resuscitation on a black ~~NFL~~ NBA player don’t have anything to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house. It’s the “some of my best friends are black” argument. No relevance.

Topic: Race, Racism, USA

Sears Tower To Be Renamed Willis Tower

12:44 pm EST March 12th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 28 Comments

I’m gonna go ahead and take credit for this.

The 110-story Sears Tower, tallest office building in the Western Hemisphere, will be renamed the Willis Tower later this year, global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings announced on Thursday.

Willis said it was leasing multiple floors in the 1,451-foot 442-meter building in downtown Chicago to consolidate several offices. As part of the agreement the building will be renamed the Willis Tower this summer when the move takes place, the company said.

Sears, once the largest U.S. retailer, occupied what was then the world’s tallest building as its headquarters after the structure was completed in 1973 but moved out in the early 1990s.

(photo)

Topic: USA

Mr. President

12:04 pm EST January 20th, 2009 | News | 44 Comments

President Barack Obama

You’re the man now, dog.

Topic: History, President Obama, Race, USA

Inauguration Live Thread

7:00 am EST January 20th, 2009 | News | 29 Comments

follow me on Twitter

Topic: History, President Obama, USA

Corker

8:19 pm EST December 12th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 16 Comments

I know it’s my anti-southern bias rearing its head again, but man does Bob Corker have an annoying accent. It’s about a million times worse than Bush’s.

Topic: USA

Texas Cop Paul Stephens Kills Family Dog By Being An Ass

11:01 pm EST August 18th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 64 Comments

The video:

What. An. Ass.

A San Marcos, Texas, police officer has been accused of inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop which may have lead to a dog’s death.

Officer Paul Stephens spotted driver Michael Gonzalez speeding down Interstate 35 and pulled him over for clocking 100 miles per hour. After a brief pursuit, Gonzalez pulled alongside the highway and emerged from his car, saying, ‘He’s dying.’

…

Gonzalez and his girlfriend said they were speeding because they were rushing their choking teacup poodle Missy to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment.

But on the video, Stephens sounded less than empathetic as he berated the driver for putting others’ lives at risk as he sped down the highway.

“You’re driving down the highway at 100 per hour,” he said sternly. “It’s a dog, it’s OK. You can get another one. Relax.”

If my dog is choking, I take the speeding ticket – the cop can go screw himself.

Topic: USA, Weird

Superman Foreign Policy

2:57 pm EST April 9th, 2008 | News | 4 Comments

photo credit: szlea

Ezra Klein makes the (convincing to me, at least) that American foreign policy should better be expressed as Superman versus Jack Bauer. Though to be honest the foreign policy we’ve got right now bears more resemblance to Lex Luthor.

Topic: Foreign Policy, History, Superman, USA