Brandon King The American Dream

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The American Dream
What is the American Dream? The American Dream is a multifaceted concept providing each individual with hope of a better life than his or her previous generation. According Brandon King, Americans today have redefined what the American Dream is. The American Dream concept is a transition from rags-to-riches. However, King argues that people today favor a steady middle-class life. Still, King is one out of roughly 320 million people in the United States; therefore that assumption may not be so reliable. There are others who may still believe in the dream of a land that allows the shift from rags-to-riches or others that may have lost faith in this dream as well. It seems that in recent years, the so-called “American …show more content…

He states, “I believe that the ideal and values of the American Dream are still very much alive…. is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,” (573). However, the American Dream is not richer or fuller for everyone. The gaps between the classes are further than ever. The rich become richer, as the poor stay poor. The middle class is disappearing and falling into the poor class. Yet, nothing is being done to prevent the blending between the middle and poor class. The American Dream may be “slipping away” because of some of the major issues that arose with the economic distress. Some key factors that may be hurting the American Dream are the lack of income growth, budget cuts in healthcare, and educational cutbacks. Instead of the government preserving these values, it has weakened the ability for upward mobility in the sense of economic and social class. For instance, reductions in education funds affect our children and their futures, thus ultimately removing the opportunity of better careers. The lack of income increase also creates a struggle for the working middle-class. In reality, who enjoys living paycheck to paycheck? Lastly, budget cuts in healthcare, leave the sick, disabled, and the children helpless. Concluding, the government’s plan to save now, actually creates more struggles for most Americans. All in all, the American Dream is meant for everyone, but how can the American Dream exist if only a very small percentage actually

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