How many times have you heard “you can be what you want to be if only you
work for it ”? The American dream has brought millions to our shores, legally
or surreptitiously, in search of upward economic mobility. And, over the
decades, millions of children of immigrants or of working-class Americans have
prospered and advanced in our competitive economy.
But how easy is it for the children of poor parents to become prosperous? Recent
evidence shows that there is much less mobility in the United States than most
people assume. Horatio Alger notwithstanding, rags to rags and riches to riches are
now the norm in this country to a greater degree than in many other developed
nations. Our current education system, antidiscrimination laws, and other public
policy tools that aim to give the children of poor parents a fair shot at a high
income are not getting the job done. We may all believe in the American Dream, but
we have a lot of work to do if we are to make that dream a reality.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
When I was a kid, I had clothes, food to eat, we had an apartment, there were sidewalks and a park, public transportation: it was perfect.
It's sort of like sex: you can have it, and it's nice. If you want a foursome with some porno stars, don't call it the American Dream. That's a sicko fantasy. (Not that there's anything wrong with that). Just don't call it the American Dream.
Oh, yeah, right: that's adult entertainment. That's another misuse of what used to be a good word.
I don't think there are a lot of Mexicans pouring across the Finish border. Or Indians, Pakistani's, etc: If you can crash your slave ship on any shore in the world, this is the place.
If you're already here, different story.
But then, I don't know of any American's fleeing to Finland, etc. Canada? Now that might happen.
But if you want excessive wealth, if that's your dream, if you're a big stakes gambler, this IS the place.
Rape a forest? sure. Pollute a river? no sweat. Cheap labor? sure, we got that. (ummm, that's you :-) But a politician? there's a sale this week!
"Mexicans pouring across the Finish border" There might be if there were a Mexico-Finland border.
Post a Comment