Question 3 Comments

I wrote a paper in 1996 that said that The American Dream, as we define/live it now, will inevitably play itself out this way because it is built on an ideal of social inequity.  The natural result is a "trickle-up" effect of misery.

Yes and no, I still think education is the key to the American  Dream but don't think the dream of making it big is that big

Things are cyclical, people have no memory and are mostly not well read and plan for nothing.

Excessive government spending and over taxation is killing the American Dream

Lost that belief some time ago.

National identities are slowly becoming less relevant, as the Global community grows in connectivity.

Government should not get involved in setting loan limits

The A typical American Dream is a thing of the past.

I think that the American dream was more a myth than a dream.

I never really bought into that concept of owning a house, 2 cars, 2.3 kids and a wallet full of credit cards

Politicians need to take economics classes

Made it more attainable as housing prices decreased.

Not sure I ever believed in it.  Certainly most Americans have at one time or another, but it's not real.  A poll just before the recession showed that most Americans believed they were in the top 20% of earners, which is impossible, but it's what makes people so anti-progressive.   We all believe we'll be wealthy some day, so we don't want to tax the wealthy!

I never believed in the American dream; it is a fantasy of a bygone era and the most privileged classes.  It is also serves as justification for blaming the victims of a class stratified, racist society.

The recession exposed our nation’s insatiable sense of entitlement and its citizens’ resolve to remain unaccountable for personal decisions and behavior. Our nation will become a banana republic unless its citizens enact term limits for all elected State and Federal offices; establish a publicly funded campaign program available to all certified primary winners; audit all private campaign contributions of any type via the IRS; end earmarks all together; and stop publicly funded pension benefits of any kind paid to any term-expired elected office holder.

My belief in the American Dream ended long before this recession began.

It has changed my plans for retirement.

I believe it is a factor of nepotism for most of us. If your parents have wealth and connections than it will be easier for you to spring board to a higher income. I think the poor or lower middle class are finding more opportunities closing on them.

I've always believed the "American Dream" is BS; this has just confirmed my already-held beliefs.