WaPo: The American Dream is Dead

The American Dream’s empty promise

 It’s time to retire the American Dream — or at least give it a long vacation. We ought to drop it from our national conversation. This would be a hardship for politicians and pundits, who use “the American Dream” as a rhetorical workhorse embodying goals embraced by almost all Americans.

This is just more 'lowered expectations' propaganda from the Main-Stream media.  Any of you who read this and think you learned something ought to be ashamed. I read it. I can agree ONLY with the line you see below. 

 The American Dream has become so expansive in its meaning that it stifles honest debate and harms some of the very people it is intended to help.

Because the 'educated informed' writer then takes it on himself to define the dream. And when the concept came about.. and he's wrong.
Those of us who were educated, rather than indoctrinated, {and it only took high school to know this} realize the concept was borne in the eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville and chronicled in his "Democracy in America".
Of course back then, government was sorta weak and out of the way of anyone really seeking to achieve something on their own, so I suppose it doesnt count in Samuelson's eyes. He's talking about 'Julia' and 'Did you build that'

If you look closely, he conflates the meaning with group associations.  Home-owners, Students, I'm sure he thinks even races and nationalities.
In fact, he goes overboard to remove home owners from the list of achievable in the American Dream.  He even names WHY.. without pointing to the real problem. Government interference in achieving that dream.  The end result being that many who WOULD have achieved it lost it because of good intentions in the housing market.
To be blunt.. lots of low income black Americans would now have a house with the mortgage paid off if not for that.

What I recall is that de Tocqueville pointed out that group associations hindered personal achievement LESS in the new world than the old.  You could neither count on your group identity for success.. or blame it solely for your failure.
Tell me this ... did you really achieve your American Dream by joining a union?  Or was it because of what you did and where you worked?

I'll have to concede this: Obama followed the American Dream but he didn't make it on his own.
But people with real talent will always be able to achieve their dreams. Until the government totally assumes the role of vocational placement.

And btw: MAYBE I immediately thought of de Toqueville because I dropped out of college and missed being indoctrinated in the new Progressive-Think. Of course I picked up the details from 'Democracy in America" on my own.. reading at home. 

Thank you Mom!!!