American Dream 2004
The above link is to National League of Cities website with a finished survey of how the American Dream is being taken away from urban dwellers. The dangers that this survey attempts to highlight are so much smaller than the dangers the survey's conclusions project. This is a large pdf file that covers much, and usually I do not like to look at the conclusions surveys draw - I prefer to just look at the numbers and draw my own conclusions - but the commentary and the way everything is framed is not very encouraging for America in general.
There is a companion powerpoint presentation with the title "Resurrecting the American Dream", and this is a good place to start. The idea that we need to resurrect something implies it is dead. This is bad news for America in general and can only do harm to those already struggling in life. Luckily for all of us the help in defining the problem with some handy bullet points:
There is a talking points document (MS Word format) about each slide as well, and it goes into more detail as to what is 'going on' according tot his group. This document will be cited as well.
This bulletpoint list takes us not to any great insightful observation; instead it brings us back to the leftist, Marxist view of the world. On top of it, the bullet points are redundant. This 'class struggle' is complicated by throwing in race on top of it, but in the end is it actual racism, or is it something different?
According to the next slide, among other reasons for this are: a betrayal of American ideals, an undermining of social cohesion, and that it is in part the government's fault. Of course, instead of realizing that the government can not be the answer to everyone's problems, they determine that since the government has failed them then the government must FIX it. An endless cycle of wasted time, efforts, and money is all they desire.
What are America's ideals to them? Evidently the Marxist idea of the redistribution of wealth because Slide #4 outlines how 20% of the population controls 83.4% of the wealth. This extreme inequality, to them, betrays American Ideals. Yes, to them being successful can only mean oppressing others. On the same slide they also show that Whites control the wealth as well.
It would seem that, to these people, Marxism has been combined with making all the problem into a racist event as well. Money is not even distributed to all people, nor is money equally distributed amongst the races, and to them this must be corrected.
They go on to claim that only 1/3 of all jobs created are in the cities proper, while 2/3 of the jobs are going to the suburbs. Instead of noting crime and an unwillingness to go into high crime areas as the reason, they then mention that 3/4 of all welfare-types are located in the central cities.
They never go so far as to actually question WHY a business would want to open shop in an area where crime is high, education is poor, and neither your clients nor employees would want to travel there. They claim it not to be caution, but racism.
Racism makes it so that 72% of whites own a home, while only 47% of blacks, and 48% of Hispanics own homes. I do find it strange that Hispanics have already taken the lead in home ownership considering they have spent less time in this nation as a whole. I guess that would the be racist in me for noticing according to them, and not the victim mentality that powerful leadership figures perpetuate in the community.
1) Good Health Care
2) Good Schools
3) Car and / or easy access to public transportation
4) Clean streets
5) Competitive rates on mortgages, other loans
This list is foolish and misleading because I know for a fact that I do not take any of that for granted. I've made decisions in life that enable me to have good health care, I make sure that the neighborhood has good schools, clean streets, and yes I do have a car. My wife and I have made many sacrifices in order to maintain good credit, so yes I should be able to have some decent rates for mortgages. These have been my decisions, and sometimes I've made some poor ones as well, but I LEARNED from them. I may be human nature to blame others, we all like to try to rationalize why things might not be our fault, but at the end of the day you have to live with you decisions, so if you do not care about clean streets, if you would rather have big TVs, expensive cars, and if you do not get involved within the community and you do not stand up for what is right, then those decisions will put you where? Do you think you'll be living in suburbia if you do not hold at least some of these items in esteem?
No. To them what needs to happen is to start conversations about privilege and inequality to the point that they suggest getting the government to make more laws to 'level the playing field'. This translates once again into a Marxist redistribution of wealth.
The presentation concludes with the same old 'get involved' lines implying that we are all helpless without the aid of the government.
The heart of the survey itself highlighted that, when unprompted, 24% of all who responded said that being financially secure was Living the American Dream. This spits in the face of the idea that redistribution is the answer since almost 1/4 of all people when asked off the top of their head thought that making good money was the American Dream.
When given a list from which to choose, living in freedom (33%) jumped to number one, with financial security (28%) at number two. Freedom is different from equality, and as such it makes sense that people do not want equal distribution of wealth, instead they want the freedom to do what they wish and they also want the ability to keep what they earn.
When looked at closer, they found that Republicans prefer freedom at a rate of 44% to 27% over Democrats. This should be obvious since Democrats do not want freedom - they want equality in all forms - including economic redistribution. These items are glossed over in the conclusion section of the survey in favor of the liberal practice of pushing an agenda of doom and gloom.
When asked what the largest barrier to the American Dream, the top answer was poor education (27%), with another answer, 'Inability to find a good job' (19%) obviously being a result of the top answer. Another, very telling answer, is that Democrats say discrimination is the barrier at a two to one ration (20% - 10%) over Republicans. Whether this is because Democrats cater to the idea of discrimination or not can not really be determined.
As far a resurrection goes, 62% of the population says that anyone can make the American Dream happen. With these figures right int heir survey how can they say that it needs to be resurrected?
They also site the meaningless statistic that 95% said that everyone should have a shot at making the dream a reality. I'm shocked 5% said otherwise. The difference is the conclusion they will draw from this 95% as being in favor of taking radical steps to change the way the economy is run.
A minority of people think it is harder to achieve the American dream (46% of woman, and 41% of men think it harder). This does not reflect all the panic this group wishes to push upon the American people. Of course, since 53% of African Americans feel passed over, there must be racist afoot since only 32% of whites feel this way and only 36% of the Hispanic population thinks this, too. Is it racism or victimology?
Another shocking statistic is that 52% of all unmarried parents feel they are being left behind. This being the case, no one wants to come out and say that being an unwed mother is bad for both mother and child, and that explaining that the behavior that leads to this is irresponsible and damaging. Instead, they suggest a larger government check.
When looking directly at political ideals and who is living the American Dream, we see that a full 76% of republicans feel they are living the American Dream. Yes, it is true that conservatives are among the most satisfied and happy people in America and feel that America is a good place to be. It is good remember this when making political decisions. Do you want radical change in a Marxist way, or do you prefer something stable and something that permits people to do things on their own, and rewards them as such -- like in the current system?
Only 56% of Democrats feel that the current system is good enough for the American Dream, with 44% feeling that more government and more laws are required to make equality (a level playing field) over freedom the law of the land.
In the end, it would seem that Blacks and Democrats feel the American Dream is dying or dead in larger numbers than any other groups, and as such is it any shock that people like Jesse Jackson say what they do?
One disturbing trend is that 72% of all people think the government needs to take an active role in helping people achieve the American Dream. While they do not say what steps need to be taken, this loaded question promotes big government, more progressive taxation, and - if needed - redistribution of wealth to level the playing field. Since the survey never says 'how' the government could ever help, this question is reasonably meaningless to any conversation.
Concerning the elections, the one item most people would like to see action taken upon would be to reduce crime (21%) with 27% of people living in inner cities claiming that this is a problem. If this is what they mean by the government taking an active role, then I must say that getting criminals off the streets will do a service for both reducing crime, and cleaning the streets and I would be for this as well.
While it is true that I am not an expert in the ways of polls and surveys, there are some questions that have at least indirectly contradictory answers:
How can one logically say that is is harder for young families to get to the American Dream, but still say that the next generation will have a fair shot at it? It seems that, after everything is said and done, these questions probably were very slanted and despite all attempts at impartiality, probably ended up biased.
It is either that, or perhaps the people surveyed just didn't get what was being asked.
There is a companion powerpoint presentation with the title "Resurrecting the American Dream", and this is a good place to start. The idea that we need to resurrect something implies it is dead. This is bad news for America in general and can only do harm to those already struggling in life. Luckily for all of us the help in defining the problem with some handy bullet points:
- Extreme INEQUALITIES based on RACE, CLASS and GEOGRAPHY
- An UNFAIR PLAYING FIELD
- Racial and economic SEGREGATION
- A problem for ALL COMMUNITIES - urban, suburban, rural
- Increased ECONOMIC INSECURITY
There is a talking points document (MS Word format) about each slide as well, and it goes into more detail as to what is 'going on' according tot his group. This document will be cited as well.
This bulletpoint list takes us not to any great insightful observation; instead it brings us back to the leftist, Marxist view of the world. On top of it, the bullet points are redundant. This 'class struggle' is complicated by throwing in race on top of it, but in the end is it actual racism, or is it something different?
According to the next slide, among other reasons for this are: a betrayal of American ideals, an undermining of social cohesion, and that it is in part the government's fault. Of course, instead of realizing that the government can not be the answer to everyone's problems, they determine that since the government has failed them then the government must FIX it. An endless cycle of wasted time, efforts, and money is all they desire.
What are America's ideals to them? Evidently the Marxist idea of the redistribution of wealth because Slide #4 outlines how 20% of the population controls 83.4% of the wealth. This extreme inequality, to them, betrays American Ideals. Yes, to them being successful can only mean oppressing others. On the same slide they also show that Whites control the wealth as well.
It would seem that, to these people, Marxism has been combined with making all the problem into a racist event as well. Money is not even distributed to all people, nor is money equally distributed amongst the races, and to them this must be corrected.
They go on to claim that only 1/3 of all jobs created are in the cities proper, while 2/3 of the jobs are going to the suburbs. Instead of noting crime and an unwillingness to go into high crime areas as the reason, they then mention that 3/4 of all welfare-types are located in the central cities.
They never go so far as to actually question WHY a business would want to open shop in an area where crime is high, education is poor, and neither your clients nor employees would want to travel there. They claim it not to be caution, but racism.
Racism makes it so that 72% of whites own a home, while only 47% of blacks, and 48% of Hispanics own homes. I do find it strange that Hispanics have already taken the lead in home ownership considering they have spent less time in this nation as a whole. I guess that would the be racist in me for noticing according to them, and not the victim mentality that powerful leadership figures perpetuate in the community.
They cite idle youth, those 16 - 25, as not having a job, being in school, nor in the military as being part of the problem. It would seem to them that not having good role models and a solid family life is not the problem, instead it is lack of government intervention.
They blame the government for encouraging "White Flight" because the government builds highways and have housing programs. Since whitey can drive to work and does not have to live in the high crime areas it is racist government policy to build a freeway. These people lack all ability to understand and comprehend that people - not just whites, but all people - don't want to live in high crime areas where there are no jobs. The fact that some people leave is considered bad since, I guess, there are less people with money to rob.
They mention local zoning that does not permit affordable housing. Housing prices are a market force determined by supply, demand, and the structures of what price the buyers are willing to pay. Affordable housing means either Section 8 HUD homes, or price controls limiting the ability of people to see their home for what they think it is worth. Again, this is a Marxist ideal, NOT an American ideal.
Next comes the guilt trip, "Things you take for granted":1) Good Health Care
2) Good Schools
3) Car and / or easy access to public transportation
4) Clean streets
5) Competitive rates on mortgages, other loans
This list is foolish and misleading because I know for a fact that I do not take any of that for granted. I've made decisions in life that enable me to have good health care, I make sure that the neighborhood has good schools, clean streets, and yes I do have a car. My wife and I have made many sacrifices in order to maintain good credit, so yes I should be able to have some decent rates for mortgages. These have been my decisions, and sometimes I've made some poor ones as well, but I LEARNED from them. I may be human nature to blame others, we all like to try to rationalize why things might not be our fault, but at the end of the day you have to live with you decisions, so if you do not care about clean streets, if you would rather have big TVs, expensive cars, and if you do not get involved within the community and you do not stand up for what is right, then those decisions will put you where? Do you think you'll be living in suburbia if you do not hold at least some of these items in esteem?
No. To them what needs to happen is to start conversations about privilege and inequality to the point that they suggest getting the government to make more laws to 'level the playing field'. This translates once again into a Marxist redistribution of wealth.
The presentation concludes with the same old 'get involved' lines implying that we are all helpless without the aid of the government.
The heart of the survey itself highlighted that, when unprompted, 24% of all who responded said that being financially secure was Living the American Dream. This spits in the face of the idea that redistribution is the answer since almost 1/4 of all people when asked off the top of their head thought that making good money was the American Dream.
When given a list from which to choose, living in freedom (33%) jumped to number one, with financial security (28%) at number two. Freedom is different from equality, and as such it makes sense that people do not want equal distribution of wealth, instead they want the freedom to do what they wish and they also want the ability to keep what they earn.
When looked at closer, they found that Republicans prefer freedom at a rate of 44% to 27% over Democrats. This should be obvious since Democrats do not want freedom - they want equality in all forms - including economic redistribution. These items are glossed over in the conclusion section of the survey in favor of the liberal practice of pushing an agenda of doom and gloom.
When asked what the largest barrier to the American Dream, the top answer was poor education (27%), with another answer, 'Inability to find a good job' (19%) obviously being a result of the top answer. Another, very telling answer, is that Democrats say discrimination is the barrier at a two to one ration (20% - 10%) over Republicans. Whether this is because Democrats cater to the idea of discrimination or not can not really be determined.
As far a resurrection goes, 62% of the population says that anyone can make the American Dream happen. With these figures right int heir survey how can they say that it needs to be resurrected?
They also site the meaningless statistic that 95% said that everyone should have a shot at making the dream a reality. I'm shocked 5% said otherwise. The difference is the conclusion they will draw from this 95% as being in favor of taking radical steps to change the way the economy is run.
A minority of people think it is harder to achieve the American dream (46% of woman, and 41% of men think it harder). This does not reflect all the panic this group wishes to push upon the American people. Of course, since 53% of African Americans feel passed over, there must be racist afoot since only 32% of whites feel this way and only 36% of the Hispanic population thinks this, too. Is it racism or victimology?
Another shocking statistic is that 52% of all unmarried parents feel they are being left behind. This being the case, no one wants to come out and say that being an unwed mother is bad for both mother and child, and that explaining that the behavior that leads to this is irresponsible and damaging. Instead, they suggest a larger government check.
When looking directly at political ideals and who is living the American Dream, we see that a full 76% of republicans feel they are living the American Dream. Yes, it is true that conservatives are among the most satisfied and happy people in America and feel that America is a good place to be. It is good remember this when making political decisions. Do you want radical change in a Marxist way, or do you prefer something stable and something that permits people to do things on their own, and rewards them as such -- like in the current system?
Only 56% of Democrats feel that the current system is good enough for the American Dream, with 44% feeling that more government and more laws are required to make equality (a level playing field) over freedom the law of the land.
In the end, it would seem that Blacks and Democrats feel the American Dream is dying or dead in larger numbers than any other groups, and as such is it any shock that people like Jesse Jackson say what they do?
One disturbing trend is that 72% of all people think the government needs to take an active role in helping people achieve the American Dream. While they do not say what steps need to be taken, this loaded question promotes big government, more progressive taxation, and - if needed - redistribution of wealth to level the playing field. Since the survey never says 'how' the government could ever help, this question is reasonably meaningless to any conversation.
Concerning the elections, the one item most people would like to see action taken upon would be to reduce crime (21%) with 27% of people living in inner cities claiming that this is a problem. If this is what they mean by the government taking an active role, then I must say that getting criminals off the streets will do a service for both reducing crime, and cleaning the streets and I would be for this as well.
While it is true that I am not an expert in the ways of polls and surveys, there are some questions that have at least indirectly contradictory answers:
10. It is becoming much harder for young families to achieve the American Dream.
Strongly agree 42
Somewhat agree 28
Somewhat disagree 15
Strongly disagree 13
DK/Ref. (Vol.) 4
Agree 70
Disagree 28
8. Thinking about the next generation, how confident are you that most American children today have a fair shot at the American Dream very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident or not confident at all?
Very confident 22
Somewhat confident 43
Not too confident 24
Not confident at all 9
DK/Ref. (Vol.) 2
Confident 65
Not Confident 33
How can one logically say that is is harder for young families to get to the American Dream, but still say that the next generation will have a fair shot at it? It seems that, after everything is said and done, these questions probably were very slanted and despite all attempts at impartiality, probably ended up biased.
It is either that, or perhaps the people surveyed just didn't get what was being asked.
I personally have the utmost confidence in the American Dream because it is there for you to take if you want it. America is not an easy place at times, but it is because there are so many voices and interests all shouting and yelling and climbing on top of each other all at once. It is confusing for many foreigners, and it is also confusing for those Americans who have not bothered to understand how things work here. It makes sense that most conservatives enjoy America and appreciate the chances we both work for and get lucky enough to find while liberals only find time to whine and complain. The survey - no matter how unscientific - does the conservative attitude a favor by highlighting these basic differences and while it may be true that the ride is not easy the destination is well worth all the effort one might make to get there.
God Bless America.
posted by Edward W. Prather at 11:20
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