Preview

Response Paper to "Betrayal of the American Dream"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1095 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Response Paper to "Betrayal of the American Dream"
I’ve always been an optimistic person, but while reading The Betrayal of the American Dream, I felt so much of that optimism drain out of me. Prior to this, I had mistakenly believed there was a difference between the two political parties in that one of them actually had the people’s best interests at heart. I began to question that belief in recent years, and Barlett and Steele killed whatever faith I had remaining in it. The more I read the book, the more I wanted to find something that wasn’t true; something I could disagree with. Yet the authors did a very good job with their fact-checking, and I found out I must be more of a liberal than I had thought, because they are making complete sense.

I am sad to admit I was surprised to read about WIN America, and how public relations groups like them deceive the public into thinking certain legislation is beneficial to the middle class, when it is solely for the benefit of the super-rich and global corporations. The public is so easily led to believe that a tax break will bring money to America, when the corporations are merely hiding money that should be here in the first place, waiting for the government to beg and bargain to get it back. I expect this kind of behavior from Republicans, but I didn’t think it would be Barbara Boxer and the Obama administration with connections to the organization. One of the first thing we the people should do is demand these corporations pay their fair share in taxes or cease doing business in our country, including denial of importing rights. We can always create a few new jobs for Americans by replacing the corporation’s services to us with a domestic company. I’m not saying it will be easy, but doing the right thing rarely is.

Something also has to be done about the mortgage crisis. I was working in a furniture store at the time, and knew very early on that something was wrong because I suddenly was having difficulty securing credit for my customers. I had no idea at the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “The Futile Pursuit of the American Dream,” Ehrenreich challenges the white-collar unemployed world to see what it is really like and expose the unfairness of that world. She makes misleading efforts to get a job by disrespecting and complaining to the people that she wants for them to hire her, she tries to find people who can guarantee her ideas and tries to get a job in PR since that is closest to being a journalist. She also created a resume filling it with lies that have some sort of realistic fact about her life, and tries to figure out how to hide her skilled accomplishments to find friends who are willing to lie about her employment history.…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In all aspects, the financial crisis of 2008 – 2009 has and is affecting millions of Americans. One key factor to the financial crisis in the American economy has been greed by not only the government, but businesses and individuals. Our federal government from the President, Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury, and last but not least, the Federal Reserve, has each had a contributing factor in allowing the economic crisis to happen.…

    • 1932 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    What does the American dream means to you? If we were to take a survey, we would get…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America has always been known for having the American Dream. The American Dream is something the majority of people desire. However, is there really an American Dream? People come across many complications while trying to acquire the American Dream. Their desire of success, wealth, freedom, and happiness.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The American dream is what someone think living in America is or would be like. The American dream really depends one what the person thinks America is in their “dream”. America has always been known as the place of freedom and opportunities. As an American, you’re set up to be successful. In other countries, you can be limited depending on where you are and that can make it difficult.…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of living, “The American Dream,” has shifted quite a lot since past generations. In the past, the American Dream was thought to be an easy thing to achieve, but now, teenagers are coming to the realization that it is more difficult than it used to be. College is one of the most important things to achieve the American Dream, and college is not cheap or easy, and this has become a hard reality to teenagers of today’s society. College is not the only factor in living the American Dream, though. Money in general is very important; having a great job makes people money, or just growing up in a wealthy family. Sometimes, money can get people farther in life than college is able to. If someone does not have the financial funds to attend college (or to live without college), attaining the American Dream can be much more difficult.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The United States of America is a country in which success and happiness are its primary ideals that it was built around. It offers its inhabitants an opportunity to pursue and achieve success through hard work, effort, and dedication, people call this the American dream. However, the American dream is being degraded. The reason is because of the American people who the country swore to protect and support abuse the system 's help for their personal wants. The American dream can be preserved if the relationship between the government and the people became mutual. The relationship of aiding one another in which not only one benefits, but both benefit from each other. In order for the American people to achieve success and consummate their American dream, they must not only receive help, but also give back help as well. If the American people abuse the rights given to them by this country, abuse the inadequately regulated aid, and lack of wanting to pursue success can devastate the American dream and leave it in turmoil.…

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many people think the American Dream isn’t reachable because of how hard someone might have to work to reach it. Honestly I believe that anyone can reach it if they try hard enough to get to that dream.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    America is known to be the land of the free and home of opportunity. However, there have been several injustices that have occurred over the years that has contradicted the “American dream.” One example is racism. Even though people now have the right to come to America legally, there are still many people that insult others because of racial background.…

    • 60 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The American Dream is something that has shaped the face of america since its creation. It has Inspired americans to achieve great things. It has inspired people to come to america to achieve their American dream. The American dream has changed since its Independence 239 years ago. The american dream is different for each person. There are many factors that contribute to an individual's American dream. Society is something that greatly impacts the american dream, and just how often society changes impacts how the american dream changes.…

    • 87 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Durham’s government class, I was impartial to the federal system and anything considering to be politics. But with regards to the American Dream, I now have a definite voice and opinion on the topic. America aspires to be the land of opportunity, but how can this be possible when we are outsourcing all of our jobs to foreign countries such as India or China? As this continues, it will only be a matter of time before there will be no more opportunities for the American people. With that in mind, how about the people who have jobs here? If a person makes too little, then they end up struggling with bills due to the higher standard of living. In contrast, if a person earns more, they are taxed more. This is also known as income or progressive tax. To me, this is an unfair system and puts the American Dream at risk. Why would people aspire to be greater and have more if the government is just going to take it away anyways?…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is not just for the rich and well fed. America was set up to help everyone but yet it is leaving people out of achieving it. We need to stop worrying about the luxuries of this country and start focusing on the fact that we have millions of people living on the streets. Homelessness is a huge problem that is going on in our country. Millions of people go day by day just trying to get by,…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The American Dream is the statement that anyone can do absolutely anything they want, need, or see fit to better their lives. If someone feels they are unhappy with something about their lives, they have the opportunity (Something that is rare in this world) to do as they please to make what they want better.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let’s face it, the economy is in a horrible condition and it can be seen all across the nation. Education, employment, and balancing life is an everyday struggle for most Americans during these hard time. Citizens are stuck in their social class and can not move up, instead they might even fall below their current standard of living. Immigrants are still migrating to this once marvelous country, but their chances of success are quite slim. Job availability is steadily decreasing, and people are not making enough income to live a decent life. The truth is, the American dream is dead. The dream everyone of this nation hoped to achieved has ultimately become a nightmare. The main reasons why the dream is dead is because of; the deteriorating economy, no governmental support, and lack of individualism. A dollar today is no longer what it used to be in the early years of America.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is core to the American worldview. Though people from schoolteachers to presidential candidates have spoken on this topic, there seems to be no consensus as to whether it is dead or alive. One of the many articles written on the Dream is “The American Dream is Dead—Here’s Where It Went” by Adelle Peters, and as the title suggests, Peters argues that the American Dream is dead. According to her, low upward mobility, caused by unequal education and a gaping income inequality, has made the American Dream obsolete. In quoting economist Paul Krugman, Peters says, “[D]umb rich kids are more likely to graduate than poor smart kids” (Peters 2). Schools in the United States are often paid for by local property taxes, so usually, the…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays