The American Dream - Access Denied

What does the American Dream mean to you? For many it is the opportunity to have a home, successful career, and the ability to send their children to the best schools possible. The financial ability to do better than our parents did. We are a society of accomplishments. The ability to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves and the freedom to make those choices is what the American dream is all about. Unfortunately the same standards do not apply to everyone.

Starting with the first settlers whose dream was to make a new start in a land of plenty, the American dream took from those who stood in the way. The native Americans were the first example of this. In order for early settlers to have their dreams of starting fresh and achieving what they wanted, it was necessary for someone else to suffer.

Is it so different now? Minorities, blacks, and the poor are once again paying the price so that someone else can achieve their goals and have their piece of the pie. Single mothers are ranked low on the list when it comes to being able to purchase a home of their own. Due to the low wages they receive for jobs that are keeping others in the style that they are accustomed, their American dream is not being realized.

Unless access to education is available, this segment of the population will never realize the dream of having a home, financial stability, and being able to provide for their children in the manner in which they desire. The backbone of this country is formed from the poor working class that make minimum wage or less. How much does the woman who waited on you at your last dinner out make? Does she have children she is supporting? Does most of her pay check go to provide a roof over their heads? With this scenario, this hard working woman will never achieve the American dream.

We like to think that everyone has equal opportunity to the same choices and that hard work will get you where you want to be. However this is just not possible for someone who is working at a low paying job with no prospect of being able to better themselves. How does this single mother find the time to go to school, when she is so busy trying to keep a roof over her children’s heads and food on the table, not to mention clothes on their back? For her, working 10 hour days, sometimes with only 1 day off, her American dream is being denied.

Immigrants come to America with the vision of making their lives more comfortable and successful. However many of them work at low paying jobs that no one else wants. Can they get above the poverty level? Not usually. All these people make up the workforce that is supplying to those that have achieved the American dream. These are the people that wait on you, carry your groceries to your car, fix your hair, and clean your clothes. They rent your houses and dream of one of their own. What has happened to their piece of the pie? It has found it’s way to someone else’s plate.