American Dream

Why Amateurs Reach The Top In America

Debra Ollivier | Posted 05.30.2012

Read More: Inventors, Maker Movement, Diy, Baby Boomers, American Dream, Amateurism, Jack Hitt, Steve Jobs, Bunch of Amateurs, Slidepollajax, Jobs post50, Fifty News

In Bunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character, author Jack Hitt contends that the Golden Age of American amateurism is far from over. On the contrary, the amateur's dream is the American dream.

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The Don't-Defer-Your-Life Approach to Financial Planning

Irvin G. Schorsch III | Posted 05.24.2012

Read More: The Balanced Life, American Dream, Retirement, Personal Finance, Money News

Too many people postpone what they really want to do until an undefined time in the future when they feel they can finally afford it. But what if "someday" never comes?

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Modern Happiness: Springsteen and the American Dream

Craig Werner | Posted 05.24.2012

Read More: Motivation, American Dream, Bruce Springsteen, College News

Lyrically, many of Bruce Springsteen's songs seem to cover secondary motivation, especially with ideas like the American Dream, which is a society-based theme.

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Hanging on to America

Paul Ratner | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: American Dream, Slidepollajax, Moving to America, US Immigration, American Culture, Moving to US, American Immigration, Culture News

Whenever I'm in one of its in-between spaces, I feel the fragility of the American ideal. The ideal, not the cynicism, is why we came here. The America of the middle is worth hanging on to with everything we've got.

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What's My Place In These Troubling Times?

Nancy Alvarez | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: American Dream, Older Volunteers, Older Activists, post50 Politics, What Matters Most, Activism, Occupy Wall Street, Slideexpand, Fifty News

Because of the sudden death of a friend a few months ago, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what really matters to me in life, as well as how I spend the hours in every one of my days. At my age, in this time, what is my place in this troubling world?

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The American Dream -- Then and Now

Kevin Jennings | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Economic Mobility, Be the Change, Poor, Poverty, Opportunity Nation, Income Inequality, American Dream, Impact News

Stories like mine are becoming more and more unusual in America in 2012. Sixty five percent of Americans who are born into the lowest income quintile (like I was) spend their entire lives in one of the two lowest income quintiles.

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Money, Money, Money

Rev. James Ellis, III | Posted 05.11.2012

Read More: Judas, Nicki Minaj, Music, Money, Jesus Christ, American Dream, Drake, Gospel of Matthew, Scripture Study, Scripture Commentary, Christianity, Religion News

If we spend our borrowed time here on earth striving for upward mobility or trinkets of success and abundance, then we have missed the boat. Chasing money is a surefire path to loneliness, depression and emptiness.

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Renewing the American Dream

Tammy Duckworth | Posted 05.04.2012

Read More: Tammy Duckworth, American Dream, Illinois 8th District, Illinois Politics, Joe Walsh, American Dream Tour, Chicago News

As a nation, we face incredible challenges right now. People are struggling to find jobs, pay their bills and make a better life for their children. When folks tell me about struggling to put food on the table, I understand because I've been there.

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Retelling The American 'Kingdom of God' Story In Parables

Rachel G. Hackenberg | Posted 05.04.2012

Read More: Kingdom of God, Religion and Politics, American Dream, Christianity, Religion News, Religion News

The American Church is called to speak through the power of stories -- mirrored in bold and creative action -- to transform our sociopolitical context for the greater inclusion of all people in the American Dream.

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What's Really Behind the War on Women

Toni Nagy | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Women in Politics, Politics, National Debt, Women's Issues, Stacey Morrison, Bloggers, American Dream, Mommy Wars, Elections 2012, Republican War Against Women, Bipartisan, Legislation, Blogher, Culture, War on Women, Women News

The more alienated we feel from each other, the easier we are to manipulate and distract.

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Civic Illiteracy: A Threat to the American Dream

Michael Ford | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Citizenship, Immigrants, Immigration, U.S. Constitution, Constitution, American Dream, Civic Education, Civic Literacy, Social Studies, American History, American Government, Politics News

The effects of civic illiteracy take their toll over time, and while Americans are almost defiantly indifferent about their lack of civic understanding, the consequences to our basic rights and freedoms and the general health of our republic could be dire.

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Law-enforcement Leaders Agree: State Anti-immigrant Laws Encourage Discrimination

Ali Noorani | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Supreme Court, Law, Equality, Law Enforcement, Liberty, American Dream, Freedom, Arizona Immigration Law, Constitution, Racial Profiling, Politics News

At its heart, America is an idea, not an ideology. And the idea that all men (and women) are created equal is unique to America. Once we allow law enforcement to ask someone for identification because they look less equal, the idea of America weakens.

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11th Annual Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards

Megan Smolenyak | Posted 04.23.2012

Read More: Angela Lansbury, American Dream, Heritage, Tony La Russa, Immigration, Richard Meier, Slidepollajax, Family History, New York, Ellis Island, Genealogy, Culture News

At a time when we've become so cynical, it's refreshing to attend the annual Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards, which celebrate individuals who have contributed to the American experience in various realms

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American Dream 2.0: A Silicon Valley Entrepreneur's Take on Hope

Jonathan Chin | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: New Generation, Innovation, The American Dream, Dreams, Millennial Generation, American Dream, Chicago News

It took me getting invited to Chicago and imagining my grandfather coming there to reexamine the concept of the American dream. These tough economic times have driven many people to forget or even to mock it.

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Retelling The American 'Kingdom Of God' Story

Rachel G. Hackenberg | Posted 04.18.2012

Read More: Kingdom of God, American Dream, 2012 Election, Religion and Politics, American Kingdom of God, Religion News

How and whether the American Church is involved in shaping the American Dream story -- the American "Kingdom of God" story -- is noteworthy during the election season.

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Who Is the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs?

Daniel Cubias | Posted 04.16.2012

Read More: Steve Mariotti, Entrepreneurialism, Creativity, Latinos, Small Business, Hispanic, Estelle Reyes, Bill Gates, Entrepreneurs, Scholarship, Hispanics, Business, Los Angeles, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Nfte, Socioeconomic Class, Hayley Hoverter, Education, Columbia University, American Dream, Mark Zuckerberg, Higher Education, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur, Baby Boomers, Dropouts, High School Dropouts, Impact News

Studies imply that more than 80 percent of dropouts would have stayed in school if they believed it was more relevant to real life. Learning how to run a small business can help kids see how their core classes aren't just cruel tortures from adults.

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What Sense of Entitlement?

Dan Bimrose | Posted 04.12.2012

Read More: Entitlements, Sense of Entitlement, American Dream, Minimum Wage, Medicare, Democrats, Republicans, Politics News

The apparent Republican goal to lower our worker's wage rates and benefits to a point where we are competitive with China's wage rates should not be what we strive for. This is America. We should use innovation to create new industries and new markets.

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Will California Act to Create More Affordable Housing?

Joel John Roberts | Posted 04.08.2012

Read More: Poverty, California, Homelessness, Third World America, American Dream, Mortgage Crisis, Ozzie and Harriet, Affordable Housing, California Redevelopment Agencies, Impact News

It used to be the "American Dream" was to purchase a detached single family home down the street from Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. Today, that dream has been reduced to simply hoping your family can afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment sandwiched in a multi-storied stucco box.

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A New American Dream?

AP | HOPE YEN | Posted 04.05.2012

Read More: Suburban Growth, Suburbs, Video, American Dream, Business News, Sprawling Suburbs, Urban Growth, Mcmansions, The Suburbs, Robert Shiller, Suburban Sprawl, Business News

WASHINGTON — Living in an outlying Chicago suburb, Jeff Wehrli recalls a heady time not too long ago when city dwellers poured in and developers...

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Edward Luce's Unraveling American Dream

Robert Teitelman | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: Edward Lazear, Edward Luce, American Dream, Gary Indiana, Media Critique, Economic Crisis, Economic Commentary, Business News

The world is becoming increasingly multipolar, not unlike the late 19th century. This is not outside the American experience.

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Remembering MLK: Standing Up to the Dream Killers

Van Jones | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: Dr. King, The American Dream, Martin Luther King, America Underwater, Contract for the American Dream, American Dream, Martin Luther King Jr., Rebuild the Dream, Student Loans, Ed DeMarco, Home Foreclosures, College Loans and Debt, College Loans, Student Debt, Martin Luther King Anniversary, Politics News

Today, April 4th, 2012, marks the 44th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. It's a good time to reflect on the state of not only Dr. King's dream, but the American dream at large.

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Yesterday I Waited for Change, Today I Am the Change! A Walk Across America

Nico Gonzalez | Posted 04.02.2012

Read More: DREAM Act, Immigration Reform, Dream Act 2012, Undocumented Immigrants, Dream Walk, Dream Act 2011, American Dream, Immigration, Undocumented Students, Obama Immigration Reform, Chicago News

Today I begin a beautiful journey, walking almost 3,000 miles fighting for the DREAM Act as a first step to legalizing all of our people, because for a very long time we have helped build this economy.

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A License to Steal: The Perils of Questionable Legal Representation

Anthony Papa | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Attorneys, Law, Lawyers, Dumb Crime, Crime, American Dream, Justice, Injustice, American Bar Association, Crime News

Cases like mine give the profession of lawyering a black eye. Individuals need to be careful when choosing a lawyer.

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Springsteen's Nebraska and the American Dream

Craig Werner | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: American Dream, Bruce Springsteen, College News

Springsteen investigates in detail, through his music, the idea of "the American Dream." To be more precise, though, Springsteen looks hard at the idea of socioeconomic mobility often associated with the American Dream.

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Surprising Share Of Jobless Say American Dream Within Reach

The Huffington Post | Harry Bradford | Posted 03.22.2012

Read More: Unemployed, Michelle Obama, Video, Lehman Brothers, American Dream, Great Recession, Homeownership, Jobless, Financial Crisis, Pew Charitable Trusts, Investors, Business News

Despite the economic hardship that the Great Recession has caused millions of Americans, belief in the American Dream is still alive and well, even fo...

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