The dream is dying

The problem with talking about economics is that it is easily taken out of context. In the United States after tax income for Americans has risen 8% in the Bush years, but one needs to look at that figure. 8% sounds good, but that is because the top earners in the United States are earning enough to raise that figure overall. In the United States that means the poor are getting poorer, the rich richer, and the middle class a little poorer. The middle class is starting to slip at the expense of the rich, and this is starting to have some consequences in the way that Americans think.

Immigration is a huge result of this. The United States has become a place where anyone who wanted to live our lifestyle can come and live (let us not debate what the United States was founded for). This is mostly true, people come here because they believe that hard work creates opportunity, they believe in free speech, free religion, the ability to disagree (and to agree to a lesser extent), have choices, and many others along the same line. What makes many immigrants different than “red-blooded” Americans is that many of them truly believe in these things, while a category of Americans really do not.

What I mean is that there are Americans out there who see these immigrants and see them as outsiders taking things away from them. This is stupid, hard work is what advances people in the United States (there are other variables too like natural ability etc…) but being born an American does not guarantee anyone a better life or the right to dictate who should receive it. This is because as mentioned the American dream is that through hard work one can achieve a better station in life, and the opposite is true too meaning that through no work you achieve a lower station in life. Nowhere does it say that being American grants you anything.

Yes, this is a little unpopular in the United States. First, there are inequalities here. In fact there are many inequalities here but this is the fault of a capitalist system, and partially an effort by the government. The education system in the United States is in shambles, the upper tiers have a much better chance to get an education than other tiers (the Economist reported last week that South Carolina decided to refuse to give money to poor rural schools). This is partially why I think that many immigrants have a leg up when they come to the United States, they were educated better. Second, this is an unpopular view because it disposes of nationalism in favor of increased capitalism. Contrary to popular belief I believe that capitalism has many merits (and more than a few problems) but adhering to capitalism erodes national borders and this is a good thing. The American Dream says that borders don’t really matter, it is hard work. Like I said, this is not exactly true because social mobility is down, but people are attracted to the dream and not the reality.