“The American Dream Is Alive and Well… In Finland”

The problem with Americans is that we still believe the American dream is possible. But more and more the promise of this great nation is being robbed by the people who are loudest about their lie of loving it.

Do you want to start a small business? How are you going to compete with the government subsidized corporate big box like Wal-mart? Do you want to make t-shirts? How will you compete with the 3 major clothing companies making their clothing in poorer countries? Want to be a Farmer? How are you going to compete with the immoral corporate farms that get HUGE subsidies from you (the taxpayer)?

Dream after dream of moving up in the world is being leveraged to those who already have the power.

The ironic and saddest part is that you are probably subsidizing these really rich people and corporations. Through the corruption they buy the continue to get tax loophole, giveaways, they have their lazy hands in our pockets robbing us as our American Dream dies.

The American Dream Is Alive and Well ... in Finland!

Fewer than 1 percent of Americans are millionaires, but almost one in three believe they'll end up among that group at some point.

The belief that our chance of moving up the economic ladder is limited only by our innate abilities and our appetite for hard work is almost universal in the United States.

When you define the "American Dream" as the ability of working-class families to afford a decent life -- to put their kids through school, have access to quality healthcare and a secure retirement -- most will tell you it simply doesn't exist anymore. In stark contrast, when you define it according to mobility, the picture is radically different; according to a study of public opinion in 25 rich countries, Americans are almost twice as likely to believe that "people get rewarded for intelligence and skill" than working people in other advanced economies.

At the same time, fewer than one in five say that coming from a wealthy family is "essential" or "very important" to getting ahead -- significantly lower than the 25-country average.

It's impossible to overstate the impact that has on our policy debates. Americans are less than half as likely as people in other advanced economies to believe that it's "the responsibility of government to reduce differences in income."

…But new research suggests the United States' much-ballyhooed upward mobility is a myth, and one that's slipping further from reality with each new generation. On average, younger Americans are not doing better than their parents did, it's harder to move up the economic ladder in the United States than it is in a number of other wealthy countries, and a person in today's work force is as likely to experience downward mobility as he or she is to move up.

Moreover, the single greatest predictor of how much an American will earn is how much their parents make.

The streets are paved with gold … in Denmark

Several studies released in recent years suggest that, contrary to popular opinion, Americans enjoy significantly less upward mobility than citizens of a number of other industrialized nations (some of the studies can be accessed here, here and here). German workers have 1.5 times the mobility of Americans, Canada is nearly 2.5 times more mobile and Denmark is 3 times more mobile. Norway, Finland, Sweden and France (France!) are all more mobile societies than the United States. Of the countries included in the studies, the United States ranked near the bottom; only the United Kingdom came in lower.

It is sadly true. If you want to be rich in America…make sure your parents are. People who come from rich families get the best education, don’t accrue debt, don’t have to worry about getting around via public transportation, don’t have the burden of worrying about food or the stress of poverty.

The American dream is dying and the people sworn to protect it are selling us out for money.

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