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Growing up, I heard a lot about the American Dream, everything from a home of my own, two cars in the garage, two-and-a-half children, a dog, and a cat, to my own prospects of becoming President of the United States.
 
July 4th always reminds me of The American Dream. Frankly, I never held any lofty goals for life. I just wanted a good wife, home, children, job, and community. God has blessed me with all of these and more.
 
As I reflect on my own Dream, I wonder what others dream. What has the American Dream become today?
 
I was naïve enough to believe and accept President Kennedy’s challenge: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I fear that sentiment has been lost on the generation that demands rights guaranteed and paid for by big government…uh, taxpayers, for those of you who do.
 
Growing up, I looked forward to graduating high school, going to college, getting a job, working my way up the ladder, marrying, buying a home, having a family, on and on ad nauseum. At least, that’s what the American Dream meant for me.
 
Many of my classmates in high school never considered college for a variety of reasons. Most of them have fared well while some of my friends who graduated college experienced unemployment, divorce, bankruptcy, and a host of other problems apparently unrelated to whether one is a college graduate or not.
 
Regardless of outcomes, I believe practically all of my high school classmates hoped, if not expected, to get good jobs and have nice families, i.e. to live the American Dream.
 
Reflecting on the 4th of July, I think of freedom and opportunity. I want to be free to live where I choose and the opportunity to earn a living to provide for our needs and most of our wants.
 
Governments by nature limit freedoms and opportunities. Our Founding Fathers reluctantly reached a breaking point when England’s oppressive taxes and heavy handed military tried to enforce total subjugation without representation or empathy for the welfare of colonial citizens.
 
Thank God they chose to fight against government that had become increasingly taxing and oppressive. After the fight, freedom never felt so free! Americans were free to pursue opportunities without government intervention.
 
Early Americans didn’t want government to do anything for them except to protect their rights to pursue opportunities and live peaceably. Over the centuries, that has changed. In the beginning American rights included freedoms not subsidies.
 
Nowadays rights reflect our ‘equal opportunities’ culture (a misnomer if there ever was one). We have equal opportunities for (alphabetically) civic clubs, college entrance, employment, healthcare, housing, job benefits, marriage, pay, scholarships, and social clubs to name a few.
 
Fortunately we still do not have ‘equal opportunities’ for a few venues: NFL, NBA, and MLB. Otherwise, I would sue to be quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. In those venues ability still trumps quotas and ‘fairness.’
 
Outside our borders billions of people want to experience The American Dream. Many of them believe, given opportunity, they could find work and earn enough to provide housing, food, and education for their families. They believe they could prosper and succeed if given free education and opportunities to earn livings.
 
Many of these folks live in poverty and distress no one in America can fathom. They live on the bottom of the pile of humanity, and all they hope out of life is an opportunity to earn a living.
 
Unfortunately, many Americans are surrounded by generations of family and acquaintances whose hopes have dimmed to expectations of teen pregnancies, high school dropouts, prison, drugs, welfare, and a life subsidized by government.
 
A nation is no greater than its people. In America, in our time, every citizen has the freedom and opportunity to pursue his or her own dream. Three things can compromise one’s dream: limited expectations, hopelessness, and government oppression.
 
To prosper, Americans need hope, and need to expect those who work hard will be rewarded. The American Dream is rooted in each individual. Freedom. Independence. Opportunity. We can build a stronger America one dream at a time. What is your American Dream?