The American Dream has been around since the founding of our country. It became a reality to millions in the mid-1800′s during the Industrial Revolution. Poor, starving families left their farms and agrarian way of life in search of opportunities in the booming cities of America. Millions relocated into these thriving cities in search of opportunities that not only enabled them to avoid starvation, but to prosper.
As the American Dream rewarded those courageous souls, the economy grew into the largest economy in the world.
Andrew Carnegie is perhaps one of the best examples of the American Dream at work during that time period. A poor Scottish immigrant who, in spite of his abject poverty, worked hard and smart to pull himself out of poverty and into the history books, to become at the time, the wealthiest man in the world.
The American Dream made that possible. It offered every American, and every welcomed immigrant, hope for a better life.
Those who embrace the American Dream believe every generation will be better off than the last. They believe that, no matter the circumstances you were born into, you have the opportunity to rise above those circumstances.
Our founders created a Constitutional Republic which virtually guaranteed that the forces of evil who seek to undermine and destroy the American Dream, would ultimately be vanquished by a seemingly innocuous right built into the fabric of the Constitution – the right to vote.
With every presidential election, the American Dream is on the ballot. Those who embrace the American Dream, vote one way. Those who seek to undermine it, vote another way. And those who do not fully grasp its meaning at all, either don’t vote at all or cast their vote in ignorance.
So, in the interest of trumpeting the importance of the American Dream and all that it stands for, I think it’s important to explain exactly what that Dream is and why it is so important.
The Four Pillars of the American Dream
- Individual Freedom – The right to do, say and live as you see fit, so long as it does not infringe on the rights or freedoms of others.
- Individual Opportunity – The right to pursue opportunities in a free market system where each individual succeeds or fails based on their own individual merit and effort.
- Individual Property Ownership – The right to keep the wealth you produce through your own individual merit and effort.
- Individual Responsibility – Accepting individual responsibility for the circumstances of your life.
The forces of evil who seek to undermine the American Dream always attack these four pillars.
Big government tries to steal your individual freedom by offering to subsidize your existence. It’s enticing. It means never having to worry about food, shelter, healthcare or education. But in exchange for those benefits, you become dependent on government. You effectively become their slave. The fear of losing your entitlements forces you to continue to vote for the very government that has taken away your individual freedom. You will give up large portions of your income in exchange for those benefits. You will accept government mandates that forbid certain politically incorrect speech. You will buy government-subsidized products such as healthcare or solar panels.
Big government tries to limit individual opportunity by seeking to control certain industries, such as the energy sector and the healthcare industry.
Big government seeks to limit individual property ownership by taxing larger and larger portions of your earnings and business profits.
The existence of permanent big government-controlled safety nets encourages individuals to escape individual responsibility for actions and decisions that negatively affect their lives. When actions and decisions no longer have consequences, thanks to these permanent safety nets, individuals fail to learn from their mistakes and thus improve their lives, forcing them to become dependent on those safety nets and big government.
The United States has 536 billionaires. We have an 18 trillion dollar economy. We have the most powerful military the world has ever known. It’s not an accident.
Our Constitutional Republic is wrapped around the American Dream like a blanket protecting it from the evil forces that seek to undermine it. And the secret weapon we have to guarantee the continued existence of the American Dream is the right to vote.
We may at times fail to exercise that right, but when we see our way of life threatened by the forces of evil, we embrace it with full force.
Thanks to our founding fathers, the people have a voice. We have the ability to defeat those forces of evil who seek to destroy our American Dream.
Vox Populi – the people have spoken. So long as the right to vote exists, the American Dream will never die.
About Thomas C. Corley
Speak Your Mind