The following essay was written by a very dear friend of my husband and myself and it manages to eloquently capture our feelings and the feelings of many of our friends and families with regards to the American Dream.
A brief history of the author: He's a firefighter, husband, father (and lately grandfather) and friend. I've known him for the past few years and met him the same way I met my husband...on a political blog. He's funny, smart and passionate. His parodies are some of the best I've ever read (and I need to get his permission to post one or two of those!). So please join me after the fold and enjoy!
My American Dream doesn’t involve a house in the suburbs, two point five kids and white picket fences. But then again, maybe it does.
My American Dream is one where EVERY American works towards the goal of a brighter future. It is a Dream where every American feels it their obligation to the country as a whole to break down barriers and do away with obstacles that keep the least among us downtrodden. Where those on the top rung of the ladder of success don’t look down at the bottom and say, "Why can’t you get up here?" or even actively keep some at the bottom but ask, "How far must I reach down in order to bring you up with me?" If the question to poverty is always, "Why don’t you pull yourself up by your bootstraps?" The answer should be to provide boots. If it were easy or even possible for the poorest among us to make it to the top without help from society, and high society in particular, then there would be no poor in this country.
Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. There are special individuals who have the drive, determination, intelligence and common sense to make it out of poverty and despair. But those people are few and far between and are the exception that proves the rule. For every poor man who makes it big there should be a rich man who falters and falls. That doesn’t happen in this day and age. Paris Hilton will never sit in a one bedroom apartment doing laundry, rocking a baby and watching the soaps. You won’t see a Kennedy kid working a blue-collar job and eating out of a lunch pail. Being wealthy and mediocre will still keep you wealthy. Being poor and exceptional MAY get you to the top but probably won’t because there are too many obstacles in their path. We OWE it to our fellow Americans to eliminate those obstacles.
For the past eight years we’ve gone the route of those who believe starting at the top and managing to stay there is the epitome of An American Dream. I’m saying that that should not be OUR American Dream. Our Dream should be nobler than mere acquisition or maintenance of wealth. Our Dream should be one of sacrifice for the greater good and the uplifting of those who start at the bottom. No one wants to be on welfare and, with few exceptions, all are willing to work and work hard to better themselves. The problem is that this America, the one of the last eight years, has only rewarded people who have done nothing more than be born into plenty.
Tax cuts for the wealthy haven’t made this country better, just the opposite. I propose that tax cuts should be for those who truly need it, the middleclass and working poor. Give a rich man a $1,000,000 tax break and he’ll invest the money in a company that takes jobs overseas or will buy a new piece of artwork for his mansion. Give 1,000 poor men a $1,000 tax break and they’ll buy groceries and pay their bills. Who invests more in the country?
Historically top tier tax rates of 63% to 91% have accompanied a growing middle-class and a thriving economy. Only twice since the income tax was instituted has there been a top tier tax rate less than 63%. Once was in 1925 when the tax top tax rate was lowered from 73% to 25%. A stock bubble happened and four years later the Great Depression occurred. The tax rate was raised to 63% in 1933 and steady recovery started. The tax rate was raised to 91% during WWII and after the war the "golden age" of the US economy started and lasted until 1973. JFK lowered the tax rate to 63% but closed enough loopholes so tax revenues didn’t suffer. The second significant lowering of the top tier tax rate was when Ronald Reagan lowered to tax rate to 33%. Several "bubbles" have occurred and 5 recessions, including the current one of 2009.
I propose raising the top tier tax rate on individuals making $1,000,000 and up to 60%. Those making from $350,000 to $999,999 would be taxed at 40%. Those making less than $350,000 would be taxed at 25% and those making less than $25,000 would pay nothing. Mortgage deductions would still apply. Healthcare costs would be paid by the government so that businesses or individuals wouldn’t be burdened with this. Tax loopholes for large businesses would be closed. Capital gains would be taxed as regular income. A transaction tax of .25% would be applied to every stock transaction and the money used to fund the FDIC with the leftover going to the general fund. A .50cent tax increase on gasoline would be applied
Trickle-down economics and deregulation haven’t created an economy that hums but one that has faltered and is on the brink of collapse. I propose helping small businesses and re-regulating industry and corporations who have taken advantage of deregulation. Making sure large corporations and the rich have money only insures that corporate CEO’s have golden parachutes and the rich stay rich. It doesn’t magically put money in the pockets of the poor. Give the money to those who will create real jobs: the middle class and the working poor. How do they do it? By creating demand for products and spending discretionary money on those products.
Government caters to special interests with money and lobbyists who distribute it to a Congress that hasn’t made the government more efficient. I propose term limits for Congress: 2 six-year terms for the Senate AND House, forbidding lobbyists from using money in any way towards Congress and their families, for a moratorium of 5 years before those in the government can take jobs with corporations that do business with the government and for the separation of the Justice department from any branch of government. Nationwide political races would be paid for by the government and free television and radio advertising would be mandatory. The public owns the airwaves and it should have a say in how they are used.
A military larger than any other hasn’t made us safer than any other. I propose we bring our troops home from foreign soil all over the globe, put more emphasis on the people in the military through training, health care and benefits and less emphasis on extremely expensive weapons systems that only feed money to the military/industrial complex. I propose a 30% cut in military spending by eliminating waste and cold-war era weapons systems. I propose an end to the Executive branches indiscriminate use of our military for suspect reasons and allowing Congress to take back its power to declare war. I propose a mandatory two year commitment to government service in some capacity from every graduating senior, be it military, peace corps, forestry or other government agency or program.
The environment is a precious and fragile resource. For the last eight years government has ignored our one and only Earth in the name of profit. Government must have the foresight and wisdom to look into the future and protect our Earth for the next generation and this includes acknowledging the reality of Global Climate Change. I propose banning industry insiders from taking positions in the government regulating the industry that they worked for. I propose a national push towards renewable energy like President John Kennedy proposed for the race to space. More fossil fuels only exacerbate our problems. As a matter of fact, if the health costs of fossil fuel use were added to the cost of the energy itself, fossil fuels would be more expensive than renewables. The sooner we switch to renewables, alternatives and conservation the sooner fossil fuels go back to being just dead dinosaurs. This push would include 35% tax rebates for wind, solar, hydrogen, geothermal and tidal as well as a national recycling program, water resources conservation and mandatory energy conservation. Proposed moneys for weather-stripping houses and tax rebates for energy efficient appliances will stay in place. CAFÉ standards on cars would be raised to 45-50mpg for cars and 35-40mpg for trucks/SUV’s.
America was founded on waves of immigration to make it great. Some of our greatest Americans were immigrants. Albert Einstein, Joseph Pulitzer and I.M. Pei are among many who have contributed to the greatness of America. That being said, the security of our country is paramount. I propose securing our borders, not with a fence, which is easily circumvented, but with increased border patrol and stricter enforcement of existing laws against hiring illegal immigrants. I also propose increasing the amount of legal immigrants allowed into the country, streamlining the process of making them citizens so it would only take 18-24 months to become a citizen instead of many years and giving those already here amnesty.
America is the home of the free and land of the brave. Socially we must strive for loosening the bonds on personal freedom and acts that harm no one. We must allow people to make their own choices in life according to their own moral code as long as they harm only themselves. A fetus does not become a human until it can live free from the mother’s womb. Until then it is only potential life. I propose we codify a woman’s right to have control over their own bodies and make their choices based on their code of morals and not someone’s or some religion’s moral codes. I also propose we legalize marijuana and prostitution. Regulating marijuana ensures safety. Legalizing prostitution ensures enrollment in the oldest profession is a choice and not a compulsion. It brings to light underground practices that create slaves while dealing with the reality that this practice will always be with us. Neither have been stamped out by making them illegal and won’t be, ever. I also propose regulations on gun ownership. Not bans of ownership but registration of every gun sold in America or brought into this country. Every gun sold should have a firing test on file with the FBI and forms filed with the FBI should be required anytime a weapon is sold. This would include the name, SS#, DL# and address of both the seller and the buyer.
Our nation’s poor health is draining our economy. Especially those without health care who delay treatment until a small, easily fixed problem, becomes a large problem and burdensome to our health care system. I propose single payer health care that covers every American and is paid for by the Federal Government through taxes. Preventative medicine is cheaper in the long run and insures that every American can enjoy good health. Sex education should be included and mandatory. With STD’s and unwanted teen pregnancies rampant among some populations this is a necessary step towards uplifting segments of society hit hardest by these scourges. This is not a handout but a fundamental right of every citizen and will be cheaper than what we have now. There is a reason the USA is 1st in health care cost and 37th in health care delivery.
Science is an unbiased look at our universe and how it functions. It should be the only thing taught in science classes. Theology has a place in society. A belief in something greater than oneself is a necessary part of the human psyche. But it has no place in governance or science. You keep your beliefs to yourself and I’ll keep mine to myself and we’ll leave government and science to themselves. I propose clarifying the separation of church and state. Not only to keep theology out of government and science classes but to keep government and science out of our places of worship.
I’m a liberal, not a bleeding heart liberal but a proud and strong liberal. I believe that man MUST help his fellow man. I believe that we are obligated to extend a hand to those in need as long as we are met halfway with those in need extending a hand to us. I believe that only in uplifting the least among us can we achieve greatness as a country and as a people. When one person is left behind and we, as a country and a people, no longer care, we cease to exist as a United States of America and instead fall into decline.
My American Dream is for everyone to be unburdened enough to join me in the joy of living and participating in this great country, to breath clean air and drink clean water, to live a healthy life and to work as one people to make this the greatest country in the world.
(Author's name withheld on request)
September 18, 2008; amended March 30, 2009