Politicians love to talk about the “American Dream. The phrase was actually coined by the historian James Truslow Adams in his book "The Epic of America” ( http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Epic_of_America.html?id=paIpt-vBVR8C ). Of course, he couldn't have known the phrase would go on to define the type of life Americans aspire to. It is my opinion that Adams defined the idea of "The American Dream" to be one of equality in a classless society where upward mobility had no barriers. Over the years, however, politicians have manipulated the definition to focus on material issues like cars and housing.
America is so focused on social causes: black vs. white, women vs. men, gay vs. straight, conservative vs. liberal, etc., but the inequality affecting most Americans is economic; it is the distribution of wealth or the inequality of wealth which should be the focus of our attention. This is the one issue which affects every American, especially the Middle Class. If you are not among the richest Americans, roughly 20% of the population, then you are likely in the Middle Class and you have a common cause with 60% of your fellow Americans which transcends race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and politics. While politicians have us fighting over social issues, the elite citizens of this country continue the great grab for wealth, devouring vital assets from the economy. Now, 72% of the wealth of this nation is held by only 5% of its citizens and the disparity continues to grow, since the mid 1970’s when wealth distribution in the U.S. was at its most equitable. We’ll take a look at cause and effect later, for now take a look at the article from Professor G, William Domohff, sociology professor at the University of California Santa Cruz ( http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html ).
