The American Dream - Access Denied

I'm tired of this whining by people who think that white people in this country have it made. I don't get a check from the government every month for anything and especially not for the color of my skin. My folks have each been divorced twice, I spent ten years enlisted in the Navy, I am making due with a high school diploma, I have started at minimum wage (working my way up) even after my ten years in the Navy, and my wife and I rent because it is too expensive to buy in the county. I've been working since age 17 and I've paid my taxes every year since then without ever having been on the public dole. Please show me where I have any privilege or advantage over anyone else based solely on my skin color.

I don't complain about how I was raised or how I compare to other people. Do you know why? Simple. I have goals and dreams and I am not going to let anyone take them away from me. Plus, I don't make anyone else responsible for my happiness.

On that last note, saying that the single mother is being "denied" the American Dream because she has to work long days to keep her children fed, clothed, etc ignores the fact that she made a choice to have children, even if she just wanted to call it "having sex". The system is currently rigged to reward out-of-wedlock childbirths by not making the father of the children accountable for the mother of the children being on public assistance. Males can pretty much "fire and forget" and not have to take responsibility. What the system should be doing is docking the pay of those neglectful sperm donors for the taxpayers' money that is being used to raise his children.

(How much of a problem is the out-of-wedlock fatherlessness? In the black community, illegitimate births average 70% with rates higher in some areas. Source:Williams book "Enough...." on Black's Social IllsWhat is the current black incarceration rate? For black males aged 25-29, about 12% of that specific demographic is currently in prison. Source: Incarceration is not an equal opportunity punishment. There is a direct, distinct correlation between not having a father or strong male role model in a male child's life and the likely chance the child will end up on the wrong side of the law.)

The only thing you or I or anybody can change is this moment right here right now. The past is past. The future hasn't arrived yet, but it will be based on what you do right here right now.

If you want to discuss the costs to this country of illegal immigration or the fact that our government is bankrupting itself subsidizing failed public assistance programs, I'm all for it. But, to say that people coming here illegally (to the tune of over 20 million), having anchor babies (to the tune of 400,000 per year), emptying the coffers of social welfare programs that were meant for the unfortunate and working poor American citizens, not to mention the costs to feed, clothe, house, educate, and incarcerate millions of people who should be the responsibility of Mexico and other native countries is somehow the fault of American-born white people is disingenuous at best. Why not create the expectation that Mexico and other countries evolve and change their way of doing business, fix their own problems, and give their own people a reason to stay home?

Lastly, I will ask you what you've personally done about the situation in this country. Do you vote? Do you write letters or phone your elected representatives at the local, state, and federal level? Do you write letters to the editor of your local newspaper? Do you encourage your friends and family to do the same? If you answered "no" to any of those questions, then you still have work to do before you can blame other people for what is wrong in this country.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

There are so many problems with this article that I don't even know where to begin. Your overall attitude about what you believe has happened to the "American Dream" seems utterly disdainful.

I think the biggest problem is that you seem to ignore the part of the American Dream where people are responsible for their own actions. If a single mother cannot get herself out of a hole, how is that not her own fault? Did she not decide to get pregnant? Did she not decide to have the child and raise it? Was she entirely dependent on a man who is no longer around? Because she did not make the best decisions, does that mean the American Dream is a sham?

The rest of this article is equally as disappointing to read.

"Minorities, blacks, and the poor are once again paying the price so that someone else can achieve their goals and have their piece of the pie."

Really? Is that what's happening in this country - rich white people are only rich because they're white and use minorities and the poor as cheap labor so they can live a luxurious, work-free life? Have you ever thought about this: If it weren't for those evil rich guys, not many people in this country would even have a job.

There is no right to a job in this country. There is no right to prosperity in this country. There is no right to live consequence-free in this country. There is no right to an easy life and there is no right to getting rich quick.

"For her, working 10 hour days, sometimes with only 1 day off, her American dream is being denied."

Wow! You would not believe how many of those rich white guys had to work 12 to 14 hour days, six or seven days a week so that they can get rich or stay rich. And they would be the first people to tell you that they ARE living the American Dream. A few years back, I used to work 10+ hours a day, six or seven days a week, and guess what. I loved it. I wish I could be doing that right now. Why? Because that's how you make money...you work for it.

A single mother is being denied the American Dream because she has to work hard? That's what the American Dream is all about - working hard and taking responsibility for the course of your own life!

The rest of your article is just absurd.

"Starting with the first settlers...it was necessary for someone else to suffer."

Despite what you may have heard, the "Native" Americans were not a peaceful, loving society that just wanted to be left alone. They were warring tribes...always had been. They practically refused to accept the new settlers and did their best to brutally murder as many as they could. Did some get along with the settlers? Sure. Most did not. It was their idea to fight the modern ages. Their self-imposed destruction was inevitable because they mostly refused to accept modernity.

"Immigrants come to America with the vision of making their...way to someone else’s plate."

Actually, many immigrants are coming here and getting very good jobs. We "recruit" the best talent from around the world to fill many of those positions that you think only the rich white guys have. However, we still allow way too many immigrants into this country without any talent or skills and that contributes to the low wages that they receive. If you have an abundance of underskilled labor with a limited number of low-skilled jobs, wages are certainly not going to increase, especially when you have an influx of illegal immigrants along with it.

Low-skilled workers are a dime a dozen and employers know that. It's all about supply and demand. If the workers don't like it, they can always develop some sort of useful skills.

Also, nobody carries my groceries, fixes my hair, or cleans my clothes. I do it all myself. So I guess I'm contributing to their poverty by eliminating the need for their terribly important contributions to society. And I am currently renting with the goal of someday owning a nice little house of my own. But nobody is going to hand it to me.

What has happened to my piece of the pie? I guess I ought to start checking other people's plates.

Sorry buddy...the American Dream is alive and well. But you can't always wait for it to come into port. Sometimes you've got to swim out to it.