Measuring the American Dream as a Black Man Against Partisan Politics
On this July 4th holiday I find myself reflecting on the proverbial American Dream. Two years ago, almost to the day, I wrote about my frustration with the lack of economic mobility in this country and why that puts the American Dream at risk.
Simply stated, without the American Dream there is no United States of America. In addition, without economic mobility there is no American Dream. If Americans have no chance to do any better economically than their parents, then the American Dream is broke. If Americans, no matter who they are or where they come from, have the chance to work hard and earn the reward of upward mobility, then the American Dream is intact.
When it comes to these facts about the American Dream, I find that race is a major factor. It’s no secret that I’m a Black man. This fact doesn’t detract or change how American I am, and my desire to pursue the American Dream. However, the truth is that when you’re Black, people automatically assume you’re a liberal. What’s more, when you’re liberal, conservatives automatically assume you want the government to hand the American Dream to you on a silver platter.
Race, The American Dream, And Partisan Politics
First, being Black doesn’t automatically mean you are liberal politically. Many many Black people, including myself, are conservative independents who vote Democrat. People like me who are conservative but still vote Democrat do this specifically because of the American Dream.
Second, most liberals I know work hard and don’t want a handout from the government unless it’s necessary for survival. For the most part, liberals just want their tax dollars to go to help the many, not the few. I don’t agree with liberal politics on several things, but I do agree with this.
For my own selfish reasons I want a smaller government, low taxes, and less regulation like all conservatives. However, how can I push for these policies without caring how these changes will impact the American Dream.
The American Dream should have nothing to do with partisan politics. This is not socialism or some left leaning idea of transferring wealth either. As a Black man who is a descendant of ancestors forced into chattel slavery, the American dream represents life or death.
I believe it’s my duty to ensure that economic mobility is part of the fabric of our country. Tax laws, educational policy, low-income assistance, the healthcare system, as well as banking and housing regulations should be driven by the goal of sustaining the American Dream.
Reports that measure unemployment, GDP, construction spending, jobless claims, retail sales, home sales, and a number of other economic indicators are not good measures of this. The fact is, there is no official government report that measures economic mobility specifically, or the attainability of the American Dream in general. This is something we must have. Without it, all we have in our government and in partisan leadership is the blind leading the blind.