The American Dream – Used to be an average American family wanted

[rhett o rick]

a 40 hour per week job for the bread winner with two weeks vacation, a couple of kids, a modest house to own in 20 years, money for the kid’s college, and a modest retirement allotment.

That dream started to die in the 1970’s with the rise of the Conservative Conspiracy (please forgive the use of the C-word but it’s true, but that’s another OP).

Today the American dream is to win the lottery and be one of the 1%. One of the beautiful people we are bombarded with every day on Corp-Media.

Lotteries are the most repressive form of taxation. They get their money from those who can least afford it.

The new American dream – If you want to escape poverty, buy a lottery ticket and pray.

[roody]

1. And what are the odds of winning?

Less than 1 in 8 million?

[rhett o rick]

2. Statistically, zero. nm

[HughBeaumont]

3. Probably just a little worse than the odds of a comfortable retirement in 2013 America.

Left unchecked, the upward wealth distribution is only going to get worse over time.

[Politicub]

4. America has always left millions behind when it comes to prosperity

I don't like it, but there never was a time when everyone achieved the mythical American dream.

The best we can do is continue working to perfect our union. And I admit that the growing wealth gap makes it more and more difficult, but there's so much defeatism on DU. That doesn't help to change the state of things, and I question its therapeutic benefits.

[Romulus Quirinus]

12. Reality has little interest in being therapeutic. nt

[oldhippie]

5. I don't think so ....

I'm an average American, and I have never even contemplated buying a lottery ticket.

I don't think you will find a lot of support for your "new American dream" among the poor.

And if it were up to me, there would be no state sponsored lotteries.

[rhett o rick]

8. At one time we had a thriving middle class and poverty was shrinking. There was a dream that hard

work and education was a path out of poverty. Today poverty is on the increase and the only path is the lottery. Most lottery players are poor.

Lotteries are a cruel tax on our poor.

[PsychoBunny]

6. Lotteries are for losers

even I know that.

[Recursion]

7. They're a tax on poor math skills (nt)

[jwirr]

9. Well put. I found myself at the age of 72 recognizing the first and living the second through my

family.

[n2doc]

10. People still dream of that

The problem is that they haven't woken up and realized that the CON-servatives (with a lot of help from the other side of the aisle) have made it an impossible dream for most.


The other thing I see is insurance scams. People pretending to be seriously hurt from minor accidents, so that can get a big settlement. It is a plague down here in Georgia. The American Dream nowadays is to be a successful Grifter.

[rhett o rick]

11. "The American Dream nowadays is to be a successful Grifter." Better odds than the lottery. nm