The American Dream

The United States has been described as the greatest nation in the history of humanity. Millions of foreigners have chosen it as their homeland and have felt happy and “proud to be American,” regardless of their origins.

Those who have managed to settle in this country wanted to experience the “American dream”; to have the freedom to build their own destiny and go as far as their abilities and ambition would allow them to.

It did not matter to any of these people that in this country there were some people who were much richer than others. What really mattered to them is that they were going to move forward, and that they would have the opportunity to continue progressing according to their merits and contributions.

The American dream was never about people being “equal” but about the idea that each person could profit according to their efforts and capabilities. This philosophy made the United States the land of opportunities.

By not imposing limits on individual freedom to create and innovate (except with regard to respecting the right of others to do the same), the most intelligent and skilled became richer than the comfortable or less capable. This is normal (and fair). You would have to be mad to believe that Steve Jobs (who improved the existence of practically every human being on the planet) deserves the same as a simple waiter.

So now they want to sell us something else. The voices of politicians and experts can be heard saying that the main threat to the American dream is growing inequality, which is worse than in developing countries like Nicaragua and Uruguay (however, it should be noted that no one dreams of living there).

This “new wave” has imposed a series of welfare policies that do threaten the American dream because they encourage a culture of needy victims for whom they guarantee the basics, and they settle for that.

The greatest country in the world is falling into the trap of underdevelopment and killing off the principles that made it great. It is unbelievable, but it is happening. It seems that its leaders have caught on to the “little trick” used by neighboring governments: You get more votes by telling people “we’ll take care of it” than by inviting them to fight for their future.