Chapter 1: Introduction
Welcome. This is a nonpartisan, no-nonsense assessment of the State of the Nation. The authors are two patriotic, everyday Americans with no hidden agenda or personal axe to grind. Our interest is the preservation of the American Dream for future generations.
In nine, separate chapters, we present and analyze critical issues with the goal of stimulating grassroots debate, discussion, and action. We invite your participation.
Please note that Medium’s algorithm sometimes presents chapters “out of order.” Simply scroll to the bottom of this page to find a brief synopsis and links to other chapters.
By: J. Chris Davala & Jack T. Scully
“There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream.” — President Donald J. Trump, 2018 State of the Union Address
That depends on whether you see your glass as half full or half empty.
If you support or tolerate the president and/or are experiencing success in your enterprise, business, or career, you probably are a believer.
If you are living paycheck to paycheck in less than adequate housing, are drowning in a sea of federal regulations or college debt, cannot afford decent medical coverage for your family, have encountered prejudice, or the glass ceiling, then for you, it’s probably not so much.
In fact, our research indicates that for most Americans surveyed, the jury is still out on the president’s bold assertion.
Last year, USA Today estimated it costs an average family of four “almost $130,000 per annum” to fully live The American Dream. Interestingly, the U.S. Census Bureau has found that only 16 million U. S. households, about 12% of us, make that much. No wonder middle class people and especially millennials believe that achieving The American Dream is “far more elusive today than it was during the 1950s.”
We have spent the last three years examining the state of the nation and the viability of The American Dream. We have talked to people in every age group and walk of life. We have analyzed more than 300 independent source documents.
Our findings are presented here, serialized in nine, quick-read Medium chapters.
The American Dream faces two sets of challenges:
- Immediate, Daily Crises
- Long-term, Existential Issues
We leave it to the media to chronicle the country’s daily news, scandals, and travails. They already receive exhaustive attention — too often in overblown 24/7 news cycles and often unverifiable stories.
Our focus is on four existential issues:
- Broken Moral Compass
- Congressional Paralysis
- Fiscal Insanity
- Deindustrialization & Loss of Good Middle Class Jobs
Unless we meet these challenges, The American Dream may well become what was once unthinkable — an American Nightmare.
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WE THE PEOPLE, the first three words of the Constitution, grant power to the people.
The founding fathers first laid out their vision in the Declaration of Independence, codified it in the Constitution, and later enshrined it in the Bill of Rights.
The Declaration speaks to the very nature of this power: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” that their Creator endows them with “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Power to the people is what Lincoln meant when he spoke of government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Power to the forgotten people, unrepresented by special interest groups, is what got Donald J. Trump elected president.
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Supporters say President Trump is a necessary change agent and a breath of fresh air. Detractors say he is, at best, a threat to the very existence of the country and, at worst, an overt threat to the world as we know it.
One thing we know for certain, the government President Trump inherited on January 20, 2017, is profoundly different from the Republic the founders established more than two and a quarter centuries ago.
In 2018 America, political power resides in the hands of a dysfunctional government that fails to serve the public interest or live within its means.
The election of a Republican Congress and president generated high expectations that these two branches of government would work together for the first time in recent decades. Instead gridlock is now joined by disarray and chaos in what some are already calling a “new norm.”
That said, even the most hardened cynics concede not all government is bad.
In his book, Government Is Good, political scientist Douglas Amy celebrates America’s championship of human freedoms — speech, religion, peace, and human dignity. Though, he argues that even the most optimistic American should not “turn a blind eye to what is wrong” with the country.
In Amy’s view, the central fault is unfairness: “the power and greed of the few too often win out over the needs of the many.”
Despite internal turmoil and outlandish language from an easily distracted president, the Trump Administration is pressing forward on big policy issues. It has enacted a $1.5 trillion tax cut law (providing lower brackets and withholding rates), which most economists are already calling a welcome boost to the economy and the American workforce. In many industries, it includes $1,000-$2,000 bonuses for workers. Whether its added cost to the grossly indebted U.S. Treasury can be recouped by economic growth remains to be seen.
As of this writing, the administration’s batting average on immigration, infrastructure, and healthcare initiatives remains at zero. Despite recent volatility, it is benefitting from strong Wall Street markets and low unemployment.
On balance, the record to date, leads us to ask:
- Can this administration bring about changes that are in the best interest of We the People?
- Will its posturing translate into a new deal for the middle class and especially millennials — those 81-million Americans born between 1982 and 2002?
- Will it address the life-and-death issues of students, living everyday with the threat of gun violence in their schools?
Most importantly, can we trust the Washington elite to fix these overarching challenges that seemingly affect every American?
- Broken Moral Compass
- Congressional Paralysis
- Fiscal Insanity
- Unsmart Outsourcing
Left unresolved, we conclude that these four critical issues will irreparably damage the very fabric of America. We already are seeing their toxic effects in the gridlock, rancor, and division racking our federal government.
In the bigger picture, they make it increasingly difficult, in Professor Amy’s words, “For government to live up to its potential as a force for good in society.”
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Synopsis of the Full Essay and Links to Chapters
In Chapter 1, Introduction, we cite four critical challenges (Broken Moral Compass, Congressional Paralysis, Fiscal Insanity, Unsmart Outsourcing and Deindustrialization) that, we believe, pose existential threats to The American Dream.
In Chapter 2, Broken Moral Compass, we shine a bright light on where, in our judgment, the country has gone astray. Failure to put racism behind us and to end sexual discrimination loom large. Using a broader brush, we paint a picture of other troublesome deviations from our collective True north.
In Chapter 3, America’s Moral Compass, we offer a model for a calibrated Moral Compass that can work for almost everyone in our multiethnic, multicultural society.
In Chapter 4, Congressional Paralysis, we begin an analysis of America’s 2nd critical challenge — Reforming the U. S. Congress.
In Chapter 5, Reform the Congress, we sample multiple approaches to transforming Congress.
In Chapter 6, Fiscal Insanity, we address the nation’s soaring debt. We caution that annual debt interest payments will inevitably lead to higher taxes, or slashed funding for critical national priorities.
In Chapter 7, Deindustrialization, we discuss the pain inflicted by inequitable trade on America’s industrial base and the middle class.
In Chapter 8, Saving Jobs & Our Middle Class, we call for the development of a National Strategy to address imbalances in global manufacturing and the deindustrialization of our country.
In Chapter 9, Conclusion & Call to Action, we present our findings for your consideration and issue A Call to Action.
