American Dream and poverty

American Dream and poverty

                The American dream refers to the philosophy of the united states that detail theideals of the country, including equalityand opportunity, democracy, liberty and rights. Through the American dream, there is equal opportunity for success and prosperity for the inhabitants of the united states. Through the American dream, the achievement of prosperity is with minimal barriers. Everyone living in the united states should experience a more prosperous, fuller and better life with equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of the individual social class and the birth circumstance(Chomsky, Noam, et al. 28). it is based on the American declaration of independence that proclaims that all men are equalwith the same opportunities and rights to life and pursuit of happiness(Chomsky, Noam, et al. 30). poverty in the united states suggests that despite the factors advocated for by the American dream, there are individuals in the country who are not able to afford sufficient income to fulfil their needs. The poverty in the country is proved by the various deal undertaken to address the situation including the New Deal era legislation duringthe great depression, the war on poverty in the 1960s and the alleviation efforts during the 2008 Great Recession.

While there is the desireto present the united states as being capable of fostering the American dream, the poverty in the country cannot be overlooked. Evidence of the poverty status is presented by the fact that the government has established ways to facilitate the measurement of poverty in the country.  The two ways set for measuring poverty include the poverty thresholds established by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is mainly utilized to obtain statistics on the individuals affected by the situation in the country. The second measure is the poverty guidelines provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. The intent of the measure is for the use in administrative purposes. The poverty thresholdsareresponsible for the determination of income levels while the poverty guidelines provide uncomplicated guidelines for the determination of eligibility for federal programs, including food stamps and Head start.Statistics presented in 2008 by the U.S. Census Bureau determined that the Americans living in poverty stood at 11.8% of the population of the country, the most massive fall after the 2008 recession(U.S. Census Bureau 10).

There are various opinions on the American dream. According to the Author, Cullen, the American dream is still alive. He promotes the existence of the Americandream through the detailed argument that the United States Is a country to whom individuals do not belong by birth, instead, through the shared sets of ideals by its inhabitants(Cullen 157). he explains that the American dream has continued to stand against social classes, racial lines and demography differences. He suggests that the nature of the current existing American dream is based on the notion of personal fulfilment.

For the authors, Ellwoodand Patel, through their article. “Restoring the American Dream.” the American Dream is dead and not in existence. The report suggests that there is a high level of poverty in the united stated that prevents the citizens and otherinhabitants from the attainment of the Americandream. The article suggests that for the realization of the American dream, there are necessary factors to be put in place to facilitate the movement of the citizens from disadvantaged and poverty positions to better positions(Ellwoodand Patel 13). In essence, the American dream is not dead; rather, there should be factors put into place to promote it. Samuel (102), however, stresses that the American dream does not exist. Instead, it is merely an illusion of American society. an elaboration heightens the strong contradictory feelings that the author has on the subject of the American dream that he presents on historical elements to promote his notion that the American dream is obsolete

The authorIceland, John in his book, Poverty in America: A Handbook. Vol. 3rd ed, elaborates the poverty in the American society plays a significant role in the inhibition of the American dream. Until the poverty crisis is addressed in the united states, it is not possible to achieve the American Dream. He analyses what it means to be poor in the united states, and the groups that re likely to be poor (Iceland 43). he links the poverty in the united states with previous revolutions on history, including the Tea party and the occupy wall street movement. Through these connections, there is a detailed fact that poverty inhibits the achievement of the American dream as the citizens end up with unequal opportunities.

Through the details provided bythe variousauthors in their articles, there isthe fact that although the American dream in an attractive factor that the inhabitants of the united states would desire to achieve, it is not yetmet. Through the details in the articles, the factors preventing the achievement of the American dream are mainly the increasing poverty levels in the country and the unavailability of equal opportunity. For the realization of the American dream, it is necessary that the systems in place, including the federal government to provide equal opportunities for all the inhabitants of the country. The achievement of the American dream would be through the provision of means through which those living below the poverty line could move to better-advantaged conditions in society.