In the article, The Upside of Inequality, we are being compared with China and how their economy system works. People who have a degree from a college made 50% more than those who just had a degree from high school. You may ask why doesn’t everyone go to college for four years. Well, some people just can’t afford to go to college or their family can’t afford to help them out. My proposal is to take out a loan or something in the context of that even though you will have some debt you will make way more money. I also think that it depends on where you go to college, if you go to a community college for two years and then transfer to a university you will probably save upwards of 15,000 dollars which for some people that is a lot of money.  In community college you will probably still live with your parents and won’t have as much fun if you went to a university. You make friends at a University that will probably turn into lifelong friendship. Who knows you could possibly even find your future husband or wife, I know it sounds crazy but it could happen!

The cost of living standards being very high, it is hard for most Americans to reach the  version of the American Dream. According to USA Today, only one out of eight families consider themselves to be living the American Dream, because the average cost of $130,000 is something that not every family is able to obtain. Because of the high costs, some believe standards of the American Dream need to be reduced. The standards of the dream have been lowered drastically. People dream about just owning a house or having no college debt.

When it comes to the topic of the American Dream, most of us will readily agree that not everyone has the same standards for their dream. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of what the actual definition of the American Dream is. Whereas some are convinced that the American Dreams is all about extravagant houses and fancy cars, others maintain that the dream is being able to put food on the table and paying off debt. We believe that the American Dream is a mix of the two together. While it is important to pay off your debt to live a sufficient life, having a few wants on top of the needs isn’t such a bad thing. It truly is a dream to be able to satisfy all the desires you ever have.

What is the American dream, is a controversial issue is whether it is still the same or has the definition changed for many Americans. While some argue that it is still the same and can be achieved, others contend that it is hard to achieve it in this day in age. If I had been one of the interviewers, I believe the first question would have been, what is your idea of the American Dream? In reading this article it seemed like many Americans had the same idea. I would have to agree with their idea that it consists of a house and the ability to achieve your goals for financial stability in order to care for your family. This used to be the American Dream, from the responses of the interviewees, I can tell their ideas have changed. These days Americans worry about how they will ever be able to achieve the standard of the American Dream. In the article, Ken Reichard states, “The American Dream used to be a white picket fence and a house. Now most people are just happy to make the mortgage.”

Another question that might have been asked was, what worries you about trying to achieve the American Dream today? There seemed to be four areas of concern: financial stability, success at work, losing one’s job due to the economy, and worries for the next generation’s standard of living. Although many Americans are worried about what the future holds, there was one idea that many still believed in. The idea that putting in the hard work will help you be successful.