American dream is not a handout

Judging from history of Fanny Mae and the voting record of Barack Obama, the Democratic Party is poised to turn the American Dream into the American Handout, something they've been working on as a party for many years. These properties were typically handed to people for one dollar(McNamee, Miller 90-101) Rather than making the most of the gift they were given, in these cases, the foreclosed upon home owner squandered the opportunity by taking out a loan against the equity of the property and then didn't make the payments. Most of these properties went back to the Lender and are part of the reason we tax payers are now faced with a 700 Billion tax burden. The American Dream is not supposed to be automatic. It is there for those who are willing to pay the price. That's why foreigners who become citizens of the U.S. generally vote conservatively. They appreciate the opportunity, one they didn't have in their home country. Unfortunately they and those of us who are pursuing the American Dream, now face an additional tax burden because of those who confuse the American Dream with the American Handout. (Cashin 45-49)

Ever since America has been explored and colonized, the conception of an ideological dream has been at the forefront. America has continually provided an arena for those individuals seeking economic, governmental, religious expansion and purification. Even though centuries have passed, the fundamental principles that define the American dream have remained essentially the same. Through history and American literature, one can derive a genuine understanding of what actually is the American dream. The concept of the American dream obviously starts as European in nature(McNamee, Miller 90-101). The Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus and his voyage were the proverbial spark that bolstered the concept of the American dream. Columbus set sail for a passage to the east by sailing west and ended up in "the New World". His intention, to profit economically through spices, gold and trade.

Wealth is a constant motivating factor for future excursions to America, thus a major proponent of achieving the American dream. We see this theme recurring a few decades later with Sir Walter Raleigh and the royal charters with joint-stock ventures of England. Many of these bravado explorers and journeymen lent mythical aspects to the American Dream. The dream of a plentiful, perfect society and viewing America as a paradise is clearly evident in the writings of John Smith. Smith realized in order for these initial settlements to flourish, more men were needed to populate, work and regenerate(Sieber 112). In A Description of New England and The General History of Virginia, Smith used imagination, persuasion and intense glorification to lure men from England to incite expansion. Smith claims any man willing to work can make a living as a fisherman. He also goes to great lengths to exhibit the abundance of land and nature which illustrates the prospect of fertility within the new land. John Smith also boldly establishes his hierarchy of the natives, by referring to them as savages and by cleverly describing the easiness of putting them to do the hard ...