No, I don't think so. Not Today.

The Founding Fathers used the phrase, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." it began as the opportunity to achieve greater material prosperity than was possible in their countries of origin. Since that time a dream of a better life has grown into the minds and hearts of Americans as a possibility to achieve anything they put their mind to. The American Dream is the freedom that allows all citizens and most residents of the United States to pursue their goals in life through hard work and free choice, from financial stability to making your kid as smart as he can possibly be. However, it seems to me that the American dream has certainly received quite the butt-kicking in the past few months and people seem to be "waking up."

Jobs are being lost and fathers are not bringing home what is needed to keep the family in a home. Mothers are working part-time at Dress Barn in hopes of keeping their children in the school band - whose funding was lopped in half last year due to budget cuts. Students graduating with degrees and thousands of dollars in debt are moving on to manage the local Hollister in hopes of a steady paycheck and, God willing, insurance. Everyone is trying to make life continue through the hard times. But everyone seems to be lulling away into a sleep of sadness and despair that their is nothing they can do about it, and they are not dreaming of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Get Up.

The American Dream is not just thinking about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - it is actually pursuing it. The American dream is the manager at Hollister deciding to do what he want to do, and what he went to school to learn. It is someone who stands up and says "No, I don't think so. Not today. I do not accept that the economy is bad and that their is nothing that I am to do about it. I do not accept that their are no jobs out there for me at this moment." Make one. Find someone. We cannot sit by and wait for our problems in life to present the solution, sometimes we need to make one.

I am a newly-wed, recent graduate with no money and a dead-end job. I really don't think I have anything go for me right now, nor anywhere to go.

No, I don't think so. Not today.