In American Society today, there is a great many misconceptions of what is meant by “The American Dream.” There are forces in the mainstream press, in politics, in academia and elsewhere who claim that the dream is to own a home, regardless if one can afford it or not; that it entails having a government sponsored heath care system and other entitlements; that it means getting paid by government to do, what they believe, is “the right thing;” and that it entails society being controlled by a central power located in a distant capital.
It is not nor will it ever be any of these things.
The American Dream, the true and real American Dream, is where one seeks opportunity to better one’s lot in life; where one works hard and has no impediments in the way, governmental impediments or otherwise; where one keeps what he or she earns and not have a portion of that taken and doled out for anything or anyone; and where in the end, one's goals and desires for fulfillment is achieved in an atmosphere of freedom. This is the opposite of the welfare state. It is the welfare state that treats human beings as though they are not intelligent or capable; it is the welfare state that stifles human creativity and human innovation; it is the welfare state that creates dependency on government and not on one’s self; and it is the welfare state that lowers self esteem and self-worth.
The welfare state believes that people must be “cared for” and must be lead by the nose, not to mention reminded constantly that they cannot succeed on their own.
This is the opposite of freedom. This is the opposite of human liberty. This is what some people want to import here in the U.S. which is found in Western Europe and Scandinavia. There are elements that want to implement a welfare state based on the European/Scandinavian model. Think Denmark, France and Sweden. They want to implement it here for 300 million people. If these forces succeed, the American Dream will become the American Nightmare. Therefore, Americans should be on guard when they hear the nectar of the statists, for the road to hell is often paved with good intentions and it is those intentions that are destroying Europe.