RE: Is the American Dream Dying?
This is a complex subject, but basically it boils down to there being more hidden taxes in the system, then our increase in production ability.
We have entered the hockystick end of the inflation dynamic. (See the nonFederal no-Reserve Bankcartel)
We have entered the era of bureaucracy having eaten all the surplus. Surplus is where we get future capital from. Without surplus, we cannot even maintain what we have.
We have run into higher energy costs. It used to be really easy to pump oil. For 1 barrel of oil in energy, you got 100 barrels of oil out of the ground. Now we are down to 1 for 10, and lower.
We have computerized/mechanized enough of the jobs. We now have a serious surplus of labor. The low skill labor positions, it is an estimate that there are two people for every job. However, at the top 5% of the employment market, there is two people for every three jobs.
Add all of these up, and we are actually imploding.
you're right, it is complex. Thanks for chiming in with the inflation, bureaucracy, energy, and automation issues...these are all important topics in and of themselves. i'm more concerned with bad management of the money supply (monopolization and perpetual inflation) and the crowding out of productive activities by the bureaucracy.
Interesting point re: the differences in supply/demand on the two ends of the labor spectrum...