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Reviving the American Dream

Alice M. Rivlin, in her book Reviving the American Dream: The Economy, the States, and the Federal Government, presents the theme that the economic and political systems of the United States do not serve well the needs of the people, and that what is needed is a thorough redesigning of the federal system, the relationship between the national and state governments, and the economic policy of the country.

The purpose of this redesigning and restructuring is in part to make simpler and clearer what political and economic responsibilities belong to the states and to the federal government. Clearly, the basis of Rivlin's argument is that the political and economic destinies of the nation (at both federal and state levels) are inextricably bound together.

This theme is also based on the promise of the American Dream. Rivlin notes that there are two specific aspects to that Dream--the economic and the political. These two parts are denied to the people (or to many of them) by the current failures of the system which Rivlin suggests redesigning. The economic aspect of the Dream holds that those Americans who are willing to labor long and hard will and should be rewarded with financial and material gain which increases from generation to generation. The political aspect of the Dream holds that the people are and should be involved in the decisions which shape the direction in which the country moves, especially those decisions which affect the people's economic well-being.

Rivlin argues that the American Dream is failing in both aspects. Hard work no longer is a guarantee of financial security, and the people increasingly feel that the political system is not responsive to their needs. Rivlin says that nothing will change unless the people themselves become involved in redesigning the economic and political systems. The basic problem is that the system is too big, too complicated, and too confusing with respect to who or what (f...

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Reviving the American Dream. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 03:21, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692092.html