The American dream. What is it? Basically it is the desire to have your own. That’s it. What I mean is in America you grow up, move out of your parents home, and get your own. That’s the big dream. It wasn’t always that way, families did live together generationally on the family farms, at least that is what we were told. We saw movies and television shows about that. Bonanza and the Waltons come to mind, or the big valley. Ranches and farms. The love of the land and the love of family holding them all together. Families united in a common goal, retaining what they have, working to improve that, to expand their holdings. The preservation of the family.

The spirit of independence, that’s what it is. To do it on your own, to be self sufficient, to make your mark. In order to do that you do have to leave the nest. And that’s were the contradiction begins. We strike out to be on our own and expect full support from our families. That used to be enough, but that’s not the case anymore. Today many are demanding support not just from family but from government as well. That’s where the “free” stuff begins entering the picture. The desire to have your own without having to earn that, the thinking being, I deserve it! I’m entitled to it! Heck, I’m guaranteed that!

It is there all the excuses, exemptions and exceptions begin to be fostered. I’m independent, but government should provide for me, in fact, you should provide for me as well, I have a right to be independent. I should be independently dependent! The only reason I’m not completely independent is because: and that is where the list begins, just fill in the blanks. It’s not my fault, ever, there is always some impediment, I might even be born with that impediment. I am the exception to the rule! There should be no rules! Well, at least no rules that I am not the exception too anyway.

In the last decade or so we have all heard about the dreamers. Who and what are they? They are just people that want to come to America to do what? Get their own. That is what drove those first Europeans to come to this continent. It was a promise made by those that could finance that dream. Yes, the first settlers were financed by the wealthy folks. The wealthy folks had an expectation of increasing their wealth, they just needed the people to do that. A dream was promised. After a while the people declared their “independence” and wanted to do that on their own, increase their wealth that is, not the Kings or anyone else’s wealth. Dependence upon the King was no longer acceptable.

Today we are seeing those demanding independence through dependence. It’s really a system called socialism. A system where the successful folks provide for all those that aren’t as successful. In that way the less successful can be independent. No pressure to succeed, no accountability for bad choices. No, it’s all forgiveness and inclusivity in this society. Well, except for the political elites that is, they are the exceptions to the rule. They can give, or they can take it all away. That’s the cost in socialism. The American dream is independence, not dependence and entitlement.