The American Dream has always meant that no matter where you come from, through hard work in a free enterprise capitalist system, you can go from having nothing to having everything.

Under President Barack Obama, this dream is becoming an illusion.

In his State of the Union address last week, the president said Americans are now recovering from the recession. But this “recovery” is seen only by those who have already achieved the American Dream.

According to recent reports by the U.S. Census Bureau, as the income for the wealthiest 20 percent of Americans has risen, middle class income has declined, and the income for the poorest Americans has remained unchanged.

This has increased the already astounding wealth gap in the United States, which according to the CIA, is ranked among the worst in the world.

Obama said in his address “we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.” He also continued to refer to “a rising middle class.” In reality, his policies are not only widening the gap between rich and poor, but shrinking the gap between poor and average.

The vast majority of Americans never see a cent from the profits of the rich, yet Obama has made us all pay for their losses. While he bailed out the too-big-to-fail corporations, the small, family-run businesses that have helped so many Americans fulfill the American Dream have been left to suffer.

These small businesses were hurt even more under Obamacare, which implemented expensive requirements that force them to stop hiring and lay people off.

Perhaps the biggest part of the American Dream was making a brighter future for your children. Yet, we continue to increase the national debt and leave future Americans with a giant mess.

Nick Smith is a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears weekly. He can been reached at nxsmith@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @Nick_X_Smith.

Published on February 18, 2013 at 2:11 am