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Lauren Moyer 2 February 2012 Harder for Americans to Rise from Lower Rungs

**Summary**  Over time in America, it has been shown that individuals can rise up from the slumps and humble beginnings to make something of their lives and turn their personal economic problems around. Lately however, researchers are finding that people are finding it hard to accomplish what the likes of Ben Franklin and Henry ford did (DeParle 1). As the unemployment rate and poverty levels keep climbing, many people are starting to realize we don’t have as much economic mobility as we used to. From this questions have come up about the government and how they plan to change this situation that has affected so many. A majority of Americans would even argue that our government isn’t advanced as compared to other countries like Canada and most of Western Europe (DeParle 1). Different factors like the poverty level, the different levels of child education, and family background play a huge role in why our country is in such an economic mess. With the government developing and researching ways to solve our immobility, we are slowly clawing our way back up of what some consider a catastrophe. **Relevance**  For decades we were exceptionalists and, for the most part, still continue to be that way. American identity was an image that we wanted to save in creating the decade after World War II (American Identity 1). We as Americans have chosen to carry this belief of exceptionalism and the “hero’s” into modern day instead of trying to fix our problems before they really started years back. As America grows more diverse we continue to run into the same question; what does it mean to be American? In the past it used to mean having freedoms, having land, earning a great education and so much more. From an economic standpoint, poverty-stricken Americans do not have access to what make America great. In a recent study, researchers showed that just eight percent of American men at the bottom rose to the top fifth in comparison to the 12 percent of men form England who accomplished the same difficult task (DeParle 1). Also, According to research done by the Economic Mobility Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts about 62 percent of all male and female Americans stay in the top two-fifths while 65 percent born into the bottom fifth stay in the bottom (DeParle 1). Our country, very much like in the Great Depression, was once “a land of opportunity that has become a land of desperation” (Sutton 1). A lot of the questions asked of the government during the depression are again being asked now. **Evaluation**  The American governments way of handling this situation will be debated by Politian’s and watched by the careful eye of all American citizens. Now more than ever, the people are putting the pressure on Washington to figure out how to 1. Find a “new” American identity or 2. Restore the one we had. This article presents an interesting point though that the lack of mobility results in a lack of access to the American dream (DeParle 1). We, as American citizens, must ask what is the true meaning of being an American. In this country we are questioning if we really have the better life compared to many other countries as we did many years ago. They argued that the superior, more advanced economies of countries like the ones in Western Europe have more of chance to become successful. It has been proven that they have more ease in getting out of the bottom fifth. So, the question now is what past events have triggered this chaos and how can we get ourselves out of it.


 * Questions: **


 * 1) In the past we have had to deal with depressions and hardship and have been able to figure a way out. What makes it so difficult this time around?
 * 2) What have the successful countries done in order to keep themselves out of economic turmoil?
 * 3) How much funding is the government going to be able to give in order to help bottom fifth percent?
 * 4) With not a sufficient amount of money, how will the government be able to better the economic conditions in the next five years?
 * 5) How will the American people get back the identity as a world leader?
 * 6) How are we going to increase American mobility?


 * Sources: **

DeParle, Jason. "Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs - NYTimes.com." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. .

"Economic Mobility Project ." //The Pew Charitable Trusts - Non Profit Organization Serving the Public// .Web. 2 Feb. 2012. .

“The American Identity." //The Future of American Democracy Foundation//. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. .