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Full Description
Populists on both sides of the political aisle routinely announce that the American Dream is dead. According to them, the game has been rigged by elites, workers can't get ahead, wages have been stagnant for decades, and the middle class is dying.
Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, disputes this rhetoric as wrong and dangerous. In this succinctly argued volume, he shows that, on measures of economic opportunity and quality of life, there has never been a better time to be alive in America. He backs his argument with overwhelming-and underreported-data to show how the facts favor realistic optimism.
He warns, however, that the false prophets of populism pose a serious danger to our current and future prosperity. Their policies would leave workers worse off. And their erroneous claim that the American Dream is dead could discourage people from taking advantage of real opportunities to better their lives. If enough people start to believe the Dream is dead, they could, in effect, kill it. To prevent this self-fulfilling prophecy, Strain's book is urgent reading for anyone feeling the pull of the populists.
E. J. Dionne and Henry Olsen provide spirited responses to Strain's argument.
Contents
Introduction / 3
Part 1: The American Dream Is Not Dead
1. Defining the Dream / 9
2. Today's Message: The Dream Is Dead / 11
3. We Have Real Challenges / 15
4. The American Dream Is Not Dead / 23
5. Today's Economy Is Delivering / 27
6. Incomes Are Growing / / 33
7. Quality of Life Has Clearly Improved / 59
8. "Hollowing Out" Won't Be the End of the Story / 63
9. America Is an Upwardly Mobile Society / 77
10. Advancing the Dream / 101
Part 2: Dissenting Points of View
11. Populism Isn't the Problem: It's a Response to Inequality by E. J. Dionne / 115
12. Why Economic Trends Support Conservative Populism by Henry Olsen / 125
13. A Response to E. J. Dionne and Henry Olsen / 133
Acknowledgments 143Notes / 145
About the Contributors / 151
About the Author / 153
