Is The American Dream Really Dying?

[mimi85]

The last sentence of the piece is what I basically said to my husband before even reading the article. No one wants to vote for anyone running on doom and gloom.
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By Doyle McManus
Los Angeles Times

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who's running for the Republican presidential nomination, issued a stark warning recently.

"Today, for the first time in history, a majority of Americans believe that our kids will have a worse life than we do," Cruz told conservatives in South Carolina. "That has never been true in the history of America until this instant, right now — maybe the most un-American idea you can imagine."

Cruz is right that Americans are in a pessimistic mood. An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll last year found that only 21% said they were confident that life would be better for their children's generation; 76% said the opposite.

But Cruz is wrong on another important point: There's nothing new about this brand of pessimism. Pollsters have been hearing those sour sentiments from Americans for more than 30 years — ever since they started asking the question.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0520-mcmanus-cruz-pessimism-20150520-column.html

[Quantess]

1. Cruz is trying to make it sound like it's Obama's fault, when in reality, it was Reagan

Reagan's policies that did the most damage.

[yeoman6987]

2. Well it may be reagans fault

But it is the fault of ever politician who let them stay for 35 years. How on earth could Reagan still be influential in our lives 35 years later? I mean he stunk but yet was able to completely change everything to the point of having our two democratic presidents not be able to change reagans policies or anything? Kinda stunning when you think about it.

[el_bryanto]

3. Well you had 8 years of Reagan - then 4 years of George H W Bush

And then 8 years of Bill Clinton - who did some good things, but also bought into the DLC thirdway theory of government.

The 8 years of George W Bush

Then 8 years of Obama who is also largely a middle of the roader on economic matters.

Bryant