Death of the Dream

Based on the article, how likely is it that California will make a quick comeback? What does the writer feel needs to happen for California to survive and thrive? Do you agree or disagree with his reasoning? Why or why not? Be specific.



Due to the "Buffoonish governor" and "Neanderthal republicans" it will be a long and difficult recovery for the state of California. Joel Kotkin states that California has been able to recover from a recession before, but "the odds that the Golden State can reinvent itself again seem long." The fact that the past recession in the mid-1990s was built up by physical elements, such as the loss of jobs that were created from the Cold War, differs from the current recession we are in today, which could have been easily avoided. If not for the mortgage lenders making bad loans and people making erroneous decisions with their money the state's current predicament would not be as bad and our country might have been able to escape depression. Because Californian's don't thrive for the American Dream like they used to, their jobs are being taken by immigrants who live for the American Dream and will do whatever they can to live that golden life. These internal problems will take longer to solve than the external problems we faced twenty years ago.



California needs to "appreciate the nation of opportunity and aspire to make the California-and American- Dream their own." Instead of opening three of the same stores in one large city, the people need to build their businesses in "multicultural suburbs" and be creative. If your product is something the people need to survive they will buy it, you don't necessarliy need a lot of money to start your own business you should start small and work your way up. This is what Californian's need to do, instead of investing large profits in a large business cooperation that isn't guarenteed. Californian's have it too easy compared to past generations, everything they get is expected or handed down to them. Past generations built this state with farming, railroad, and waterway jobs. The Californian people today are just filling the jobs the state has for them. Only three percent of the state's budget is going to building railroads or waterways, compared to the twenty percent in the Pat Brown Era. Many immigrants are farmers, one of the most important jobs in California; agriculture. Farming is what the Golden State was built on, with one of the best climates for growing in the world farming is what needs to continue, yet their are numerous farms getting foreclosed daily. This is what's seperating the whites and "minority" ethnicities in the middle class. Many of the whites are descending to the lower class while immigrants are ascending into the middle class.

Californian's need to lower their standards, they can't keep expecting to get the perfect job. If we had no illegal aliens in California, and the citizens worked all the tough labor jobs, we would not be having a hard time finding jobs and having to lay off good people who deserve to work. If everyone in California wanted to live the American Dream we would hardly have a lower class. If you work hard enough for what you want you will recieve it, and immigrants are the best example. They may not have the nicest jobs in the world, but at least they are moving up in the world. Californian's need to realize that they are extremely fortunate to live in such a good place, a place of opportunity, and they need to take advantage of it, there are numerous ways to make money it just needs a purpose. The purpose in this case would be the "California Dream."