LIZ PEEK: The left says the American Dream is dead, but millions prove otherwise
On July 4th, Americans will celebrate the 250th birthday of our great nation. For two-and-a-half centuries, the United States has been a beacon to people everywhere seeking freedom – of religion, speech, assembly and others enumerated in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution.
The allure of America, and those promised rights, has never faded. Our country attracts millions of people each year who hope to live under that umbrella of freedom, and who want a shot at the American Dream.
What is the American Dream? The term was first coined in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams, who wrote in his book "The Epic of America" about a society in which each person, no matter their parentage or origin, is free to pursue their dreams and ambitions, bound only by their own capabilities. That promise, articulated at the height of the Great Depression, when faith in the country was at rock bottom, was as true and uplifting then as it is now.
I have met hundreds of people who embody that promise: a cab driver from Egypt who arrived penniless in our country, but whose son is getting a master’s degree in engineering, or our doorman from China who barely speaks English, but whose daughter just became a doctor. I’ve talked to new immigrants from Cuba and Yemen and other repressive nations who delight in their newfound freedom, and who cannot understand how so many Americans don’t value the opportunities offered by our country.
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Those (mostly young) people have been persuaded by politicians on the left that the American Dream is dead. Progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his ideological sidekicks would have you believe that it is impossible to get ahead in the U.S. because the deck is stacked against you. On his 2025 "Oligarchy Tour," Bernie claimed the American Dream has "turned into a nightmare" and that "billionaires have rigged the system to avoid being accountable to us."
Democratic Socialist New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accompanying Bernie on the stump, goes to the same dark place, telling audiences that the "right wing's entire political agenda …[involves] a politics that involves lying to and screwing over working and middle class Americans so that they can steal from our healthcare, Social Security, and veterans' benefits to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest and bailouts for their crypto billionaire friends."
Bernie and his cynical followers are having an impact. A recent Gallup poll commissioned by the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream found only 46% of Americans either "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree" with the idea that "everyone in this country has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream," down from 51% in 2024.
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This is tragic, because it is that sense of boundless opportunity that has inspired the great entrepreneurs and innovations that continue to put the United States ahead of other countries. Elon Musk came to the United States from his native South Africa, by way of Canada, because he saw this country as the best place to build an electric vehicle business, and to reimagine space travel.
Sergey Mikhailovich Brin, co-founder of Google, came to the U.S. at the age of 6 from Russia because his father, a mathematics professor, feared growing antisemitism there. Sergey, who went to a public high school and then to the University of Maryland, is now an extremely wealthy man, having helped build the world’s foremost search engine.
There are countless examples of people with extraordinary talents coming to the U.S. with empty pockets and climbing to greatness. But there are also many, many ordinary people in our country who work hard to educate their children and to provide for their families and who also achieve the American Dream. Some of those inspiring stories are being published each day in the New York Post, at the behest of the Milken Institute.
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One remarkable story comes from a Hasbro executive, Matt Proulx, who was one of 13 kids, 11 of whom were adopted. His parents took in foster children – 250 over the years – many of whom were rescued from dire situations. His folks, even as his dad was dying, adopted three more children who were about to be split up and sent to different families; according to Matt, despite their rough childhood, "they’re actually thriving." As to the American Dream? "I live it every day. I literally had nothing. Came from dirt … but the house was always full of love."
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Does everyone have a shot at the Dream? Not entirely. If education is critical to unleashing the power of every individual, the failures of our schools gravely restrict the goal of universal opportunity. When more than half of Black kids in New York don’t learn how to read, that group will struggle to access the American Dream. Such shortcomings should cause universal outrage, but Democrat politicians sacrifice the wellbeing of – especially – minority kids they claim to care about in exchange for tens of millions of campaign dollars every year. Shame on them.
Why does the left want to undermine confidence in the American Dream? Because they want power, and they know that building and then overseeing a giant welfare state catering to those who have given up, grants them power. A nation of self-directed, independent and successful people will not turn to Bernie Sanders or the government for help, but a nation of people without hope will be content to feed at the trough of Uncle Sam.
Will the United States endure for another 250 years? Only if we fight for our nation’s original compact, where everyone works hard, helps grow the economy and supplies the funds to support those who legitimately cannot provide for themselves, whom former President Ronald Reagan called "the truly needy."
As we celebrate America’s birth with fireworks and bike parades, let us celebrate the values that have made her the envy of the world and that will guarantee her future, for another 250 years.