Dream, and if you think it is still achievable today. What is the study of the American Dream . Democrats can call in at 202 7488000. 202 7488001 republicans,. Independents 202 7458002 202 7458002,. You can also catch up with us on social media. cspanwj twitter,. Facebook, facebook. Com cspan. We are talking about the American Dream this morning. One traditional definition of the possibility of starting out poor in this country, working hard, and in the upper rich. If that is your definition of the American Dream, americans are less confident in decades. Only 60 believe in that definition of the messaging. You can see the poll numbers there. We are asking this morning for our viewers on the washington journal to call in and give us your concept of the American Dream. Candidates are already talking about it in their stump speeches. Marco rubio talked about it in his campaign lunch earlier this year. Here is what he had to say. Marco rubio here in america, my father became a bartender, my mother, a cashier, ia maid. They never made it they come u big, but they were successful. They gave all four of their children a life better than their own. By parents achieve what has become known as the American Dream. The problem is now too Many Americans are starting to doubt is achieving that dream is still possible. Hardworking families that are living paycheck to paycheck one hardship away from disaster. Yet americans unable to start a business or a family because they oh thousands of dollars in student loan loans for degrees that did not lead to jobs. And, Small Business owners that struggle under the weight of more taxes, more regulations and more government. Why is this happening in a country that for over two centuries has been defined by the quality of opportunity . It is because while our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 21st century 20th century. Host marco rubio and his Campaign Launch for the gop nominee ation for the camera say. The atlantic in a recent poll conducted last month has several members on the American Dream, including the fact that the definition of the American Dream is shifting. If in the we want to hear your stories and thoughts this morning. Sandra is up first from massachusetts. Caller my son achieved the American Dream. We were not rich at all. He kept fighting and fighting to get it. He worked so hard and joined the service. Now, he makes over and 90,000 per year because he worked for 29 years. He is married. She flies the across the country, helping the poor people. His two children are in college. He got them transportation and everything else. And, he is not the only one. My nephew started out in a paint store and worked his way up to management, and now makes over 100,000. You can do it, believe me. Host if those stories are starting today, is it harder or easier for them to make the American Dream. Caller you can do everyone if you have the faculties in your hand stay straight, and aim your focus forward. Get your mind focused on what you want to do for you. I believe it can be achieved. You have to work very hard at it. It is not easy. It does not come easy. Host thank you for the call. Deborah is up next from madison, wisconsin, also on the line for independents. Caller thank you for asking this question. It is really important. I have people in my family that are in their 70s, just like everyone else. We are able to a cultural family. My definition of the american jew has shifted drastically. One of the things i have noticed that many of the social issues that iphone fought for, turned into social programs. Those social programs have turned into have fostered earned learned helplessness. They were supposed to be safety net, not ways of life. The American Dream, the addition of it is work. I appreciate having discovers asia, and i hope we can bring our country back. Thank you. Host on twitter and facebook you can follow along several colo, its already this morning. Judy on gillian on twitter rights, the American Dream is dead. On a facebook page, you can follow along there facebook. Com cspan. Austan writes in that the American Dream is a marketing scheme. Justin says, i feel like i am living the American Dream everyday, but unfortunately someone is complaining about someone other than themselves. Michael writes that the American Dream is something that is Holding American socialism down. We want to hear your comments and questions of money on washington journal. We have talked about this idea of the American Dream. Here is Bernie Sanders in his speech from the senate floor talking about the American Dream. [video clip] in my view, there is a war going on in this country. Im not talking about the wars in afghanistan or iraq, or the instability in the middle east. Im talking about the war being waged against the american middle class, against the American Center of living, and against the American Dream. Today in the United States of america, we have more income inequality than on any other country on earth. We have the highest rate of child fatality than any other country on earth. Today in america, we are the only major nation not to guarantee health care to all of our people as right of citizenship. The United States of america once let the world 40 years ago and terms of the percentage of our people he graduated college. In short, we were the best educated people in the world. Today, we are in 12th place. Host senator Bernie Sanders speaking to the senate floor talking of the American Dream. We want team your thoughts. What are the components of the American Dream . How do you define a . Caller good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I think it is still obtainable but a lot more difficult. I will give you a little background for myself. I am at kid from west philly. My wife was from the projects. She grew up in a health care filled. Through luck and Student Loans i manage my way to get an ivy league education. We are now middle class. I think doing what we did was extremely difficult when we did it. One of my sons just finished high school. He got one job offer at eight dollars per hour. I was making a dollars per hour 30 years ago. What has happened . Host when you talk about it, what is your definition of the American Dream. What are the characteristics are important in your life. Caller my definition is owning your own home. That is the first thing. The second is being able to educate your children. Some of the University Without going bankrupt. Having Decent Health care for you and your family. And being able to take a week down to jersey shore, or something. These are the things i was never able to do when we were kids. We did go on vacation because we never had the money. This was back in the days before food stamps. Sometimes in our household there was hardly any food. Host i appreciate the call from philly. Have a good fourth of july. Dollar is up next from hawaii, life are republicans. Line for republicans. Caller good morning. I think the American Dream is still possible, unless you dont buy into the narrative that you are a victim, that somebody else has oppressed you 200 years ago and youre still way for someone to fix all of that. I think of you do not buy into the narrative that you have less because someone else has more and i think if the government would stop regulating our rights away, that stuff is really important. When you are getting regulated for every flush, every breath i think how often everything you do this daese days, you think, do i need a permit for this . I think the government needs to get out of the way and stop trying to make everything equal. It does not work, it never worked for the government to make everything equal. Host do you think the government has tried to redefine this term, the American Dream . Caller i dont know well thinking all about equality. Host we are talking about homeownership. The caller before he was talking about health care. Do you think politicians and government is changing the traditional definition of the American Dream . Guest absolutely. Caller absolutely. Host what are the basic components in your mind . Caller i think the constitution and leaving us alone with our unaided unalienable rights. Stop trying to control everything we do. I do not think we can move about our lives freely anymore. Certainly, it is not like north korea yet, but we we are not there, but i think it should go back to the constitutionally limited government. Host i appreciate you getting up early with us. As i said, atlantic had a poll talking about the American Dream. They talk with the characteristics of the American Dream, talked about to the components. As we said, living comfortably achieve Financial Security being debtfree, providing a comfortable quality of life for your family. A healthy marriage, 20 said that was part of the American Dream. Onlyowning a nice home, 28 . Prais pursuing happiness, 23 . We want to hear what you think. Mark is up next, line for independents. Caller how are you doing . Host good. Caller i started out me and my wife together we started out with nothing. I went into a bluecollar place of work, construction. I enjoyed working with my hands being out, building things. I poured everything into it. I worked seven days per week 12 hour days. I worked my way up, my pay was finally going up, i was finally achieving things and getting things. I was brought up there, me and my wife finally got just about to lower middle class. Then, our government side that it is ok to let illegals across the border and come in. Illegal immigrants devastated my line of work. I make now the same thing that i made in 1995. I am taking an eight dollar cut in pay. I know people say, why dont you get a better education . No. I like what i do. Why should i have to change . Why should i have to accept our government askeds complicity of not doing the job . I just think that i have worked hard, played by the rules, did everything that i was supposed to do as an american, and tried to do the best for myself, my family, and the country. Yet, the people they represent me seem to think that i have to accept the sacrifices they are willing to make on my behalf. I dont understand what i am supposed to do now. They let everything get jacked up so much that we have 19i5 wages in a 2000 50 economy. It just does not work. The people of this country should be outraged at what the politicians of our country are allowed to do as far as making sure things are fair. Thank you. Host some more holy numbers from that atlantic puoll. Host lenny is up next, line for democrats. Good morning. Caller good morning. I was struck by this whole business of the American Dream. I was extra start iruck by the rubio piece you had on earlier. He talked about, and one of his comments, it had to do about the quality of opportunity. You hear this from politicians. Back to one of your earlier points coming here this from politicians all the time, this idea of equality of opportunity. The reality, the american reality is that we have not enough quality of results. Going back to Political Science 101, you talk about how sometimes the confusion between those two things really becomes a problem. Politicians seem to want to put our caps on with this notion of equality of opportunity. That does not exist. The thing that has hampered the American Dream is economic depression. I dont think anyone would disagree with that. Host can i ask you, do you think the American Dream is in the totally is a totally economic aspect or are their social values corporative . Caller sure, there are social values involved, but those seem to be governed, and pretty much dominated by what we are talking about as the economic reality. Look at this area that i live in. Look at the folks who did really well economically, in terms of earning a piece of that rock, being the workingclass community that it became over the years. People were have a reasonably stable lifestyle, but the reality is now, you have a lot of those same opportunities that are pretty much nonexistent because of the economic facts of life. You do not get the trade oriented employment anymore. Manufacturing is something that does not really exist anymore. Lets get real. We live in an era where opportunities are compromised. Host on twitter, a few more comments. You can follow along on twitter cspanwj. Karen wrights, i do not think there is a clear definition of American Dream, different people want Different Things out of life. George writes, the American Dream is a mess. Karen writes, the American Dream is still achievable, but it takes more discipline, hard work and talent than it did in the past. Again, some candidates running for presidency have mentioned the American Dream in their speech. This past week, Chris Christie of new jersey jumped into the crowded republican field. Here is what he had to say. [video clip] it is only america is someone like me could have the opportunity to seek the highest office that the world has to offer. Only in america could all of you believe that your voices, your efforts, could make a difference to change the country as big and vast as this one. Only in america. Only america, have we seen time after time the truth of the words that one person can make a difference. You see, the reason that is true is because it is the only thing that has ever made a difference in the history of the world. One person reaching out to another to change their circumstance and to improve the lives of their children grandchildren. I do not seek the presidency for any other reason than because i believe in my heart that im ready to work with you, to restore america to its rightful place in the world and restore the American Dream teach one of march 09, whether they live in livingston mendham, new yorkark, or camden. No matter where they live in this country, we need to make sure that everyone owes us children has a president that not only speaks to them, but heres some. Host new jersey governor Chris Christie launching his bid for the presidency. We are talking about the American Dream this morning on the washington journal. Here are the morningss papers from this morning. Host we want to hear from you this morning. Janet is up next in indiana. My for republicans line for republicans. Caller if i was not an optimist, i would say the american gene has very little chance of recovering. I would like to give to suggestions, both to cspan and the listeners. I grew up listening to paul harvey, and he talked about harming his goals. They were written out, very clear and plain. Everyone could do research. You will see, very easily, especially if you start with rule 15, which party has absolutely followed and managed to achieve most of the congress goals. The second is the answer to our health care, to an Organization Made up of medical scientists and doctors, who search to find out why some people were healthier, and it is called Health Science institute. They have the answers. Bless you, america. Host speaking of health care, some news yesterday making several papers in this country including the financial times. Aetna and humana shaking up u. S. Managed care. We are talking about the American Dream this morning. Joe is up next, South Carolina line for democrats. Caller it just depends on the perspective of the individual. Yes, for me, coming from an Apartment Building to a home, that transition, and then being married, having children, yes, life is beautiful and great, but then storms come. It just depends on your area, situation, it depends. The bottom line is those who make the rules are politicians and set the rules for those of us who do not pay to stay in the rules. We become either the victims of those rules. I think as long as we need food, clothing, and shelter, then the American Dream can be for us. As far as a black man in america who learns and starts to understand how to get around and utilize things in my favor, and being married to a person will with a different status, it makes a difference. We still have to dream pray, and have hope. I think it helps. If we dont, then we become bitter angry, and that is one a lot more the problems come. Host back to florida adela is waiting on the line for independents. Caller im calling because im very concerned about the seniors. The seniors, youre working all your life in this country and you do not receive anything. No help at all. The many you have money you have is not