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In the global market that modern transportation has made, the American dream has changed considerably. Companies that once offered workers the American dream are now destroying it. Buying an American made product is getting harder and harder to do. Companies that were once willing to pay a good price for a good product now dictate what they will pay. It is up the manufacturer to find a way to make for the price they were offered.

Unfortunately, the only way to do this is to cut costs. Cost cutting usually begins with the employees. Raises are smaller and farther apart than ever before. Employers find ways to do the same job with less people. They find a way to combine steps in a process. One person may find themselves doing a job that two people did for years. They call this concept lean manufacturing. Todays workers must adapt to manufacturing changes quickly. If you can't adapt quickly, you find yourself in the unemployment line. This process is sometimes toughest on the older workers and will only get worse. The retirement age has changed and will continue to change as people live longer. Middle-aged employees of today may find themselves working past the age of seventy if they can't afford to retire without social security benefits. It isn't easy for a person in their late sixties to keep up with someone who is in their twenties. Are we working towards a future where elderly people will be required to work but can't keep pace with lean manufacturing processes?

The next step in the cost cutting process is materials and design. Companies by cheaper steel from overseas markets and build cheaper less reliable products. Lets use a common bicycle as an example. The bicycles made in the fifties are still around. They were built to last. You find them in garages, at yard sales, and used bicycle shops. The bicycles that most department stores sell today are disposable. They last a few years, and then, rims get bent, cranks get broken, and frames crack. No one fixes them anymore. It's easier and usually cheaper to buy a new one.

Small towns across the country are struggling to survive. They hope to draw business from larger towns or even overseas. They offer tax breaks, cheap utilities, and a diverse workforce that will work for lower wages than people in large cities. Some smaller companies use these incentives to survive. They make a deal with local officials to come a town, hire employees from that town, and stay for a certain length of time. When all the provisions of the deal are met, the company moves on to the next town that will offer them incentives.

When my father was a young man, he could quit one job in the morning and be hired at another factory by late afternoon. In today's world, that is not a realistic possibility. It can be done, but a lot of questions must me be asked and answered before attempting it. Will I be able to pay the bills if I don't find a job immediately? Do I have an adequate reason to quit? Will I receive unemployment insurance? Someone who is employed as general labor will find it tougher and tougher to find a decent paying job.

Greed, lust, and pride have nothing to do with my American dream. The dream of great wealth is for someone else. What I want is fairly simple. I want a roof over my head, food in my stomach, temperature control, and stable employment.

As Americans, the best that we should hope for is living comfortably. It's best to expect the worst and be surprised when it's better than to expect the best and be devastated when your expectations are not met.

Learn more about this author, Alan Richards.
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