Issue Position: The American Dream

Issue Position

Some people think the American Dream is that some of us are able to get wealthy. I disagree. There are plenty of wealthy people in China and Russia who are not living the American dream.

The American Dream means that every American has an opportunity to enjoy the blessings of liberty; that through hard work, personal responsibility, and sacrifice, ordinary people can achieve and provide a better life for themselves and their children.

Income and wages have been stagnant for three decades, but expenses affecting families have continued to rise: education, housing, health care, and energy. These factors have placed unprecedented stress on Utah families. In the last six years alone, one in ten Americans has fallen out of the ranks of the middle class.

This is not a political issue; it is a serious problem that impacts all of us. We cannot let the American Dream fall victim to partisan politics. Now is the time to restore the American Dream. Creating good jobs and strengthening our economy is central to restoring the American Dream.

The American Revolution resulted from the fact that America had a middle class. The wealthy and the poor don't have the inclination or the strength to bring about the conservative rights-oriented revolution that we had in this country. It's the middle class that has the inclination and the strength to defend our liberty. In a real sense, I see that the middle class embodies the American identity.

Partisan rhetoric and political extremism will not solve our nation's challenges and restore the American Dream. We've had enough of that. It's time to get serious about working together to get things done. To restore the American Dream, I will support measures that:

* Promote real fiscal responsibility
* Create jobs and strengthen the economy
* Invest in education
* Reform America's broken immigration system

Source