Who Stole the American Dream, Book Review Example

How does Smith define the problems and what policies does he propose?

Smith open his book by pointing out that over the course of the past three decades, America has divided into two distinctly separate Americas. He goes on to state that “we have arrived at a new Gilded Age, where “gross inequality of income and wealth” have become endemic” (Smith: 2012). He attributes this problem to the fact that the American Dream no longer exists but states that it did not just disappear due to market shifts, it was actually stolen by political forces, bureaucracy in collaboration with the economic divide.

One key problem Smith mentions in his book is the idea that government does truly serve the interest of the people. He especially makes this argument in regards to how voting is dealt with in America. On the topic of voting he states, “voting is critical, of course, but experience teaches that voting is not enough. Even when voters elect a middle-class-friendly president and Congress, the hard grit of policy is chiseled out between elections, when voters have turned their backs on politics. That is when the influence  game in Washington goes to work and undoes much of what voters thought the had voted for” (Smith: 2012). Here Smith paints a dark picture of how Congress really views the American people noting that they don’t ‘listen to the polls”.

Smith’s main focus in this chapter of his novel is the middle working class, specifically those who Congress has failed to represent. He is not the first to point out this failure in representation. Mike James noted that, “ the problem here is not only the classical question of ‘why is there no socialism in America?’, but, more broadly, of why labor in America has been so relatively unsuccessful in the political representation of its short or long-term interests? (Davis:1999). One policy change Smith suggest to counteract the voting issue is to restructure the political center by supporting everyday Americans and convincing them to re-engage with the political system . Another path towards change that smith mentions to emphasis the ideal f activism and being more active within the political arena. He believes the economy needs be more transparent,  and that loopholes need to be eliminated from the current policies. One main policy change Smith  suggests is change the U.S. tax code to make it a simpler entity and easier to enforce legally.

Dose Smith discuss race and gender in his analysis? If not, should he do so?

For the most part, Smith overlooks race and gender in his text. The closest he gets to really addressing the problem of race and gender prejudice and the inequality that stems from it, is to talk about economic disparity and the fact that it can take 8 generations to lift a family up out of poverty. This can be loosely connected to the very real socioeconomic impact slavery still has on a large portion of the African American community today. One core aspect of his argument regarding socio-economic inequalities in America is to glamorize the middle class of the baby-boomer years just after World War II. The problem is that Smith fails to acknowledge that African Americans were not able to access the middle class dream or the American Dream. Minorities represent a large number of individuals ling just below the poverty rate.

What do you believe are the consequences of the policies that support inequality?

The ultimate consequence of policies that support inequality is that they will eventually be overturned or the citizens will rebel against the governing system that enacted them. It is inevitable that one of these two outcomes will occur and Smith even touches on the concept when he says, ”If there can be protests and government action against a lopsided division of the economic spoils in Israel, why not in America? If there can be an “Arab Spring” among peoples who have never known democracy, why not in the homeland of democracy? Why not a springtime for American democracy? A jobs-first crusade?” (Smith:2012). In Smiths own way he is calling for a revolution. A movement to reclaim the American Dream?” (Smith: 2012). This is Smith’s main defining argument. It is a call to action to reclaim the American dream.

What changes do you think the social work profession should support, if any? 

One key change that I think directly applies to social work professionals has to do with Smith’s argument that emphasizing the idea of a jobs first crusade or more engagement by labor workers in the politics. Essentially the idea is that most people who spend a large amount of their time working don’t have time to vote and probably don’t care as much as they should. In the social work environment, there are many people who are unemployed or under-employed. There are also many hard working individuals who barely earn above the poverty rate that find themselves in going through the social work system. The main focus that Smith’s policy initiatives have that relate to social work deals with jobs. One of his policies attempts to fix the corporate tax code to promote job creation at home. At 35 percent, the rate is one of the highest in the world, but various exemptions allow most corporations to pay a fraction of that, especially on foreign profits kept overseas” (Smith:2012). Social work directly deals with unemployment and impoverished communities. In this respect, I support Smiths policy for job creation.

What is your rationale?  How do his ideas assist you in understanding your world, your field agency or place of work (veteran home administration), and your practice with clients?

My rationale is one of frustration, very similar to what I interpret coming from Smith’s words. Smith’s arguments further reinforce many of the views that I have been harboring concerning the current state of the economy and the struggle of the working class. Many of the arguments he makes remind of the novel by Jason DeParle in his book“American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare,”  when he notes that “no one survived on welfare alone, especially in Chicago, where benefits were modest but rents were not. Sometimes Angie worked, without telling welfare, at fast-food restaurants. Stints at Popeye’s Church’s, and KFC had marked her as a chicken-joint triathlete, a minimum-wage workhorse steeped in grease” (DeParle: 2005).  DeParle illustrates clearly what Smith refers to scholasically. The author put real life images and a genuine scenario to many of the more broad concepts of economic disparity to which Smith attempts to draw the reader’s attention. In my field of work dealing in veteran home administration, I encounter many individuals like Angie, who are struggling to barely get bye and have little to show for the service they provide the country.

What role, if any, would you want to play in creating change? 

Personally, if I could choose any role to make change, my initial reaction would be to elect myself president, but after reading Smith’s book I don’t think the President has enough influence within the current system of government. I specifically think this is true due to checks and balances of the other branches but it can also be attributed to the amount of influence lobbyist have. I think the only way to make real change would be to inspire the type of grassroots movement Smith refers to in his book. It would have to be authentic, built from the ground up, and based on fundamental issues that the majority of Americans have a problem with today. The problem is virtually all issues have been politicized to the point of being talking points. On this same topic of starting a revolution or grassroots movement, Smith states,  “we are at a defining moment for America. We cannot allow the slow, poisonous polraization and disintegration of our great democracy to continue. We must come together and take action to rejuvenate our nation and to restore fairness and hope in our way of life. We see the challenge. it is now time: We the People must take action” (Smith:2012). Here Smith even tries to take a shot at calling the public to action. It is clear that he believes deeply in the need for a grassroots movement based on knowledge and education to progress society back towards reclaiming the American Dream. In reality, in order for one to make real change that need money to manipulate the system.

References

Davis, M. (1999). Prisoners of the American dream: Politics and economy in the history of the US working class. Verso.

DeParle, J. (2005). American dream: Three women, ten kids, and a nation’s drive to end welfare. Penguin.

Smith, H. (2012). Who stole the American dream?. Random House LLC.

Samson, D., & Terziovski, M. (1999). The relationship between total quality management practices and operational performance. Journal of operations management, 17(4), 393-409.