The Value Of The American Dream

As John Locke once said, “ All people have ‘natural rights’ of life, liberty and property. The government was to protect these, if it didn’t overthrow it.” Our founding fathers agreed and included key ideals from this quote when writing our Declaration of Independence. Therefore, they felt it was important to guarantee every citizen the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These ideals have become the cornerstone of the American ideal known as the American Dream – the idea that every person could improve their lot in life and achieve the American Dream through hard work and effort. But many wonder if this American ideal, the American Dream, still exists today. Due to high healthcare costs, a racist president, and social inequality, the American Dream is no longer attainable to Americans. …show more content…
As a matter of fact, according to the 2016 Milliman Medical Index, “The cost of health care for a typical American family of four covered by an average employer-sponsored preferred provider organization (PPO) plan is $25,826 (annually).” (Eskow, 2014). Not to mention, the vast majority of Americans are having to pay a fortune for health care costs and in out of pocket expenses beyond what their policy covers. $25,826 is a huge amount of money, but it surely isn’t enough because people still have to pay co-pay fees and deductible expenses beyond the annual policy costs. If people are having to pay for much more serious illness, it will cost even