How Can All Americans Live The American Dream?
Fred Thompson, in his new commercial showing in South Carolina, says that he has been a conservative all of his life. He says that he supports conservative principles. This is a commercial for which Fred paid a lot of money, and I’m sure its purpose is to encourage the conservative Republican base to experience warm and fuzzy feelings toward Fred. But certainly, Thompson must have pondered all of the few words of this commercial carefully. It seems to me that two statements deserve a closer look. Fred said, “In this country, if you play by the rules, you‘ve got a fair chance to live the American Dream.” “Our basic rights comes from God, not from government.” What in the world is Fred saying? I’m guessing the American Dream that Fred refers to is a dream centered on achieving material prosperity, a dream centered on financial security sufficient to enjoy the freedom that America gives to those with money — for example, the freedom to pay for your medical expenses, the freedom to send yo
