The American Dream and Poverty in America

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I actually did a paper on this last semester, but I just thought of it again and I wanted to rant. So, forgive me if it's a little disorganized, but I am getting pretty tired. What is the "American dream?" I've seen a few people ask that same question. Well, from the very beginning, people imigrated to the United States looking for religious and personal freedom. They looked to the Americas for newfound wealth and glory. After the United States was formed, immigrants were still pouring into the country to try to make a better life for themselves. Therefore, I believe the true "American Dream" was to work hard and become successful. There are a lot of "rags to riches" stories. Those are the people who lived the "American dream." We don't see a whole lot of that today. One of my biggest pet peeves is thinking about the government policies on poverty. I was looking up information for my paper on poverty in America and you know what I found? "Poverty" does not mean living out on the streets with barely anything to eat. In fact, the average person who qualifies for all those government benefits because they are labled "poor" have 2 televisions, cable, and internet along with plenty of food to feed 2 families. Is that right?! The families recieving these benefits also get paid more for the number of children that they have. The middle class American who works hard for their money and is financially responsible has to wait to be able to afford a child, while these "poor" families are being paid to have children. What's even better is that they are being DISCOURAGED from working. Once they get a job, their benefits are greatly reduced. Often times the job doesn't cover the amount that the government took away. So, basically, the government is PAYING people to be unemployed and to reproduce children. Often times, while these people are sitting home with nothing to do, collecting disability for being overweight due to not having to move out of the house, they turn to drugs to occupy their time. So, while reproducing, they are harboring these children in a drugged up environment. How is that for the future of America. The government policies on poverty has truly crushed the American dream as it once was. Now, the American dream has become, "how much money can we get for the least amount of work we can do." That's pathetic. I believe it was Michigan who had a better approach to poerty. The government would pay the people who qualified as poor to work in community service situations. Why hasn't that spread? People should be encouraged to work for their benefits. They should be encouraged to only use these benefits for temporary use while they are getting back up on their feet. If the government could cut back on all the unneccesary handouts to the "poor," maybe we could have the money to actually pay our teacher, improve the schools and education to HELP the future of our country. I honestly believe that if the country keeps going in the direction it's headed now, we won't last another 200 years. Anyone have any thoughts to add? Anyone wish to tell me I'm wrong? Most importantly, I want to know how I can get these ideas to someone who can do something about it! How can I do that?Thank you for the time you took to read all of that. Please post. I believe this is a really important topic that could make a difference in our future.