I went to work for two weeks cleaning 3 Verizon stores at night with a girl named Gabi. She is from Mexico; she came here trying to get into BYU Idaho. Well, as I was working with her we talked about a lot of topics: dating, guys and people that come here to the U.S looking for their Great American Dream and as I talked to her I began to wonder what is that American dream or why do they come here to the US looking for it .
So, I have thought it out and well, way back when the founding fathers came, they were looking for that dream and that dream is to have freedom of religion, freedom to make their houses and keep them and live freely and comfortable. Well, I agree and I am grateful that they went out looking for those things especially religion because as a Mormon I believe that they were inspired just so that we could have the true church of Jesus Christ restored on the earth and be free to worship what we wanted.
But, what about now? Where is the American dream that all the people leave there families to come look for it? As I know, most every country have the freedom to choose their religion and they are free to work as they please and most every country are free to receive care at a doctor’s office or hospital for free or very little money. They are free to eat organic foods and sell their products outside their door without having to pay so much money to make that happen. And they are free to build their house for as cheap as they want and it is theirs forever. Now they come here and they aren't free to own their house because they have to pay for it for 30 years or more. They ended up paying triple of what it is worth. And if they don't pay the last month because of an illness, it doesn't matter what they have already paid they take it away and they are left without a house. If they don't have money to pay for their sickness, they grow bigger in debt because they are not free to receive free health care. Even with medical insurance the payments and medicine are the most expensive in the world. Without health insurance the medical care payments are just unbearable. If they don't have enough money to buy good and healthy food they are not free to eat healthy because healthy food cost more. Trust me I know, I went to go buy an organic chicken and paid three times more that for an inorganic chicken.
In Mexico, Checo’s grandma has free organic pork, beef, chicken, and turkeys, also eggs, milk, guava, oranges, and bunch of other fruit and veggies. She also lives stress free because she owes nothing to anybody. Now isn't that freedom and the true American dream.?
I lived in Mexico with my husband for 2 years and we have been living her in the U.S. for almost 3 years and what I have to say is that in many ways we felt more free in Mexico than we do here just because we had a house we didn't have to pay on in Mexico. Even in our moments of economic struggle in Mexico we lived without so much pressure and stress about not having enough to live on as we do here and here Checo makes decent money but there is much more we have to pay and spend and we eat inorganic foods.
Don't get me wrong I am not saying that Mexico is perfect or other countries are better than the US, but what I am trying to say is that I don’t understand why is it that a lot of people come here thinking that they are going to find their American Dream here in the US when they can so much easier find it in their own countries now.
I just don't understand how working here without most their families and working illegally will give them their American dream. I don't have anything against people that are here illegally, I just don't think they are better off here than they were in Mexico. What I don't understand those that have the opportunity to come and get an education here and see the good and could take it to their countries to help progress the people there, would choose to stay illegally here afterwards and not going back to share what they have learned.
I believe that people like Checo's grandma that live worry-free because don't have a mortgage payment over their shoulders for 30 years, represents the true American dream. Checo's grandma's children came to the USA looking for the American dream and they don't have anything close to what she has. They can't afford to get sick because they take the risk of getting evicted out of their apartments plus they are always in fear because of their legal status. Their children grow with very little self esteem and identity problems. Therefore I think that the American dream is an illusion that attracts people that didn't realized they already had it.
