American Dream?

I was thinking about the discussion we had on Tuesday about what the American dream is today? We talked about the whether we thought it meant something different to someone else and I believe it does. While it could mean the white picket fence for some people, for me its what I am trying to achieve right now; becoming an architect and landing a decent job. When you live the dream it might not be what you think. I could become an architect but make very little money. I believe every dream should be realized with caution or else you lose sight of whats important; being happy. A lot of people I believe that if you live better then your parents then they are doing well. I remember a quote from a song called National Anthem by Less Than Jake which goes like "My American dream is to have it, a little bit better than my parents ever had it." and "one of my best pieces of fiction. And it's called I'll be getting by and I'll make ends meet. Just a forty our week has you bent at the knees and they can't even see that everything's kept just out of reach."