They take our money and then, you know, there was a book a long time ago by sinclair called the ugly american. Getting spiritual in getting authentic and believing ourselves, we are the lifeblood, those of us. That is why i love the way he is about our veterans. Millionshese countries and billions of dollars and then send our beautiful children over there to either die or come back in pieces. That has never made any sense to me. I dont paint attention to the polls. They live. I dont know why we celebrate ourselves just separate ourselves and call ourselves liberal this and that. The reality is, when our country started, George Washington did not know how to be president. This has all been new. We continue to reinvent ourselves. Donald trump, in my opinion, is of the people, by the people, and for the people. He ran against 16 other people. Im a registered republican, but i am pretty upset with a lot of the republicans. Going back to my first statement, the hassan the havenots. Americans, basically, yes, we have our problems in poverty, but overall, we are the haves. The other countries look to us for handouts. Then what happens . It is like codependency and dependency and all of those kinds of things. You help them. They are not grateful for it and then they spit at us, if you will. Host appreciate your call. We will hear next from mona charen with the ethics and Public Policy center, longtime columnist as well, and the Washington Monthlys Paul Glastris, talking about the American Dream and is it still attainable today and if the government has a role in helping americans achieve it. Later on, gallup pollster Craig Newport will join us. We will be talking about the latest on the most important problem facing the u. S. We will take her calls on that topic as well. First up here on the fourth of july, washington journal this past week is a to be home of americas founding documents, the National Archives in washington come to learn about the agency and how it is celebrating the holiday. On the national mall, about halfway between capitol hill and the white house, were at the archives of the United States. What is the mission of the National Archives . Collect, protect, and make available the records of the u. S. Of the American People can hold the government responsible. How long has there been the National Archives . 1934. It wasnt until the Franklin Roosevelt administration until we got service about our records. Opened the doors here in 1935. What is contained in this building . The most precious of our earliest documents to the constitution, bill of rights, and the declaration of independence. Also, the region signed up by George Washington and his the legions signed by George Washington and his troops. The public laws. The high invaluable records of the country. How many buildings does the National Archives have . We have 44 facilities across the country, including 13 president ial libraries. How many staff . 3000. On a daily basis, how many people come through here . About 1. 5 million a year come through here. Lots of school groups. Lots of families. Lots of international visitors. It is kind of unique in terms of the International Community to have your constitution on public display just about every day of the year. It is unique opportunity. Flowu have seen me ebb and of interest of the documents in this building, the people coming through . Since we do a lot of work 12 community,ugh there is a steady visitation by the district classes in school groups. It is hard to say there are more visitors today said this time last year. It is pretty constant. Are there certain things that spark your interest in an Election Year or something happening in washington . Anytime there is a major event in washington, we are the destination, definitely. What are some of the lesserknown items that are contained in this building behind you . Bought alaska from the russians. We have the check for 7. 2 million the russians took to the bank and walked out with the money in gold. A letter from in the oakley troops ofo raise the women to fight the spanishamerican war. Treaties. Very powerful documents spelling out the promises the American Government played to the indian nation. Things like that. What will people see here on the fourth of july . Is a majorf july holiday here. We like to feel we only fourth of july. We have a dramatic reenacting of the reading of the declaration on the steps. The crowd responds just as the crowd responded in the early days would it was first shared with the american public. Quite a spectacle here on the steps. One of your favorite days . It is my favorite. It is. After the ceremony, it is the beginning of the major parade. We are the first stop on that parade. Washington journal continues. Host we kind of touched on it in the last segment, july 4, the American Dream and is it still attainable and what role, if any, does the government have in helping us get there. To help us in the conversation, ande joined by mona charen by the editor in chief of the Washington MonthlyPaul Glastris. Thank you for returning this morning. Lets start with a little bit of a historical take on the American Dream by historian James Trussell adams on the American Dream who said that the dream that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and full of for everyone with opportunity for each through ability or achievement, age rim of social order in which each man or each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable and be recognized by others what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. A bit of an oldfashioned definition. How about your definition, mona charen . I love that definition, but it is interesting when you look now at the way people refer to the American Dream, it is very narrow. Welltend to mean how youre doing economically. Are you making more money than your parents did when they were your age . Or a popular seven that showed 30yearolds today are not parentss much as their did a generation ago and so forth. Is clearly very important. Economic opportunity is part of what we think of as the American Dream. I hope we talking to the point where we think of it as exclusively in economic terms. America has also always meant liberty. It has meant religious expression. It has meant not being judged by who your parents were, but treating each person as an individual. So there are many aspects of what it means to pursue happiness and to achieve the American Dream that are far beyond mere economic gain. Host your take on the American Dream . I think the, perception, as long as i have been aware of the term, is in fact the capacity to get ahead in life for yourself and your children through hard work without being penalized for your family the, religious background. I think that is what most people think of. America itself is bigger we have liberties that are valuable several from economic gain. Which isin life more than economic, but certainly at based economic is a big part of it. You mentionharen, the focus now more on economics. What do you think they monetary or economic heart of the American Dream began to take part,ore of the social the melting pot of america sort of thing . Guest i dont want to diminish the imports of growth of economic development, rising prosperity, the fact that weve had about 15 years now a very slow growth. I think it has increased tensions in our society and divisions. Resentment between those are doing well and those who are seeing less progress. So it is important. I dont want to downplay it too much. Lifehe other aspect of that we forget about when we focus too narrowly on economics are unity, families, religious schools all of those things that for most of us are really what make life or living need to be part of the picture when you talk about are you able to achieve the American Dream. By the way, immigrants want to flow to the United States for many reasons. Part of it is, yes, chance to do better economically. At the other part of it is, they may oftentimes come from countries where there persecuted, dont have religious freedom, because of the ethnic group were for whatever reason, they appreciate the respect for individual, the rule of law, and the quality of opportunity that we strive for here. Host in addition to weather the American Dream is attainable, we asking, what is the governments role in helping to do that and how has that changed over the years . Guest well, it has been a precept of american governance for many year was certainly since the new deal and i would argue since the civil war or before, the government does have a role in opening up opportunity in providing equal chances for advancement. The great debate of our time analyst alltime of american politics is, what role the government ship like him how vigorous, how detailed. Most that government voters turn to government when they feel like their opportunities are not there, they are being blocked and so forth. I am on the liberal side of things, so i probably think government has a much more important and vigorous role to play than mona does. I dont think it is probably most people would deny the government has some role. Host we are asking our guests and you about the American Dream. His is still attainable . What is governments role in helping you get there . You can call or send us a tweet. Do other of you think any party has claimed ownership or try to claim ownership through the American Dream . Guest theres a big philosophical divide in the two parties views about opportunities. Hough i would have to say there is not a stark of a difference as i would have said five years ago, but in general him of the democrats are interested in equality of outcomes and using government to redistribute wealth so everyone is more or less in the same place to some degree. The republicans have all been about equal opportunity, creating conditions so everyone has a fair shot to achieve their own personal best without necessarily redistributing income to them. As i say, that has been changing. We now have a Republican House and senate and republican president who are struggling over the Health Care Bill exactly because it has been so much ground lost to the democrats point of view. For example, health care is a government responsibility. The government should provide this good to people. So that is why you have this one of the many reasons why we have this state of paralysis by the republicans. They are really not sure anymore exactly what they believe, and their tent is too broad to come to everyone. Host in terms of helping people get the american achieve the American Dream, i should say, where does health care fall on that . Government providing or assisting in health care. Guest if you look at the sheer cost of health care, it has skyrocketed over the last 30 years. It is a huge chunk of the economy. A hidden chunk of the average persons income. It is being paid either employer, but it is a huge chunk of their compensation and the costs keep rising and rising. It is a vital part of peoples economic wellbeing, opportunity , not to say their health. To play on what mona said, we also saw with donald trump, republicans his voters rallying around a president who savingut providing the safety net, saving Social Security and medicare, saving medicaid he talked about. He was very fulsome in his promise to provide for people. He talks about achieving huge levels of growth. That is not the kind of talk republicans have been known for the last few cycles. It just goes to show, i think both parties now are looking to government for something to do something about what is i think a pretty serious erosion of the American Dream as commonly defined. Host Paul Glastris editorinchief of the Washington Monthly and mona charen picture reader to townhall and senior Public Policy official at the ethics policy center and longtime dissident on the capital gang on cnn. Joining us this morning about the american trim. Lots of calls waiting. Lets go to michigan. Welcome. Happy july 4. Caller happy july 4. Thank you for taking my call. I do have a few issues. Like the woman who is speaking im sorry, i forgot her name. I am a little nervous. I never get through. Anyway, youre saying about how what our parents made a mistake 30,000 the year parents made, say 30,000 a year. If your child was making that as an adult. When the gas prices went up, so did all of the food prices, but they never came down when the gas came down. That is really crazy. Youre spending a lot outofpocket all of the time. Thing, no another one ever talks about the lottery. The lottery was supposed to go to schools and infrastructure. I have not seen hide nor hair of ,nyone saying anything on cnn on any of the stations about where does that lottery go. Get 400 million and half of that goes to the government, where does that money go to . , i am disabled. I dont make 10,000 year. I make a little over 9,000. If they take away medicaid, that covers part of my medicare which also makes me mad. It is not entitlement. I paid for that all my life. I paid for it in my employer pay for it to match it, just like sosa security. This is not a gift. This is not something someone gave me. Host helen, appreciate your call. Lady sympathy for this who is in a difficult situation. Look, one of the things that i think has to be understood within the context of the larger discussion about where government fits into our lives was designedystem to give maximum opportunity to individuals. We do have a safety net. We have had a for quite some time. One of the most important things that is happened to this country in the last 30 or 40 years is not the rise and fall of prices. That has been pretty stable. What has really been the most important change is the decline of families and family life and marriage. It is tough to get along on your own. When there is a strong marriage and family and extended family who help one another, loan each other money, take you in when you are in trouble all of those things are critical to human flourishing. We have now reached a point in our society where 41 of babies born are born to unwed mothers, where divorce among people without College Degrees is high although, it has come down for people with College Degrees. Living together has become the norm. This has created a tremendous amount of unnecessary hardship and suffering. It really is hard to get along on your own. We need strong families. Helen says, those are not entitlements. She is talking about etiquette. She said i have paid for those. How does that fit into achieving the American Dream . She sounds like she wanted pride there because that was hers. Is great when roosevelt insight when he created Social Security as a that hege of income so said no politician would dare take it away. Way. Are is the same it must be said, the average person on medicare now pays would have paid in about one third of what the cost of that health care is. Always the, medicaid is a Different Program altogether. Ficae do look at their and theyry paid period know that money is going to sosa security and medicare. They feel they have paid into it and surely they have. It is perilous to go after these things come and rightly so. They have paid in, but they have not been remotely the amount they get back. The costs of health care are such that there was a time perhaps when medicare payments could cover the cost. Where long since past that. Guest it would be wonderful if we could restore some market discipline to our Health Care System because if you look at the two areas of American Life that have the most heavy hand of government, it is education and health care. Those are the two areas where inflation is been way above the normal rate of inflation. The cost of education and health care have skyrocketed. With this crazy government interference with thirdparty payers in this Patchwork Quilt of nuttiness. Host the problem is other highhandedth much help and government have lower cost and health care and government. One could make the opposite with healthcare and education with almost no account ability for the spending. Lets go to maine. Democrats line. Caller i just want to ask what the panelists think about the notion that the American Dream is never actually existed and that because of historical structure inequality, both racially and economically in the United States, has contributed theyre not actually being an American Dream. It is just kind of an idea that was put forth, but only attainable by a few within america namely, the white economically, especially. I just want to hear what you thought about this. Guest the original sin of america was slavery. And it continued through years of jim crow, discrimination, and so forth. Everybody knows that history. But i think it is a huge ov