I have spoken many times on the "Streettalk Live" about the "real" American dream.  The dream I speak of is the dream of opportunity, the dream of freedom and the dream of liberty.   Yes, the real American dream has always been emobodied in the very spirit of this great nation.  That dream found penned ever so eloquently in the Declaration Of Independence: 

"We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

And again in the Bill of Rights:

"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

When it comes to the ideas and the power of these words. "All men are created equal" the reality of the dream that I speak of is the ability for any man or woman to come to this great nation with no more than the clothes on their back and the will to succeed.  From those humble beginnings they can achieve success, and in many cases great success, through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. 

The founders of this nation NEVER penned that American citizens had the RIGHT to a home, free health care or government welfare.  What they gave us was the ability to succeed so that we could have the privilege of buying a home, hedging ourselves and our families against the risk of loss or disease and the ability to provide charity for others if we choose.  They never gave the right to government to take from us, the citizens, at its own discretion - yet by our own silence and inaction we have allowed exactly that to happen.

For those that have come to this country and paid their dues to achieve success the very ideas that the current Administration espouses are repugnant ones.  The symbol of their success has been the privilege of home ownership and money in the bank - not dependency upon the charity of others to get by.  The idea of a socialist or communistic society, in many cases, is what they came to America to get away from.  Today, those same individuals are not the ones crying "foul" and demanding more from the government - they are the ones demanding a return to the core values and principles that made this country great.

We, as a nation, have strayed far from the path that our forefathers laid for us with their very blood.  They would be ashamed of the nation that we have become and would repudiate the ideals for which Washington now stands.  This nation was built upon the very foundation of independence, sovereign strength and freedom.   Today, we rapidly head down the path to becoming the very monster from which our forefathers sought to escape from.

It isn't too late to change direction.  The "American Dream", as it was intended, is not lost to us or our children.  This is still a land of opportunity and the road to prosperity.  This is still the greatest country on earth and the American people have not been defeated. 

However, it is time to take back a lot of what we have lost.  This is not the America that I believe in.  This is not the America that I want for my children.

Omid Malekan, creator of the original Bears cartoon, made this excellent video of what should have been shown during the Superbowl.

It is "Halftime" in America.  What we do in the second half is the legacy we leave to the next generation.  For myself, I want to leave my children a world where they are proud of the country that they live in, a country they would be glad to lay down their lives to defend and a place where their dreams can become their own reality. 

While we are down in the game - we are not out.  Whether we win or lose this game all depends on what you do next.