{"id":359877,"date":"2025-10-24T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/?p=359877"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:12:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T16:12:23","slug":"opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University. The topic for entries was \u201cthe attainability of the American Dream.\u201d A member of the Greenville Journal staff was on the committee that reviewed the entries.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>A single-family home surrounded by a white picket fence. Two young children playing on a swing set. A golden retriever lying lazily in the grass. For many, this idyllic picture represents the American dream \u2014 no matter who you are, if you work hard enough, you can achieve a lifestyle of success, security and prosperity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Unfortunately, Gen Zers are no strangers to the economic barriers to achieving this idealized version of the American dream. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average per capita income in Greenville County jumped from $29,229 in 2002 to $56,653 in 2022. That\u2019s almost a 94% increase. However, during the same period, the average cost of a home in Greenville County jumped from roughly $135,000 to approximately $331,000 \u2014 a more than 145% increase. That single-family home feels even more out of reach now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>What about the quality of education for those two young children? Surely an education is the key to achieving the American dream. In the same 20-year span, the average salary for a teacher in Greenville County schools rose only 60% according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Without competitive pay, how can we attract and retain quality teachers for our children?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_361193\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-361193\" style=\"width: 379px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-361193 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"379\" height=\"501\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-361193\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-361193 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"379\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-1160x1534.jpeg 1160w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-1161x1536.jpeg 1161w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-120x160.jpeg 120w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-90x120.jpeg 90w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-320x423.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-560x741.jpeg 560w, https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 379px) 100vw, 379px\" \/><\/noscript> Anthony Morgan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And what about Fido \u2014 the lazy golden retriever? He\u2019s gotten more expensive, too. Some bags of dry dog food have so much as doubled in price in the last few years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Looking at the numbers, the prospects for achieving the American dream can seem daunting, let alone creating the change needed to make it more accessible. So, what can younger Americans do?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>I offer one final number \u2014 10.5%. Only a dismal 10.5% of eligible Greenville County voters cast their ballots in the 2024 primaries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>We know that we are living in a highly polarized political environment. Most Americans want a middle-ground option. So why is it that, in every election, we seem to be faced with the choice of two extremes?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Put simply, the moderate candidates who focus on issues that matter most to us \u2014 like economic opportunities \u2014 often get beaten in their own primaries while nearly 90% of voters sit back and watch it happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Gen Z \u2014 and all Americans \u2014 need to actively participate in primaries. Vote for the candidate who will support teachers, raise wages and work to lower the cost of consumer goods instead of searching for sound bites. Maybe then the American dream won\u2019t seem so distant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><i>Anthony Morgan is a senior at Furman University from Annapolis, Maryland. He is majoring in communications studies and politics, and international affairs.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,9072],"tags":[638,12698],"powerkit_post_featured":[],"ppma_author":[23968],"class_list":["post-359877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","category-op-ed","tag-furman-university","tag-riley-institute-at-furman","cat-2-id","cat-9072-id"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation - GREENVILLE JOURNAL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GREENVILLE JOURNAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/votingboothfile.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest Contributor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest Contributor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guest Contributor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753\"},\"headline\":\"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":482,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Furman University\",\"Riley Institute at Furman\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Op-Ed\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/\",\"name\":\"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation - GREENVILLE JOURNAL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753\"},\"description\":\"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1587,\"caption\":\"Anthony Morgan\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/op-ed\\\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"GREENVILLE JOURNAL\",\"description\":\"We Inform. We Connect. We Inspire.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753\",\"name\":\"Guest Contributor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g23494c9101089ad44ae88ce9d2f56aac\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guest Contributor\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/greenvillejournal.com\\\/author\\\/guest-contributor\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation - GREENVILLE JOURNAL","description":"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation","og_description":"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.","og_url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/","og_site_name":"GREENVILLE JOURNAL","article_published_time":"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":540,"url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/votingboothfile.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Guest Contributor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Guest Contributor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/"},"author":{"name":"Guest Contributor","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753"},"headline":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation","datePublished":"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/"},"wordCount":482,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg","keywords":["Furman University","Riley Institute at Furman"],"articleSection":["News","Op-Ed"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/","url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/","name":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation - GREENVILLE JOURNAL","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University-800x1058.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-10-24T15:00:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753"},"description":"This editorial was the winning entry in the annual StraightTalk student op-ed contest organized by The Riley Institute at Furman University.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Anthony-Morgan-by-Furman-University.jpeg","width":1200,"height":1587,"caption":"Anthony Morgan"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/op-ed\/opinion-saving-the-american-dream-requires-active-participation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion: Saving the American dream requires active participation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/","name":"GREENVILLE JOURNAL","description":"We Inform. We Connect. We Inspire.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d0d6718ae361123907e63fcb9a7c753","name":"Guest Contributor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g23494c9101089ad44ae88ce9d2f56aac","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guest Contributor"},"url":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/author\/guest-contributor\/"}]}},"wps_subtitle":"","authors":[{"term_id":23968,"user_id":81,"is_guest":0,"slug":"guest-contributor","display_name":"Guest Contributor","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","last_name":"Contributor","first_name":"Guest","job_title":"","user_url":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359877\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359877"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=359877"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=359877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}