Community Corner

Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

A new Patch series

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying; national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Fort Lee neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's a debate about which government-backed development efforts will revitalize the economy. Locally, we know that with more and more businesses closing on Main St., officials are pinning their hopes for the future of our community on the long fallow , while longtime, local, family-owned businesses like Fort Lee Hardware, Prestige Auto, Fort Lee Pizza and keep their own "American dreams" alive.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we know Fort Lee’s schools are overcrowded and plagued by failing, outdated infrastructure. But two referendums to expand and upgrade the school system have failed.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Fort Lee go to the heart of your American Dream.


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