Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

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 almost 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.

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

Nationally, there's a debate about which government-building efforts are "shovel-ready." Locally, we know that the many projects planned in Stone Mountain city (a new city hall and the second phase of the streetscape) and economic growth in unincorporated Stone Mountain (think Memorial Drive) are keys to our future.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. We know that some of our schools have struggled in standardized testing, and that the most important people to turn that around is not a national politician, but our parents, teachers and administrators.

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

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